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Champaign County, III 



CONTAINING 



Full Paoe Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent 
and Representative Citizens of the County, 

TOGETHER WITH 

PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL THE GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS, AND 
OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



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CHICAGO: 

CHAPMAN BROTHERS, 

1887. 



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HAVE completed oar labors in writing and compiling the Portrait and Bio- 
►iGRAPHicAL Album of this county, and wish, in presenting it to our patrons, to speak 
briefly of the importance of local works of this nature. It is certainly the duty 
of the preseiirto commemorate the past, to perpetuate the names of the pioneers, 
to furnish a record of their early settlement, and to relate the story of their progress. 
The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of tiie age, and this solemn duty which 
men of the present time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, 
demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In local history is found a power 
>^^ to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, andto waft down the river of time a safe 
vessel in which tlie names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this region from its 
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the noble men, who in their vigor and prime 
came early to the county and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are passing to their 
graves. The number remaining who can relate the history of the first days of settlement is 
becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of his- 
torical matter without delay, before the settlers of the wilderness are cut down by time. Not only 
is itof the greatest importance to render history of pioneer times full and accurate.but it is also essen- 
tial that the history of the county, from its settlement to the present day, should be treated through its various 
phases, so that a record, complete and impartial, may be handed down to the future. The present the age 
of progress, is reviewed, standing out in bold relief over the quiet, unostentatious olden times; it is a brilliant 
record, which is destined to live in the future; the good works of men, their magnificent enterprises, theii 
lives, whether commercial or military, do not sink into oblivion, but, on the contrary, grow brighter with age, 
and contribute to build up a record which carries with it precedents and principles that will be advanced and 
observed when the acts of soulless men will be forgotten and their very names hidden in obscurity. 

In the preparation of the personal sketches contained in this volume, unusual care and pains were 
taken to have them accurate, even in the smallest detail. Indeed, nothing was passed lightly over or treated 
indifferently; and we flatter ourselves that it is one of the most accurate works of its nature ever published. 
As one of the most interesting features of this work, we present the portraits of numerous represent- 
ative citizens. It has been our aim to have the prominent men of to-day, as well as the pioneers, represented 
in this department; and we congratulate ourselves on the uniformly high character of the gentlemen whose 
portraits we i)resent. They are in the strictest sense representative men, and are selected from all the call- 
ings and professions worthy to be given. There are others, it is true, who claim equal prominence with 
those given ; but of course it was impossible for us to give portraits of all the leading men and pioneers 
of the county. We are under great obligation to many of the noble and generous people of this county 



for kindly and material assistance in the preparation of this Album. 






Chicago, October, 1 887. 



CHAPMAN BROTHERS. 



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FIRST PRESIDENT. 



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HE Father of our Country was 
€) born in Westmorland Co., Va., 
"Feb. 22, 1733. His parents 
were Augustine and Mary 
(Ball) Washington. The family 
to which he belonged has not 
been satisfactorily traced in 
England. His great-grand- 
father, John Washington, em- 
igrated to Virginia about 1657, 
and became a prosperous 
planter. He had two sons, 
Lawrence and John. The 
former niarried Mildred Warner 
and had three children, John, 
Augustine and Mildred. Augus- 
tine, the father of George, first 
married Jane Butler, who bore 
him four children, two of whom, 
Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
maturity. Of six children by his 
second marriage, George was the 
eldest, the others being Betty, 
San\uel, John Augustine, Charles 
and Mildred. 
Augustine Washington, the father of George, died 
in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his 
eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on 
the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, 
and to George he left the parental residence, (icorge 
received only such education as the neighborhood 
schools afforded, save for a short time after he left 
scliool, when he received private instruction in 
mathematics. His spellin^i v/as rather defective. 



Remarkable stories are told of his great physical 
strength and development at an early age. He was 
an acknowledged leader among his companions, and 
was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair- 
ness and veracity which characterized his whole life. 

When George was i4yearsoldhehad a desire to go to 
sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, 
but through the opposition of his mother the idea was 
abandoned. Two years later he was appointed 
surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In 
this business he spent three years in a rough frontier 
life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
essential to him. In 175 i, though only 19 years of 
age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of 
major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for 
active service against the French and Indians. Soon 
after this he sailed to the West Lidies with his brother 
Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They 
soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence 
died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter 
who did not long survive him. On her demise the 
estate of Mount Vernon was given to George, 

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddle, as Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was 
reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- 
tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to 
Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this 
a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac- 
cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro- 
ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- 
western Pennsylvania. Tlie distance to be traversed 
was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand, 
and the journey was to be made without military 
escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The 



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GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



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trip was a perilous one, and several times he came near 
losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished 
a full and useful report of liis expedition. A regiment 
of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com- 
mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was 
commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was 
then begun against the French and Indians, in which 
Washington took a most important part. In the 
memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad- 
dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer 
of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock 
were disabled early in the action, and Washington 
alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter 
to his brother he says : " I had four bullets through 
my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped 
unhurt, though death was levelin'^ my companions 
on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was 
not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken 
direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit 
him. 

After having been five years in the military service, 
and vainly sought j)romotion in the royal army, he 
look advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the 
expulsion of the French from the valley of tiie Ohio, 
to resign his conmiission. Soon after he entered the 
Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an 
active and important part. January 17, 1759, he 
married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy 
widow of John Parke Custis. 

When the British Parliament had closed the port 
of Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces 
that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." 
It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- 
gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- 
delphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, 
peaceably if jwssible. To this Congress Col. Wash- 
ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of 
England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- 
cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the 
first acts of this Congress was the election of a com- 
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and 
res[xjnsible office was conferred upon Washington, 
who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted 
it on June 19, but uixm the express condition that he 
receive no salary. He would keep an exact account 
of expenses and expect Congress 10 pay them and 
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to 
trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the 
fortunes and liberties of the people of this country 
were so long confided. The war was conducted by 
him under every possible disadvantage, and while his 
forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every 
obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion 
and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest 
nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 1783, Washington, in 
a parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his 

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commission as commander-in-chief of the army 10 

to the Continental Congress sitting at Annajxilis. He 
retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed 
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all 
connection with public life. 

In February, 1 789, Washington was unanimously 
elected President. In his presidential career he was 
subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new 
government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part 
of other governments ; trials from want of harmony 
between the different sections of our own country; 
trials from the impoverished condition of the country, 
owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the 
beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His 
clear judgment could discern the golden mean ; and 
while perhaps this alone kept our government from 
sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to 
attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and 
very annoying. 

At the exi)iration of his first term he was unani- 
mously re-elected. At the end of this term many 
were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely 
refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March, 
1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi- 
dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there 
his few remaining yeais free from the annoyances of 
public life. Later in the year, however, his rejxjse 
seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France. 
-At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
take command of the armies. He chose his sub- 
ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat- 
ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
home. In accepting the command he made the 
reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations 
his life was suddenly cut off. December i 2, he took 
a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling 
in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated 
fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- 
teenth his body was borne wi'h military honors to its 
final resting place, and interred in the family vault at 
Mount Vernon. 

Of the character of Washington it is imix)ssil)le to 
speak but in terms of the highest resjject and ad- 
miration. The more we see of the operations of 
our government, and the more deeply we feel the 
difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, 
the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- 
ent and character, which have been able to challenge 
the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- 
tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits 
of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will 
be as lasting as the existence of man. 

The person of Washington was nnusally tan, erect 
and well proportioned. His muscular strength was 
great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry 
He commanded respect without any appearance of 
haughtiness, and ever serious without being dull. 



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SECOND PRESIDENT. 



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OHN ADAMS, the second 
President and the first Vice- 
\^f President of the United States, 
was born in Braintree ( now 
Quincy ),Mass., and about ten 
miles from Boston, Oct. 19, 
^35. His great-grandfather, Henry 
dams, emigrated from England 
about 1640, with a family of eight 
sons, and settled at Braintree. The 
parents of John were John and 
Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His 
father was a farmer of limited 
means, to which he added the bus- 
iness of shoemaking. He gave his 
eldest son, John, a classical educa- 
tion at Harvard College. John 
graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the 
school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a 
"school of affliction," from which he endeavored to 
gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the 
study of law. For this purpose he placed himself 
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He 
had tjiought seriously of tiie clerical profession 
but seems to have been tiirned from this by wliat he 
termed "the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- 
cils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature," 
of the operations of which he had been a witness in 
his native town. He was well fitted for tlie legal 
profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being 
ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep- 
tive powers. He gradually gained ])ractice, and in 
1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, 
and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his 
marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa- 
tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial 
Steps toward holding a town meeting, and the resolu- 
<■ ' 




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tions he offered on the subject became very popular 
throughout the Province, and were adopted word for 
word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos- 
ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous 
and prominent advocates of the popular cause, and 
was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- 
lislature) in 1770. 

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates 
from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress, 
which met in 1774. Here he distinguislied himself 
by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- 
vocated the movement for independence against the 
majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved 
and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies 
should assume the duties of self-government. He 
was a prominent member of the committee of five 
appointed June 11, to prepare a declaration of inde- 
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but 
on .-^dams devolved the task of battling it through 
Congress in a three days debate. 

On the day after the Declaration of Independence 
was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the 
glow of e.xcited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife, 
which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated 
liy the si)irit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the 
greatest question was decided that ever was debated 
in America; and greater, ])erhaps, never was or will 
be decided among men. A resolution was passed 
without one dissenting colony, ' that these United 
States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- 
l)endent states.' The day is passed. The fourtli of 
July, 1776, will be a memorable e[ioch in the history 
of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated 
by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary 
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of 
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty 
God. It ought to be solemnized with ixjmp, show% ^ ' 



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24 



yOIfJV ADAMS. 



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games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations 
from one end of the continent to the other, from this 
time forward for ever. You will think me transported 
with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of 
the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to 
maintain this declaration, and support and defend 
these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the 
rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is 
wurlh more than all the means; and that posterity 
will triumjih, although you and I may rue, which I 
hope we shall not."' 

In Novemljer, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a 
delegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin 
Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in 
the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money 
from the French Government. This was a severe trial 
to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, 
compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- 
posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis- 
ers, vvlio were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
1779. In September of the same year he was again 
chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- 
ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce 
with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet 
might be found willing to listen to such projxisels. He 
sailed for France in November, from there he went to 
Holland, where he negotiated ini[X)rtant loans and 
formed iaiportant commercial treaties 

Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed 
Jan. 2 1, 17S3. The re-action from the excitement, 
toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed 
threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con- 
tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he 
was advised to go to England to drink the waters of 
Bath. While in England, still drooping and desfwud- 
ing, he received dispatches from his own government 
urgfing the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was 
delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through 
storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,hemade the trip. 

February 24, 1785 Congress ap]X)inted Mr. Adams 
envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face 
to face the King of England, who had so long re- 
garded him as a traitor. As England did not 
condescend to appoint a minister to the United 
States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom- 
plishing but little, he sought jjermission to return to 
his own country, where he arrived in June, 1788. 

When Washington was first chosen President, John 
Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at 
home and abroad, was chosen Vice President, .\gain 
at the second election of Washington as President, 
Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- 
ington retired from pulilic life, and Mr. Adams was 
elected President, though not without much opposition. 
Serving in this office four years, he was succeeded by 
.Mr. Jefferson, his oppcment in jxalitics. 

While Mr. Adams was Vice President the great 

4t 



French Revolution shook the continent of Europe, 
and it was \i\x>r\ this jxjint which he was at issue with 
the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson. 
Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people 
in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their 
jxjwer of self-government, and he utterly abhored the 
classof atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it. 
On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or- 
iginated the alienation between these distinguished 
men, and two jxjwerful parties were thus soon organ- 
ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies 
were with England and Jefferson led the other in 
sympathy with France. 

The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more 
moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the 
old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling 
had died away, and he had begun to receive that just 
ajjpreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till 
after death. No one could look upon his veneral>le 
form, and think of what he had done and suffered, 
and how he had given uji all the prime and strength 
of his life to the public good, without the deepest 
emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar 
good fortune to witness the complete success of the 
institution which he had been so active in creating and 
supix)rting. In 1824, his cup of happiness was filled 
to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest 
station in the gift of the people. 

The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half 
century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the 
signers of that immortal instrument left u[X)n the 
earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is 
well known, on that day two of these finished their 
earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as 
to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. 
Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning 
of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from 
his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the 
customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In- 
dependence FOREVER." When the day was ushered 
in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, 
he was asked l)y one of his attendants if he knew 
what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor- 
ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all." 
In the course of the day he said, "It is a great and 
glorious day." The last words he uttered were, 
"Jefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re- 
signed his spiiit into the hands of his God. 

The personal appearance and manners of Mr. 
Adams were not particularly pre]X)ssessinf. His face, 
as his ]X3rtrait manifests.was intellectual ard expres- 
sive, but his figure was low and imgraceful, and his 
manners were frequently abrujit and uncotirteous. 
He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor 
the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked 
the manners and address of JefTcrson. 



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THIRD PRESIDENT. 





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1PH©MAS JEFFIIRSDIW 













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HOMAS JEFFERSON was 
g,, burn April 2, 1743, at Sliad- 
B*well, Albermarle county, Va. 

His parents were Peter and 
Jane (Randolph) Jefferson, 
the former a native of Wales, 
and the latter born in Lon- 
don. To tliem were born six 
daughters and two sons, of 
whom Tliomas was the elder. 
When 14 years of age his 
father died. He received a 
most liberal education, hav- 
ing been kept diligently at school 
from the time he was five years of 
age. In 1760 he entered William 
and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat 
of the Colonial Court, and it was the obodeof fashion 
a.id splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17 
years old, lived somewhat e^pensively, keeping fine 
horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he 
was earnestly devoted lo his studies, and irrejjroacha- 
able in his morals. It is strange, however, under 
such influences,that he was not ruined. In the sec- 
ond year of his college course, moved by some un- 
explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, 
society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had 
previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen 
hours a day to haid study, allowing himself for ex- 
ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out 
of the city and back again. He thus attained very 
iiigh iniell-jctual culture, alike excellence in piiiloso- 
pliy anil the languages. The most difficult Latin and 
(Ireek authors he read with facility. A more finished 
scholar has seldom gone fortii from college halls ; and 
<<• ^ 



there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a 
more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. 

Immediately ujxdu leaving college he began the 
study of law. For the short time he continued in the 
practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distin- 
guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a 
lawyer. 15ut the times called for greater action. 
Tlie policy of England had awakened the spirit of 
resistance of tiie American Colonics, and the enlarged 
views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led 
him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen 
a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. !n 
1772 he married Mrs. Martha .Skelton, a very beauti- 
ful, wealthy and highly accomplished .young widow. 

Upon Mr. JefTerson's large estate at Shadwell, there 
was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which 
commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and 
beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new 
home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet 
elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon,' 
became the most distinguished resort in our land. 

In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
where, though a silent memlier, his abilities as a 
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
was placed uiwn a number of important conmiittees, 
and was chairman of the one apiwinted for the draw- 
ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- 
mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, 
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sjierman and Robert R. 
Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed 
to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested 
a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con- 
gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made 
in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 
4, 1776. What must have been the feeling,s of that 



I 






THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



t 



man — what the emotions that swelled his breast — 
who was charged with the preparation of that Dec- 
laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of 
America, was also to publish her to the world, free, 
soverign and independent. It is one of the most re- 
markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort 
of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be 
sufficient to stamp his name with immortality. 

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
Patrick Henry, ;.s Governor of Virginia. At one time 
the British ofticer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to 
Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five 
minutes ela[)sed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef- 
ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- 
sion of the British troops. His wife's healtli, never 
verj' good, was much injured by this excitement, and 
in the summer of 1782 she died. 

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
Two years later he was ap])ointed Minister Plenipo- 
tentiary to France. Returning to the United States 
in September, t789, he became Secretary of State 
in Washington's cajjinet. This position he resigned 
Jan. r, t794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- 
dent, and four years later was elected President over 
Mr. Adams, with .\aron Burr as Vice President. In 
1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, 
and George Clinton, Vice President. 

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra- 
tion was disturbed by an event wliich threatened the 
tran(iuility and peace of the Union; this was the con- 
spiracy of .\aron Burr. Defeated in the late election 
to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled 
ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a 
military expedition into the Spanish territories on our 
southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there 
a new republic. This has been generally supposed 
was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been 
generally known what his real plans were, there is no 
doubt that they were of a far more dangerous 
character. 

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for 
which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined 
to retire from political life. For a period of nearly 
forty years, he had been continually before the pub- 
lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of 
the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de- 
voted the best part of his life to the service of his 
country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his 
declining years required, and \x\)Ow the organization of 
the new administration, in March, 1809, he bid fare- 
well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello. 

Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole 
families came in their coaches with their horses, — 
fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and 
nurses, — and remained three and even six months. 
Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a 
fashionable watering-place. 

The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver- 

T^ 



sary of the Declaration of American Independence, 
great preparations were made in every part of the 
Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and 
the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity 
of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer, 
and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara- 
tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill- 
ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and 
had been continually increasing, compelled him to 
decline the invitation. 

On the second of July, the disease under whic'i 
he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced 
state that his medical attendants, entertained no 
hoi)e of his recovery. From this time he was {)erfectly 
sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next 
day, which was Monday, he asked of those around 
him, the day of tlie month, and on being told it was 
the third of July, he expres.;ed the earnest wish that 
he might lie i)erinitted to breathe tl c airof the fiftieth 
anniversary. His jjrayer was heard — tluit da\ , whose 
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, 
burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for- 
ever. And what a noble cor.suuniKition of a noble 
life! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- - 
the day which his own name and his own act had 
rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicir.gs and 
festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, 
as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, 
was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life. 

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
dred sjiirit of the venerable Adams, as if to t)ear 
him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. 
Hand in hand they had stood forth, tiie champions of 
freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark and desper- 
ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and 
animated their desixjnding countrymen; for half a 
century they had labored together for the good of 
the country; and now hand in hand they depart. 
In their lives they had been united in the same great 
cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not 
divided. 

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather 
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
were light, his hair originally red, in after life became 
white and silvery; his complexion was fiiir, his fore 
head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and 
thoughtful. He ]X5SSessed great fortil tide of mind ns 
well as personal courage ; and his command of tem- 
per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends 
never recollected to have seen him in a jjassion. 
His manners, though dignified, were simple and un- 
affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that 
all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver- 
sation he was fluent, eloquent and er.thusiastic ; and 
his language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is 
discernable the care with which he formed his style 
upon the best models of antiquity, 
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FOURTH PRESIDENT. 



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AMES MADISON, "Father 
of the Constitution," and fourth 
j" President of the United States, 
was born March i6, 1757, and 
died at his home in Virginia, 
June 28, 1836. The name of 
James Madison is inseparably con- 
nected with most of the important 
events in that heroic period of our 
country during which tlie founda- 
tions of this great repubhc were 
laid. He was the hist of the founders 
of the Constitution of the United 
States to be called to his eternal 
reward. 

The Madison family were among 
the early emigrants to the New World, 
anding uixin the shores of the Chesa- 
])eake but 15 years after tlie settle- 
ment of Jamestown. The father of 
James Madison was an opulent 
planter, residing ufwn a very fine es- 
tate called "Montpelier," Orange Co., 
Va. The mansion was situated in 
the midst of scenery highly pictur- 
esque and romantic, on the west side 
of South-west Mountain, at the foot of 
Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of 
Jefferson at Monticello. The closest personal and 
jolitical attachment existed ijetween these illustrious 
men, from their early youth until death. 

The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted 
mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of 
18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. 
Here he applied himself to study with the most im- 

<■ 




prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three 
hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so 
seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor 
of constitution. He graduated in 177 1, with a feeble 
body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a 
mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning 
which embellisiied and gave proficiency to his subsf 
quent career. 

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of 
law and a course of extensive and systematic reading. 
This educational course, the spirit of the times in 
which he lived, and tlie society with which he asso- 
ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong 
love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of 
a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of 
mind, and his frail health leading him to think that 
his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten- 
tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mind 
singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with 
almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed 
all the arguments for and against revealed religion, 
until his faith became so established as never to 
be shaken. 

In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he 
was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to 
frame the constitution of the State. The next year 
(1777), he was a candidate for the General .Assembly. 
He refused to treat the whisky-lovir.g voters, and 
consequently lost his election ; but those who had 
witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the 
modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf, 
and he was appointed to the Executive Council. 

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 

Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained 

member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his 

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4. 



JAMES MADISON. 



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intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not 
a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year 
1780, he was elected a member of the Continental 
Congress. Here he met the most illustrious men in 
our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of 
the most conspicuous positions among them. 

For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con- 
gress, one of its most active and induential members. 
In the year 1784, his term having e.xpired, he was 
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature. 

No man felt more deeply tlian Mr. Madison the 
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no na- 
tional government, with no power to form treaties 
which would be binding, or to enforce law. There 
was not any State more prominent tlian Virginia in 
the declaration, that an efficient national government 
must be formed. In January, 1786, i\Ir. Madison 
carried a resolution through the General Assembly of 
Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis- 
sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss 
this subject. Five States only were re|)resented. The 
convention, however, issued another call, drawn up 
by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft 
a Constitution for the United States, to take the place 
of that Confederate League. The delegates met at 
the time appointed. F,very State but Rhode Island 
was represented. George Washington was chosen 
president of the convention; and the present Consti- 
tution of the United States was tlien and there formed. 
There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac- 
tive in framing this immortal document than the mind 
and the pen of James Madison. 

The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was 
to be presented to the several States for acceptance. 
But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected 
we should be left but a conglomeration of independent 
States, with but little power at home and little respect 
abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by tne conven- 
tion to draw u|) an address to the people of the United 
States, ex]>ounding the principles of the Constitution, 
and urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
to it at first, but it at length triumphed over alt, and 
went into effect in T789. 

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the 
avowed leader of the Republican party. While in 
New York attending Congress, he met Mrs Todd, a 
young widow of remarkable power of fascination, 
whom he married. She was in person and character 
queenly, and probably no lady has thus far occujjied 
so prominent a position in the very peculiar society 
which has constituted our republican court as Mrs. 
Madison. 

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
was chosen President. At this time the encroach- 
ments of England had brought us to the verge of war. 
A* 



British orders in council destioyed our commerce, and 
our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison 
was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring 
in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the 
meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood 
boil, even now, to think of an .\merican ship brought 
to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser. 
A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the 
crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal- 
ance he selects any number whom he may please to 
designate as British subjects; orders them down tlie 
ship's side into his boat; and places them on the gun- 
deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the 
battles of P2ngland. This right of search and im- 
pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce 
the British cabinet to relinquish. 

On the iSth of June, i8r2. President Madison gave 
his approval to an act of Congress declaring war 
against (Jteat Britain. Notwithstanding tlie bitter 
hostility of the Federal party to the war, the couniiy 
in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4II1 
of March, 1813, was re-elected by a large ni.ijorit\, 
and entered u\-on his second term of ofifi;"e. 'i'his is 
not the place to describe the various adventures of 
this war on the land and on the water. Our infant 
navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap- 
pling with the most formidable power which ever 
swept the seas. The contest commer.ced in earnest 
by the aupearance of a British fleet, early in Februaiy, 
18 13, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly ihe whole 
coast of the United States under blockade. 

The P^mpeior of Russia offered his services as me 
ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit- 
ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks 
of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa- 
peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens- 
burg, uixjn Washington. 

The straggling little city of Washington was thrown 
into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflic t 
at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the 
metropolis. The whole population fled from the city. 
The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the Wliite 
House, with her carriage drawn u|) at the door to 
await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers 
in a council of war. He met our troojjs utterly routed, 
and he could not go back without danger of bei^ g 
captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidenti:il 
Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in 
Washington were in flames. 

The war closed after two years of fighting, and on 
Feb. 13, i8r5, the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, his second term of 
office expired, and he resigned the Presidential chair 
to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau- 
tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re- 
mainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the 
age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi- 
son died July 12, 1849. 
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^ PIRES Y\}Ol}im- 




PiFTir PRESIDENT. 



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35 ^. 



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AMES MONROE, the fiftli 
President of The United States, 
was l)orn in Westmoreland Co., 
Va., April 2<S, 1758. His early 
life was passed at the place of 
nativity. His ancestors had for 
many years resided in the jjrov- 
incc i;i which he was born. When, 
at 17 years of age, in the process 
of completing his education at 
William and Mary College, the Co- 
onial CoDgress assembled at I'liila- 
delpliia lo deliberate ujion the un- 
just and manifold oppressions of 
('■real Uritiaii, declared the se|)ara- 
tioii of the Colonies, and promul- 
gated the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence. Had he been horn ten years before it is highly 
proliable that he would have been one of the signers 
of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left 
si hool and enlisted among tlic patriots. 

He joined the army wlien everything looked hoi)e- 
less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased 
from day to day. The invading armies came pouring 
in; and the tories not only favored the cause of the 
mother country, but disiieartened the new recruits, 
who were sufficiently terrifnd at the ])rospect of coti- 
tending with an enemy u Ik m they had been taught 
to deem invincible. To sntli brave spirits as lames 
Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through 
difficulty and danger, the United States owe their 
political emancii)ation. Tlie yoitng cadet joined tlie 
ranks, and esi)oiised the cause of his injured country, 
with a firm determination to live or die witli iier strife 
M _ 



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for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in tjie mel- 
ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White 
Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it (led 
before its foes through New Jersey. In four months 
after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots 
liad been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of 
Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg- 
ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left 
shoulder. 

As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro- 
moted a cai)tain of infantry; and, having recovered 
from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, 
receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an 
officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During thecam- 
l)aigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy- 
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continited 
aid-de-camp; Init becoming desirous to regain his 
position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a 
regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed 
owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Ui)on 
this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
that period Covernor, and i)ursued, with considerable 
ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, 
entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; 
but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volun- 
teer, during the two years of his legal puisuits. 

In 17S2, he was elected from King Cieorge county, 
a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that 
body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive 
Council. He was thus honored with the confidence 
of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having 
at this early period disi)layctl some of that ability 
and aptitude for legislation, whii h were afterwards 
employed with unremittii?g energy for the public good, ^ ' 



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JAMES MOlvROE. 



he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of 
the Congress i)f the United States. 

Deeplyas Mr. Monroefelt the imperfec tionsof theold 
Confederacy, he was opposed lo the new Constitution, 
thinking, with many others of the Republican party, 
that it gave too much power to the Central Government, 
and not enough to tlie individual States. Still he re- 
tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm 
supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition 
secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member 
of the United States Senate; which office he held for 
four years. Every month the line of distinction be- 
tween the two great parties which divided the nation, 
the Federal and the Republican, was growing more 
distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep- 
arated them were, that the Republican party was in 
sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a 
strict construction of the Constitution as to give the 
Central Government as little power, and the State 
Governments as much (xswer, as the Constitution would 
warrant. The Federalists symitathized with England, 
and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
stitution, which would give as much jjower to the 
Central Government as that document could possibly 
authorize. 

The leading Federalists and Republicans were 
alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the 
good of the nation. Two more honest men or more 
pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and 
James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In 
building up this majestic nation, which is destined 
to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the coni- 
Ijination of their antagonism was needed to create the 
light eiiuilibrium. .And yet each in his day was de- 
nounced as almost a demon. 

Washington was then President. England had es- 
poused tlie cause of the Bourbons against the princi- 
ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn 
into the conflict. We were feeble and far away. 
Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be- 
tween these contending powers. France had helped 
us in the struggle for oiu' liberties. All the despotisms 
of Euroi)e were now comliined to prevent the French 
from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse 
than that which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more 
magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in 
their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous 
and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres- 
ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in 
magnanimity. 

Washington, who could appreciate such a character, 
developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness, 
by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de- 
nouncing the iK)licy of the Government, as the minister 
of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention 
in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations. 



X in Fra 



Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Mon- 
roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the 
office for three yeais. He was again sent to France to 
co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining 
the vast territory then known as the Province of 
Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob- 
tained from S|)ain. Their united efforts were suc- 
cessful. F"or the comparatively small sum of fifteen 
millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and 
district of Louisiana were added to the United States. 
This was probably the largest transfer of real estate 
which was ever made in all the history of the world. 

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob- 
tain from that country some recognition of our 
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those 
odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng- 
land was unrelenting. He agam retiuned to Eng- 
land on the same mission, but could receive no 
redress. He returned to his home and was again 
chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned 
to accept the position of Secretary of State under 
Madison. While in this office war with England was 
declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during 
these trying times, the duties of the War Department 
were also put upon him. He was truly the armor- 
bearer of President Madison, and the most efficient 
business man in his caliinet. Upon the return o( 
peace he resigned the Department of War, but con- 
tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the ex- 
piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec- 
tion held the previous autumn Mr Monroe himself had 
been chosen President with but liltle opposition, and 
upon March 4, 18.-7, ^^^ inaugurated. Four years 
later he was elected for a second term. 

Among the important measures of his Presidency 
were the cession of Florida to the United States; the 
Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.'* 

This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe 
doctrine," was enunciated by him in 1823. At that 
time the United States had recognized the independ- 
ence of the South American states, and did not wish 
to have European powers longer attempting to sub- 
due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine 
is as follows: "That we should consider any attempt 
on the part of European powers to extend their sys- 
tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous 
to our peace and safety." and "that we could not 
view any interposition for the purixjse of oppressing 
or controlling .American governments or provinces in 
any other light than as a manifestation by European 
powers of an unfriendly disiw-^ition toward the United 
States." This doctrine immediately affected the course 
of foreign governments, and has become the approved 
sentiment of the United States. 

At the end of his fccond term Mr Monroe retired 
to his home in \^irginia. where he lived until 1830, 
when he went to New 'N'ork to live with his son-in- 
law. In that city he died,on the 4th of July, 1831. 



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SIXTH PRESIDENT. 



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OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the 
sixth President of the United 
States, was born in the rural 
home of his honored father, 
John Adams, in Quincy, Mass., 
on the I I til of July, 1767. His 
mother, a woman of exalted 
worth, watched over his childhood 
during the almost constant ab- 
sence of his father. When but 
eight years of age, he stood with 
his mother on an eminence, listen- 
ing to the booming of the great bat- 
tle on Bnnker's Hill, and gazing on 
upon the smoke and flames billow- 
ing up from the conflagration of 
Charlestown. 

When but eleven years old he 
took a tearful adieu of his mother, 
to sail with his fatner for Europe, 
through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright, 
animated hoy spent a year and a half in Paris, where 
his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as 
minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted 
the notice of these distinguished men, and he received 
from them flattering marks of attention. 

Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again 
lohn (^wincy accompanied his father. At Paris he 
applied himself with grent diligence, for six months, 
to study; then accompaiiied his father to Hollan<l, 
where he entered, first a school in .Amsterdam,- then 
.the University at Leyden. About a year from this 
time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fourteen 
years of age, he was selected l)y Mr. Dana, our min- 
ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. 

In this school of incessant labor and of enobling 
culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned 
to Holland thiough Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and 
Ihemen. This long journey he took alone, in the 
winter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed 
his studies, under a private tutor, at Hague. Thence, 
4» . 



in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father to 
Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance 
with the most distinguished men on the Continent; 
examining arcliitectural remains, galleries of paintings, 
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again 
became associated with the most illustrious men of 
all lauds in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal 
themes which can engross the human mind. After 
a short visit to Kngland he returned to Paris, and 
consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, 
when he returned to America. To a brilliant young 
man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, 
and who was familiar with the eti(piette of courts, a 
residence with his father in London, under such cir- 
cumstances, must have been extremely attractive; 
but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre- 
ferred to return to America to complete his education 
in an American college. He wished then to study 
law, that with an honorable profession, he might be 
able to obtain an independent sup[)ort. 

Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty, 
he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be- 
ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap- 
pointed by Washington, resident minister at the 
Netherlands. Sailing from Pioston in July, he reached 
London in October, where he was immediately admit- 
ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney, 
assisting them in negotiating acommercial treaty with 
Great Hrilian. After thus spending a fortniglit in 
London, he proceeded to the Hague. 

In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as 
minister plenijx>tentiary. On his way to Portugal, 
upon arriving in London, he met with despatches 
directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting 
him to remain in London until he should receive his 
instructions. While waiting he was married to an 
American lady to whom he had been ))reviously en- 
gaged, — Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter 
of Mr. Joshua Johnson, .\merican consul in London; 
a lady endownd with that beauty and those acconi- 
jjlishment which eminently fitted her to move in the 
elevated sphere for which she was destined. 
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yO//JV QUINCY ADAMS. 



He reached Berlin with his wile in November, 1797 ; 
where he remained until July, 1799, when, havingful- 
filled all tlie piiriwses of his mission, he solicited his 
recall. 

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to 
the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then 
was elected Senator of the United States for six years, 
from the 4tli of March, 1804. His reputation, his 
ability and his experience, placed him immediately 
among the most prominent and influential members 
of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern- 
ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach- 
ments of England, destroying our commerce and in- 
sulting our flag. There was no man in America more 
familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon 
these points, and no one more resolved to present 
a firm resistance. 

In 1S09, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres- 
idential chair, and he immediately nominated John 
Quincy .Adams minister to St. I'etersjurg. Resign- 
ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked 
at Boston, in .\ugust, 1809. 

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- 
dent. He devoted his attention to the language and 
history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the 
European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to 
the climate and astronomical observations; while he 
Kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and 
Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a 
more accomplished scholar coulil scarcely be found. 
All through life the Bible constituted an importar.t 
jjart of his studies. It was his rule to read five 
chapters every day. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the 
Presidential chair, and immediately a|)ix)inted Mr. 
Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num- 
erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he 
sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the 
1 8th of .August, he again crossed the threshold of his 
home in (Quincy. During the eight yearsof Mr. Mon- 
roe's administration, Mr. .\dams continued Secretarj' 
of State. 

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second 
term of office, new candidates began to be presented 
for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. .\dams brought 
forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. 
Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and 
sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- 
ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy .\dams, eighty-four; 
William H. Crawford, forty-one; Henry Clay, thirty- 
seven. As there was no choice by the people, the 
question wer.t to the House of Representatives. Mr. 
Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and 
he was elected. 

The friends of all the disappointed candidates now 
combined in a venomous and [lersistent assault \\\ici\\ 
Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in 
the past histof)- of our country than the abuse which 



was jxjured in one uninterrupted stream, u|X)n this 
high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was 
an administration more pure in principles, more con- 
scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun- 
try, than that of John Quincy Adams; and never, per- 
haps, was there an administration more unscrupu- 
lously and outrageously assailed. 

Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- 
stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising 
early, and taking muth exercise. \\ hen at his homein 
Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast, 
seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said 
that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his 
own fire and applying himself to work in his library 
often long before dawn. 

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired 
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew 
Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- 
dent. The slavery question now began to assume 
lX)rtentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to 
Quincy and to his studies, which he i)ursued with un- 
abated zeal. But he was not long [)ermitted to re- 
main in retirement. Iw November, 1830, he was 
elected re|)resentative to Congress. For seventeen 
years, until iiis death, he occupied the [xast as repre- 
sentative, towering aboye all his jieers, ever ready to 
do brave battle' tor freedom, and winning the title of 
"the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in 
the House, he announced that he should hold him- 
self bound to no party. Probably there never was a 
member more devoted to his duties. He was usually 
the first in his place in the morning, and the last to 
leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could 
be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. 'I he 
battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against 
the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime 
in Us moral dating and heroism. For jjersisling in 
presenting petitions for llie abolition of slavery, he 
was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, 
with expulsion from the Houfe, with assassination: 
but no threats could intimidate him, and his final 
triumph was comiilete. 

It has been said of President Adams, that when his 
body was bent and his hair silvered by the lai'-se of 
fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little 
child, he was accustomed to rei)eat every night, before 
he slejit, the pra)er which his mother taught him in 
his infent years. 

On the 2 1 St of Februar)', 1848, he rose on the floor 
of Congress, with a pnper in liis hand, to address the 
speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly- 
sis, and was caught in the arms of those aiound him. 
For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to 
the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- 
ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and 
said " Tliis is the end of earth .-"then after a moment's 
pause he added, ^'' I am conlint" These were the 
last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent." 






V 



t. 



SE VENTH PRESIDENT. 



^S 



l^m -^ia2'5MS-*Sj.j-eJL<'».itf!iS 












Xiii^.'i'&ii'" 




NDREW JACKSON, the 



^#^ M )K 
\\ wi seven 



t 



United States, was born in 
Waxhaw settlement, N. (;,, 
Marcli 15, 1767, a few days 
after his father's death. His 
parents were poor emigrants 
from Ireland, and took up 
their abode in \V'axhavv set- 
tlement, where they lived in 
deepest poverty. 
Andrew, or Andy, as he was 
universally called, grew up a very 
rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
features were coarse, his form un- 
gainly; and there was but very 
little in his character, made visible, which was at- 
tractive. 

When only thirteen years old he joined the volun- 
teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 
1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and 
imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer 
ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am 
a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of 
the dauntless boy. 

The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate 
blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. 
Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- 
ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other uiwn the 
head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert 
with the same demand. He also refused, and re- 
ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite 
disabled him, and which probably soon after caused 
his death. They suffered muchother ill-treatment, and 
were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their 
mother was successful in obtaining their exchange, 
4* 



and took her sick boys home. After a long illness 
Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon 
left him entirely friendless. 

Andrew supiwrted himself in various ways, such as 
working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and 
clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he 
entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, 
gave more attention to the wild amusements of the 
times than to his studies. In 1788, he was apjjointed 
solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of 
which Tennessee was then a part. This involved 
many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of 
every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, 
and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish 
witn the Sharp Knife. 

In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who 
supjxjsed herself divorced from her former husband. 
Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, 
to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been 
definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage 
ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur- 
rence was often used by his enemies tt) bring Mr. 
Jackson into disfavor. 

During these years he worked hard at his i)rofes- 
sion, and frecpiently had one or more duels on hand, 
one of vvhicli, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- 
ially disgraceful. 

In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then 
containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the 
people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- 
stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven 
counties. .Vndrew Jackson was one of the delegates. 
The new State was entitled to but one member in 
the National House of Re[)resentatives. Andrew Jaik- 
son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he 
rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its 



"r 






.t 



44 



ANDREW JACKSON. 






sessions, — a disUiiicc of about eight luindred miles. 

Jackson was an earnest advocate of tlie Demo- 
cratic iJirty. Jefferson was his idol. He admired 
Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. 
Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose 
second term of office was then expiring, delivered his 
last speech to Congiess. .\ conmiittee drew up a 
coaii>limentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson 
did not aijprove of the address, and was one of the 
twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to 
say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been 
" wise, firm and [jatriotic" 

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned liome. 
Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court 
of liis State, which position he held for six years. 

When the war of 1812 witli Great Britian com- 
menced, Madison occu|)ied the Presidential chair. 
Aaron Burr sent word to tlie President that there was 
an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who 
would do credit to a commission if one were con- 
ferred u|X)n him. Just at that time (ien. Jackson 
offeied his services and lliose of twenty-five hundred 
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops 
were assembled at Nashville. 

As the British were hourly exjiected to make an at- 
tack i.i)an New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was 
in connnand, he was ordered to descend tlie river 
with fifteen hunihed troops to aid Wilkinson. The 
expedition reached Natchez; and after a delay of sev- 
eral weeks there, without accomi)lishing anything, 
the men were ordered back to their homes. But the 
energy Cien. Jackson had displayed, and his entire 
devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him 
golden oi)inions; and he became the most popular 
nian in the State. It was in this expedition that his 
toughness gave him the nickname of " Old Hickory. ' 

SoDU after tliis, while attempting to horsewhip Col. 
Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman 
made about his taking a [)art as second in a duel, in 
which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, 
he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was 
lingering iipon a bed of suffering news came that the 
lufhans, who had combined under Tecumseh from 
Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- 
tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De- 
cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with 
his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in 
a slin", and vniable to mount his horse without assis- 
tance, gave his amazmg energies to the raising of an 
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, .Alabama. 

The Creek Indians had established a strong for( on 
one of the bendsof the Tallauoosa River, near the cen- 
ter of Alabama, al)out fifty miles below Fort Strother. 
With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson 
traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven 
days. He reached their fort, called Toho])eka or 
Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend 



of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of 
tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow 
neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast- 
work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, 
with an ample suplyof arms were assembled. 

The fort was stormed. 'I"he fight was utterly des- 
perate. Not an Indian would accej)! of quarter. When 
bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en- 
deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- 
ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was 
awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the 
river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as 
they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war- 
rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam 
the river and esca[)ed. This ended the war. The 
l»vver of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold 
plunge into the wilderness, with itsterriftic slaughter, 
so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants 
of the bands came to the camp, begging for peace. 

This closing of the Creek war enaliled us to con- 
centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the 
allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will 
than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian 
campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he 
was appointed major-general. 

Late in .\ugust, with an army of two thousand 
men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to 
Mobile. A British tleet came from Pensacola, landed 
a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, 
and from both ship and shore conniienced a furious 
assault The battle was long anddoubtlul. .\t length 
one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. 

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little 
army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, 
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won 
for (ien. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his 
troops, which numbered about four thousand men, 
won a signal victory over the British army of about 
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the 
loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. 

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men- 
tioned in connection with the Presidency, hut, in 1824, 
he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however, 
successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected 
for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he 
assumed the reins of the government, he met with 
the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of 
his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has 
perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of 
her death he never recovered. 

His administration was one of the most memorable 
in the annals of our country; applauded by one party, 
condemned by the other. No man had more bitter 
enemies or warmer friends. yVt the expiration of his 
two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where 
he died June 8, 1S45. The last years of Mr. Jack- 
son's life were that of a devoted Christian man. 



i 



I 




7 ? ^^lyoi ^^■^^^u<. 



O^-^z-c.. 



t. 



■4^ 



EIGHTH PRESIDENT. 




"kx 











t 



ARTIN VAN liURKN, the 
eighth President of the 
United States, was born at 
Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5, 
1782. He died at the same 
[ilace, July 24, 1862. His 
body rests in the cemetery 
at Kinderhook. Above it is 
a plain granite siiaft fifteen feet 
high, bearing a simple inscription 
about halt way up on one face. 
Tlie lot is unfenced, unbordered 
or unbour.ded by shrub or flower. 

Tliere is l)ut little in the life of Martin Van Buren 
of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged 
in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in 
]x)litical and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many 
signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those 
incidents which give zest to biography. His an- 
cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin, 
and were among tiie earliest emigrants from Holland 
to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer, 
residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, 
also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
ligence and exemplary piety. 

He was decidedly a [jtecocious boy, developing un- 
usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the 
age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies 
in his native village, and commenced the study of 
law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven 
years of study in a law-office were required of him 
before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with 
a lofty aml)ition, and conscious of his powers, he |)ur- 
sued his studies with indefatigable industry. After 
spending six years in an office in his native village, 
<* 



he went to the city of Mew York, and prosecuted his 
studies for the seventh year. 

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of 
age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- 
lage. The great conflict between the Federal and 
Republican party was then at its height. Mr. \'an 
Burenwas from the beginning a politician. He had, 
perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the 
many discussions which had been carried on in his 
father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy wiih 
Jefferson, and earnestly and elo(iuently espouseil the 
cause of State Rights; though at that time the I'ed- 
eral party held the supremacy both in his town 
and State. 

His success and increasing ruputation led him 
after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, th.: 
county seat of his county. Here he s|)ent seven years 
constantly gaining strength by contending in tht 
courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned 
the bar of his State. 

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mi. 
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
years she sank into the grave, the victim of consun)p- 
tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over 
her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was 
an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record 
of those years is barren in items of public interest. 
In 181 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to 
the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to 
Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1815, he was ap- 
pointed Attorney-Ceneral, and the next year moved 
to Albany, the capital of the State. 

While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had 



i 



t. 



-4^ 



,t 






48 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
not require that " universal suffrage" which admits 
the vile, tlie degraded, the ignorant, to the right of 
goveri'.ing tlic State. In true consistency with his 
democratic pri:icii)les, lie contended that, while the 
path I'jading to the privilege of voting should be open 
to every man without distinction, no one should be 
invested witKlhit sacred prerogative, unless he were 
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue 
and some property interests in the welfare of the 
Staie. 

In 1821 he was elected a member of the United 
States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat 
in the convention to revise the constitution of liis 
native State. His course in this convention secured 
the ap;)roval of men of all parties. No one could 
ilmibt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the 
interests of all classes in tlie community. In the 
Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a 
conspicuous position as anactive and useful legislator. 

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then, in the 
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to 
the Ssnate. He had been fron> the beginning a de- 
termined o|)p3ser of the Administration, adopting the 
"Stale Rights" view in opposition to what was 
deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 

Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen (Jovernorof 
the Stale of New York, antl accordingly resigned his 
seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United 
States contributed so much towards ejecting John O. 
Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it 
Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether 
entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re- 
gardctl throughout the United States as one of the 
most skilltui, sagacious and cunning of politicians. 
It wassui)posed that no one knew so well as he how 
to touch the secret spiings of action; how to pull all 
the wires to put his machinery in motion; and how to 
organize a political army which would, secretly and 
stealthily accoiriplish the most gigantic results. By 
these powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams, 
Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
few thought then could be accomplished. 

Wiie.i Andrew Jackson was electeii President he 
appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This 
position he resigned in 1831, and was immediately 
appointed Minister to England, where he went the 
same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met, 
refused to ratify the nomination, and he leturned 



home, apparently untroubled ; was nominated Vice 
President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election 
of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all and 
frowns for none, he took his place at the head of that 
Senate which hjd refused to confirm his nomir,at:on 
as ambassador. 

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of 
President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor- 
ite; and this, probably mure than any other cause, 
secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execu- 
tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re- 
ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Oen. 
Jackson as President of the United States He was 
elected by a handsome majority, to the dehglil of the 
retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the 
canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of .Mr. Van 
P>uren to the Presidency was as much the act of (ien. 
Jackson as though the Constitution luui confeired 
upon him the power to appoint a successor." 

His administration was filled with exciting events. 
The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in 
volve this country in warwitli England, the agitation 
of the slavery question, and finally the great commer- 
cial jjanic which spread over the country, all were 
trials to his wisdom. The financial distiess was at- 
tributed to the management of the Deitiocratic party, 
and brought the President into such disfavor that he 
failed of reelection. 

With the exception of being nominated for the 
Presidency l;y the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 1848, 
Mr. Van Buren lived tpiietly upon his estate until 
his death. 

He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal haljits, 
and living within his income, had now fortunately a 
competence for his declining years. His unblemisheil 
character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned 
patriotism, and the distinguished (wsitions which he 
had occupied in the government of oisr country, se- 
cured to him not only the homage of his party, but 
the respect ot the whole community. It was on the 
4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from 
the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindi'uwald^ 
he still exerted a powerful influence upon thei>olitics 
of the country. From this time until his death, on 
the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, he 
resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of 
culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old 
age, probably far more happiness than he had before 
experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life. 






4 



"^ 



-•► 



.t 



MtNTH PRESrDENt. 



!' 



HENRY 





t 



ILLIAM HENRY HARRI- 
SON, the ninth President of 
the United States, was born 
at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. 
His father, Benjamin Harri- 
son, was in comparatively op- 
ulent circumstances, and was 
one of the most distinguished 
men of his day. He was an 
intimate friend of George 
Washington, was early elected 
a member of the Continental 
Congress, and was conspicuous 
among the patriots of Virginia in 
resisting the encroachments of the 
Britisii crown. In the celebrated 
Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- 
rison and John Hancock were 
both candidates for the office of 
s|)eaker. 

Mr Harrison was subsequently 
chosen Governor of Virginia, and 
was twice re-elected. His son, 
i William Henry, of course enjoyed 

in childhood all the advantages which wealth and 
intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
ing received a tiiorough common-school education, he 
entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated 
with honor soon after the death of his father. He 
then rei)aired to Philadelphia to study medicine imder 
the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of 
Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, 
signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

U|)on the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- 
withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he 
abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, 
having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi- 



dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old. 
From that time he passed gradually upward in rank 
until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose 
death he resigned his commission. He was tlien a])- 
pointed Secretary of tiie Nortli-western Territory. This 
Territory was then entitled to but one member in 
Congress and Capt. Harrison was cliosen to fill tliat 
position. 

In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory 
was divided by Congress into two portions. The 
eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced 
in the State of Oiiio, was called '' The Territory 
north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which 
included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and 
Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil- 
liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was a])- 
pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana 
Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of 
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as 
extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He 
was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- 
vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now 
rapidly increasing white poi)ulation. The ability and 
fidelity with which he discharged these responsible 
duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four 
times appointed to this office — first by John Adams, 
twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi- 
dent Madison. 

When he began his adminstration there were but 
three white settlementsin that almost boundless region, 
now crowded with cities and resounding with all the 
tumult of wealth and traffic. Oneoftliese settlements 
was on the Ohio, nearly opjKisite Ix)uisville; one lat 
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the thiid a French 
settlement. 

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison, 
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About 

. '» 



i 



f. 






■*► 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 






i 



the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers, 
of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of 
these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching 
Panther;" the other, OUiwacheca, or "The Prophet." 
Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man 
of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit- 
able perseverance in any enterprise in which he might 
engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, 
and had long regarded with dread and with hatred 
the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting- 
grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was 
an orator, wlio could sway the feelings of the untutored 
Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which 
they dwelt. 

But the Prophet was not merely an orator: he was, 
in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested 
with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a 
magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter 
the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went 
from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent 
Ijy the Great Spirit. 

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate 
the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- 
canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. 
October 28, 18 12, his anny began its march. When 
near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made 
their appearance and in(|uired why C-ov. Harrison was 
approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a 
short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- 
ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. 

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with 
the Indian character to Ije deceived by such protes- 
tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en- 
campment, he took every precaution against surprise. 
His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept 
upon their arms. 

The troojjs threw themselves upon the ground for 
rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his 
loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The 
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in 
the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- 
tion with his aids by the emljers of a waning fire. It 
was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In 
the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- 
ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all 
the desperation wliich superstition and i)assion most 
highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
little army. The savages had been amply provided 
with guns and ammunition by the English. Their 
war-whoop was accompained l)y a shower of bullets. 

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the 
light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- 
j)us yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a 
speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's 
troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them 
until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous 
charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be- 
fore them, and completely routing the foe. 



Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
to the utmost. The British descending from tiieCan- 
adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but 
with their savage allies, rushing like wolves I'rom the 
forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn- 
ing, plundering, scal[)ing, torturing, the wide frontier 
was plunged into a state of consternation which even 
the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. 
The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the 
forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra- 
tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made 
the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. 
Under these despairing circumstances. Gov. Harrison 
was appointed liy President Madison commander-in- 
chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake 
Detroit, and to [irotect tlie frontiers. 

It would be difficult to place a man in a situation 
demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but 
General Harrison was found equal to the position, 
and noljly and triumphantly did he meet all the re- 
sponsibilities. 

He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing 
with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while 
pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in a 
valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket 
lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five Briiisli officers, 
his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle. 
The only fare he could give them was beef roasted 
before the fire, williout bread or salt. 

In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of 
the National House of Representatives, to represent 
the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an 
active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with 
force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested 
the attention of all the members. 

In 1819, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors 
of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The 
same year he was chosen to the United Stales Senate. 

In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him 
forward as a candidate for the Presidency against 
Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of 
Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nominated by his 
party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated 
by the Whigs, with John Tyler lorthe Vice Presidency. 
The contest was very animated. Gen. Jackson gave 
all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but 
his triumph was signal. 

The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster 
at its head as Secretary of State, was one of tlie most 
brilliant with which any President had ever been 
surrounded. Never were the pros|iecls of an admin- 
istration more flattering, or the ho|)es of the country 
more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and 
joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by a 
pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sick- 
ness, died on the 4th of April; just one month after 
his inauguration as President of the United States. 



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TEl^Tti PkF.STDEr4t. 








OHN TYLER, the tenth 
jL Presidentof the United States. 
He was born in Charles-city 
Co., Va., March 29, rygo. He 
was the favored child of af- 
fluence and high social po- 
sition. At the early age of 
twelve, John entered William 
and Mary College and grad- 
uated with much honor when 
but seventeen years old. After 
graduating, he devoted him- 
self with great assiduity to the 
study of law, partly with his 
father and partly with lidmund 
Randolph, one of the most distin- 
guished lawyers of Virginia. 

At nineteen years of age, ne 
commenced the practice of law. 
His success was rapid and aston- 
ishing. It is said that three 
months had not elapsed ere there 
was scarcely a case on the dock- 
et of the court in which he was 
not retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he 
was almost unanimously elected to a seat in the State 
Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of 
Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he 
was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the 
unanimous vote or his county. 

When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected 
a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and 
ably with the Democratic party, opi)osing a national 
^ ' bank, internal improvements by the General Govern- I 1 



ment, a protective tariff, and advocatmg a strict con* 
struction of the Constitution, and the most careful 
vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress 
were so arduous that before the close of his second 
term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his 
estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He, 
however, soon after consented to take his seat in the 
State Legislature, where his influence was powerful 
in promoting public works of great utility. With a 
reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen 
by a very large majority of votes. Governor of his 
native State. His administration was signally a suc- 
cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election. 

John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the 
United States. A portion of the Democratic party 
was displeased witii Mr. Randolph's wayward course, 
and brought forward John Tyler as his opponent, 
considering him the only man in Mrginia of sufficient 
I)opularity to succeed against the renowned orator of 
Roanoke. Mr. Tyler was the victor. 

\\\ accordance with his professions, upon taking his 
seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi- 
tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and 
voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren- 
uously opposed all restrictions ujwn slavery, resist- 
ing all projects of internal improvements by the (k-n- 
eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. 
C'alhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen. 
Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had 
abandoned the principles of the Democratic party. 
Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record 
in perfect accordance with the principles which he 
had always avowed. 

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of 
lis profession. There was a split in the Democratic 



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JOIIJV TYLER. 



party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef- 
fersonian, gave him a dinner, and showered compli- 
ments upon him. He had now attained the age of 
forty-si.\. His career had been very brilliant. In con- 
sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri- 
vate affairs had fallen into some disorder; audit was 
not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice 
of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan- 
tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, 
for the better education of his children ; and he again 
took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia. 

By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national 
convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in 
1839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har- 
rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disapix>intmentof 
the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili- 
ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the 
convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres- 
ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa- 
thy with the Whig party in the Noith : but the Vice 
President has but very little jxjwer in the Govern- 
ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre- 
side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap- 
pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a 
Democratic Vice President were chosen. 

In 1 84 1, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi- 
dent of the United States. In one short month from 
that time, President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler 
thus found himself, to his own surprise and that of 
the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential 
chair. This was a new test of the stability of our 
institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our 
country that such an event had occurcd. Mr. Fyler 
was at home in Williamsburg when he received the 
unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri- 
son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of 
April was inaugurated to the high and resix)nsible 
office. He was placed in a position of exceeding 
delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been 
opposed to the main principles of the party which had 
brought him into power. He had ever been a con- 
sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record. 
Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should 
he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun- 
sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own ? or, 
on the other hand, should he turn against the party 
which had elected him and select a cabinet in har- 
mony with himself, and which would oppose all those 
views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub- 
lic welfare.' This was his fearful dilemma. He in- 
vited the cabinet which President Harrison had 
selected to retain their seats. He reccommended a 
day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and 
bless us. 

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the 
incoriwration of a fiscal bank of the United States. 
The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with 
his veto. He susieested, however, that he would 



approve of a bill drawn up ujwn such a plan as he 
proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and 
privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval. 
It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back 
with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture. 
It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- 
ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M. 
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely 
touched the pride of the President. 

The opposition now exultingly received the Presi- 
dent into their arms. The party which elected him 
denounced him bitterly. AH the members of his 
cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs 
of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a 
meeting and issued an address to the people of the 
United States, proclaiming that all political alliance 
between the \Vhigs and President Tyler were at 
an end. 

Still the President attempted to conciliate. Kc 
appointed a new cabmet of distinguished Whigs and 
Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party 
men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign, 
forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus 
the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra- 
tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The 
land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. AN'higs 
and Democrats alike assailed him. i\Iore and more, 
however, he brought himself into sympathy with his 
old friends, the Democrats, until atthe close of his term, 
he gave his whole influence to the sui>porl of Mr. 
Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor. 

On the 4th of iMarch, 1845, he retired from the 
harassments of office, to the regret of neither party, and 
probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first wife. 
Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842; 
and in June, 1844, President Tyler was again married, 
at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of 
many personal and intellectual accomplishments. 

The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler imssed mainly 
in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For- 
est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in 
his manners, richly furnished with niformation from 
books and experience in the world, and possessing 
brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was 
the scene of unusual attractions. With sufficient 
means for the exercise of a generous hospitality, he 
might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few 
friends who gathered around him, were it not for the 
storms of civil war which his own principles and 
policy had helped to introduce. 

When the great Rebellion rose, which the State- 
rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Cal- 
houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his 
allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed- 
erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress; 
and while engaged in active measures to destroy, by 
force of arms, the Government over which he had 
once presided, he was taken sick and soon died. 



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ELEVENTH PRESIDENT. 



59 



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JAMES K. P©!LIK, 








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AMES K. POLK, the eleventh 

lljj President of the United States, 

was born in Mecklenburg Co., 

N. C.,Nov. 2, 1795. His par- 

s^sj)-. ents were Samuel and Jane 

(Knox) Polk, the former a son 

of Col. Thomas Polk, wiio located 

at the above place, as one of the 

first pioneers, in 1735. 

In tiie year i3o6, with his wile 
and children, and soon after fol- 
lowed by most of the members of 
tiie Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi- 
grated some two or three hundred 
miles fartlier west, to the rich valley 
of the Duck River. Here in the 
midst of the wilderness, in a region 
which was subsequently called Mau- 
ry Co., tliey reared their log huts, 
and established their homes. In the 
hard toil of a new farm in the wil- 
derness, James K. Polk spent the 
early years of his childhood and 
youth. His father, adding the pur- 
suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, 
' gradually increased in wealth until 

he became one of the leading men of the region. His 
mother was a superior woman, of strong common 
sense and earnest piety. 

Very early in life, James developed a taste for 
reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain 
a liberal education. His mother's training had made 
him methodical in his habits, had taught him punct- 
uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty 
principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his 
father, fearing that he migiit not be able to endure a 



sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the 
counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits. 

This was to James a bitter disaijpointnient. He 
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks 
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this 
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his 
earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made 
arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon 
after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With 
ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed 
forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half 
years, in tiie autumn of 18 15, entered the sophomore 
class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel 
Hill. Here he was one of the most e.xemplary of 
scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing 
himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious 
service. 

He graduated in 1818, with the highest lienors, be- 
ing deemed the best scholar t)f his class, both in 
mathematics and the classic s. He was then twenty- 
three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this 
time much impaired by the assiduity with which he 
had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of 
relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the 
office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk 
renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who 
resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few 
miles from Nashville. They had probably been 
slightly acquainted before. 

Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican, 
and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same jMliti- 
cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was 
constantly called upon to address the meetings of his 
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that 
he was iwpularly called the Napoleon of the stump. 
He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and 



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JAMES K. POLK. 



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courteous in his bearing, and with that sympathetic 
nature in the joys and griefs of others whichever gave 
him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected 
to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his 
strong influence towards the election of his friend, 
Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States. 

In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 
Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was 
altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul- 
ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a 
member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave 
to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that 
for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con- 
tinued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, 
only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair 
of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious 
member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was 
always in his seat, always courteous; and whenever 
he spoke it was always to the [X)int, and without any 
ambitious rhetorical display. 

During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was 
Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused, 
and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per- 
formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac- 
tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was 
passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of 
March, 1839. 

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a 
candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was 
elected by a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo- 
ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841, 
his term of office expired, and he was again the can- 
didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated. 

On tlie 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur- 
ated President of the United States. The verdict of 
the country in favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted 
its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the 
administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- 
nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 
3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to 
the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas 
as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, 
Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and 
left the country, declaring the act of the annexation 
to be an act hostile to Mexico. 

In his first message, President Polk urged that 
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- 
ceived into the Union on the same footing with the 
other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent 



with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was 
sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the 
western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly 
two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, 
where he erected batteries which commanded the 
Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on 
the western banks. 

The anticipated collision soon took place, and war 
was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The 
war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration 
with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first 
called one of "observation," then of "occupation," 
then of " invasion," was sent forward to Monterey. The 
feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly 
and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement 
alone can reveal the misery whicli tliis war caused. 
It v.'as by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration 
that the war was brought on. 

'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was 
prostrate before us. Her capital was in our liands. 
We now consented to peace upon the condition that 
Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, 
all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal- 
ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of 
Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This 
was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the 
size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen 
majestic States to be added to the LInion. There were 
some Americans who thought it all right : there were 
others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution 
of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and 
more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this 
money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. 

On the 3d of March, 1849, ^'^'^- Polk retired from 
office, having served one term. The next day was 
Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated 
as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in the 
same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even- 
ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to 
Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. 
He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, 
and his health was good. With' an ample fortune, 
a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties 
of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years 
of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the 
cholera — that fearful scourge — was then sweeping up 
the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, 
and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth 
year of his age, greatly mourned by his countrymeni 



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TIVRLFTII PRESIDENT. 




CTS353JXS333Sr5 




>^AgilAJ^Y 1^ATX,QX^ 



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ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth 

f'i) President of the Ihiitcd States, 
a was bom on the 24th of Nov., 
1784, in Orange Co., Va. His 
father, Colonel Taylor, was 
a Virginian of note, and a dis- 
^ tingiiished patriot and soldier of 
the Revolution. When Zachary 
was an infant, his father with his 
wife and two children, emigrated 
to Kentucky, where he settled in 
the pathless wilderness, a few 
miles from Louisville. Li this front- 
ier home, away from civilization and 
all its refinements, young Zachary 
could enjoy hut few social and educational advan- 
tages. \V'hen six years of age he attended a common 
school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, 
rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char- 
acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and 
manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight 
the Indians wlio were ravaging the frontiers. There 
is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of his 
childhood 0:1 his father's large but lonely plantation. 
Ill [S08, his father succeeded in obtaining for him 
the commission of lieutenant in the United States 
army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed 
at Xew Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after 
this he married Miss Margaret Sniitli, a young lady 
from one of the first families of Maryland. 

Immediately after the declaration of war with Eng- 
land, in 18 12, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been 
promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort 
Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above 
Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder- 
ness by Gen. Harrison, on his march to Tippecanoe. 
It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians, 
Jed by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken 



company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of 
whom were sick. 

Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, stealthily, 
and in large numbers, moved uixin the fort. Their 
approach was first indicated by tlie murder of two 
soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor 
made every possible preparation to meet the antici- 
pated assault. On tiie 4th of Sejitember, a band of 
forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, 
waving a white flag, and informed CajU. Taylor that 
in the morning their chief would come to have a talk 
with him. It was evident that their object was merely 
to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept 
them at a distance. 

The sun went down ; the savages disappeared, the 
garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before 
midnight the war-whoop burst from a thousand lips 
in the forest around, followed by tiie discharge of 
musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick 
and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that 
defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap- 
ture, death Ijy the most agonizing and prolonged tor- 
ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can 
conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc- 
ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses- 
Until si.K o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict 
continued. The savages then, baffled at every ix)int, 
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. 
'I'aylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the 
rank of major by brevet. 

Until the close of the war, Major'i'aylor was placed 
in such situations that he saw but little more of active 
service. He was sent far away into the depths of the 
wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which 
empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little 
to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one 
best could. There were no books, no society, no in-' 



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ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



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tellectual stimulus. Thus with hiui the uneventful 
years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of 
colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in 
the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor 
took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. 

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in 
the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in 
emiiloyments so obscure, that his name was unknown 
beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. 
In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel 
the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- 
tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, 
had promised they should do. The services rendered 
here secured for Col. Taylor the higii appreciation of 
the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated 
to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon 
after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- 
mand of the United States troops in Florida. 

After two years of such wearisome employment 
amidst the everglades of the peninsula. Gen. Taylor 
obtained, at his own request, a change of command, 
and was stationed over the Department of the South- 
west, This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Alabama andtieorgia. Establishing his headquarters 
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family 
to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. 
Here he remained for five years, l)uried, as it were, 
from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty 
imposed upon him. 

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land 
between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river 
being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed 
by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico 
was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the 
Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet 
was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name 
was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in 
the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over 
forces much larger than he commanded. 

His careless habits of dress and his unaffected 
simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, 
\.\\t si)bri(/uet of "Old Rough and Ready.' 

Tlie tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista 
spread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The 
name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The 
Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- 
ful popularity in bringing forward the un|)olished, un- 
lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the 
Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an- 
nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de- 
claring that he was not at all qualified for such an 
office. So little interest had he taken in politics that, 
for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not 
without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen 
who had been long years in ihe public service found 
their claims set aside in behalf of one whose name 



had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo 
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena 
Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re- 
marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made." 

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine 
writer His friends took possession of him, and i)re- 
pared such few communications as it was needful 
should be presented to the public. The popularity of 
the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri- 
umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, — 
Gen. Cass and E.\-President Martin Van Buren. 
Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good 
old man found himself in a very uncongenial position, 
and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. 
His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably 
tended to hasten iiis death. The pro-slavery party 
was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi- 
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was 
pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery 
stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found 
the political conflicts in Washington to be far more 
trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or 
Indians. 

In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor, 
after he had occujiied the Presidential chair but little 
over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of 
but little over five days, died on the gth of July, 1850. 
His last words were, " I am not afraid to die. I am 
ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died 
universally respected and beloved. An honest, un- 
pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the 
affections of the people ; and the Nation bitterly la- 
mented his death. 

Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with 
Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful 
description of his character: — " With a good store of 
common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en- 
larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse 
with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse- 
quence. The frontiers and small military posts had 
been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his 
rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim- 
plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju- 
dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the 
tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, 
chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat 
a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave 
a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out- 
side i)ocket, — in any such case, this critic held the 
offender to be a co.xcomb (perhaps something worse), 
whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase, 
'touch with a pair of tongs.' 

"Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil- 
worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a 
sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter 
unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short, 
few men have ever had a more comfortable, labor- 
saving contempt for learnir.g of every kind." 



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THTRTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



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ILLARD FILLMORE, thir- 
teeiitli President of the United 
sy States, was born at Summer 
V Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on 
the 7th of January, 1800. His 
father was a farmer, and ow- 
ing to misfortune, in humble cir- 
cumstances. Of his mother, the 
daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, 
i of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been 
said that she jxissessed an intellect 
of very high order, united with much 
personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- 
position, graceful manners and ex- 
quisite sensibilities. .She died in 
1831 ; having lived to see her son a 
young man of distinguished ])rom- 
ise, though she was not permitted to witness the liigli 
dignity which he finally attained. 

In consequence of the secluded home and limited 
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad- 
vantages for education in his early years. The com- 
mon schools, which he occasionally attended were 
very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce 
and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- 
acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he 
was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ; 
intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred 
influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, 
and had laid the foundations of an ujjright character. 
When fourteen years of age, his father sent him 
some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of 
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 
Near the mill there was a small villiage, where some 



enterprising man had connnenced the collection of a 
village library. This proved an inestimable blessing 
tu young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- 
ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with 
books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate; 
and the selections which he made were continually 
more elevating and instructive. He read history, 
biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- 
kindled in his heart a desire to be something more 
than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be- 
coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, 
educated man. 

The young clothier had now attained the age of 
nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance 
and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so hapjiened that 
there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample 
pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter 
Wood, — who was struck witli the prepossessing ap- 
pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- 
ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and 
attainments that he advised him to abandon his 
trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The 
young man replied, that he had no means of his own, 
r.o friends to helj) him and that his previous educa- 
tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had 
so much confidence in him that he kindly ofTered to 
take him into his own office, and to loan him such 
money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous 
offer was accepted. 

There is in many minds a strange delusion about 
a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to 
be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- 
lege. But many a boy loiters through university h.alls 
and then enters a law office, who is by no means as 



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68 



MILLARD FILLMORE. 



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s 



well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was 
Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- 
mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during 
which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- 
tense mental culture. 

In 1S23, when twenty-three years of age, he -.vas 
admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then 
went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the 
practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, 
his practice of course was limited, and there was no 
opportunity for a sudden rise in foitune or in fame. 
Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great 
moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station 
she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers. 

His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
his legal acijuirements, and his skill as an advocate, 
gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to 
enter into partnership under highly advantageous 
circmnstances, with an elder member of the bar in 
lUiffiilo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, 
lie took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the 
State of New York, as a representative from Erie 
County. Though he had never taken a very active 
part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with 
the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, 
and lie found himself in a helpless minority in the 
Legislature, still the testimony comes from all parlies, 
that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very 
unusual degrt e the respect of his associates. 

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in 
the United States Congress He entered that troubled 
arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our 
national history. The great conflict respecting the 
national bank and the removal of the deposits, was 
then raging. 

His term of two years closed ; and he returned to 
his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- 
utation and success. After a lapse of two years 
he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- 
elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe- 
rience as a rei)resentative gave hmr strength and 
confidence. The first term of service in Congress to 
any man can be but little more than an introduction. 
He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- 
gies were brought to bear uiwn the public good. Every 
measure received his impress. 

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and 
his iwpularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, 
he was elected Comptroller of the State. 
A* == 



Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven 
years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in 
Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con- 
siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to 
find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- 
dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the 
waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old 
soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles 
with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be 
proclaimed in trumpet-tones all over the land. Hut 
it was necessary to associate with him on the same 
ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. 

LInder the influence of these considerations, the 
namesofZachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became 
the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for 
President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was 
signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849, 
Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard 
Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. 

On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but 
about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- 
stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- 
dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which 
the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of Stale. 

Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to contend 
with, since the opposition had a majority in both 
Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate 
the South; but the i)ro-slavery party in the South felt 
the inadequacyof all measuresof transient conciliation. 
The population of the free States was so rapidly in- 
creasing over that of the slave States that it was in- 
evitable that the power of the Government should 
soon pass into the hands of the free States. The 
famous com proiriise measures were adopted under Mr. 
Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition 
was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill- 
more, having served one term, retired. 

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres- 
idency by the " Know Nothing " i)arty, but was beaten 
by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in 
retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, 
he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that 
his sympathies were rather with those who were en- 
deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President 
Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any 
cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. 
He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ri])e 
old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874. 



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FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



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^i- FRANKLIN PIEHEE. 



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RANKLIN PIERCE, the 
ioarteenth President of the 
j^'' United States, was born in 
Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 
23, 1804. His father was a 
Revolutionary soldier, who, 
with his own strong arm, 
hewed out a home in the 
wilderness. He was a man 
of inflexible integrity; of 
strong, though uncultivated 
niiiul, and an uncompromis- 
ing Democrat. The mother of 
Franklin Pierce was all that a son 
could desire, — an intelligent, pru- 
dent, affectionate, Cliristian wom- 
an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. 

Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- 
erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the 
love of old and young. The boys on the play ground 
loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors 
looked upon him with pride and affection. He was 
by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, 
doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact 
which taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
vetoiiing any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body, 
in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy. 

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he 
entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was 
one of the most popular young men in the college. 
The purity of his moral character, the unvarying 
courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and 



genial nature, rendered him a universal Htvorite. 
There was something very peculiarly winning in his 
address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- 
gree studied: it was the simple oiitgushing of his 
own magnanimous and loving nature. 

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce 
commenced tlie study of law iu the office of Judge 
Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of 
the State, and a man of great private wt)rth. The 
eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his 
father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant 
l)olitical career into which Judge Woodbury was en- 
tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci- 
nating yet perilous path of political life. With all 
the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. 
Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the 
practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected 
to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here 
he served for four yeais. The last two years he was 
chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. 

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected 
a member of Congress. Without taking an active 
part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty, 
and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom 
he was associatad. 

In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, 
he was elected to the Senate of the United States; 
taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced 
his administration. He was the youngest member in 
the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane 
Means .^ppleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- 
plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every 
station with wiiich her husband was honoied. Of the 



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72 



FRANKLIN PIERCE. 



r 



three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with 
their parents in the grave. 

In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame 
and increasing business as a lawyer, took u[) his 
residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. 
President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed 
Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but 
the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous 
professional engagements at home, and the precariuos 
state of Mrs. Pierce's health. Pie also, about the 
same time declined the nomination for governor by the 
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. 
Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of 
brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his 
troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847. 
He took an important part in this war, proving him- 
self a brave and true soldier. 

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native 
State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- 
cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo- 
nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, 
very frequoitly taking an active part in political ([ues- 
tions, giving his cordial support to t!ie pro-slavery 
wing of the Democratic party. The compromise 
measures met cordially with his approval; and he 
strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- 
mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious 
sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin- 
guished as a" Nortliern man with Southern principles.'' 
Tlie strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
quently regarded him as a man wlioni they could 
safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 

On the 1 2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- 
tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the 
Presidency. For four days they continued in session, 
and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a 
two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far liad been thrown 
for den. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation 
brought forward his name. There were fourteen 
more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly 
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he 
received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all 
other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was 
the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with 
great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas- 
sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their 
electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce 
was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
States on the 4th of March, 1853. 



His administration proved one of the most stormy our 
country had ever experienced. The controversy be- 
tween slavery and freedom was then approaching ils 
culminating point. It became evident that there was 
an "irrepressible conflict " between them, and that 
this Nation could not long exist " half slave and half 
free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad- 
ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate 
the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution 
of the Union were borne to the North on every South- 
ern breeze. 

Such was the condition of affairs when President 
Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term 
of office. The North had become thoroughly alien- 
ated from him. The anti-slavery sentiment, goaded 
by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all 
the intellectual ability and social worth of President 
Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad- 
ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also, 
unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo- 
cated those measures of Government which they aji- 
proved, and perhaps, also, feeling tliat he had 
rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be 
able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped 
him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two 
had died, and his only surviving child had been 
killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his 
wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of 
ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The 
hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left 
alone in the world, without wife or child. 

When the terrilile Rebellion burst forth, which di- 
vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr. 
Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he 
had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to 
tliat pro-slavery party witli which he had ever been 
allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice 
or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov- 
ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until 
the time of his death, which occurred in October, 
1869. He was one of the most genial and social of 
men, an honored communicant of the P>piscopal 
Church, and one of tlie kindest of neighbors. Gen- 
erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al- 
leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns- 
people were often gladened by his material bounty. 




t 



FIFTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



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AMES BUCHANAN, the fif- 
fjateenth President of tlie United 
'^ States, was horn in a small 
frontier town, at the foot of the 
,_^ eastern ridge of the Allegha- 
nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on 
the 23dof A])ril, 1791. The ;>lace 
where the humble cabin of his 
fatlier stood was called Stony 
latter. It was a wild and ro- 
mantic siKDt in a gorge of the moun- 
tains, with towering summits rising 
grandly all around. His father 
was a native of the north of Ireland ; 
a poor man, who had emigrated in 
1783, with little projierty save his 
own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married 
Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, 
and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder- 
ness, staked iiis claim, reared his log-hut, opened a 
clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per- 
form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se- 
chulcd home, where James was born, he remained 
for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual 
advantagts. When James was eight years of age, his 
father removed to ihe village of Mercersburg, where 
his son was i)laced at school, and commenced a 
course of study in English, Latin and dreek. His 
l)rogress was rai)i(l, and at the age of fourteen, he 
entered Dickinson College, at C"atlisle. Here he de- 
veloiK-d remarkal)ie talent, and took his stand among 
the first scholars in the inslihilion. His api)lication 
to study was intense, and yet liis native powers en- 
-^^ 



abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with 
facility. 

In the year 1S09, he graduated with ilie highest 
honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of 
age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of 
athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with 
an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately 
commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was 
but twenty-one years of ago. Very rapidly he rose 
in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand 
with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but 
twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- 
cessfully defended before the State Senate oi.e of the 
judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of 
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally 
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and 
there was no lawyer in the State wlio had a more lu- 
crative practice. 

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
ten years he remained a member of the Lower House. 
During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally 
tried some imixjrtant case. In 183 1, he retired 
altogether from the toils of his iirofession, having aC- 
([uired an ample fortune. 

(len. Jackson, u[)on his elevation tollie Presidency, 
aiipointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The 
duties of his mission he performed witii ability, wliich 
gave satisfaction to all parties. V\\o\\ his return, in 
1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States 
Senate. He tjiere met, as his associates, Webster, 
Clay, Wright and Calhoun. I le advocated the meas- 
ures proposed by I'resident Jackson, of making repri- 



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4i 76 



JAMES BUCHANAN. 



-•►■ 









sals against France, to enforce the payment of our 
claims against tliat country ; and defended the course 
of the President in his unprecedented and wliolesale 
removal from office of those who were not the sup- 
porters of his administration. Upon this ijuestion he 
was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. 
He also, with voice and vote, advocated ex|)unging 
from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure 
against tlen. Jackson for removing the deposits. 
Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the 
District of CoUnubia, and urged the prohibition of the 
circulation of anti-slavery documents bv the United 
States mails. 

As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo- 
cated that they sliould l)e respectfully received; and 
that the rejily sliould be returned, that Congress had 
no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," 
said he, "miglit as well undertake to interfere witli 
slavery under a foreign government as in any of the 
States where it now exists." 

Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. 
Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, 
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of 
the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing 
the Nueces by the American troojis into the disputed 
territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross 
the Rio (irande into that territory was a declaration 
of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the 
account of the course our Government pursued in that 
movement. 

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with 
the party devoted to the pi^rpetuation and extension 
of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind 
to bear agdinst the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his 
cordial ap|)r()va! to the compromise measures of 1S50, 
which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, 
u|ion his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. 
Buchanan with the mission to Kngland. 

In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven- 
tion nominated .Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The 
))olitical conflict was one of the most severe in which 
our country has ever engaged. All the friends of 
slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re- 
striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre- 
mont, the candiilale of the enemies of slavery, re- 
ceived 114 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
174, and was elected. The popular vote stood 
1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On 
March 4th, 1857. Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated. 

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four 
years were wanting to fill up liis threescore years and 
ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been 
allied in i)olitical principles and action for years, were 
seeking the destruction of the (lovernment, that they 
might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a 
nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. 
In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hoi)elessly be- 
wildered He could not, with his long-avowed prin- 



. ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in 
their assumptions. As' President of the United Stales, 
bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws. 
he could not, without [jerjury of the grossest kind, 
unite With tiiose endeavoring to overthrow tlie repub- 
lic. He therefore did nothing. 

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration 
nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer 
in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slaverv 
party declared, that if he were elected, and the con- 
trol of the Government were thus taken from their 
liands, they would secede from the Union, taking 
witli them, as they retired, the National Capitol at 
Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of 
the United States. 

Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with tlie pro-slavery 
party was such, that he iiad been willing to offerthem 
far more tlian they had ventured to claim. All the 
South had professed to ask of the North was non- 
intervention u[X)n the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu- 
chanan had been ready to offer them the active co- 
operation of the Government to defend and extend 
the institution. . 

As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders 
claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow- 
ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of 
the most |)itiable exhiljitions of governmental im- 
becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He 
declared that Congress had no power to enforce its 
laws in any State wiiich had withdrawn, or which 
was attempting to withdraw from the Union. Tiiis 
was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with 
his hand upon his sword hilt, he exclaimed, " Tlie 
Union must and sliall be preserved!" 

South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly 
three months before the inauguration of President 
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless desjjair. 
The rebel flag was raised in Charleston : Fort Siim]iter 
was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals 
were seized ; our depots of military stores were plun- 
dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were 
appropriated by the rebels. 

The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our 
Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked 
on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, 
and close the administration, so terrible in its weak- 
ness At length the long-lookcd-for hour of deliver- 
ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the 
scepter. 

The administration of President Buchanan was 
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with 
pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame, 
that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows 
of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came 
from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's 
banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion. 
He died at his Wheatland retreat, June i, 1868, 
■► 



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SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



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BRAHAM LINCOLN, t!ie 
sixteentli President of the 
United States, was born in 
Hai'din Co., Ky., Feb. i2, 
1S09. About the year 1780, a 
man by the name of Abraham 
Lincobi left Virginia with liis 
family and moved into the tlien 
wildsof Kentucky. Only two years 
after this emigration, still a young 
man, while wovicing one day in a 
field, was stealthily approached by 
an Indian and shot dead. His widow 
was left in extreme [loverty with five 
little children, three boys and two 
girls. Thomas, the youngest of the 
boys, was four years of age at his 
father's death. This Thomas was 
t lie father of Abraham Lincoln, the 
President of the United States 
whose name must henceforth forever be Enrolled 
with the most prominent in the annals of our worM. 
Of course no record has been kept of the life 
of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among 
tile poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched 
log-cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest. 
P"(lucation he had none; he could never either read 
or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for 
himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his 
starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend- 
less, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him- 
self out, and thus s))ent the whole of his youth as a 
laborer in the fields of others. 

VVHien twenty-eight years of age he built a log- 
cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
daughter of another family of i)oor Kentucky emi- 
grants, who had also < ome from Virginia. Their 
second child was .Muaiiam Lincoln, the subject of 
this sketch. Tlie mother of Abraham was a noble 
woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn 
a palace, doomed to toil and l)ine, and die in a hovel. 
" All that I am, or hope to be," exclaims the grate- 
ful son " I owe to my angel-mother. 

When he was eight years of age, his father sold his 



i' 



cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana. Where 
two years later his mother died. 

Abraham soon became the sciibe of the uneducated 
community around him. He could not have liad a 
better school than this to teach him to put thoughts 
into words. He also became an eager reader. The 
books he could obtain were few ; but these he read 
and re-read until they were almost committed to 
memory. 

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family 
was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and 
griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister 
•Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mar- 
ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and 
soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr. 
Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, 
and emigrated to Macon Co., 111. 

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. 
With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing 
another log-cabin. Al>raham worked diligently at this 
until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their 
small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when 
he announced to his father his intention to leave 
home, and to go out into the world and seek his for- 
tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril- 
liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of 
education, and was intensely earnest to improve his 
mind to the utmost of his |)ovver. He saw the ruin 
which ardent spirits were causing, and liccame 
strictly teni])erate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi- 
cating licpior to pass his lips. And he had read in 
Ciod's word, " Thou shalt not take the name of the 
I,ord thy (xod in vain ;" and a ])rofane expression he 
was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His 
morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a 
single vice. 

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer 
among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield, 
" where he was employed in building a large flat-boat. 
In this he took a herd of swine, floated them dowi> 
the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mis- 
sissippi to New Orleans. Whati'ver Abrahrnn Lin- 
coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give 
great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven- 



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ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



tLire his cinpl(jyers were so well pleased, that upon 
his return they placed a store and mill under his care. 

In 1832, at the outbreak, of the Black Hawk war, he 
enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He 
returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 
years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but 
was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew 
Jackson the appointmentof Postmaster of New Salem, 
His only post-office was his hat. All the letters he 
received he carried there ready to deliver to those 
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon 
made this his business. In 1834 he again jjecame a 
candidate for the Legislature, and was elected. Mr. 
Stiuirt, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He 
walked from New Salem to Springfield, l>orrowed of 
Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and 
began his legal studies. When the Legislature as- 
seml)led he trudged on foot with his pack on his back 
one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it 
was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re- 
moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. 
His success with the jury was so great that he was 
soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. 

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. 
In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, 
in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became 
one of tlie leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's 
speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con- 
test in 1 85 8 for a seat in the Senate, form a most 
notable part of his history. The issue was on the 
slavery cpiestion, and he took the broad ground of 
ihe Declaration of Independence, that all men are 
created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- 
test, but won a far higher prize. 

The great Republican Convention mot at Chicago 
on the i6th of June, i860. The delegates and 
strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty- 
five thousand. An immense building called "The 
Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven- 
tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes 
were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame 
as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most 
prominent. It was generally supposed he would be 
the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received 
the nomination on the third ballot. Little did lie tlien 
dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the 
bloody deatli, to which that nomination doomed him: 
and aslittledid he dream that he was to render services 
to his country, wliich would fi.x upon him the eyes of 
the whole civilized world, and which would give him 
aplaceinthe affections of his countrymen, second 
only, if second, to that of Washington. 

Election day came and Mr. IJncoln received 180 
electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, tiierefore, 
constitutionally elected President of the United States. 
The tirade of abuse that was i)oured ajjon this good 



and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was 
greater than upon any other man ever elected to this 
higli position. In February, 1861, Mr. Lincoln started 
for Wasliington, stopping in all the large cities on liis 
way making speeches. The whole journey was frought 
with much danger. Many of the Southern States had 
already seceded, and several attempts at assassination 
were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti- 
more had arranged, upon his arrival to" get up a row," 
and in the confusion to make sure of his death with 
revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled 
the plot. A secret and special train was provided to 
take him from HarrisL'urg, through Bahimore, at an 
unexpected hour of the night. The train started at 
half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi- 
cation on the part ot the Secessionists witli their Con- 
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had 
started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln 
reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, 
although great anxiety was felt liy all loyal people. 

In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave 
to Mr Seward the Department of State, and to other 
prominent opponents before the convention he gave 
important [lositions. 

During no other administration have the duties 
devolving upon the President lieen so manifold, and 
the responsibihties so great, as those wliich fell to 
the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and 
feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in 
his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he 
learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in 
determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his 
trials, bo*h personal and national Contrary to his 
own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the 
most courageous of men. He went directly into the 
rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, 
with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he 
had left .Springfield, in 1S61, however, [ilaiis had been 
made for his assassination, and he at last fell a victim 
to one of them. April 14, 1865, lie, with Gen. Grant, 
was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It 
was announced that they would I.e present. Gen. 
Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- 
ing, witii his characteristic kindliness of heart, that 
it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, 
very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to 
the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth 
entered the box where the President and family were 
seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the 
next morning at seven o'clock. 

Never before, in the history of the world was a nation 
plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler. 
Strong men met in the streets and wept in si)ecchless 
anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was 
in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a 
model. His name as the savior of his country will 
live with that of Washington's, its father; his country- y 
men being unable to decide which is the greater. 1 



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SEVEXTEENTII PRESIDENT. 



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NDREW JOHNSON, seven- 
^ teentli President of the United 
*^ Slates. The early life of 
Andrew Johnson contains but 
liie record of poverty, destitu- 
tion and friendlessness. He 
was bom December 29, 180S, 
in Raleigh, X. C. His parents, 
lelonging to the class of the 
j "i)oor whites " of the South, were 
\l in such circumstances, that they 
could not confer even tne slight- 
est advantages of education ujxjn 
their child. When Andrew was five 
years of age, his father accidentally 
lost his life while lieiorically endeavoring to save a 
friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, .\ndrew 
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the 
labor of his mother, who olitained her living with 
her own hands. 

He then, having never attended a school one day, 
and being unable either to read or write, was ap- 
prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman 
was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion- 
ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often 
read from the speeches of distinguished British states- 
men. .■Xndrew, who was endowed with a mind of more 
than ordinary native ability, became much interested 
in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he 
was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. 

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and 
with tiie assistance of some of his fellow-workrjien, 
learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- 
ruan to borrow the book of speeches. The owner, 



pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book, 
but assisted hini iii learning to combine the letters 
into words. Under such difficulties he pressed on- 
ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours 
at work in the sho]), and then robbing himself of rest 
and recreation to devote such time as he could to 
reading. 

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 
Greenville, where he married a young lady who jxjs- 
sessed some education. Under her instructions he 
learned to write and ciiiher. He became prominent 
in the village debating society, and a favoiite with 
the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- 
ganized a working man's party, which elected him 
alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which 
position he held three years. 

He now began to take a lively interest in political 
affairs ; identifying himself with the working-classes, 
to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a 
member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- 
see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. 
He became a very active member of the legislature, 
gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 
1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van 
Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to those 
of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
his reputation. 

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he 
was elected a member of Congress, and by successive 
elections, held that important post for ten years. In 
1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and 
was re-elected in 1855. In all these responsible ])Osi- 
tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abiU 

: ■» 



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84 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 






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ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- 
ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected 
United States Senator. 

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his 
reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- 
ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable 
sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, 
and become merged in a population congenial to 
themselves." In 1850, he also sujuwrted the com- 
promise measures, the two essential features of which 
were, that the white peo[)le of the Territories should 
be permitted to decide for themselves whether they 
would enslave the colored people or not, and that 
the free States of the North should return to the 
South persons who attempted to escape from slavery. 

Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly origin: 
on the contrary, he often took piide in avowing that 
he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir,'" 
said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget 
that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam 
was a tailor and sewed fig leaves, and that our Sav- 
ior was the son of a carpenter." 

In the Charleston- Baltimore convention of i860, he 
ivas the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the 
Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South- 
2rn Democracy became apparent, he took a decided 
stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery 
must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever 
cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly 
imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of 
Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the 
Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- 
fxainted him Military Governor of the State, and he 
established the most stringent military rale. His 
numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In 

1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United 
States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 

1865, became President. In a speech two days later 
he said, " The .\merican people must be taught, if 
they do not .already feel, that treason is a crime and 
must be punished; that the Government will not 
always bear with its enemies ; that it is strong not 
only to protect, but to punish. * * Tlie' people 
must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of 
crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole 
administration, the history of which is so well known, 
was in utter itKonsistency with, and the most violent 





opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech. 

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general 
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress; and he char- 
acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly, 
defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In 
the beginniiig of 1868, on account of "high crimes 
and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the 
removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten- 
ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre- 
ferred against him, and the trial began March it,. 

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three 
months. A test article of the impeachment was at 
length submitted to the court for its action. Il was 
certain that as the court voted upon that article so 
would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced 
the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces- 
sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac- 
quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against 
him. The change of one vote from the not gm'lfy 
side would have sustained the impeachment. 

The President, for the remainder of his term, .was 
but little regarded. He continued, though inipotently, 
his conflict with Congress. His own party did not 
think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi- 
dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar- 
alleled since the days of \Vashington, around the name 
of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. 
The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the 
President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was 
there presented to a man a better opportunity to im- 
mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a 
nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home 
in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in 
politics until 1875. O''' J'^"- -^' after an exciting 
struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten- 
nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con- 
gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special 
session convened by President Grant, on the 5ih of 
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-President 
made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter 
Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was 
apparently in his usual vigorcnis health, but on reach- 
ing the residence of his child the following day, was 
stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. 
He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at 
2 A. M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun- 
eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August, 
with every demonstration of respect. 
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I 

EIGHTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



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■'SSES S. GRANT, the 
ghteenth President of the 
^^i United States, was born on 
the 29th of April, 1822, of 
Christian parents, in a luunble 
' home, at Point Pleasant, on the 
banks of the Ohio. Shortly after 
his fatlier moved to George- 
town, Brown Co., O. In this re- 
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses 
received a common-school edu- 
cation. At the age of seven- 
teen, in the year 1839, he entered 
the Military Academy at West 
Point. Here he was regarded as a 
solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of 
sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank 
as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the 
middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- 
fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- 
souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary 
solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating 
Indians. 

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first 
battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here 
for the e.>liibition of either skill or heroism, nor at 
Resaca de la Palma, his second l)attle. At the battle 
of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that 
he [)erformed a signal service of daring and skillful 
horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- 
munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along 
a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. 
Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, 
grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging u|X)n one 
side of the anii^al, ran the gauntlet in entire safety. 



From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, 
to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In 
preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he 
was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the 
battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a 
first lieutenancy, and was lirevetted captain at Cha- 
pultepec. 

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re- 
turned with his regiment to New York, and was again 
sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The 
discovery of gold in California causing an immense 
tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. 
Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in 
Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- 
migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. 
Grant resigned his commission and returned to the 
States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- 
tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but 
little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- 
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into 
the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga- 
lena, 111. This was in the year i860. As the tidings 
of llie rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears 
of Cajjt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, — 
"Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though 
I have served him through one war, 1 do not feel that 
I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge 
my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword 
and see Uncle Sam through this war too." 

He went into the streets, raised a company of vol- 
unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, 
the capital of the State, wiiere their services were 
offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by 
the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. 
Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the 
vohinteer organization that was being formed in the 
State in behalf of the Government. On the 15th of 



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UL YSSES S. GRA NT. 



June, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as 
Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- 
unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who 
had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such 
that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- 
General and was placed in command at Cairo. The 
rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth 
of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap- 
peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The 
rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and 
stripes were unfurled in its stead. 

He entered the service with great determination 
and immediately began active duty. This was the be- 
ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond 
he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and 
effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- 
prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry 
won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight 
at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the 
victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was 
immediately made a Major-General, and the military 
district of Tennessee was assigned to him. 

Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well liow 
to secure the results of victory. He immediately 
pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the 
terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the 
siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an 
unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty 
thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- 
non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most 
severe blow whicli the rebels had thus far encountered, 
and opened u|) the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 

Gen. Cirant was next ordered to co-operate with 
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Te.xas, and pro- 
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from 
his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he 
was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid 
of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and 
by a wonderful series of strategic and technical meas- 
ures put the Union Army in fighting condition. Then 
(oliowed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout 
Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
were routed witii great loss. This won for him un- 
bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru- 
ary, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenant- 
general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant. 
He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials 
and enter upon the duties of his new office. 



Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of 
the army to concentrate tlic widely-dispersed National 
troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal 
capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de- 
stroy the rebel armies whicli would be i)romptly as- 
sembled from all quartets for its defence. The wliolc 
continent seemed to tremble under the trampof these 
majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. 
Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains 
were burdened with closely packed thousands. His 
plans were comprehensive and involved a series cf 
campaigns, which were e.xecuted with remarkable en- 
ergy and ability, and were consummated at tjie sur- 
render of Lee, April 9, 1865. 

The war was ended. The Union was saved. The 
almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen. 
Grant to be the most prominent instrument in it.; sal- 
vation. The eminent services ho had thus rendered 
the country brought him conspicuously forward as the 
Republican candidate for the Presidential chair. 

At the Repulilican Convention held at Chicago, 
May 21, 186S, he was unanimously nominated for the 
Presidency, and at the autumn election received a 
majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294 
electoral votes. 

Tlie National Convention of the Repuljlican party 
which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872, 
placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term 
by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati- 
cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292 
electoral votes being cast for him. 

Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant 
started upon his famous trip around the world. He 
visited almost every country of the civilized world, 
and was everywhere received with such ovations 
and demonstrations of respect and honor, private 
as well as public and official, as were never before 
bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. 

He was the most prominent candidate before the 
Republican National Convention in 1S80 for a re- 
nomination for President. He went to New York and 
embarked in the brokerage- business under the firm 
nameof Grant & Ward. The latter proved a villain, 
wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to 
the penitentiary. The General was attacked with 
cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-like 
manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as 
General of the Army and retired by Congress. Tlie 
cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 
1885, the nation went in mourning over the death of 
the illustrious General. 
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NINETEENTH PRESIDENT. 





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^^J UTHKRl-ORI) li. HAVES, 
" tlie nineteenth President of 
athe United States, was born m 
Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, a4- 
niost three month:; after the 
■^ death of liis fatiier, Rutherford 
Hayes. His ancestry on both 
tlie paternal and maternal sides, 
was of the most honorable char- 
acter. It can be traced, it is said, 
as far back as 1280, when Hayes and 
Rutherford were two Scottish chief- 
tains, fighting side by side with 
Baliol, William Wallace and Robert 
Bruce. Both families l)elonged to the 
nobility, owned e.xtensive estates, 
and had a large following. Misfor- 
tune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot- 
land in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
C'.eorge was l)orn in Windsor, and remained there 
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar- 
ried Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar- 
riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. E/.ekiel, 
son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac- 
turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, 
son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was 
born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, 
blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to 
Vermont at an unknown date, settling in ISrattleboro, 
where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- 
■\\ erford Hayes the father of President Hayes, was 



born. He was married, in September, 1S13, to .Sopiiia 
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi- 
grated thither from Connecticut, they having been 
among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. 
Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 
1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders 
of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers 
in the Revolutionary War. 

The father of President Hayes was an industrious, 
frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me. 
chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock- 
ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to 
undertake. He was a member of the Church, active 
in all the benevolent enter[)rises of the town, and con- 
ducted his business on Christian principles. After 
the close of the war of iSi 2, for reasons inexplicable 
to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio. 

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, 
when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways, 
was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was 
first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter- 
mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived 
in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial 
fever, less than three months before the birth of the 
son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- 
reavement, found the support she so much needed in 
her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
household from the day of its departure from Ver- 
mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted 
some time before as an act of charity. 

Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the 



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RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 



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subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he 
was not expected to live beyond a month or two at 
most. As the months went by he grew weaker and 
weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- 
quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died 
last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on 
f.imilia'r terms with the family, after alluding to the 
boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of 
him, said in a bantering way, '• That's right! Stick to 
him. You have got him along so far, and 1 shouldn't 
wonder if he would really come to something yet." 

" You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. " You 
wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him 
President of the United States yet." The boy lived. 
in spite of the universal [iredictions of his speedy 
death; and when, in 1S25, his older brother was 
drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his 
mother. 

The boy was seven years old before he went to 
school. His education, however, was not neglected. 
He probably learned as much from his mother and 
sister as he would have done at school. His sports 
were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being 
his sister and her associates. These circumstances 
tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of disix)- 
sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings 
of others, which are marked traits of his character. 
His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest 
in his education ; and as the boy's health had im- 
proved, and he was making good progress in his 
studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre- 
paration commenced with a tutor at home; bit he 
was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the 
Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en- 
tered K.enyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen, 
and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. 
Innnedialely after his graduation he began the 
study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq., 
in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in 
Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter 
the I-aw School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- 
mained two years. 

In 1845, after graduatmg at the Law School, he was 
admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly 
afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law 
with R.alph 1'. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- 
mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, 
and ai)i)arently unambitious of distinction in his pro- 
fession. 

In 1S49 he moved to Cincmnati, where his ambi- 
tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how- 
ever, his i)rogress was slow. Two events, occurring at 
this period, had a ]X)werful influence upon his subse- 
cpient life. One of these was his marrage with Miss 
Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. Jaines Webb, of 
Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin- 
cinnati Literary Club, a i)ody embracing among its 
members such men ds Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, 



T mer 



Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many 
others hardly less distinguished in after life. The 
marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as 
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our 
Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced 
and beloved than was Mis. Hayes, and no one did 
more than she to reflect honor upon American woman- 
hood. The Literary CI no brought Mr. Hayes into 
constant association with young men of high char- 
acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the 
qualities so long hidden by his bashfulness and 
modesty. 

In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge of 
the Court of Common Pleas; but he declined to ac- 
cept the nomination. Two years later, the office of 
city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council 
elected him for the unexpired term. 

In 1861, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at 
the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the 
bar was among the the first. But the news of the 
attack on Fort Sunqjter found him eager to take up 
arms for the defense of his country. 

His military record was bright ard illustrious. In 
October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio 
regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades 
and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he 
was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle 
of South Mountain he received a wound, and while 
faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude 
that won admiration from all. 

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after 
his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and [daced 
in command of the celelirated Kanawha division, 
and for gallant and meritoricus sei vices in the battles 
of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was 
promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetled 
Major-General, "for gallant and distirguishtd nrvices 
during the campaigns of 1864, in West Virginia." In 
the course of his arduous services, four horses were 
shot from under him, and he was wounded four times. 

In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected lo Congress, from 
the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem- 
ocratic. He was not present during the campaign, 
and after his election was inqwrtuned lo resign his 
commission in the army; but he finally declared, "' 1 
shall never come to Washington until I can come by 
the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1S66. 

In 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio, 
over Hon. .\Ilen G. Thurman, a jwpular Democrat. 
In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton. 
He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875. 
In 1876 he was the standard bearer of the Rejnib- 
lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a 
hard long contest was chosen President, and was in 
augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his 
full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to his party. 
but his administration was an average on"; 

■ » 



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TiVKNTIETIl PRESIDENT. 



95 



^:?^//g\Af^^^ 



I .MMES A, (MRFllLjn, I 






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V.^' 




i 



AMES A. ClARl'IELU, twen- 
tieth President of the United 
States, was born Nov. ig, 
1 83 1, in the woods of Orange, 
Cuyahoga Co., O His par- 
ents were Abram and EUza 
-\?,v^l1,j/s (Ballou) Garfield, botli of New 



iMigland ancestry and from fami- 
lies well known in the early his- 
^\U tory of that section of our coun- 
try, but had moved to the Western 
Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- 
ment. 

The house in which James A. was 
l)orn was not unlike the houses of 
poor Ohio farmers of that day. It 
was about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with tiie spaces be- 
tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a 
liard working farmer, and he soon had his fields 
■leared, an orcliard planted, and a log l)arn built. 
'I'he liousehold comprised the father and mother and 
llieir four children — Mehelabel, 'i'homas, Mary and 
James. In May, 1S23, the father, from a cold con- 
tracted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At 
fhis lime James was about eighteen months old, and 
'I'liomas about ten years old. No one, ])erhaps, can 
tell !iow much James was indebted to his biother's 
toil and self sacrifice during the twenty years suc- 
ceeding his father's death, but undoulitedly very 
much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- 
ters live in .Solon, O., near their birthplace. 

The early educational advantages young Garfield 
enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of 
them. He labored at farm work for others, did car- 
penter work, cho[)petl wood, or did anything that 
would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed 
mother in he- ^trn^gles to keep the little family to- 
-^ . _ 



gelher. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his 
origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- 
glmg childhood, youth and manhood, neitlierdid they 
ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor, 
the humblest fiiend of his boyhood was as kindly 
greeted as ever. 'I'he poorest laborer was sure of the 
sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness 
of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain, 
modest gentleman. 

The highest ambition of young Garfield until he 
was about si.xteen years old was to be a ca[)tain of ' 
a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard 
a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She 
finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the 
understanding, however, that he sliould try to obtain 
some other kind of employment. He walked all the 
way to Cleveland. Tiiis was his first visit to the city. 
After making many applications for work, and trying 
to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with 
success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
Letcher, on the Ohio &: Pennsylvania Canal. He re- 
mained at this work but a short time when he went 
home, and attended the seminary at Chester for 
about three years, when he entered Hiram and the 
Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in 
the meantime, and doing other work. This school 
was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of 
which church he was then a member. He became 
janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way. 
He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon 
" exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the 
fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which 
he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon- 
ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram 
College as its President. .\s above slated, he early 
united with the Christian or Diciples Church at 
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- 
ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where 
he liajiperied to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of 
Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion : 



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96 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



" President Garfield was more than a man of 
strong moral and religious convictions. His whole 
history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to 
man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and 
faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs 
of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In 
my jadgment there i; no more interesting feature of 
his character than liis loyal allegiance to th.e body of 
Clirislians in which he was trained, and tlie fervent 
sympathy which he ever sliowed in llieir Christian 
conmiunion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty 
and noble who, are called' show a similar loyalty to 
the less stately and cultured Christian comnmnions 
in which they have been reared. Too often it is true 
that as they step upward in social and political sig- 
nificance they step upward from one degree to 
another in some of the many types of fashionable 
Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the 
church of his mother, the church in which he was 
trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an 
evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- 
tarian charity for all 'who loveour Lord in sincerity.'" 

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage witli Miss 
Lucretia Rudol[)h, Nov. 1 1, 1858, who proved herself 
worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and 
mourned. To them were born seven children, five of 
whom are still living, four boys and one girl. 

Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856, 
in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three 
years later he began to speak at county mass-meet- 
ings, and liecame the favorite speaker wherever he 
was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio 
Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, 
and in 1861 was admitted to the bar. The great 
Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year, 
and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he liad 
talked, and enlisted to defend tlie old flag. He re- 
ceived his commrssion as Lieut. -Colonel of the Forty- 
second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 
14,1861. He was immediately put into active ser- 
vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action, 
was placed in command of four regiments of infantry 
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
work of driving out of his native State the officer 
(Humplirey M'.rsliall) reputed to be the ablest of 
those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given 
to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed- 
ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- 
ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him 
Hrigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had 
l)een the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years 
before, so now he was the youngest General in the 
army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, 
in its operations around Corinth and its march through 
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the 
.General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John 
Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose- 
crans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff." 

The military h'story of Gen. Garfield closed with 



his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won 
the stars of the Major-General. 

\Vithout an effort on his part Gen. Garfiuld was 
elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the 
Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio 
had been represented in Congress for sixty years 
mainly by two men — Elisha W hitclesey and Joshua 
R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he 
resigned his place in the army. At the time he en- 
tered Congress he was the youngest member in that 
body. There he remained by successive re- 
elections until he was elected President in 1880. 
Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since 
the year 1864 you cannot think of a (juestion which 
has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a 
tribunel of the American people, in regard to which 
you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu- 
ment on one side stated, in almost every instance 
better than by anybody else, in some speech made in 
the House of Representatives or on the luistings by 
Mr. Garfield.'' 

Upon Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to 
the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the 
same year, was nominated as the candidate of his 
[larty for President at the great Chicago Convention. 
He was elected in the following November, and on 
March 4, 1 88 1, was inauguiated. Probably no ad- 
ministration ever opened its existence under brighter 
auspices than that of President Gaifield, and every 
day it grew in favo; with the peojjle, ai".d by the first 
of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre- 
liminary work cf his administration and was i)repar- 
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at \V'illiams 
College. While on his way and at the de|)ot, in com- 
pany with Secretary P>laiiie, a man stepped behind 
him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. 
The President tottered and fell, and as iie did so the 
assassin fired a second shot, (lie bullet cutting the 
left coat sleeve of his victim, but inHicling nofurthei 
injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was 
" the shot that was heard round the world " Never 
before in the history of the Nation had anything oc- 
curred which so nearly froze the blood of the people 
for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit- 
ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and 
was at the summit of his power and hope. Foreighty 
days, all during the hot months of July and August, 
he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained 
master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent 
bearing was teaching the country and the world the 
noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in ll'.e 
very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass- 
ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept. 
iQ, 1883, at Elberon, N. J ,011 the very bank cf the 
ocean, where he had been taken shortly ])revious 'i'he 
world wei)t at his death, as it never had done on the 
death of any other man who had ever lived upon it. 
The murderer was duly tried, found girilly and exe- 
cuted, in one year after he committed the foul deed. 



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TWENTY.FTRST PRESIDENT. 



9') 





HESTER A. ARTHUR, 
p^lwenty-first Pres'-'.^ui uf the 
United Statts was born in 
P ranklin ("uui ty, Vermont, on 
^^^ ,^^,^^^« thefifthof Oc'obcr, 1830, andis 
'^P^::^0f the oldest of a family of two 
^ ^^'' — ' sons and five daughters. His 
father was the Rev. Dr. William 
Ar'iuir, a Baptist c' .rgyman, who 
emigrated to tl? s country fro'n 
Ij^ the county Antrim, Ireland, in 
[1 his iStli year, and died in 1875, in 
Newtonville, neai Albany, after a 
long and successful ministry. 
^rfirj.-. Young Arthur was educated at 
9 M Union College, S( henectady, where 
he excelled in all his studies. Af- 
ter his graduation he taught school 
] in Vermont for two years, and at 
the expiration cf that time came to 
New York, with $500 in his pocket, 
and entered the office of ex-Judge 
E. D. Culver as student. After 
I being admitted to the bar he formed 
a i)artnershi|) with his intimate friend and room-mate, 
Henry 1). Gardiner, with the intention of practicing 
in the West, and for three months they roamed about 
in the Western States in search of an eligible site, 
but in the end returned to New York, where they 
hung out their shingle, aiul entered upon a success- 
ful career almost from the start, (ieneral Arthur 
soon afterward i^vrp'd the daughter of Lieutenant 

-^•^ ; 



Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at 
sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in 
recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- 
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's 
nomniation to the Vice Presidency, leaving two 
children. 

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity 
in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit, 
brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had 
been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior 
Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon. 
athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with 
his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when 
they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided 
that they could not b6 held by the owner under the 
Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from 
the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the 
Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal. 
Wra. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed 
to represent the People, and they won their case, 
which then went to the Supreme Court of the United 
States, diaries O'Conor here esiwused the cause 
of the slave-holders, but h.e too was beaten by Messrs. 
Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward 
the emanci[)ation of the black race. 

Another great service was rendered by General 
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings, 
a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth 
Avenue car with violence after she had paid her Aire, 
(ieneral Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a 
verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa- 
ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride 
on their cars, and the other car companies quickly 



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CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 



followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- 
nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- 
sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. 

General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention 
at Saratoga thai founded the Re])ublican party. 
Previous to the war lie was Judge- Advocate of the 
Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- 
ernor Morgan, of that State, apjxiinted hini Engineer- 
in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- 
tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas- 
ter-(iep.eral. In each of these offices he rendered 
great service to the Government during the war. At 
the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the 
practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. 
Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney 
of New Yoik, was added to the firm. The legal prac- 
tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- 
tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able 
lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if 
not indeed one of national extent. 

He always took a leading part in State and city 
politics. He was apixiintcil Collector of the Port of 
New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc- 
ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 
'20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential 
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous 
National Rei)ublican Convention held at Chicago in 
June, 1880. Tills was perhaps the greatest political 
convention that ever assembled on the continent. It 
was comix)sed of the leading politicians of the Re- 
publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and 
fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their 
respective candidates that were before the conven- 
tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re- 
ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur 
for Vice-Presidei't. The campaign which followed 
was one of tiie most animated known in the liistor\' of 
our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of 
the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his 
party made a valiant figlit for his election. 

Finally the election came and the country's choice 
was (iarfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated 
March 4, i88t, as President and Vice-President. 
A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen 
President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then 
came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of 
anxious suspense, whei^ the hearts of all civilized na- 



tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re- 
covery of the noble, the good President. The remark- 
able patience that he manifested during those hours 
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf- 
fering man has often been called upon to endure, was 
seemingly more than human. It was certainly God- 
like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr. 
Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his 
credit that his every action displayed only an earnest 
desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to 
serve the remainder of the term he h.id so auspi- 
ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested 
in deed or look of this man, even though the most 
honored )X)sition in the world was at any moment 
likely to fall to him. 

At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar- 
field from further suffering, and the world, as never 
before in its history over the death of any other 
man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of 
the Vice President to assume the res\x3nsibilities of 
the high office, and he took the oath in New York, 
Sept. 20, i88r. The position was an embarr.issing 
one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all 
eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, 
what policy he would pursue, and who he would se- 
lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been 
greatly neglected during the Presivlent's long illness, 
and many important measures were to be immediately 
decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him lie 
did not fail to realize under what circumstances he 
became President, and knew the feelings of many on 
this point. Under these trying circumstances President 
Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own 
hands; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of 
affairs, he happily surprised the nation, actmg so 
wisely that but few criticised his administration. 
He served the nation well and faithfully, until the 
close of his administration, March 4, 1S85, and was 
a popular candidate before his party for a second 
term. His name was ably presented before the con- ' 
vention at Chicago, and was received with great 
favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity 
of one of the opposing candidates, he would have 
been selected as the standard-hearer of his party 
for another campaign. He retired to private life car- 
rying with him the best wishes of the American peo- 
ple, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory 
to them and with credit to himself. 



•►*-<^ 



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T^y^^trUyr^ 




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TWENTY-SECOND PRESIDENT. 



103 




a:^'/S^^^_ 



m,, jv ^ . *. 



^1 



'W 





TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE- 
LAND, the twenty- second Pres- 
ident of the United States, was 
horn in 1837, in the obscure 
town of Caldwell, Essex Co., 
N. J., and in a little two-and-a- 
half-story white house which is still 
standing, characteristically to mark 
the humble birth-[)lace of one of 
America's great men in striking con- 
trast with the Old World, where all 
men high in office must be high in 
origin and born in the cradle of 
wealth. When the subject of this 
sketch was three years of age, his 
father, who was a Presbyterian min- 
ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, 
by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to 
Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a 
larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
straggling of country villages, about five miles from 
Pornpey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born. 

At the last mentioned place young Grover com- 
menced going to school in the " good, old-fashioned 
way," and presumably distinguished himself after the 
manner of all village boys, in doing the things he 
ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of 
all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he 
arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the 
capacity of the village school and expressed a most 



emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this 
his father decidedly objected. Academies in those 
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to 
become self-supporting by the quickest possible 
means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed 
to be a position in a country store, where his father 
and the large family on his hands had considerable 
influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services 
the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to 
receive $too the second year. Here the lad com- 
menced his career as salesman, and in two years he 
had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness 
that his employers desired to retain him for an in- 
definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex- 
hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or 
eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. 
But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette- 
ville, he went with the family in their removal to 
Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a 
high school. Here he industriously pursued his 
studies until the family removed with him to a point 
on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a 
village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, 
N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching 
but three Sundays. This event broke u|)the family, 
and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a 
small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in an 
asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two 
years, and although he obtained a good reputation in 
this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his 

.^ 



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■♦■ 



S. GROVER CLEVELAND. 






calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, 
he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going 
to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as 
there was some charm in that name for him; but 
before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to 
ask the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted 
stockbreeder of that place. The latter did not 
speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do, 
my boy.'" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
law," was the reply. " Good gracious ! " remarked 
the old gentleman ; " do you, indeed .' What ever put 
that into your head.' How much money have you 

got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got 

I* 
any. 

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a 
]i'.3ce temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a 
year, wiiile iic could " look around." One day soon 
afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, 
Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he 
wanted. A number of young men were already en- 
gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and 
he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and 
have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum 
of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for 
his board and washing. Tiie walk to and from his 
uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although 
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had 
none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. 
On the first day of his service here, his senior em- 
ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone ijefore him 
with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's 
where they all begin." A titter ran around the little 
circle of clerks and students, as they thought that 
was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ; 
but in due lime he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland 
exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for 
chasing principles through all their metaphysical 
possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do 
it," was practically his motto. 

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was 
elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in 
which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell 
to his duly to inflict capital punishment upon two 
criminals. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of the 
City of Buffido, on the Democratic ticket, with es- 
pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms 



in the administration of the municipal affairs of that 
city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his 
performance of duty has generally been considered 
fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer- 
reted out and magnified during the last Presidential 
campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in 
a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniqui- 
tous street-cleaning contract: "This is a time for i 
plain speech, and my objection to your action shall 
be plainly staled. I regard it as the culmination of 
a mos bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme 
to betray the interests of the people and to worse 
than squander the people's money." The New York 
Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve- 
land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there- 
upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire 
State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, 
and his administration of the affairs of State was 
generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if 
any, were made very public throughout the nation 
after he was nominated for President of the United 
States. For this high office he was nominated July 
1 1, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at 
Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. 
Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, 
Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.: and he 
was elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub- 
lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve- 
land resigned his office as Governor of New York in 
January, T8S5, in order to prepare for his duties as 
the Chief Executive of the United States, in which 
capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of 
March, 18S5. For his Cabinet officers he selected 
the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State, 
Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the 
Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York; Secretary 
of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; 
Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New 
York ; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of 
Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas, 
of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of 
Arkansas. 

The silver question precipitated a controversy be- 
tween those who were in favor of the continuance of 
silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. 
Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his 
iHauguration. 



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GO VERNORS OF ILLWOIS. 



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HADRACH BOND, the first 
Governor of Illinois after its 
organization ns a State, serving 
from 1818 to 1822, was born in 
Frederick County, Maryland, 
in the year 1773, and was 
raised a farmer on iiis father's 
plantation, receiving only a plain 
English education. He emigrated 
to this State in 1794, when it was a 
part of the "Northwest Territory," 
continuing in the vocation in which 
he had been brought u[) in Iiis native 
State, in the "New Design," near 
Eagle Creek, in what is now Monroe 
County. He served several terms as 
a member of the General Assembly 
of Indiana Territory, after it was organized as such, 
and in 1812-14 he was a Delegate to the Twelfth 
and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3, 
i8r 2, and serving until Oct. 3, 1814. These were 
the times, the reader will recollect, when this Gov- 
ernment had its last struggle with Great Britain. 
The year i8i2is also noted in tlie history of this 
State as that in whicli the first Territorial Legislature 
was held. It convened at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, and 
adjourned Dec. 26, following. 

While serving as Delegate to Congress, Mr. Bond 
was instrumental in procuring the right of pre-em])- 
t;on on the public domain. On the expiration of his 
lerm at W.ishington he was appointed Receiver of 
Public Moneys at Kaskaskia, then the capital of tlie 
Territory. In company with John G. Comyges, 



Thomas H. Harris, Charles Slade, Michael Jones, 
Warren Brown, Edward Humphries and Charles W. 
Hunter, he became a proprietor of the site of the 
initial city of Cairo, which they hoped, from its favor- 
able location at the JLinction of the two great 
rivers near the center of the Great West, would 
rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter- 
prise, they obtained a special charter t'rom tlie Legis- 
lature, incoriiorating both the City and the Bank of 
Cairo. 

In 18 18 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor 
of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6, 
that year, which was several weeks before Illinois 
was actually admitted. The facts are these: In 
January, 181S, the Territorial Legislature sent a peti- 
tion to Congress for the admission of Illinois as a 
State, Nathaniel Pope being then Delegate. The 
petition was granted, fixing the northern line of the 
State on the latitude of the southern extremity of 
Lake Michigan; but the bill was afterward so amend- 
ed as to extend tiiis line to its present latitude. In 
July a convention was called at Kaskaskia to draft a 
constitution, which, however, was not submitted to 
the people. By its provisions, supreme judges, pros- 
ecuting attorneys, county and circuit judges, record- 
ers and justices of the peace were all to be appointed 
l)y the Governor or elected by the Legislature. This 
constitution was accepted by Congress Dec. 30. At 
that time Illinois comprised but eleven counties, 
namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson, 
Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington 
and Franklin, the northern portion of the State be- 
ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears 
that Mr. Bond was honored by the naming of a 



n 




SHADRACli BOND. 



4 



county before he was elected Governor. The present 
county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80 
miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor 
the people chose Pierre Menard, a prominent and 
worthy Frenchman, after whom a county in this State 
is named. In this election there were no opposition 
candidates, as the popularity of these men had made 
their promotion to the chief offices of the Siate, even 
before tlie constitution was drafted, a foregone con- 
clusion. 

The principal points that excited the people in 
reference to political issues at this period were local 
or "internal improvements," as they were called. 
State banks, location of the capital, slavery and tlie 
personal characteristics of the proposed candidates. 
Mr. Bond represented the "Convention party," for 
introducing slavery into the State, supported by Elias 
Kent Kane, his Secretary of State, and John Mc- 
Lean, while Nathaniel Pope and John P. Cook led 
the anti-slavery element. The people, however, did 
not become very much excited over this issue until 
1820, when tlie f.im ),is Missouri Compromise was 
adopted by Congress, limiting slavery to the south 
of the parallel of 36° 30' except in Missouri. While 
this measure settled the great slavery controversy, 
so far as the average public sentiment was tempor- 
arily concerned, until 1854, when it was repealed 
under the leidershii) of Stephen A. Douglas, tlie issue 
as considered locally in this State was not decided 
until 1824, after a most furijus campaign. (See 
sketch of Gov. Coles.) The ticket of 1818 was a 
compromise one. Bond representing (moderately) the 
pro-slavery sentiment and Menard the anti-slavery. 

An awkward element in the State government 
under Gov. Bond's administration, was the imperfec- 
tion of the State constitution. The Convention 
wished to have Elijah C. Berry for the first Auditor 
of Public Accounts, but, as it was believed that the 
new Governor would not appoint him to the office, 
the Convention declared in a schedule that " an 
auditor of public accounts, an attorney general and 
such other officers of the State as may be necessary, 
may be appointed by the General Assembly." The 
Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large ap[)oint- 
ing power in the Governor ; but for the purixjse of 
getting one man into office, a total cliange was made, 
and the power vested in the Legislature. Of this 
provision the Legislature took advantage, and de- 



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clared that State's attorneys, canal commissioners, 
bank directors, etc., were all '" officers of the State" 
and must therefore be apjxjinted by itself independ- 
ently of the Governor. 

During Gov. Bond's administration a general law 
was passed for the incorporation of academies and 
towns, and one authorizing lotteries. The session of 
1822 authorized the Governor to appoint commis- 
sioners, to act in conjunction with like commissioners 
appointed by the State of Indiana, to report on the 
practicability and expediency of improving the navi- 
gation of the Wabash River; also inland n ivigation 
generally. Many improvements were recommended, 
some of which have been feebly worked at even till 
the present day, those along the Wabash being of no 
value. Also, during Gov. Bond's term of office, the 
capital of the State was removed from Kask.iskia to 
Vandalia. In 1820 a law was passed by Congress 
authorizing this State to open a canal through the 
public lands. The State appointed commissioners 
lo explore the route and prepare the necessary sur- 
veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution; 
but, being unable out of its own resources to defray 
the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned 
until some time after Congress made the grant of 
land for the purpose of its construction. 

On the whole. Gov. Bond's administration was 
fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from 
any party. In 1824, two years after the e.\i)ii.ition 
of his term of office, he was brought oat as a candi- 
date for Congress against the formidable John V. 
Cook, but received only 4,374 votes to 7,460 for ih.; 
latter. Gov. Bond was no orator, but h.id niauc 
many fast friends by a judicious bestowment of his 
gubernatorial patronage, and these worked zealously 
for him in the campaign. 

In 1827 ex-Gov. Bond was appointed by tlie Leg- 
islature, with Wni. P. iSIcKee and Dr. Gershom 
Jayne, as Commissioners to locate a site for a peni 
tentiary on the Mississippi at or near Alton. , 

Mr. Bond was of a benevolent and convivial dis- 
position, a man of shrewd observation and clear ap- 
[)reciation of events. His person was erect, stand- 
ing six feet in height, and after middle life became 
portly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were 
strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and 
eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died 
April II, 1830, in peace and contentment. 



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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



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j££»war6_Cole8. 








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DWARD COLES, second 
Governor of Illinois, 1823- 
6, was born Dec. 15, 1786, 
in Albemarle Co., Va., on 
tlie old family estate called 
" Enniscorthy," on the 
(ireen Mountain. His fath- 
er, John Coles, was a Colonel in the 
Revolutionary War. Having been fit- 
ted for college by private tutors, he 
was sent to Hampden Sidney, where 
he remained until the autumn of 1805, 
uhen lie was removed to William and 
Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va. 
This college he left in the summer of 
1807, a short time before the final and graduating 
exanii lation. Among his classmates were Lieut. 
Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Wni. S. Archer, 
United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice 
Baldwin, of the United States Supreme Court. The 
President of the latter college. Bishop Madison, was 
a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir- 
cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming 
personally acquainted with the President and re- 
ceiving a position as his private secretary, 1809-15. 
The family of Coles was a prominent one in Vir- 
ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old- 
fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by 
such notables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison, 
Monroe, tiie Randolphs, Tazewell, Wirt, etc. At the 
age of 23, young Coles found himself heir to a plant- 
ation and a considerable number of slaves. Ever 
since his earlier college days his attention had been 
drawn to the question of slavery. He read every- 



thing on tlie subject that came in his way, and 
listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more 
he reflected ujMn the subject, the more impossible 
was it for him to reconcile the immortal declaration 
"that all men are born free and equal " with the 
practice of slave-holdinj;. He resolved, therefore, to 
free his slaves the first opportunity, and even remove 
his residence to a free State. One reason which de- 
termined him to accept the appointment as private 
secretary to Mr. Madison was because he believed 
that through the acquaintances he could make at 
Washington he could better determine in what part 
of the non-slaveholding portion of the Union he would 
prefer to settle. 

The relations between Mr. Coles and President 
Madison, as well as Jefferson and other distinguished 
men, were of a very friendly character, arising from 
the similarity of their views on the question of slavery 
and their sympathy for each other in holding doc- 
trines so much at variance with the prevailing senti- 
ment in their own State. 

In 1857, he resigned his secretaryship and spent a 
portion of the following autumn in exploring the 
Northwest Territory, for the purpose of finding a lo- 
cation and purchasing lands on which to settle his 
negroes. He traveled with a horse and buggy, with 
an extra man and horse for emergencies, through 
many parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, 
determining finally to settle in Illinois. At this time, 
however, a misunderstanding arose between our 
Government and Russia, and Mr. Coles was selected 
to repair to St. Petersburg on a special mission, bear- 
ing imjwrtant papers concerning the matter at issue. 
The result was a conviction of the Emperor (Alex- V 



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EDWARD COLES. 



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ander) of the error committed by his minister at 
Washington, and tlie consequent withdrawal of the 
tlie latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles 
visited other iiarts of Euro|5e, especially Paris, where 
he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette. 

In the spring of 1819, he removed with all his 
negroes from Virginia to Edwardsville, 111., with the 
intention of giving them their liberty. He did not 
make known to them his intention until one beautiful 
morning in April, as they were descending the Ohio 
River. He lashed all the boats together and called 
all the negroes on deck and made them a short ad- 
dress, concluding his remarks by so expressing him- 
self that by a turn of a sentence he proclaimed in 
the shortest and fullest manner that they were no 
longer slaves, but free as he was and were at liberty 
to proceed with hini or go ashore at their pleas- 
ure. A description of the effect upon the negroes is 
best desciibed in his own language : 

"The effect upon them was electrical. They stared 
at me and then at each other, as if doubting the ac- 
curacy or reality of what they heard. In breathless 
silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word, 
but with countenances beaming with expression which 
no words could convey, and which no language 
can describe. As they began to see the truth of 
what they had heard, and realize their situation, there 
came on a kind of hysterical, giggling laugh. After 
a pause of intense and unutterable emotion, batlied 
in tears, and with tremulous voices, they gave vent to 
their gratitude and implored the blessing of God 
on me." 

Before landmg he gave them a general certificate 
of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu- 
larly with the law of this State requiring that each 
individual should have a certificate. This act of 
Mr. Coles, all the more noble and heroic considering 
the overwhelming pro-slavery influences surrounding 
him, has challenged the admiration of every philan- 
thropist of modern times. 

March 5, 18 ig. President Monroe appointed Mr. 
Coles Registrar of the Land Office at EdwardsviLs: 
at that time one of the principal land offices in the 
State. While acting in this capacity and gaining 
many friends by his i»liteness and general intelli- 
gence, the greatest struggle that ever occurred in 
Illinois on the slavery qiies ijn culminated in the 
furious contest characterizing the campaigns and 
elections of 1822-4. In the summer of 1823, when a 
new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr. 
Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions, 
imtting forward for the executive office Joseph 
Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C. 
Browne and Gen. J;imes B. Moore, of the State Mil- 
itia. The anti-slavery element united upon Mr. 
('oles, and, after one of the most bitter campaigns, 
succeeded in electing him as Governor. His plural- 
ity over Judge Phillips was only 59 in a total vote of 



over 8,000. The Lieutenant Governor was elected 

by the slavery men. Mr. Coles' inauguration speech 
was marked by calmness, deliberation and such a 
wise expression of appropriate suggestions as to 
elicit the sanction of all judicious politicians. But 
he compromised not with evil. In his message to 
the Legislature, the seat of Government being ihen 
at Vandalia, he strongly urged the abrogation yf the 
modified form of slavery which then existed in tlii-; 
State, contrary to the Ordinance of 1787. His posi- 
tion on this subject seems the more remarkabk-, when 
it is considered that he was a minority Governor, the 
population of Illinois being at that lime almost ex- 
clusively from slave-holding States and by a large 
majority in favor of the perpetuation of that old relic 
of barbarism. The Legislature itself was, of course, 
a reflex of the popular sentiment, and a majority ol 
them were led on bv fiery men in denunci.itions of 
the conscientious Governor, and in curses loud and 
deep upon him and all his friends. Some of the 
public men, indeed, went so far as to head a sort of 
mob, or " shiveree " party, who visited the residence 
of the Governor and others at Vandalia and yelled 
and groaned and spat fire. 

The Constitution, not establishing or permitting 
slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be 
defective by the slavery jwliticians, and tliey desired 
a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub- 
mit a new Constitution; and the dominant politics 
of the day was "Convention" and "anti-Conven- 
tion." Both parties issued addresses to the people. 
Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address 
published by the latter party. This address revealed 
the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly man- 
ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti- 
mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in 
which the Governor was placed at that time. 

Our hero maintained himself honorably and with 
supreme dignity throughout his administration, and 
in his honor a county in this State is named. He 
was truly a great man, and those who lived in 
this State during his sojourn here, like those who 
live at the base of the mour.tain, were too ne.irto see 
and recognize the greatness that overshadowed ihem. 

Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop 
De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter 
of Hugli Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestry, 
who cam." to this country with Wni. Penn in 1682. 

After the ex[)iraiion of his term of service. Gov. 
Coles continued his residence in Edwardsville, sup- 
erintending his farm in the vicinity. He was fond 
of agriculture, and was the founder of the first agri- 
cultural society in the Stale. On account of ill 
health, however, and having no family to tie hmi 
down, he spent much of his time in Eastern cities. 
About 1832 he changed his residence to Philadel- 
jjhia, where he died July 7, 1868, and is buried at 
Woodland, near that city. 



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GO VEliNOKS OF ILLINOIS. 



119 



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Itiiiiaii, lEdwa^fds;^ 




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INIAN EDWARDS, Governor 
from 1827 to 1S30, was a son 
of Benjamin Edwards, and 
was Ijorn in Montgomery 
\.r, Cour.iy, Maryland, in March, 
His domestic train- 
ing was well fitted to give 
his mind strenj^th, firmness and 
1.0: orable i)rincii)les, and a good 
foundation was laid fortlie elevated 
character to which he afterwards 
attained. His parents were Bap- 
tists, and very strict in their moral 
piinciples. His education in early 
youth was in company with and 
partly under the tuition of Hon.Wm. 
Wirt, whom his father patronized, 
and who was more than two years 
older. An intimacy was thus 
formjd betweea them whiclr was lasting for life. He 
was furtiier educated at Dickinson College, at Car- 
lisle, Pa. He next commenced the study of law, but 
before completing his course he moved to Nelson 
County, Ky., to open a farm for his father and to 
purchase homes and locate lands for his brothers and 
sisters. Here he fell in the company of dissolute 
companions, and for several years led the life of a 
spendtiirift. He was, however, elected to the Legis- 
lature of Kentucky as the Representative of Nelson 
bounty before he was 21 yeaiT; of age, and was re- 
elected by an almost unanimous vote. 



In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the 
following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes- 
see. About this time he left Nelson County for 
Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his 
dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and 
devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He 
then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and sooo 
became an eminent lawyer, and inside of four years 
he filled in succession the offices of Presiding Judge 
of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourtii Judge of 
the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of the State, 
— cdl before he was 32 years of age ! In addition, in 
1S02, he received a commission as Major of a battal- 
ion of Kentucky militia, and in 1S04 was chosen a 
Presidential Elector, on the Jefferson and Clinton 
ticket. In 1S06 he was a candidate for Congress, 
but withdrew on being promoted to the Court of 
Appeals. 

Illinois was organized as a separate Territory in 
the spring of 1809, when Mr. Edwards, then Chief 
Justice of the Court of Apjjcals in Kentucky, received 
from President Madison the apixjintmeht as Gover- 
nor of the new Territory, his commission bearing date 
Aijril 24, i8og. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in 
June, and on the i ith of that month took the oath of 
office. At the same time he was appointed Superin- 
tendent of the United States Saline, this Government 
interest then developing into considerable proportions 
in Southern Illinois. Although during the first three 
years of his administration he had the power to make 
new counties and appoint all the officers, yet he always 
allowed the people of each county, by an informal 



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NINIAN EDWARDS. 




vote, to select their own officers, both civil and mili- 
tary. The noted John J. Crittenden, afterward 
United States Senator from Kentucky, was appointed 
by Gev. Edwards to the office of Attorney General of 
the Territory, which office was accepted for a short 
time only. 

The Indians in tSio committing sundry depreda- 
tions in the Territory, crossing the Mississippi from 
the Territory of Louisiana, a long correspondence fol- 
lowed between the res])ective Governors concerning 
the remedies, which ended in a council with the sav- 
ages at Peoria in 1812, and a fresh interpretation of 
the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de- 
predations, and was not re-settled for many years 
afterward. 

As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in 
1812, he was re-appointed for another term of three 
years, and again in 18 15 for a third term, serving 
until the organization of the State in the fall of 18 18 
and the inauguration of Gov. Bond. At this time 
ex-Gov. Edwards was sent to the United States 
Senate, his colleague being Jesse B. Thomas. As 
Senator, Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, and 
acquitted himself honorably in all the measures that 
came up in that body, being well posted, an able de- 
bater and a conscientious statesman. He thought 
^eriously of resigning this situation in 1821, but was 
persuaded by his old friend, Wm. Wirt, and others to 
lontinue in office, which he did to the end of the 
term. 

He was then appointed Minister to Mexico by 
President Monroe. About this time, it appears that 
Mr. Edwards saw suspicious signs in the conduct of 
VVm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the United States 
Treasury, and an ambitious candidate for the Presi- 
dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of 
his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in 
order fully to investigate the cliarges. The result 
was the exculpation of Mr. Edwards. 

Pro-slavery regulations, often termed "Black Laws," 
disgraced the statute books of both the Territory and 
the Stale of Illinois during tjie wliole of his career in 
tills commonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main- 
tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an imix)rtant 
actor in the great struggle which ended in a victory 
for his party in 1824. 

In 1826 7 the Winnebago and other Indians com- 
mitted son-c depredations in the northern part of the 



State, and the white settlers, who desired tlie lands 
and wished to exasperate the savages into an evacu- 
ation of the country, magnified the misdemeanors of 
the aborigines and thereby produced a Jiostility be- 
tween the races so great as to precipitate a little war, 
known in history as the "Winnebago W.nr." A few 
chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson 
succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief, 
and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at 
least until the troubles commenced which ended in 
the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre- 
tation of treaties and execution of their provisions 
Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The 
Indians kept themselves generally within the juris- 
diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor, 
Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote tliat ready cor- 
respondence with him was difficult or impossible. 
Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to 
the protection of the Illinois fronrier, seems to have 
been very efficient and satisfactory. 

For a considerable portion of his time after his re- 
moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his 
farm near Kaskaskia, which he had well stocked with 
horses, cattle and sheep from Ke.itucky, also with 
fruit-trees, grape-vines and shrubbery. He estab- 
lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively 
in mercantile business, liaving no less llian eight or ten 
stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding 
the arduous duties of his office, he nearly always pur- 
chased the goods himself with wliich to supply the 
stores. Although not a regular practitioner of medi- 
cine, he studied the healing art to a considerable ex- 
tent, and took great pleasure in prescribing for, and 
taking care of, the sick, generally wiiliout charge. 
He was also liberal to the jwor, several widows and 
ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to him 
even for their homes. 

He married Miss Elvira Lane, of Maryland, in 
r8o3, and they became the affectionate parents of 
several children, one of whom, especially, is well 
known to the people of the '' Prairie State," namely, 
Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Su])erinteiident of 
Public Instruction and still a resident of Springfield. 
Gov. Edwards resided at and in the vicinity of Kas- 
kaskia from 1809 to 1818; in Edwardsville (named 
after him) from' that time to 1824; and from the lat- 
ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his 
death, July 20, 1833, of .'\siatic < holera. Iulw";irds 
County is also uamed in his honor. 



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Go VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



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CoHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831- 
'^e* 4i ^v.is born in Montgomery Coun- 
;i;° ty, Pe\insylv;inia, Feb. 26, 1788. 
His father, Robert Reynolds and 
his mother, nee Margaret Moore, 
were botli natives of Ireland, from 
which country they emigrated to 
ihe United States in 1785, land- 
ing at Philadelphia. The senior 
Reynolds entertained an undying 
hostility to the British Govern- 
ment. When the subject of this 
sketch was about six months old, 
his parents emigrated witli him to 
Tennessee, where many of their 
relatives had already located, at the base of the 
Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of 
the present city of Knoxville. There they were e.\- 
posed to Indian depredations, and were much molest- 
ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior 
of the State. They were poor, and brought up their 
children to habits of manual industry. 

In 1800 the f.imily removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with 
eight horses and two wagons, encountering many 
hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed 
the most of his childhood, while his character began 
to develop, llie most prominent traits of which were 
ambition and energy. He also adoi^ted the principle 
and ]jractice of total abstinence from intoxicating 
liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal, 

A* 



this time to the " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of 
tine Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest 
of Edwardsville. 

On arriving at his 20th year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing 
that he must look about for his own livelihood and 
not yet having determined what calling to pursue, 
concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly 
went to such an institution of learning, near Knox- 
ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his 
diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of 
his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered 
wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a 
shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himself 
into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of 
Knoxville! He attended college nearly two years, 
going through the principal Latin authors; but it 
seems that he, like the rest of the world in modern 
times, had but very little use for his Latin in after 
life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good 
degree of literary disciphne. He commenced the 
study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble 
came on and compelled him to change his mode 
of life. Accordingly he returned home and re- 
cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and 
law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of 1812 he was 
admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About this lime 
he also learned the French language, which he 
practiced with pleasure in conversation with his 
family for many years. He regarded this language 
as being superior to all others for social intercourse. 



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124 



/OlfJV REYNOLDS. 



From his services in the West, in the war of 181 2, 
he obtained the sobriquet of the " Old Ranger." He 
was Orderly Sergeant, then Judge Advocate. 

Mr. Reynolds opened his first law office in the 
winter and spring of 1814, in the French village of 
Cahokia, then the capital of St. Clair County. 

In the fall of 1S18 he was elected an Associate 
Justice upon the Supreme Bench by the General 
Assembly. In 1825 he entered more earnestly tlian 
ever into the practice of law, and the very next year 
was elected a member of the Legislature, where he 
acted independently of alt cliques and private inter- 
ests. In 1828 the Whigs and Democrats were for 
the first time distinctively organized as such in Illi- 
nois, and tlie usual party bitterness grew up and 
raged on all sides, while Mr. Reynolds preserved a 
judicial calmness and moderation. The real animus 
of the campaign was " Jackson " and " anti-Jackson," 
the former party carrying the State. 

In August, 1830, Mr. Reynolds was elected Gov- 
ernor, amid great excitement. Installed in office, he 
did all within his power to advance the cause of edu- 
cation, internal improvements, the Illinois & Mich- 
igan Canal, the harbor at Chicago, settling the coun- 
try, etc.; also recc mmended the winding up of the 
State Bank, as its affairs had become dangerously 
complicated. In his national politics, he was a 
moderate supporter of General Jackson. But the 
most celebrated event of his gubernatcrial admin- 
istration was the Black Hawk War, which occurred 
in 1832. He called out the militia and prosecuted 
the contest with commendable diligence, appearing 
in person on the battle-grounds during the most 
critical periods. He was recognized by the President 
as Major-General, and authorized by him to make 
treaties with the Indians. By the assistance of the 
general Government the war was terminated without 
much bloodshed, but after many serious fights. This 
war, as well as everything else, was materially re- 
tarded by the occurrence of Asiatic cholera in the 
West. This was its first appearance here, and was 
the next event in prominence during Gov. Reynolds' 
term. 

South Carolina nullification coming up at this time, 
it was heartily condemned by both President Jackson 
and Gov. Reynolds, who took precisely the same 
grounds as the Unionists in the last war. 

On the termination of his gubernatorial term in 
1834, Gov. Reynolds was elected a Member of Con- 
gress, still considering himself a backwoodsman, as 
he had scarcely been outside of the Slate since lie 
l>ccame of age, and had spent nearly all his youthful 
days in the wildest region of the frontier. His first 
move in Congress was to adopt a resolution tliat in 
all elections made by the House for offii-ers the votes 
should be given vh<a voce, each member in his jjlace 
naming aloud the person for whom he votes. This 
created considerable heated discussion, but was es- 



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sentially adopted, and remained the controlling prin- 
ciple for many years. The ex Governor was scarcely 
absent from his seat a single day, during eight ses- 
sions of Congress, covering a period of seven year^, 
and he never vacillated in a party vote; but he failed 
to get the Democratic party to foster his " National 
Road" scheme. He says, in " My Own Times " (a 
large autobiography he published), that it was only 
by rigid economy that he avoided insolvency while in 
Washington. During his sojourn in that city he was 
married, to a lidy of the place. 

In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company 
with a few others, he built the first railroad in the 
Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long, 
leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to 
the bank of the river op[)osi;e St. Louis. Hiving not 
the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it 
by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com- 
pany sold out, at great sacrifice. 

In 1839 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the 
Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow 
money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord' ngly, he 
repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining 
a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth 
of what was wanted. The same year he and his 
wife made at our of Europe. This year, also, Mr. 
Reynolds had the rather awkward little responsibility 
of introducing to President Van Buren the noted 
Mormon Prophet, Josejjh Smith, as a " Latter-Day 
Saint!" 

In 1846 Gov Reynolds was elected a member of 
the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu- 
larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter 
for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis, 
a distance of nearly 14 miles. This was immediately 
built, and was the first road of the kind in the State. 
He was again elected to the Leijislature in 1852, when 
he was chosen Speaker of the House. In i860, aged 
and infirm, he attended the National Democratic 
Convention at Charleston, S. C , as an anti-Douglas 
Delegate, where he received more attention from the 
Southern Delegates than any other member. He 
supported Breckenridge for the Presidency. After 
the October elections foreshadowed the success of 
Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo- 
crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi- 
ately preceding and during the late war, his corre- 
spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern 
secession, and about the first of March, 1861, he 
urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the 
treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsen.d 
at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rath.r talkative 
man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch- 
words that ever gained currency, besides many cun- 
ning and odd ones of his own manufacture. 

He was married twice, but had no children. He 
died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close 
of the war. 



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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



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ILLIy\M LEE 1). EWING, 
Governor of Illinois Nov. 3 
■;:.5 to 17, 1834, was a native 
of Keiilucky, and iirohably 
of Seotch ancestry. He bad 
■ ■*: a fine education, was a gentle- 
man of polished manners and 
.v.li..^d oeniiment. In 1830 John Rey- 
nolds was elected Governor of the State, 
and Zadok Casey Lieutenant Governor, 
and for the principal events that followed, 
and the characteristics of the times, see 
sketch of Gov. Reynolds. The first we 
see in history concerning Mr. Ewini;, in- 
forms us that he was a Receiver of Public 
Moneys at Vandalia soon after the organization of 
this State, and that the public moneys in liis hands 
were deposited in various banks, as they are usually 
at the present day. In 1823 the State Bank v/as 
robbed, by which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand- 
dollar deposit. 

The subject of this sketch had a commission as 
Colonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies 
he acted also as Major. In the summer of 1832, 
when it was rumored among the whites tiiat Black 
Hawk and his men liad encamped somewhere on 
Rock River, Gen. Henry was sent on a tour of 
rcconnoisance, and with orders to drive tlie Indians 
from the State. After some opposition from his 
subordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed u[) 
Rock River in search of tlie enemy. On tiie 19th of 
July, early in the morning, five baggage wagons, 
<■ 



camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti- 
cle.; were piled up and left, so that the army might 
make speedy and forced marches. For some miles 
thv.' travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swamps 
a :d the worst thickets; but the large, fresh trail 
give life and animation to the Americans. Gen. 
Dodge and Col. Ewing were both actnig as Majors, 
and com;iase!l the " spy corps " or vanguard of the 
army. It is supposed the army marched nearly 50 
miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed 
became fresher, and was strewed with much property 
and trinkets of the red-skin; that they had lost or 
thrown away to hasten their march. During the 
following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and 
the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were thor- 
oughly drenched. 

Oil a|)proaching nearer the Indians the next day. 
Gen. Dodge and Major Ewing, each commanding a 
battalion of men, were |)laced in front to bring on the 
battle, but the savages were not overtaken tliis day 
Forced marches were continued until they reached. 
Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued, 
resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's 
men. The next day they continued the chase, and 
as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians 
leading tow.ird the Mississippi, Maj. Ewing formed 
his battalion in order of battle and awaited the order 
of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the 
ground and ordered a charge, which directly resulted 
in chasing the red warriors across the great river. 
Maj. Ewing and his command proved particularly 
efficient in war, asjt seems they were the chief actors 
in driving the main body of the Sacs and Foxes, in- 



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128 



WILLIAM L. D. EWING. 



eluding Black Hawk himself, across the Mississippi, 
while Gen. Atkinson, commander-in-chief of the ex- 
pedition, with a body of the army, was hunting for 
them in another direction. 

In the above affair Maj. Ewing is often referred to 
as a "General," vx liich title he had derived from his 
connection witli the militia. 

It was in the latter part of the same year (1832) 
that Lieutenant Governor Casey was elected to Con- 
gress and Gen. Ewing, who had been elected to the 
Senate, was chosen to preside over that body. At 
the August election of 1834, Gov. Reynolds was also 
elected to Congress, more tli;in a year ahead of the 
time at wliich he could actually take liis seat, as was 
then tlie law. His predecessor, Chailes Slade, had 
just died of Asiatic cliolera, soon after the elec- 
tion, and Gov. Reynolds was chosen to serve out his 
unexi)ired term. Accordingly he set out for Wash- 
ington in November of that year to take his seat in 
Congress, and Gen. Ewing, by virt.;e of liis office as 
President of the Senate, became Governor of the 
State of IlHnois, his term covering only a period of 
15 days, namely, from the 3d to the 17th days, in- 
clusive, of November. On the lytli the Legislature 
met, and Gov. Ewing transmitted to tliat body his 
message, giving a statement of the condition of the 
affairs of the State at that time, and urging a contin- 
uance of the policy adopted by his predecessor; and 
on the same day Governor elect Joseph Duncan 
was sworn into office, thus relieving Mr. Ewing from 



the responsible situation. This is the only time that 
such a juncture has happened in the history of Illi- 
nois. 

On the 29th of December, 1835, Gen. Ewing was 
elected a United States Senator to serve out the 
unexpired term of Elias Kent Kane, deceased. The 
latter gentleman was a very prominent figure in the 
early politics of Illinois, and a county in this State is 
named in his honor. The election of Gen. Ewing to 
the Senate was a protracted struggle. His competi- 
tors were James Semple, who afterwards held several 
important offices in this State, and Richard M. 
Young, afterward a United States Senator and a 
Supreme Judge and a man of vast influence. On 
the first ballot Mr. Semple had 25 votes, Young 19 
and Ewing 18. On the eiglith ballot Young was 
dropped ; the ninth and tenth stood a tie ; but on 
the 1 2th Ewing received 40, to Semple 37, and was 
accordingly declared elected. In 1837 Mr. Ewing 
received some votes for a continuance of his term in 
Congress, when Mr. Young, just referred to, was 
elected. In 1842 Mr. Ewing was elected State 
Auditor on the ticket with Gov. Ford. 

Gen. Ewing was a gentleman of culture, a lawyer 
by profession, and was much in public life. In person 
he was above medium height and of heavy build, 
with auburn hair, blue eyes, large-sized head and 
short face. He was genial, social, friendly and 
affable, with fair talent, though of no high degree of 
originality. He died March 25, 1846. 




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GOVERNORS OF ILL! NO IS. 



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OSKIMI DUNCAN, Governor 
I, 1S34-8, was born at Paris, 
Ky., Feb. 23, 1794. At the 
tender age of 19 years he en- 
ibted in the war against Great 
Britain, and as a soldier he 
ciiuitled himself with credit. He 
was an En-.igu under the daunt- 
less Croghan at Lower Sandusky, 
. or Fort St.:;[)henson. In Illinois 
e first ai>|)eared in a public capa- 
ity as Major-General of the Militia, 
.1 position which his military fame 
had procured him. Subsecjuently 
he became a State Senator from 
Jackson County, and is honorably 
mentioned for introducing the first bill providing for 
a free-school system. In 1826, when the redoubt- 
able John P. Cook, wlio had previously beaten such 
men as John McLean, Elias Kent Kane and ex- 
Gov. Bond, came up for the fourth time for Congress, 
_Mr. Duncan was brought forward against him by his 
friends, greatly to the surprise of all the politicians. 
As yet he was but little known in the Stale. He was 
an original Jackson man at that time, being attached 
to his ix)litical fortune in admiration of the glory of 
his milita;y achievements. His chances of success 
against Cook were generally regarded as hopeless, 
but he entered upon the campaign undaunted. His 
■^peeches, though short and devoid of ornament, were 
full of good sense. He made a diligent canvass of 
the Stale, Mr. Cook being hindered by the condition of 
li's health. The most that was ex[)ected of Mr. 
Duncan, under the circumstances, was that he would 

<■ 



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obtain a res[)cctable vote, but without defeating Mr. 
Cook. The result of the campaign, however, was a 
source of surprise and amazement to both friends 
and foes, as Mr. Duncan came out 641 votes ahead! 
He received 6,321 votes, and Mr. Cook 5,680. Un- 
til this dcnoiwmcnl, the violence of party feeling 
smoldering in the breasts of the people on account 
of the defeat of Jackson, was not duly appreciated. 
Aside from the great convention struggle of 1824, no 
other than mere local and pergonal considerations 
had ever before controlled an election in Illinois. 

From the above date Mr. Duncan retained his 
seat in Co igress until his election as Governor in 
.\ugust, 1834. The first and bloodless year of the 
Black Hawk War lie was appointed by Gov. Rey- 
nolds to the position of Brigadier-General of the 
volunteers, and he conducted his brigade to Rock 
Island. But he was absent from the State, in Wash- 
ington, during the gubernatorial campaign, and did 
not personally participate in it, but addressed circu- 
lars to his constituents. His election was, indeed, 
attributed to the circumstance of his absence, be- 
cause his estrangement from Jackson, formerly his 
political idol, and also from the Democracy, largely 
in ascendency in the State, was complete; but while 
his defection was well known to his Whig friends, 
and even to the leading Jackson men of this State, 
the latter were unable to carry conviction of that fact 
to the masses, as mail and newspaper facilities at 
that day were far inferior to those of the present 
time. Of course the Governor was much abused 
afterward by the fossilized Jackson men who re- 
garded party ties and affiliations as above all 
other issues that could arise ; but he was doubtless 



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132 



JOSEPH DUNCAN. 



sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter 
had vetoed several important western measures 
which were dear to Mr. Duncan. In his inaugural 
message he threw off the mask and took a bold stand 
against the course of the President. The measures 
he recommended in his message, however, were so 
desirable that the Legislature, althougli by a large 
majority consisting of Jackson men, could not refrain 
from endorsing them. These measures related 
mainly to banks and internal improvements. 

It was while Mr. Duncan was Governor that the 
people of Illinois went whirling on with bank and in- 
ternal improvement schemes that well nigh bank- 
rupted the State. The liard times of 1837 came on, 
and the disasters that attended the inauguration of 
these plans and the operation of the banks were mu- 
tually charged upon the two political parties. Had 
any one man autocratic power to introduce and 
carry on any one of these measures, he would proba- 
bly have succeeded to the satisfaction of the public; 
but as many jealous men had hold of the same plow 
handle, no success followed and each blamed the other 
for the failure. In this great vortex Gov. Duncan 
was carried along, suffering the like derogation of 
character with his fellow citizens. 

At the height of the excitement the Legislature 
"provided for" railroads from Galena to Cairo, Alton 
to Shawneetown, Alton to Mount Carmel, Alton to the 
eastern boundary of the State in the direction of 
Terre Haute, Quincy via Springfield to the Wabas'n, 
Blooinington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, — in all 
about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the 
improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia. 
Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ; 
also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis- 
tributed to the various counties wherein no improve 
ments were ordered to be made as above. The 
estimate for the expenses for all these projects was 
placed at a little over $10,000,000, which was not 
more than half enough ! That would now be equal to 
saddling upon the State a debt of $225,000,000! It 
was sufficient to bankrupt the State several times 
over, even counting all the possible benefits. 

One of the most exciting events that ever occurred 
in this fair State was the murder of Elijah P. Love- 
joy in the fall of 1837, at Alton, during Mr. Duncan's 
term as Governor. Lovejoy was an " Abolitionist," 
editing the Observer at that place, and the pro- 
slavery slums there formed themselves into a mob, 



and after destroying successively three presses be- 
longing to Mr. Lovejoy, surrounded the warehouse 
where the fourth jjress was stored away, endeavoring 
to destroy it, and where Lovejoy and his friends 
were entrenching themselves, and shot and killed the 
brave reformer! 

About this time, also, the question of removing the 
State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for 
its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close. 
There was, of course, considerable excitement over 
the matter, the two main points competing for it be- 
ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat- 
ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully 
allayed. 

Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1838. In 1842 
he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu- 
tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against Adam 
W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the 
Deinocrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi- 
date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died 
before the campaign had advanced very far, and his 
party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected, 
receiving 46,901 votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and 
909 for Hunter. The cause of Democratic success 
at this time is mainly attributed to the temiwrary 
support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the 
want of any knowledge, on the part of the masses, 
ih.it Mr. Ford was opposed to any given policy en- 
tertained in the respective localities. 

Gov. Duncan was a man of rather limited educa- 
tion, but with naturally fine abilities he profited 
greatly by his various public services, and gathered 
I store of knowledge regarding public aflfairs which 
served him a ready purpose. He possessed a clear 
judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral 
courage to carry out his convictions of right. In his 
deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira- 
tion of the people. His intercourse with them was 
both affable and dignified. His portrait at the Gov- 
ernor's mansion, from which the accompanying was 
made, represents him as having a swarthy complex- 
ion, high cheek bones, broad forehead, piercing black 
eyes and straight black hair. 

He was a liberal patron of the Illinois C'oUege at 
Jacksonville, a member of its Board of Trustees, and 
died, after a short illness, Jan. 15, 1844, a devoted 
member of the Presbyterian Ciuirch, leaving a wife 
but no children. Two children, born to them, had 
died in infancy. 



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GO VERNORS OF ILLfNOIS. 







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■^'5'vHOMAS CARLIN, the sixth 
Governor of the State of 
Illinois, serving from 1S38 
to 1S42, was also a Ken- 
tuckian, being born near 
Frankfort, that State, July 
iS, 1789, of Irish paternity. 
The opportunities for an education 
being very meager in his native 
place, he, on ap[)roaching years of 
jud ^ment and maturity, applied 
himself to those branches of learn- 
ing that seemed most important, 
and thus became a self-made man ; 
and his taste for reading and 
study remained with him through 
life. In 1803 his father removed 
10 Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he 
died in 1810. 

In 1812 voang Carlin came to Illinois and partici- 
pated in all the "ranging" service incident to tlie 
war of that period, proving himself a soldier of un- 
datinted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca 
Huitt, and lived for four years on the bank of the 
Mississi])pi River, opposite tlie month of the Mis- 
souri, where he followed farming, and then removed 
to Greene County. He located the town site of Car- 
rvji'ton, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal 
donation of land for county building purposes. He 
was the first Sheriff of that county after its separate 
organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a 
Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the 
Black Ha>vk War he commanded a spy battalion, a 
po.t of co-.isider.ible danger. In 1S34 he was aji- 
pointcd by President Jackson to the position of 
Receiver of Public Moneys, and to fulfill the office 
♦— . 



more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy. 

While, in 1838, the unwieldy internal imijrovement 
system of the State was in full operation, with all its 
ex|)ensive machinery, amidst bank suspensions 
throughout the United States, a great stringency in 
the money market everywhere, and Illinois bonds 
forced to sale at a heavy discount, and the " hardest 
times " existing thai the people of the Prairie State 
ever saw, tlu general election of State officers was 
ap|>roaching. Discreet men who had cherished the 
hope of a speedy subsidence of the public infatua- 
tion, met with disappointment. A Governor and 
Legislature were to be elected, and these were now 
looked forward to for a repeal of the ruinous State 
policy. But the grand scheme had not yet lost its 
dazzling influence upon the minds of the people. 
Time and experience liad not yet fully demonstrated 
its utter absurdity. Hence the question of arresting 
its career of profligate expenditures did not become 
a leading one with the dominant party during the 
campiign, and most of the old members of the Leg- 
islature were returned at this election. 

Under these circumstances the Democrats, in State 
Convention assembled, nominated Mr. Carlin for the 
office of Gov _'rnor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten- 
ant Governor, while the \Vhigs nominated Cyrus Ed- 
wards, brotlierof Ninian Kil.\-ards, formeriy Governor, 
and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly 
for a ontinuance of the State [jolicy, while Carlin 
remained non-committal. This was the first time 
that the two main political parlies in this State were 
unembar-assed by any third party in the field. The 
result of the elj;tion was: Carlin, 35,573 ; Ander- 
son, 30,335; Edwards, 29,629; and Davidson, 28,- 

Uiion the meeting of the subsequent Legislature 
(1839), the retiring Governor CDuncan) in his mes- 

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136 



THOMAS CARLTN. 



sage spoke in emphatic terms of the impolicy of the 
internal improvement system, presaging the evils 
threatened, and inged that body to do their utmost 
to correct the great error ; yet, on the contrary, the 
Legislature not only decided to continue the policy 
but also added to its burden by voting more appro- 
priations and ordering more improvements. Although 
the money market was still stringent,' a further loan 
of $4,000,000 was ordered for the Illinois & Mich- 
igan Canal alone. Ctt'cago at that time began to 
loom up and promise to be an important city, even 
the great emixjrium of the West, as it has since in- 
deed came to be. Ex-Gov. Reynolds, an incompe- 
tent financier, was commissioned to effect the loan, 
and accordingly hastened to the East on this respons- 
ible err.ind, and negotiated the loans, at considera- 
ble sacrifice to the State. Besides this embarrassment 
to Carlin's administration, the Legislature also de- 
clared that he had no authority to appoint a Secretary 
of State until a vacancy existed, and A. F. Field, a 
Whig, who had already held the jrost by apixjintment 
through three administrations, was determined to 
keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car- 
lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in 
this regard, however, was finally sustained by the 
Supreme Court, in a quo 7varranto case brought up 
before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov- 
ernor had nominated for the office. Thereuixjn that 
dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!' 
endeavoring to establish the principle of life-tenure 
of office. 

A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici- 
ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges 
were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas 
Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B. 
Scates, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas — 
all Democrats. 

It was during Cov. Carlin's administration that the 
noisy campaign of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too " oc- 
curred, resulting in a Whig victory. This, however, 
did not affect Illinois politics very seriously. 

Another prominent event in the West during Gov. 
Carlin's term of office was the excitement caused by 
the Mormons and their removal from Independence, 
Mo., to Nauvoo, 111., in 1840. At the same time 
they l)egan to figure somewliat in State politics. On 
account of their believing — as they thought, accord- 
ing to the New Testament — that they should have 



"all things common," and that consequently "all 
the earth " and all that is upon it were the" Lord's " 
and therefore the property of his "saints," Ihey 
were suspected, and correctly, too, of committing 
many of the deeds of larceny, robbery, etc., that 
were so rife throughout this country in those days. 
Hence a feeling of violence grew up between the 
Mormons and "anti-Mormons." In the State of 
Missouri the Mormons always suppo-icd ilie Dem- 
ocracy until they were driven out iiy the Democratic 
government, when they turned their s.ipport to the 
Whigs. They were becoming numerous, and in the 
Legislature of 1 840- 1, therefore, it became a matter 
of great interest with both parties to conciliate these 
people. Through tlie agency of one John C. Ben- 
nett, a scamp, the Mormons succeeded in rushing 
through the Legislature (l)oth parties not d:iring to 
op[X)se) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir- 
tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinaie with the Fed- 
eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the 
Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov. 
Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader, 
as a fugitive from j.istlce. Gov. Carlin issued the 
writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved. 
It was agiin issued in 1842, aad Smith .vas arrested, 
but w.\s either rescued by his followers or discharged 
by the municipal court on a writ of h.ibeas corp^is. 

In December, 1841, the Democratic Convention 
nominated .\Jain W. Snyder, of Belleville, f)r Gov- 
ernor. .\s \\c had bjen, as a mem >er of the Legisla- 
ture, rather friendly to the .M innons, the latter 
naturally turned their support to the Democratic 
narty. The next spring the Whi:;; nominated Ex- 
Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime 
the .Mormjns began to grow more odious to the 
masses of the peo|)le, and the co:nparative prospects 
of the respectivj pirtijs for success became very 
problematical. Mr. Siyder dlej in M.iy, and 
Thomas Ford, a Supre ne Jiidge, was substituted as 
a candidate, and was elected. 

At the closj of his gaoer.iatorial term, Mr. Carlin 
removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where 
he spent th3 rem linder of hi 4 life, as before his ele- 
vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 1849 
he served out tlie unexpired term of J. D. Fry in the 
Illinois House of Representatives, and died Feb. 4, 
1852, at his residence at Carrollton, leaving a wife 
and seven children. 



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GOVERNOHS OF ILLINOIS. 



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HOMAS FORD, Governor 
from 1842 to 1846, and au- 
thor of a very interesting 
history of Illinois, was born 
at Uniontown, Pa., in the 
year 1800. His mother, after 
the death of her first hus- 
band (Mr. Forquer), married Rob- 
ert Ford, who was killed in 1802, 
by the Indians in the mountains 
of Pennsylvania, She was conse- 
quently left in indigent circum- 
stances, with a large family, mostly 
girls. With a view to better her 
condition, she, in 1804, removed to 
Missouri, where it had been cus- 
tomary by the Spanish Govern- 
ment 10 give land to actual settlers; but upon her 
arrival at St. Louis she found the country ceded to 
the United States, and the liberal jwlicy toward set- 
tlers changed by the new ownership. After some 
sickness to herself and family, she finally removed to 
Illinois, and settled some three miles south of Water- 
loo, but the following year moved nearer the Missis- 
sippi bluffs. Here young Ford received his first 
<* \ 



schooling, under the instructions of a Mr. Humphrey, 
for which he had to walk three miles. His mother, 
though lacking a thorough education, was a woman 
of superior mental endowments, joined to energy 
and determination of character. She inculcated in 
her children those high-toned principles which dis- 
tinguished her sons in public life. She exercised a 
rigid economy to provide her children an education ; 
but George Forquer, her oldest son (six years older 
than Thomas Ford), at an eady age had to quit 
school to aid by his labor in the support of the family. 
He afterward became an eminent man in Illinois 
affairs, and but for his early death would probably 
have been elected to the United States Senate. 

Voung Ford, with somewhat better opportunities, 
received a better education, though limited to the 
curriculum of the common school of those pioneer 
times. His mind gave early promise of superior en- 
dowments, with an inclination for mathematics. His 
proficiency attracted the attention of Hon. Daniel P. 
Cook, who became his efficient jjatron and friend. 
The latter gentleman was an eminent Illinois states- 
man who, as a Member of Congress, obtained a grant 
of 300,000 acres of land to aid in completing the 
Illinois & Michigan Canal, and after whom the 
county of Cook was named. Through the advice of 



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140 



THOMAS FORD. 



this geiuleman, Mr. Ford turned liis attention to the 
study of law; but Forquer, then mercliandising, re- 
garding his education defective, sent him to Transyl- 
vania University, where, however, he remained but 
one term, owing to Forquer's failure in business. On 
his return he alternated his law reading with teach- 
ing school for support. 

In 1829 Gov. Edwards appointed iiini Prosecuting 
Attorney, and in 1831 he was re-appomted by Gov. 
Reynolds, and aftpr that he was four times elected a 
Judge by the Legislature, without opposition, twice a 
Circuit Judge, once a Judge of Chicago, and as As- 
sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, when, in 1841, 
the latter tribunal was re-organized by the addition 
of five Judges, all Democrats. Ford was assigned to 
the Nintli Judicial Circuit, and while in this cai)acity 
he was holding Court in Ogle County he received a 
notice of his nomination by the Democratic Conven- 
tion for the office of Governor. He immediately re- 
signed his place and entered upon the cJinvass. In 
August, 1842, he was elected, and on the 8th of De- 
cember following he was inaugurated. 

All the offices which he had held were unsolicited 
by him. He received them upon tiie true Jefferson- 
ian principle, — Never to ask .rnd never to refuse 
office. Both as a lawyer and as a Judge he stood 
deservedly high, but his cast of intellect fitted him 
rather for a writer upon law than a practicing advo- 
cate in the courts. In the latter capacity he was void 
of the moving power of eloquence, so necessary to 
success with juries. As a Judge his opinions were 
■^ound, lucid and able expositions of the law. In 
practice, he was a stranger to the tact, skill and in- 
sinuating address of the politician, but he saw through 
the arts of demagogues as well as any man He was 
plain in his demeanor, so much so, indeed, thit at 
one time after the expiration of his term of ofi(i;:e, 
during a session of the Legislature, he was taken by 
a stranger to be a seeker for the position of door- 
keeper, and was waited upon at his hotel near mid- 
night by a knot of small office-seekers with t'le view 
of effecting a " combination ! " 

Mr. Ford had not the " brass " of the ordinary 
politician, nor that impetuosity which characterizes a 
political leader. He cared little for money, and 
hardly enough for a decent support. In person he 
was of small stature, slender, of dark conijjiexion, 
with black hair, sharp features, deep-set eyes, a 
pointed, aquiline nose having a decided twist to one 
side, and a small mouth. 

'ri'.e three most important events in Gov. Ford's 
administration were the establishment of the high 
financial credit of the State, the " Mormon War "and 
the Mexican War. 

In the first of these tlie Governor proved himself 
to be eminently wise. On coming into office he found 
the Stale badly paralyzed by the ruinous effects of 
the notorious "internal improvement" schemes of 




the preceding decade, with scarcely anything to 
show by way of ''improvement." The enterprise 
that seemed to be getting ahead more than all the 
rest was the Illinois & Michigan Canal. As this 
promised to be the most important tlioroughfare, 
feasible to the people, it was well under headway in 
its construction. Therefore the State policy wa; 
almost concentrated upon it, in order to rush it on le 
completion. The bonded indebtedness of the Stale 
was growing so large as to frighten the people, and 
they were about ready to entertain a pro|)osition for 
repudiation. But the Governor had the foresight to 
recommend such measures as would maintain the 
public credit, for which every citizen to-day feels 
thankful. 

But perhaps the Governor is remembered more for 
his connection with the Mormon troubles tlian for 
anything else; for it was during his term of office 
that the " Latter- Day Saints " became so strong at 
Nauvoo, built their temple there, increased iheir num- 
bers throughout the country, commuted misdemean- 
ors, taught dangerous doctrines, suffered ihe loss of 
their leader, Jo Smith, by a violent death, were driven 
out of Mauvoo to the far West, etc. Having been a 
Judge for so miny years previousL. Mr. Ford of 
course was no i-commiltal concerning Mor.non affairs, 
and was therefore clauned by both paities and also 
accused by each of sympathizing too greatly with the 
oihcr side. Monno lism claiming to be a sy-tem of 
r.-ligion, the Governor no doubt was "bet-veen two 
fire-i," and felt i;o npelled to toucli the matter rather 
" gingerly," and doubtless felt greatly relieved when 
th it pestilential people left the State. Such compli- 
cated matters, especially when religion is nnxed up 
with them, expose every jjcrson paiiicipaiing in 
them to criticism from all parties. 

The Mexican War was begun in the spring of 
1845, and was continued into the gubernatorial term 
of Mr. Ford's su .cesser. The Governor's connection 
with this war, however, was not conspicuous, as it 
was only administrative, commissioning officers, etc. 
Ford's " History of Illinois " is a very readable and 
entertaining work, of 450 small octavo i);iges, and is 
destined to increase in value with the lapse of time. 
It exhibits a naturil flow of compact and forcible 
thought, never failing 10 convey the nicest sense. In 
tracing with his trencliant pe 1 the devious operations 
of the professional politician, in which he is inimit- 
able, his account is open, perhaps, to the objection 
that all his contemporaries are treated as mere place- 
seekers, while many of them have since been judged 
by the people to be worthy siatesnien. His wriiings 
seem slightly open to the criticism that they exhibit 
a litile splenetic partiality ngainst those of his con- 
temix)raries who were prominent during his term of 
office as Governor. 

The dealh of (}ov. Ford look place at Peoria, 111., 
Nov. 2, 1S50. 



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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



143 





AngustMS 0. French, 












Augustus c. French, 

Governor of Illinois from 
1846 to 1852, was born in 
the town of Hill, in the 
State of New Hampshire, 
Aug. 2, 1808. He was a 
descendant in the fourth 
generation of Nathaniel 
French, who emigrated from England 
in 1687 and settled in Saybury, Mass. 
In early life young French lost his 
father, but continued to receive in- 
struction from an exemplary and 
Christian mother until he was 19 years 
old, when she also died, confiding to 
his care and trust four younger broth- 
ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with 
parental devotion. His education in early life was 
such mainly as a common school afforded. For a 
brief period he attended Dartmouth College, but 
from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers 
and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently 
read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and 
shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at 
Albion, Edwards County, where he established him- 
self in the practice of law. The following year he 
removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained 
eminence in his profession, and entered public life 
by representing that county in the Legislature. A 
strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste- 
phen A. Douglas. 

In 1839, Mr. French was appointed Receiver of 
the United States Land Office at Palestine, Craw- 
ford County, at which place he was a resident when 



elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1844 he was 
a Presidential Elector, and as such he voted for 
James K. Polk. 

The Democratic State Convention of 1846, meet- 
ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French 
for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were 
Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of 
Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scates. 
Richard M. Yo'ung and A. W. Cavarly, — an array of 
very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per- 
haps defeated in the Convention by the tumor that 
he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal. 
as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant 
Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi- 
dates were Lewis Ross, \Vm. McMurtry, Newton 
Cloud, J. B. Hamilton and VV. W. Thompson. The 
resolutions declared strongly against the resuscita- 
tion of the old State Banks. 

The Whigs, who were in a hopeless mmority, held 
theit convention June 8, at Peoria, and selected 
Thomas M. Kilpatrick, of Scott County, for Governor, 
and Gen. Nathaniel G. Wilcox, of Schuyler, for 
Lieutenant Governor. 

In the campaign the latter exposed Mr. French's 
record and connection with the passage of the in- 
ternal improvement system, urging it against his 
election; but in the meantime the war with Mexico 
broke out, regarding which the Whig record was un- 
popular in this State. The war was the absorbing 
and dominating question of the period, sweeping 
every other ixslitical issue in its course. The elec- 
tion in August gave Mr. French 58,700 votes, and 
Kilpatrick only 36,775. Richard Eells, Abolitionist 
candidate for the same office, received 5,152 votes. 
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AUGUSTUS C. FRENCIt. 



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By the new Constitution of 1848, a new election for 
State officers was ordered in November of that year, 
before Gov. French's term was half out, and he was 
re-elected for the term of four years. He was there- 
fore the incumbenl for six consecutive years, the 
only Governor of this State who has ever served in 
that capacity so long at one time. As there was no 
organized opposition to his election, he received 67,- 
453 votes, to 5,639 for Pierre Menard (son of the 
first Lieutenant Governor), 4,748 for Charles V. 
Dyer, 3,834 for W. L. D. Morrison, and 1,361 for 
James L. D. Morrison. But Wm. McMurtry, of 
Knox County, was elected Lieutenant Governor, in 
place of Joseph B. Wells, who was before elected 
and did not run again. 

Governor French was inaugurated into office dur- 
ing the progress of the Mexican War, which closed 
during the summer of 1847, although the treaty of 
Guadalupe Hidalgo was not made until Feb. 2, 
1848. Tlie policy of Gov. French's party was com- 
mitted to that war, but in connection with that affair 
he was, of course, only an administrative officer. 
During his term of office, Feb. 19, 1847, the Legisla- 
ture, by special permission of Congress, declared that 
all Government lands sold to settlers should be im- 
mediately subject to State taxation; before this they 
were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar- 
rangement the revenue was materially increased. 
About the same lime, the distribution of Government 
land warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty 
threw upon the market a great quantity of good 
lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State. 
The same Legislature authorized, wiili the recom- 
mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern 
Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the 
first in the State and now a section of the Wabash, 
St. Louis & Pacific) It sold for $100,000 in bonds, 
although it had cost the State not less than a million. 
The salt wells and canal lands in the Saline reserve 
in (iallatin County, granted by the general Govern- 
ment to the State, were also authorized by tlie 
Governor to be sold, to apply on the State debt. In 
1850, for tlie first time since 1839, the accruing State 
revenue, exclusive of specific appropriations, was 
sufficient to meet the current demands upon the 
treasury. The aggregate taxalile property of the 
State at this time was over $100,000,000, and tlie 
population 851,470. 
^fl>^ 



In 1849 the Legislature adopted the townsliip or- 
ganization law, which, however, proved defective, 
and was properly amended in 1851. At its session 
in the latter year, the General Assembly also passed 
a law to exempt homesteads from sale on executions. 
This beneficent measure had been repeatedly urged 
ujxjn that body by Gov. French. 

In 1850 some business men in St. Louis com- 
menced to build a dike opposite the lower part of 
their city on the Illinois side, to keep the Mississijipi 
in its channel near St. Louis, instead of breaking 
away from them as it sometimes threatened to do. 
Tills they undertook without permission from the 
Legislature or Executive authority of this State ; and 
as many of the inhabitants there complained that 
the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable 
land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re- 
sulting in favor of the St. Louis project ; and since 
then a good site has existed there for a city (East St. 
Louis), and now a score of railroads center there. 

It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted 
to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of 
tlie completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, 
which constituted the most important epoch in the 
railroad — we might say internal improvement — his- 
tory of the State. The road was rushed on to com- 
pletion, which accelerated the settlement of the in- 
terior of the State by a good class of industrious citi- 
zens, and by the charter a good income to the State 
Treasury is paid in from the earnings of the road. 

In 1851 the Legislature passed a law authorizing 
free stock banks, which was the source of niuch leg- 
islative discussion for a number of years. 

But we have not space further to particularize 
concerning legislation. Gov. French's administr.i- 
tion was not marked by any feature to be criticised. 
while the country was settling n|) as never before. 

In stature. Gov. French was of medium heiglit, 
squarely built, light complexioned, with ruddy fare 
and pleasant countenance. In manners lie wa.s- 
plain and agreeable. My nature he was somewhat 
diffident, but he was often very outspoken in his con- 
victions of duty. In public spjcih he was not an 
orator, but was chaste, earnest and persuasive. In 
l)usiness he was accurate and methodical, and in his 
administration he kept up the credit of the State. 

He died in 1865, at his home in Lebanon, St. 
Clair Co., 111. 



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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



147 





^lael %. IVlHiltesiPw 






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^ >F:L a. MATTESON, Governor 
i^^ 1853-6, was born Aug. 8, 1808, 
I <^\ in Jefferson County, New York, 
to which place his father had re- 
moved from Vermont three years 
before. His father was a farmer 
in fair circumstances, but a com- 
mon English education was all 
that his only son received. Young 
Joel first tempted fortune as a 
small tradesman in Prescott, 
Canada, before he was of age. 
He returned from that place to 
his home, entered an academy, 
tauglit school, visited the prin- 
cipal Eastern cities, improved a farm his father had 
given him, made a tour in the South, worked there 
in building railroads, experienced a storm on the 
Gulf of Mexico, visited the gold diggings of Northern 
Georgia, and returned 7'ia Nasliville to St. Louis and 
through Illinois to his father's home, when he mar- 
ried. In r833, having sold his farm, he removed, 
with his wife and one child, to Illinois, and entered 
a claim on Government land near the head of Au 
Sable River, in what is now Kendall County. At 
tliat time there were not more than two neighbors 
wiiliin a range of ten miles of his place, and only 
three or four houses between him and Chicago. He 
opened a large farm. His family was Loairdc^ / " 



r 



miles away while he erected a house on his claim, 
sleeping, daring this time, under a rude po\e slied. 
Here his life was once placed in imminent peril by 
a huge prairie rattlesnake sharing his bed. 

In 1835 he bought largely at the Government land 
sales. During the speculative real-estate mania whicli 
broke out in Chicago in 1836 and spread over the State, 
he sold his lands under the inflation of that period 
and removed to Joliet. In 1838 he became a heavy 
contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Upon 
the completion of his job in 1841, when hard times 
prevailed, business at a stand, contracts paid in State 
scrip; when all the public works except the canal 
were abandoned, tlie State offered for sale 700 tons 
of railroad iron, which was purchased by Mr. Mat- 
teson at a bargain. This he accepted, shipped and 
sold at Detroit, realizing a very handsome profit, 
enough to pay off all his canal debts and leave him a 
surplus of several thousand dollars. His enterprise 
next prompted him to start a woolen mill at Joliet, 
in which he prosi)ered, and wliich, after successive 
enlargements, became an enormous establishment. 

In r842 he was first elected a State Senator, but, 
by a bungling apportionment, John Pearson, a Senator 
holding over, was found to be in tlie same district, 
and decided to be entitled to represent it. Mat- 
teson's seat was declared vacant. Pearson, however, 
witlr a nobleness difficult to appreciate in this day of 



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148- 



yO£L A. MATTESON. 



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greed for office, unwilling to represent his district 
under the circumstances, immediately resigned his 
unexpired term of two years. A bill was passed in a 
few hours ordering a new election, and in ten days' 
time Mr. Matteson was returned re-elected and took 
his seat as Senator. From his well-known capacity 
as a business man, he was made Chairman of the 
Committee oa Finance, a position he held during 
this half and two full succeeding Senatorial terms, 
discharging its important duties with ability and faith- 
fulness. Besides his extensive woolen-mill interest, 
when work was resumed on the canal under the new 
loan of $r, 600,000 he again became a heavy con- 
tractor, and also subsequently operated largely in 
building railroads. Thus he showed himself a most 
energetic and thorough business man. 

He was nominated for Governor by the Demo- 
cratic State Convention which met at Springfield 
April 20, 1852. Other candidates before the Con- 
vention were D. L. Gregg and F. C. Sherman, of 
Cook ; John Dement, of Lee ; Thomas L. Harris, of 
Menard; Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton ; and D. P. Bush, 
of Pike. Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair, was nom- 
inated for Lieutenant Governor. For the same offices 
the Whigs nominated Edwin B. Webb and Dexter A. 
Knowlton. Mr. Matteson received 80,645 votes at 
the election, while Mr. Webb received 64,408, Mat- 
teson's forte was not on the stump; he had not cul- 
tivated the art of oily flattery, or the faculty of being 
all things to ajl men. His intellectual tpialities took 
rather tlie direction of efficient executive ability. His 
turn consisted not so much in the adroit manage- 
ment of party, or the powerful advocacy of great gov- 
ernmental principles, as in those more solid and 
enduring operations which cause the physical devel- 
opment and advancement of a State, — of commerce 
and business enterprise, into which he labored with 
success to lead the people. As a politician he was 
just and liberal in his views, and both in official and 
private life he then stood untainted and free from 
blemish. As a man, in active benevolence, social 
firtues and all the amiable qualities of neighbor or 
citizen, he had few superiors. His messages present 
a perspicuous array of facts as to the condition of the 
State, and are often couched in forcible and elegant 
diction. 

The greatest excitement during his term of office 
was the repeal of the Missouri Comjiromise, by Con- 



gress, under the leadership of .Stephen A. Douglas in 
1854, when the bill was passed organizing the Terri- 
tory of Kansas and Nebraska. A large portion of 
the \Vhig party of the North, through their bitter op- 
position to the Democratic party, naturally drifted 
into the doctrine of anti-slavery, and thus led to what 
was temporarily called the "Anti-Nebraska" party, 
while the followers of Douglas were known as " Ne- 
braska or Douglas Democrats." It was during this 
embryo stage of the Republican party that Abraham 
Lincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska " 
candidate for the United States Senatorship, wh le 
Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-no;r- 
inated by the Democrats. But after a few ballotings 
in the Legislature (1855), these men were drop[)ed, 
and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, 
was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson, 
then Governor, l)y the latter. On the iith ballot 
Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac- 
cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson's 
term expired, the Republicans were fully organized 
as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a 
full national and State ticket, carrying the .State, but 
not the nation. 

The Legislature of 1855 passed two very import- 
ant measures, — the present free-school system and a 
sul;niission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the 
people. The latter was defeated by a small niMJorily 
of the popular vote. 

During the four years of Gov. Matteson's admin- 
istration the taxable wealth of the State was about 
trebled, from ,1137,818.079 to $349,95 ',272 ; the pub- 
lic delit w:is reduced from $17,398,985 to $12,843,- 
144; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the 
State resumed i>aying interest on its debt in New 
York as fast as it fell due; railroads were increased 
in their mileage from something le;,s than 400 to 
about 3,000 ; and the population of Chicago was 
nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad- 
rupled. 

Before closing this account, we regret that we have 
to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an 
upright man and a good Governor, was implicated 
in a false re-issue of redeemed canal serin, amount- 
ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon ('ir- 
cuit Court the State recovered tiie principal anil all 
the interest excepting $27,500. 

He died in the winter of 1872-3, at Chicago, 



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GO VERA'ORS OF ILLINOIS. 



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] LLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov- 
ernor 1857-60, was born 
; April 25, 1811, in the 
^(l^ Stale of New York, near 
,- „ „ Painted Post, Yates County. 
n.=^'*^- His parents were obscure, 
honest, God-fearing people, 
wlio reared their children under the daily 
examjjle of indusliy and frugalitv, accord- 
ing to the custom of that class of Eastern 
society. .Mr. Bissell received a respecta- 
ble but not thorough academical education. 
By assiduous application he acquired a 
knowledge of medicine, and in his early 
manhood came West and located in Mon- 
roe County, this State, where he engaged in the 
practice of that profession. But he was not enam- 
oied of his calling: he was swayed iiy a broader 
ambition, to sr.ch an extent that the mysteries of the 
healing art and its arduous duties failed to yield him 
further any charms. In a few years he discovered 
his clioice of a profession to be a mistake, and when 
lie approached the age of 30 he sought to begin 
anew. Dr. Bissell, no doubt unexpectedly to him- 
self, discovered a singular facility and charm of 
speecl^ the exercise of which acquired for him a 
ready local notoriety. It soon came to be uudcr- 




•¥^m-^^^ 



stood that he desired to abandon his profession and 
take up that of the law. During terms of Court he 
would spend his time at the county seat among the 
members of the Bar, who extended to him a ready 
welcome. 

It was not strange, therefore, that he should drift 
into public life. In 1840 he was elected as a Dem- 
ocrat to the Legislature from Monroe County, and 
was an efficient member of that body. On his re- 
turn home he qualified himself for admission to the 
Bar and speedily rose to the front rank as an advo- 
cate. His powers of oratory were captivating. With a 
pure diction, charming and inimitable gestures, 
clearness of statement, and a remarkable vein of sly 
humor, his efforts before a jury told with irresistible 
effect. He was chosen by the Legislature Prosecut- 
ing Attorney for the Circuit in which he lived, and 
in that position he fully discharged his duty to the 
State, gained the esteeiu of the Bar, and seldom 
failed to convict the offender of the law. 

In stature he was somewhat tall and slender, and 
with a straight, military bearing, he |)rcsented a dis- 
tinguished a[)pearance. His complexion was dark, 
his head well poised, though not large, his address 
pleasant and manner winning. He was exemplary 
in his habits, a devoted husband and kind parent. 
He was twice married, the first time to Miss James, 



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WILLIAM H. BISSBLL. 



ot Monroe County, by whom he had two children, 
both daughters. She died soon after the year 1840, 
and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter 
of Elias K. Kane, previously a United States Senator 
from this State. She survived him but a short time, 
and died without issue. 

When the war with Mexico was declared in 1846, 
Mr. Bissell enlisted and was elected Colonel of his 
regiment, over Hon. Don Morrison, by an almost 
unanimous vote, — 807 to 6. Considering the limited 
opportunities he had had, he evinced a high order of 
military talent. On the bloody field of Buena Vista 
he acquitted himself .vith intrepid and distinguished 
ability, contributing with his regiment, the Second 
Illinois, in no small degree toward saving the waver- 
ing fortunes of our arms during that long and fiercely 
contested battle. 

After his return home, at the close of the war, he 
was elected to Congress, his opponents being the 
Hons. P. B. Fouke and Joseph Gillespie. He served 
two terms in Congress. He was an ardent politician. 
During the great contest of 1850 he voted in favor 
of the adjustment measures; but in 1854 he opposed 
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise act and 
therefore the Kansas-Nebraska bill of Douglas, and 
thus became identified with the nascent Republican 
party. 

During his first Congressional term, while the 
Southern members were following their old practice 
of intimidating the North by bullying language, 
and claiming most of the credit for victories in the 
Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the 
Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena 
Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern 
troops; whereupon Davis challenged Bissell to a duel, 
which was accepted. This matter was brought up 
against Bissell when he was candidate for Governor 
and during his term of office, as the Constitution of 
this State forbade any duelist from holding a State 
office. 

In 1856, when the Republican party first put forth 
a candidate, John C. Fremont, for President of the 
United States, the same party nominated Mr. Bissell 
for Governor of Illinois, and John Wood, of Quincy, 
for Lieutenant Governor, while the Democrats nomi- 
nated Hon. W. A. Richardson, of .^dams County, 
for Governor, and Col. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook 
County, for Lieutenant Governor. The result of the 
A* 



election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard- 
son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a 
ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal- 
anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor. 
His message to the Legislature was short and rather 
ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup- 
posed obligations of the people to the incorporators 
of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re- 
opening the slavery question by allusions to the 
Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion- 
ment bill, based upon the State census of 1855, was 
passed, amid much partisan strife. The Governor 
at first signed the bill and then vetoed it. A furious 
debate followed, and the question whether the Gov- 
ernor had the authority to recall a signature was 
referred to the Courts, that of last resort deciding in 
favor of the Governor. Two years afterward another 
outrageous attempt wis made for a re-apportionment 
and to gerrymander the State, but the Legislature 
failed to pass the bill over the veto of the Governor. 

It was during Gov. Bissell's ad{ninistration that 
the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light, 
''mplicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent 
State officials. The principal and interest, aggregat- 
ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except- 
ing $27,500. (See sketch of Gov. Matteson.) 

In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu- 
lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and 
thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a 
million dollars. The State Government was impli- 
cated in this aff'air, and to this day remains unex- 
plained or unaloned for. For the above, and other 
matters previously mentioned. Gov. Bissell has been 
severely criticised, and he has also been most shame- 
fully libelled and slandered. 

On account of e.xposure in the army, the remote 
cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance 
into his system and eventually developed paraplegia, 
affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left 
his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco- 
motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was 
generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste- 
rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its 
stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18, 
1860, over nine months before the expiration of his 
gubernatorial term, at the e:irly age of 48 years. He 
died in the faith of the Roman Catiiolic Church, of 
which he hari been a member since 1854. 



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G^ VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



^I'i 





.P>_. CI. 



I^ 



//©■? |.( )HN WOOD, Goveriio.- 1860-1, ;ind 
7ji fe»« the first settler of Qiiincy, 111., 
was l)()vn in liie town of Sempro- 
nius (now Moravia), Cayuga Co., 
N. Y , Dec. 20, 1798. He was 
the sei ond child and only son of 
Dr. Daniel Wood. His inother, 
nee Catlierine Crause, was of 
German parentage, and died 
while he was an infant. Dr. 
Wood was a learned and skillful 
physician, of classical attain- 
ments and proficient in several 
modern languages, who, after 
serving throughout the Revolu- 
tionary War as a Surgeon, settled on the land granted 
him by the Government, and resided there a re- 
sjiected and leading influence in his section until his 
deatii, at the ripe age of 92 years. 

The subject of this sketch, impeUed by tiie spirit 
of Western adventure then pervading everywhere, 
left his home, Nov. 2, 1818, and passed the succeed- 
ing winter in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following sum- 
mer he pushed on to Illinois, landing at Shawneetown, 
and spent the fall and following winter in Calhoun 
County. In 1820, in company with Willard Keyes, 
he settled in Pike County, about 30 miles southeast 
of Quincy, where for the ne.xt two years he pursued 
farming. In 1821 he visited "the Bluffs" (as the 
present site of Quincy was called, then uninhabited) 
and, pleased with its ijrospects, soon after purchased 
a quarter-section of land near by, and in tlie follow- 
ing fall (1822) erected near the river a small cabin, 



^ 



18 X 20 feet, the first building in Quincy, of which 
he then became the first and for some months the 
only occupant. 

About this time he visited his old friends in Pike 
County, chief of wliom was William Ross, the lead- 
ing man in building up the village of Atlas, of that 
county, which was thought then to be the ix)ssible 
commencement of a city. One day they and others 
were traveling together over the country between the 
two points named, making observations on the com- 
parative merits of the respective localities. On ap- 
proaching the Mississippi near Mr. Wood's place, 
the latter told his companions to follow him and he 
would show them where he was going to build a city. 
They went about a mile off the main trail, to a high 
point, from which the view in every direction was 
most magnificent, as it had been for ages and as yet 
untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept 
by the majestic Father of Waters, yet unburdened by 
navigation. After Mr. Wood had expatiated at 
length on the advantages of the situation, Mr. Ross 
replied, " But it's too near Atlas ever to amount to 
anything!" 

Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is a 
city of over 30,000 population. 

In 1824 Mr. Wood gave a newspaper notice, 
as the law then prescribed, of his intention to apply 
to the General Assembly for the formation of a new 
county. This was done the following winter, result- 
ing in the establishment of the present Adams 
County. During the next summer Quincy was se- 
lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then 
containing but four adult male residents and half ' 



'* 



J. '50 



"•► 



JOHN WOOD. 



r 



that number of females. Sinoe that period Mr. 
Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un- 
til his death, and far more than any other man was 
he identified with every measure of its progress and 
history, and almost continuously kept in public posi- 
tions. 

He was one of the early town Trustees, and after 
the place became a city he was often a member of 
the City Council, many times elected Mayor, in the 
face of a constant large opposition political majority. 
In 1850 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1856, 
on the organization of the Republican party, he was 
chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the 
ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the 
death of the latter, March 18, i860, he succeeded to 
the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until 
Gov. Yates was inaugurated nearly ten months after- 
ward. 

Nothing very marked characterized the adminis- 
tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam- 
paign of i860, resulting in the election of the honest 
Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the 
JUnited States, occurred during the short period 
while Mr. Wood was Governor, and tne excitement 
and issues of that struggle dominated over every 
other consideration, — indeed, supplanted them in a 
great measure. The people of Illinois, during all 
that time, were passing the comparatively petty strifes 
under Bissell's administration to the overwhelming 
issue of preserving tlie whole nation from destruction. 

In 186 1 ex-Gov. Wood was one of the five Dele- 
gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at 
Washington, and in April of the san.e year, on the 
breaking out of the Rebellion, he was appointed 



Quartermaster-General of the State, which jxisition 
he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com- 
mand as Colonel of the 137th 111. Vol. Inf., with 
whom he served until the period of enlistment ex- 
pired. 

Politically, Gov. Wood was always actively identi- 
fied with the Whig and Republican parties. Few 
men have in personal experience comprehended so 
many surprising and advancing local changes as 
vested in the more than half century recollections of 
Gov. Wood. Sixty-four years ago a solitary settler 
on the "Bluffs," with no family, and no neighbor 
within a score of miles, the world of civilization away 
behind him, and the strolling red-man almost his 
only visitant, he lived to see grjwing around him, 
and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the 
wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second 
only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in 
beauty, prosperity and promise ; whose p;ople recog- 
nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and 
liberality that attach to tlie name and lengthened 
life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor." 

Gov. Wood was twice married, — first in January, 
1826, to Ann M. Streeter, daughterof Joshua Streeter, 
formerly of Salem, Washington Co , N. Y. They had 
eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in 
June, 1865, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow 
of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4, 
1880, at his residence in Quincy. Four of his eight 
children are now living, namely: .\nn E., wife of 
Gen. John Tillson; Daniel C, wlio married Mary J. 
Abernethy; John, Jr., who married Josephine Skinner, 
and Joshua S., who married Annie l^Mdley. The 
last mentioned now resides at Atchison, Kansas, and 
all the rest are still at Quincy. 







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GOVRRNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



•59 



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■FEf-S^:A-\V-te5E!.y-.W:ViV. 








ilCHARD YATES, the "War 
Governor," 1S61-4, was born 
Jail. 18, 1818, on the banks of 
the Ohio River, at Warsaw, 
(lallatin Co., Ky. His father 
moved in 1831 to Illinois, and^ 
i^~^ afier stopping for a time in 
Springfield, settled at Island 
Grove, Sangamon County. Here, 
after attending school, Richard joined 
the family. Subsequently he entered 
Illinois College at Jacksonville, 
where,* in 1837, he graduated with 
first honors. He chose for his pro- 
fession the law, the Hon. J. J. Har- 
din being his instructor. After ad- 
mission to the Bar he soon rose to distinction as an 
advocate. 

Gifted with a fluent and ready oratory, he soon 
api)eared in the political hustings, and, being a 
passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the 
West, Henry Clay, he joined his political fortunes to 
the Darty of his idol. In 1840 he engaged with great 
ardor in the exciting " liard cider " campaign for 
Harrison. Two years later he was elected to the 
Legislature from Morgan County, a Democratic 
stronghold. He served three or four terms in the 
Legislature, and such was the fascination of his ora- 
tory that by 1850 his large Congressional District, 
extending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties 
n jrth to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him 
the Whig nomin.ation for Congress. His Democratic 
opponent was Maj. Thomas L. Harris, a very pop- 
ular man who had won distinction at the battle of 
CVrro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had 
beaten Hon. Stephen T. Logan for the same position, 
A* 



two years before, by a large majority. Yates was 
elected. Two years later he was re-elected, over 
John Calhoun. 

It was during Yates' second terra in Congress that 
the great question of the repeal of the Missouri Com- 
promise was agitated, and the bars laid down for re- 
opening the dreaded anti-slavery question. He took 
strong grounds against the repeal, and thus became 
identified with the rising Republican party. Conse- 
quently he fell into the minority in his district, which 
was pro-slavery. Even then, in a third contest, he 
fell behind Major Harris only zoo votes, after the 
district had two years before given Pierce 2,000 
majority for President. 

The Republican State Convention of i860 met at 
Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov- 
ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B. 
Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming- 
ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were 
also candidates before the Convention. Francis A. 
Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated for 
Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr. 
Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re- 
membered as characterized by the great whirlpool 
which precipitated the bloody VVT.r of tlie Rebellion. 
The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen of 
Crawford County, for Gevernor, and Lewis W. Ross, 
of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The 
Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party 
had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear- 
ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr. 
Yates 172,196 votes, and Mr. Allen 159,253. Mr. 
Yates received over a thousand more votes than did 
Mr. Lincoln himself. 

Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the 



i 



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1 60 



RICHARD YATES. 



I 



most critical period of our country's history. In the 
fate of tile nation was involved that of each State. 
The life struggle of the former derived its sustenance 
from the loyalty of the latter; and Gov. Yates 
seemed to realize the situation, and proved himself 
both loyal and wise in upholding the Government. 
He had a deep hold upon the affections of the 
people, won by his moving eloquence and genial 
manners. Erect and symmetrical in person, of jKe- 
ixjssessing ap|)earance, with a winning address and a 
magnetic power, few men possessed more of the ele- 
ments of popularity. His oratory was scholarly and 
captivating, his hearers hardly knowing why they 
were transported. He was social and convivial. In 
the latter respect he was ultimately carried too far. 

The very creditable nulitary efforts of this State 
during the War of the Rebellion, in putting into the 
field the enormous number of about 200,000 soldiers, 
were ever ])romptly and ably seconded by his excel- 
lency ; and the was ambitious to deserve the title of 
"the soldier's friend." Immediately after the battle of 
Shiloh he repaired to the field of carnage to look 
after the wounded, and liis ap[)eals for aid were 
promptly res^wnded to by the peoi)le. His procla- 
mations calling for volunteers were inipassionatt- 
appeals, urging upon the people the duties and re- 
quirements of patriotism ; and his special message 
in 1863 to the Democratic Legislature of this State 
pleading fur nuUerial aid for the sick and wounded 
soldiers of Illinois regiments, breathes a deep fervor 
of noble sentiment and feeling rarely equaled in 
beauty or feliciiy of expression. Generally his mes- 
sages on [xjliticul and civil aff.iirs were able and com- 
prehensive. During his administration, however, 
there weie no civil events of an engrossing character, 
although two years of his time were replete with 
[jartisan quarrels of great bitterness. Military ar- 
rests, Knights of the Golden Circle, riot in Fulton 
County, attempted suppression of the Chicago limes 
and the usurping State Constitutional Convention of 
1862, were the chief local topics that were exciting 
during tlie Governor's term. This Convention assem- 
bled Jan. 7, and at once took the high [wsition that 
the law calling it was no longer binding, and that it 
had supreme [xjwer; that it represented a virtual 
assemblage of the whole people of the State, and was 
",-.:vcreign in the exercise of .nil ixjwer necessary to 
effect a peaceable revolution of the State Government 
-<• 



and to the re-establishmenlof one for the "happiness, 
[prosperity and freedom of the citizens," limited only 
by the Federal Constitution. Notwithstanding the 
law calling the Convention required its members to 
take an oath to support the Constitution of the State 
as well as that of the general Government, they 
utterly refused to take such oath. They also as- 
sumed legislative powers and passed several imixirt- 
ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present 
executive duties, Gov. Yates was provoked to tell 
them plainly that " he did not acknowledge the right 
of the Convention to instruct him in the performance 
of his duty." 

In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats 
by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after 
a recess, met June 2, that year, and soon began to 
waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and, 
while the two houses were disagreeing upon the 
question of adjourning sine die, the Governor, having 
tlie authority in such cases, surprised them all by 
adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the 
first Monday in January, 1865 ! " Tliis led to great 
excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the 
Governor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in 
his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive 
abuse for weeks and months afterward. 

During the autumn of 1864 a conspiracy was de- 
jected at Chicago which had for its object the liber- 
ation of the prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, the 
burning of the city and the inauguration of rebellion 
in the North. Gen. Sweet, who had charge of the 
c.imp at the time, firs' had his suspicions of danger 
aroused by a number of enigmatically worded letters 
which passed through the Camp postoffice. K de- 
tective afterward discovered that the rebel Gen. 
Marmaduke was in the city, under an assumed 
name, and he, with other rebel officers — Grenfell, 
Morgan, Cantrell, Buckner Morris, and Charles 
Walsh — was arrested, most of whom were convicted 
by a court-martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to 
imi)risonment, — Grenfell to be hung. The sentence 
of the latter was afterward commuted to imprison- 
ment for life, and all the others, after nine months' 
imprisonment, were pardoned. 

In March, 1873, Gov. Yates was ap[X)inted a Gov- 
ernment Director of the Union Pacific Railroad, in 
which office he continued until his decease, at St. 
Louis, Mo., on the 27th of November following. 



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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



163 





Miehard J\ Oqleshy. 








t 



^I^^UCHARl) J. OGLESBY, Gov- 
1^** eriior 1865-8, and re-elected 
in 1872 and 1884, was born 
July 25, 1824, in Oldham Co., 
Ky., — the State which might 
f^;*;;-v be considered the " mother of 
^ Illinois Guvernors." Bereft of 
'^ his parents at the tender age 
'if eight years, his early education 
was neglected. When 12 years of 
age, and after he had worked a year 
and a half at the carpenter's trade, 
he removed with an uncle, Willis 
Oglesby, into whose care he had 
been committed, to Decatur, this 
State, where he continued his np- 
p'.cniiceship as a mechanic, working six months for 
Hon. E. O. Smith. 

In 1844 he commenced studying law at Spring- 
field, with Judge Silas Robbins, and read with him 
one year. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845, and 
commenced the practice of his chosen profession at 
Sullivan, the county seat of Moultrie County. 

Tiie next year the war with Mexico was com- 
menced, and in June, 1846, Mr. Oglesby volunteered, 
was elected First Lieutenant of Co. C, Fourth Illinois 
Regiment of Volunteers, and participated in the bat- 
tles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. 

On his return he sought to perfect his law studies 
by attending a course of lectures at Louisville, but 
on the breaking out of the California "gold fever " in 
1 8.)9, he crossed the plains and mountains to the 
new Eldorado, driving a six-mule team, with a com- 

A* 



pany of eight men, Henry Prather being the leader. 

In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and 
was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticket 
of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe, 
Asia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his 
return home he resumed the practice of law, as a 
member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby. 
In 1858 he was the Republican no ninee for the 
Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the 
Hon. James C. Robinson, Oeniocrat. In i860 he 
was elected to the Illinois State Senate ; and on the 
evening the returns of this election were coming in, 
Mr. Oglesby had a fisticufif encounter with " Cerro 
Gordo Williams," in which he came out victorious, 
and which was regarded as " the first fight of the 
Rebellion." The following spring, when the war 
had commenced in earnest, his ardent nature 
quickly responded to the demands of patriotisiTi and 
he enlisted. The extra session of the Legislature 
elected him Colonel of the Eighth Illinois Infantry, 
the second one in the State raised to suppress the 
great Rebellion. 

He was shortly entrusted with important com- 
mands. For a time he was stationed at Bird's Point 
and Cairo; in .\pril he was promoted Brigadier Gen- 
eral; at Fort Donelson his brigade was in the van, 
being stationed on the right of General Grant's army 
and the first brigade to be attacked. He lost 500 
men before re-inforcements arrived. Many of these 
men were from Macon County. He was engaged in 
the battle of Corinth, and, in a brave charge at this 
place, was shot in the left lung with an ounce ball, 
and was carried from the field in expectation of im- 



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164 



RICHARD J. OGLESBY. 



^ 



mediate death. That rebel ball he carries to this 
day. On his partial recovery he was promoted as 
Major General, for g dlantry, his commission to rank 
from November, 1862. In the spring of 1863 he 
was assigned to the command of the i6th Army 
Corps, but, owing to inability fro n the effects of his 
wound, he relinci lished this command in July, that 
year. Gen. (irant, however, refused to accept his 
resignation, and lie w. is detailed, i.i December follow- 
ing, to coart-ni irtial aid try thi -Surgeon General of 
the Army at Washington, where he remained until 
May, 1864, whjn he returned home. 

The Repuljlican, or U lion, State Convention of 

1864 was held at Springfield, May 25, when Mr. 
Oglesby was nominated for the office of Governor, 
while other candidates before the Convention were 
Allen C. Fuller, of Boone, Jesse K. Dubois, of Sanga- 
mon, and John M. Palmer, of .Macoupin. Wm. 
Bross, of Chicago, was nominated for Lieutenant 
Governor. On the Democratic State ticket were 
[ames C. Robinson, of Clark, for Governor, and S. 
Corning Judd, of Fulton, for Tjieutenant Governor. 
The general election gave Gen. Oglesby a majority 
of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a 
majority in 1) )th thi Legislature and in the repre- 
sentation ni Congress. 

Gov. Oglesby was duly inaugurated Jan. 17, 1865. 
The day before the first time set for his installation 
death visited his lu ne at Decatur, and toak from it 
his only son, an intelligent and s|)rightly lad of six 
years, a great favorite of the bereaved i)arents. This 
caused the inauguration to be postponed a week. 

Tlie political events of the Legislative session of 

1865 were the elei;tion of e.^-Ciov. Yates to the 
United States Senate, and the r.uification of the 13th 
amend. nent to the Coiiitituti.).i of the United States, 
abolishing slavery. This session also signalized 
itself by repealing tlie n jtoriou-i " black laws," part 
of which, although a de.id letter, h.ad held their place 
upon the statute books since i8ig. Also, la.vs re- 
quiring the registration of voters, and establishing a 
State Board of Ivpialization, were passed by this Leg- 
islature. But the same body evinced that it was cor- 
ruptly influenced by a mercenary lobby, as it adopted 
some bad legislation, over the Governor's veto, nota- 
bly an amendment to a charter for a Chicago horse 
railway, granted in 1859 for 25 years, and now 
sought to be extended 99 years. As this measure 
was promptly passed ov -r his veto by both branches 
of the Legislature, he deemed it useless further to 
attempt to check their headlong career. At this 
session .no law of a general useful character or public 
interest was perfected, unless we count such the 
turning over of the canal 10 Chicago to be deepened. 
The session of 1867 was still more productive of 
private and special acts. Manyomnilnis bills were 
pioposjd, and some passed. Tlie contests over the 
location of the Industrial College, the Capital, the 

-^« — 



Southern Penitentiary, and the canal enlargement 
and Illinois River improvement, dominated every 
thing else. 

During the year 1872, it became evident that if 
the Republicans could re-elect Mr. Oglesby to the 
office of Governor, they could also elect him to the 
United States Senate, which they desired to do. 
Accordingly they re-nominated him for the Execu- 
tive chair, and placed upon the ticket with hiin for 
Lieutenant Governor, John L. Beveridge, of Cook 
County. On the other side the Democrats put into 
the field Gustavus Koerner for Governor and John 
C. Black for Lieutenant Governor. The election 
gave the Republican ticket majorities ranging from 
35>334 to 56,174, — the Democratic defection being 
caused mainly by their li.iving an old-time Whig and 
Abolitionist, Horace Greeley, on the national ticket 
for President. According to the general understand- 
ing had beforehand, as soon as the Legislature met 
it elected Gov. Oglesby to the United States Senate, 
whereupon Mr. Beveridge became Governor. Sena- 
tor Oglesby 's term expired March 4, 1879, having 
served his party faithfully and exhibited an order of 
statesmanship beyond criticism. 

During the campaign of 1884 Mr. Oglesby was 
nominated for a "third term" as Executive of the 
State of Illinois, against Carter H. Harrison, Mayor 
of Chicago, nominated by the Democrats. Both 
gentlemen "stumped " the State, and while the peo- 
ple elected a Legislature which was a tie on a joint 
ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the 
jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of 15,018 for Gov- 
ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The 
Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on 
account of its etpial division between the two main 
parties and the consequent desperate tactics of each 
parly to checkmate the latter in the organization of 
the House. 

Gov. Oglesby is a fine-apiiearing, affable man, with 
regular, well defined features and rotund face. In 
stature he is a little alxive medium height, of a large 
frame and somewhat 'fleshy.' His physical a[)pear- 
ance is strikir.g and prepossessing, while his straight- 
out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are well 
calculated favorably to impress the average masses. 
.\rdent in feeling and strongly committed to the ])ol- 
icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism 
among Republicans, while at the same lime his jovial 
and liberal manner prevents' those of the opposite 
party from hating him. 

He 's quite an effective stump orator. With vehe- 
ment, ])assionate and scornful tone and gestures, 
tremendous ])hysical power, which in speaking he 
exercises to the Mtmost; with frecpient descents to 
the grote.5que; and with abundant homely compari- 
sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest 
vernacular and enforced with stentorian emphasis, 
he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure. 
' .^ 






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Go VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



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J O' MN M. ■ Fa l mem 






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SV'^^#W'''^|()HN Mc AULEY PALMER, Gov- 
wM- '■'?■ /#W:_'^(^»is eriior 1869-72, was born on 
Eagle Creek, Scott Co., Ky , 
Sept. 13, 1817. During his in- 
fancy, his father, who had been 
a soldier in the war of 181 2, re- 
moved to Christian Co., Ky., 
where lands were cheap. Here 
the future Covernor of the great 
Prairie State spent his childhood 
and received such meager school- 
ing as the new and sparsely set- 
tled country afforded. To this 
he added materially by diligent 
reading, for which he evinced an 
His father, an ardent Jackson man, 
was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which 
he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 1831 
he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County. 
Here the labor of improving a farm was pursued for 
about two years, wiien the death of Mr. Palmer's 
mother broke up the family. About this tune Alton 
College was opened, on the "manual labor " system, 
and in the spring of 1834 young Palmer, with his 
elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained 
18 months. Next, for over three years, he tried 
variously cooijering, peddling and school-teaching. 

Duiing the summer of 1838 he formed the ac- 
quaintance of Stephen A. Douglas, then making his 
<■ 



ea.ly aptitude. 



first canvass for Congress. Young, eloquent and in 
])olitical accord with Mr. Palmer, he won his confi- 
dence, fired his ambition and fixed his purpose. The 
following winter, wliile teaching near Canton, he be- 
gan to devote his spare time to a desultory reading 
of law, and in the spring entered a law office at Car- 
linviUe, making his home with his elder brother, 
Elihu. (The latter was a learned clergyman, of con- 
siderable orginality of thought and doctrine.) On 
the next meeting of the Supreme Court he was ad- 
mitted to the Bar, Douglas being one of his examiners. 
He was not immediately successful in his profession, 
and would have located elsewhere than Carlinville 
had he the requisite means. Thus his early poverty 
was a blessing in disguise, for to it he now attributes 
the success of his life. 

From 1839 on, while he diligently pursued his 
profession, he participated more or less in local 
])olitics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. In 
1847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con- 
vention, where he took a leading part. In 1852 he 
was elected to the State Senate, and at the special 
session of February, 1854, true to the anti-slavery 
sentiments bred in him, he took a firm stand in oj)- 
position to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise; 
and when the Nebraska question became a party 
issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for the 
.Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuing 
a circular to that effect. A few weeks afterward, 



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/OJIJV MC AULEY PALMER. 



4 



however, hesitaiing to break with his party, he par- 
ticipated in a Congressional Convention which nomi- 
T. L. Harris against Richard Yates, and which 
unqualifiedly approved the' principles of the Kansas- 
Nebraska act. But later in the campaign he made 
the plunge, ran for the Senate as an Anti-Nebraska 
Democrat, and was electe I. The following winter 
he put in nomination for the United .states Senate 
Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men 
who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their 
support and elected their man. 

In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State 
Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in 
1859, but was defeated. In i860 he was Republican 
Presidential Elector for tlie State at large. In r86i 
he was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re- 
publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at 
Washington. 

When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his 
services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the 
14th 111. Vol. Inf , and particiiiated in the engagements 
at Island No. ro; at Fannington, where he skillfully 
extricated his command from a dangerous position ; 
at Stone River, where his division for several hours, 
Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a 
rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major 
General; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's 
divisions for two hours maintained their position 
when they were cut off by overpowering numbers 
Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the 14th 
Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign. 
At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert 
disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as- 
signed to the military administration of Kentucky, 
which was a delicate post. That State was about 
half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter 
element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves. 
He, who had been bred to the rules of common law, 
trembled at the <:ontemplation of his extraordinary 
power over the |)ersons and property of his fellow 
men, with which he was vested in his capacity as 
military Governor; and he exhiliited great caution in 
the execution of the duties of his post. 

Gen. Palmjr was nominated for Governor of Illi- 
nois by the Republican State Convention which met 
at Peoria May 6, r868, and his nomination would 
probably have been made l)y acclamation had he not 
persistently declared that he could not accept a can- 



didature for the office. The result of the ensuing 
election gave Mr. Palmer a majority of 44,707 over 
John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee. 

On the meeting of the Legislature in January, 
1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was 
that portion of the Governor's message which took 
broad Slate's rights ground. This and some minor 
points, which were more in keeping with the Demo- 
cratic sentiment, constituted the e.itering wedge f jr 
the criticisms and reproofs he afterward received 
from the Republican party, and ultimately resulted 
in his entire aleniation from the latter element. The 
Legislature just referred to was noted for the intro- 
duction of numerous bills in the interest of private 
parties, which were embarrassing to the Governor. 
Among the public acts passed was that which limited 
railroad charges for passenger travel to a ma.\imum 
of three cents per mile ; and it was passed over the 
Governor's veto. Also, they passed, over his veto, 
the "tax-grabbing law" to pay nilror.:; subscriptions, 
the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The riew State 
Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a 
peaceful " revolution" which took place during Gov. 
Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the 
great Chicago Fire of October, 187 r, was greatly 
alleviated by the prompt responses of his excellency. 

Since the expiration of Gov. Palmers 's term, he has 
been somewliat prominent in Illinois politics, and 
has been talked of by many, especially in the Dem- 
ocratic party, as the best man in the State for a 
United States Senator. His business during life has 
been that of the law. Few excel him in an accurate 
appreciation of the depth and scope of its principles- 
The great number of his able veto messages abun- 
dantly testify not only this but also a rare capacity to 
point thein out. He is a logical and cogent reasoner 
and an interesting, forcible and convincing speaker, 
though not fluent or ornate. Wuhout brilliancy, his 
dealings are rather with facts and ideas than with 
appeals to passions and prejudices. He is a patriot 
and a statesman of very high order. Physically he is 
above the medium height, of robust frame, ruddy 
coiTiplexion and sanguine-nervous tem[)erament He 
has a large cranial development, is vivacious, social 
in disposition, easy of approai:h, unostentatious in his 
habits of life, democratic in his liabits and manners 
and is a true American in his fundamental principles 
of statcsman<ihiD. 



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GO VERNORS of ILLTNOIS. 



171 













"T^£i:=" 




being over 
I ^ r ciate Clui 



OHN LOWRiE BEVER- 
IDGE, ("rovernor 1873-6, was 
born in the town of Green- 
wich, Washington Co., N. Y., 
July 6, 1S24. His parents 
were George and Ann Bever- 
idge. His father's parents, An- 
drew and Isabel Beveridge, be- 
fore their marriage emigrated 
from Scotland just before the 
Revolutionary War, settling in 
Washington County. His father 
p was tiie eldest of eight brothers, the 
youngest of whom was 60 years of 
age when the first one of the num- 
er died. His mother's parents, 
James and Agnes Hoy, emigrated 
from Scotland at the close of the 
Revolutionary War, settling also in 
Washington Co., N. Y., with their 
fiist-born, whose " native land "was 
the wild ocean. His parents and 
gr.indparents lived beyond the time 
allotted to man, their average age 
Sd years. They belonged to the " Asso- 
ich," a seceding Presbyterian body of 



America from the old Scotch school ; and so rigid 
was the training of young Beveridge that he never 
heard a sermon from any other minister except that 
of his own denomination until he was in his 19th 
year. Later in life he became a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still 
holds. 

Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed- 
ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood 
only by rigid economy and industry, could not send 
him away to college. He was raised ujwn a farm, 
and was in his 18th year when the family removed 
to De Kail) County, this State, when that section was 
very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000 
inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a 
farm laborer, teaching school during the winter 
months to supply the means of an education. In the 
fill of r842 he attended one term at the academy at 
Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several 
terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris, 
Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At 
this time, the fall of 1845, his parents and brothers 
were anxious to have him go to college, even though 
he had not money sufficient; but, n )t willing to bur- 
den the family, he i)acked his trunk and with only 
$40 in money started Soutii to seek his fortune. 



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172 



JOHN L. BEVERIDGE. 



4 



Poor, alone, without friends and influence, lie thus 
entered upon the battle of life. 

First, he taught school in Wilson, Overton and 
Jackson Cos., Tenn., in which experience he under- 
went considerable mental drill, both in book studies 
and in the ways of the world. He read law and was 
admitted to the Bar, in the South, but did not learn 
to love the institution of slavery, altiiough he ad- 
mired many features of Southern character. In De- 
cember, 1847, he returned North, and Jan. 20, 184S, 
he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in tlieold Clark- 
Street M. E. church in Chicago, her father at that 
time being Pastor of the society there. In the spring 
of 1848 he returned with his wife to Tennessee, 
where his two children. Alia May and Philo Judson, 
were born. 

In the fall of 1849, through the mismanagement 
of an associate, he lost what little he had accumu- 
lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to 
earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb 
Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro- 
fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival 
from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in 
money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself 
and family. He borrowed a little money, practiced 
law, worked in public offices, kept books for soine of 
the business men of tlie town, and some railroad en- 
gineering, till the spring of 1854, when he removed 
to Evanston, 12 miles north of Chicago, a place then 
but recently laid out, under tlie su[)ervision of the 
Northwestern U'Mversity, a Methodist institution. 
Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial 
agent and business manager. Here Mr. Beveridge 
prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law 
office in Chicago, where he found the battle some- 
what hard; but he persevered with encouragement 
and increasing success. 

Aug. 12, 1 86 1, his law partner. Gen. John F. 
Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment cf 
cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a 
company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais- 
ing the company, of course enlisting himself along 
with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles, 
111., was mastered in Sei)t. 18, and on its organiza- 
tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at- 
tached, Oct. II, to the Eighth Cavalry and to the 
Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment 
until November, 1863, participating in some 40 bat- 



tles and skirmishes : was at Fair Oaks, the seven days' 
fight around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellors- 
ville and Gettysburg. He commanded the regiment 
the greater part of the summer of 1863, and it was while 
lying in camp this year that he originated the policy 
of encouraging recruits aj well as the fighting capac- 
ity of the soldiery, by the wholesale furlough system. 
It worked so well that many other officers adopted 
it. In the fall of this year he recruited anothercom- 
pany, against heavy odds, in January, 1864, was 
commissioned Colonel of the 17th 111. (3av , and 
skirmished around in Missouri, concluding with the 
reception of the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith's 
army in Arkansas. In 1865 he commanded various 
sub-districts in the Southwest. He was mustered 
out Feb. 6, 1866, safe from the casualties of war and 
a stouter man than when he first enlisted. His men 
idolized him. 

He then returned to Chicago, to practice law, with 
no library and no clientage, and no political experi- 
ence except to help others into office. In the fall of 
1866 he was elected Sheriff of Cook County, serving 
one term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced 
law and closed up the unfinished business of his 
office. He was then elected State Senator; in No- 
vember, 1 87 I, he was elected Congressman at large; 
in November, 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor on the ticket with Gov. Oglesl.y; thclatterbe- 
ing elected to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Beveridge became 
Governor, Jan. 21, 1873. Thus, inside of a few 
weeks, he was Congressman at large. Lieutenant 
Governor and Governor. The princii)al events oc- 
curring during Gov. Beveridge 's aLhninistration were: 
The corai)letion of the revision of t!ie statutes, begun 
in 1860; the parti.d success of th ; "farmers' move- 
ment;" " Haines' Legislature " and Illinois exhibit at 
the Centennial. 

Since the close of his gubernatorial term ex-Gov. 
Beveridge has been a member of the firm of Bever- 
idge & Dewey, bankers and dealers iji commercial 
paper at 71 Dearborn Street (McCormick Block), 
Chicago, and since November, 18S1, he has also been 
Assistant United States Treasurer: office in the 
Government Building. His residence is still at Ev- 
anston. 

He has a brother and two sisters yet residing in 
De Kail) County — James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet 
Henry and Mrs. Isabel French. 



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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



175 





Sbelb y 3L Cullom. 










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HELBY M. CULLOM, Gover- 
nor 1877-83,15 the sixth child 
of the late Richard N. Cullom, 
and was born Nov. 22, 1S29, in 
Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa- 
ther then resided, and whence 
both the lUinois and Tennessee 
branches of the family originated. In 
the following year the family emi- 
grated to the vicinity of Washington, 
Tazewell Co., III., when that section 
was very sparsely settled. They lo- 
cated on Deer Creek, in a grove at 
the time occupied by a party of In- 
dians, attracted there by the superior 
hunting and fishing afforded in that 
vicinity. The following winter was 
known as the " hard winter," the snow ^being very 
deep and lasting aiid the weather severely cold; and 
the family had to subsist mainly on boiled corn or 
hominy, and some wild game, for several weeks. In 
the course of time Mr. R. N. Cullom became a prom- 
inent citizen and was several times elected to the 
Legislature, both before and after the removal of the 
capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He died about 
'873- 

Until about 19 years of age young Cullom grew up 
to agricultural pursuits, attending school as he had 
opportunity during the winter. Within this time, 
however, he spent several months teaching school, 

A* 



and in the following summer he "broke prairie "with 
an ox team for the neighbors. With the money ob- 
tained by these various ventures, he undertook a 
course of study at the Rock River Seminary, a 
Methodist institution at Mt. Morris, Ogle County; 
but the sudden change to the in-door life of a stu- 
dent told severely upon his health, and he was taken 
home, being considered in a hopeless condition. While 
at Mt. Morris he heard Hon. E. B. Washburne make 
his first speech. 

On recovering health, Mr. Cullom concluded to 
study law, under the instruction of Abraham Lincoln, 
at Springfield, who had by this time attained some 
notoriety as an able lawyer; but the latter, being ab- 
sent from his office most of the time, advised Mr. 
Cullom to enter the office of Stuart & Edwards. 
After about a year of study there, however, his health 
failed again, and he was obliged to return once more 
to out-door life. Accordingly he bought hogs foi 
packing, for A. G. Tyng, in Peoria, and while he re- 
gained his health he gained in purse, netting $400 in 
a few weeks. Having been admitted to the Bar, he 
went to Springfield, where he was soon elected City 
Attorney, on the .\nti-Nebraska ticket. 

In 1856 he ran on the Fillmore ticket as a Presi- 
dential Elector, and, although failing to be elected as 
such, he was at the same time elected a Representa- 
tive in the Legislature from Sangamon County, by a 
local coalition of the American and Republican par- 
ties. On the organization of the House, he received 
the vote of the Fillmore men for Speaker. Practicing 

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176 



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SHELB Y M. CULLOM. 



law until i860, he was again elected to the Legisla- 
ture, as a Republican, while the county went Demo- 
cratic on the Presidential ticket. In January follow- 
ing he was elected Speaker, probably the youngest 
man who had ever presided over an Illinois Legis- 
lature. After the session of 1861, he was a candidate 
for the State Constitutional Convention called for 
that year, but was defeated, and thus escaped the 
disgrace of being connected with that abortive party 
scheme to revolutionize the State Government. In 
1862 he was a candidate for the State Senate, but 
was defeated. The same year, however, he was ap- 
pointed by President Lincoln on a Government 
Commission, in company with Gov. Boutwell of 
Massachusetts and Cnarles A. Dana, since of the 
New York Sun, to investigate the affairs of the 
Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments at 
Cairo. He devoted several months to this duty. 

In 1864 he enteied upon a larger political field, 
being nominated as the Republican candidate for 
Congress from the Eighth (Springfield) District, in 
opposition to the incumbent, JohnT. Stuart, who had 
been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over 
Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Chicago. 
The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem- 
ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he 
was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler, by 
the magnificent majority of 4,103 ! In 1868 he was 
again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards, 
another of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes. 

During his first term in Congress he served on the 
Committee on Foreign .\ffairs and E.xpenditures in 
the Treasury Department; in his second term, on 
the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Territories ; 
and in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of 
Ohio, to the Chairmanship of the latter. He intro- 
duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of 
law in Utah, wiiich caused more consternation among 
the Mormons than any measure had previously, but 
which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the 
Senate. 

The Republican Convention which met May 25, 
1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor, while the 
other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten- 
ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor 
of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the 
Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists, 
placed in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy 



farmer and manufacturer, and A. A. Glenn. The 
result of the election was rather close, Mr. Cullom 
obtaining only 6,800 majority. He was inaugurated 
Jan. 8, 1877. 

Great depression prevailed in financial circles at 
this time, as a consequence of the heavy failures of 
1873 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed' 
to gather force from that time to the end of Gov. 
Cullom's first administration. Tliis unspeculative 
period was not calculated to call forth any new 
issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time 
put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that 
had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring 
classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East 
St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring 
men for a short time refused to work or allow others 
to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and 
the wheels of industry again set in motion. 

In May, 1880, Gov. Cullom was re-nominated by 
the Republicans, against Lyman Trumbull, by tlie 
Democrats; and although the former party was some- 
what handicapped in the campaign by a zealous 
faction opposed to Grant for President and to Grant 
men for office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected 
by about 314,565, to 277,532 for the Democratic State 
ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was 
about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again 
became Republican, and no representative of the 
Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov. 
Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, 1S81. In his mes- 
sage he announced that the last dollar of the State 
debt had been provided for. 

March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United 
States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul- 
lom was chosen to succeed him. This promoted 
Lieutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov- 
ernorship. Senator Cullom's term in the United 
States Senate will expire March 4, 1889. 

As a practitioner of law Mr. C. has been a member 
of the firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, al Spring- 
field ; and he has also been President of tlie State 
National Bank. 

He has been married twice, — the first time Dec. 
12, 1855, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had 
two daughters; and the second time May 5, 1S63, 
to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is a member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mr. 
C. is also in sympathy. 



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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



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'79 













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OHN MARSHALL HAMIL- 
TON, Governor 1883-5, ^^^ 
born May 28, 1847, in a log 
ouse upon a farm about two 
miles from Richwood, Union 
County, Ohio. His father was 
Samuel Hamilton, the eldest son 



cf Rev. \Vm. Hamilton, who, to- 
gether with his brother, the Rev. 
Samuel Hamilton, was among the 
early pioneer Methodist preachers in 
Ohio. The mother of the subject of 
this sketch was, before her marriage, 
Mrs. Nancy McMorris, who was 
born and raised in Fauquier or Lou- 
doun County, Va., and related to the 
two large families of Youngs and Marshalls, well 
known in that commonwealth; and from the latter 
family name vvas derived the middle name of Gov. 
Hamilton. 

In March, 1854, Mr. Hamilton's father sold out 
his little pioneer forest home in Union County, C, 
and, loading his few household effects and family 
(of six children) into two emigrant covered wagons, 
moved to Roberts Township, Marshall Co., 111., being 
21 days on the route. Swamjjs, unbridged streams 
and innumerable hardships and privations met tliem 
on their way. Their new home had been previously 
selected by the father. Here, after many long years 
of toil, they succeeded in paying for the land and 
making a comforf^Mo home. John was, of course, 



brought up to li.irc! manual labor, with no schooling 
except three or four months in the year at a common 
country school. However, he evinced a capacity 
and taste for a high order of self-education, by 
studying or reading what books he could borrow, as 
the family had but very few in the house. Much of 
his study he prosecuted by the light of a log fire in 
the old-fashioned chimney place. The financial 
panic of 1S57 caused the family to come near losing 
their home, to pay debts ; but the father and two 
sons, \V'illiam and John, " buckled to ' and perse- 
vered in hard lalior and economy until they redeemed 
their place from the mortgage. 

When the tremendous e.xcitement of the political 
campaign of i860 reached the neighborhood of Rob- 
erts Township, young Hamilton, who had been 
brought up in the doctrine of anti-slavery, took a zeal- 
ous part in favor of Lincoln's election. Making special 
efforts to procure a little money to buy a uniform, he 
joined a company of Lincoln Wide-Awakes at Mag- 
nolia, a village not far away. Directly after the 
ensuing election it became evident that trouble 
would ensue with the South, and this VVide-Awake 
company, like many others throughout the country, 
kept up its organization and transformed itself into a 
military company. During the ensuing summer they 
met often for drill and l)ecame proficient; but when 
they offered themselves for the war, young Hamilton 
was rejected on account of his youth, he being then 
but 14 years of age. During the winter of 1863-4 he 
attended an academy at Henry, Marshall County, 



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JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON. 



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and in the following May he again enlisted, for the 
fourth time, when he was placed in the 141st 111. 
Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111., 
for the 100-day service. He took with him 13 other 
lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the 
service. This regiment operated in Southwestern 
Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine. 

The following winter, 1864-5, ^'- Hamilton taught 
school, and during the two college years 1865-7, he 
went through three years of the curriculum of the 
Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. The 
third year he graduated, the fourth in a class of 46, 
in the classical department. In due time he received 
the degree of M. A. For a few months he was the 
Principal of Marshall " College " at Henry, an acad- 
emy under the auspices of the M. E. Church. By 
this lime he had commenced the study of law, and 
after earning some money as a temporary Professor 
of Latin at the Illinois Wesleyan University at 
Blooniington, he entered the law office of Weldon, 
Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of 
this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge. 
Admitted to the Bar in May, 1870, Mr. Huunilton 
was given an interest in the same firm, Tipton hav- 
ing been elected Judge. In October following he 
formed a partnership with J. H. Rowell, at that time 
Prosecuting Attorney. Their business was then 
small, but they increased it to very large proportions, 
practicing in all grades of courts, including even the 
U. S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued 
unbroken until Feb. 6, 1883, when Mr. Hamilton 
was sworn in as Executive of Illinois. On the 4th 
of March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con- 
gress. 

In July, 187 I. Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen 
M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. Wm. G, Williams, 
Professor of Greek in the Ohio Wesleyan University. 
Mr. and Mrs. H. have two daughters and one son. 

In 1876 Mr. Hamilton was nominated by the Re- 
publicans for the State Senate, over other and older 
competitors. He took an active part '' on the stump " 
in the campaign, for the success of his party, and was 
elected by a majority of 1,640 over his Democratic- 
Greenback opponent. In the Senate he served on 
the Committees on Judiciary, Revenue, State Insti- 
tutions, Appropriations, Education, and on Miscel- 
lany ; and during the contest for the election of a 
U. S. Senator, the Republicans endeavoring to re- 
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elect John A. Logan, he voted for the war chief on 
every ballot, even alone when all the other Republi- 
cans had gone over to the Hon. E. B. Lawrence and 
the Democrats and Independents elected Judge 
David Davis. At this session, also, was passed the 
first Board of Health and Medical Practice act, of 
which Mr. Hamilton was a champion, agair:' .. 
much opposition tliat the bill was seveial times 
"laid on the table." Also, this session authorized 
the location and establishment of a southern per'- 
tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session 
of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President /r (?/<?»?. 
of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John 
A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who wa3 this time 
elected without any trouble. 

In May, 1880, Mr. Hamilton was nominated on 
the Republican ticket for Lieutenant Goveinor, his 
principal competitors before the Convention being 
Hon. Wm. A. James, ex-Speaker pf the House of 
Representatives, Judge Robeit Bell, of Wabash 
County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and 
Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. He engaged 
actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected 
by a majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor, 
he presided almost continuously over the Senate in 
the 32d General Assembly and during the early days 
of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship. 
When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom 
to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton 
succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the 
oath of office Feb. 6, 1883. He bravely met all the 
annoyances and embarrassments incidental upon 
taking up another's administration. Tlie principal 
events with which Gov. Hamilton was connected as 
the Chief Executive of the State were, the mine dis- 
aster at Braidwood, the riots in St. Clair and Madison 
Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the 
State militia, the adoption of the Harper higli-license 
liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc. 

The Governor was a Delegate at large to the 
National Republican Convention at Chicago in June, 

1884, where his first choice for President was Joim 
A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but 
he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr 
Blaine, true to his party. 

Mr. Hamilton's term as Governor expired Ja;:. 30, 

1885, when the great favorite " Dick " Oglesby was 
inaugurated. 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



185 i^ 






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m INTRODUCTORY. 



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^ IIAMPAKiN COUNTY has 
an exceptionally interesting 
iiistory. We have not, how- 
ever, proposed to place this 
on record, yet a few lines re- 

, garding its location, advan- 

V" 

tages, and the wonderful 
transformation made from the wilder- 
ness of forty years ago, will not, we 
deem, he inappropriate. AVhile there 
'y^Mili^J- is no county in the State that possesses 
r'^ V'^ <ill the advantages of an Acadia, vet 
Mixi, Champaign County- may be credited 
y^pX with coming as near 1o this as any one 
? of them, its geographical location is 

very favoral)le, being onl}' 128 miles south of Chi- 
cago, 160 northwest of St. Louis, lOG west of In- 
dianapolis, and ninety miles east of Peoria. Tliis 
iiapp}' location gives it ready access by rail to the 
cities named, and enables it to secure the benefits of 
favorable markets. In area, Champaign County is 
among the li\rgest in the State, and fur tiic value of 
its products, it is excelled by few. It is exceed- 
ingly well laid out, being an oblong square, thirty-six 
miles north and south and twent^'-eight miles east 
and west, and having an acreage of 04.5, 120, with a 
population in round numbers of about 42,000. This 
entire area is uixler good cultivation, iiaving good 
roads, elegant farms, fine houses and excellent 
schools. 

The count}' is traversed Ijy four differtnil lines of 



railroads, giving it ample transportatif)n facilities. 
Its topography is very favorable. The laud forms 
a watershed which carries the water ofif in every 
direction. One of the highest points between Chi- 
cago and Cairo is at Ludlow. The drainage is 
good, and there are very fevv sloughs now in the 
countj'. The soil is a rich, black vegetable loam, 
varying from one to two feet in depth, and very 
productive. The county is covered mostly with 
undulating prairies with occasional groves, and 
some slightlj' broken lands. It is well watered by 
numerous streams. Underlying the surface are ex- 
tensive coal beds which afford a ready and cheap 
article of fuel. The climate is of the medium tem- 
perature, which makes it very desirable as a place of 
residence, and very favorable to .igricultural inter- 
ests as well as stock-raising. 

Tliough settlers came into the county at a ver}' 
earl J' date, the commencement of its rapid growth 
may be dated from the construction of the Illinois 
Central liailroad in 18.54-.55. This was the turning- 
point in the history of the pounty. The settlements 
at first were confined to groves and timber belts, 
and the cabins were built of logs. The first white 
men to come into the count}', .as far as is known, 
were the United States surveyors, who divided the 
county into townships. This was in the summer of 
1821. Prior to this, it is supposed, there were hunters 
and trai)pers here, but they left no name or sign 
behind them of their coming or going. 'I'lie lirst 
settler or squatter, was IJiinnel Fielclcr, wiio came in 



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(1 186 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1822, and located in the northeast corner of section 
11, Urbana Township. Fielder, liowever, made no 
entry of land until 182H, which was on section 12, 
Urbana Township. This pi<ineer has also the credit 
of planting the first orchard in the count}'. Per- 
manent settlement was not begun until the 3'oar 
1828. 

Champaign, like all new counties in this State, 
until brought under cultivation, was the home and 
nursery of malarial diseases. They were a great 
hindr.ance to the settlement of the count}-. Some- 
times there were not well persons enough in a 
neighborhood to take care of the sick. Ph3'sicians 
were few, or entirely wanting. 

The first school-house was built in 1832, near Ur- 
bana. Not long before this was the first school 
taught. The county was organized from lands at- 
tached to Vermilion County by an act of the Legis- 
lature, approved Feb. 28, 1833. The first meeting 
of the County Commissioners was held in May fol- 
lowing. Commissioners from Clark, Coles and 
Edgar Counties were appointed to locate the 
county seat. Urbana receivfid this honor, though 
there were other places contesting. The onl}^ post- 
office in the county at that time was on the farm of 
Mathias Rhinehart, and was named Van Buren, after 
Martin Van Buren, who was then occupying the 
position of Vice President of the United States. 
As soon as the county seat was determined upon, 
settlers began to gather in. They located at first 
on the south side of the grove. Stores and shops 
were soon started, and roads opened to the differ- 
ent parts of the county. The \'an Buren post-office 
was moved to Urbana and its name perished. The 
population of the county at that time was about 
800. In IH35 it had increased to 1,250, and in 1850 
to 2,649, not quite 100 a year. 

From the advent of the railroads, Champaign 
County has had a steady and healthy growth. 



until now she is one of the foremost counties in the 
State. The principal city is Champaign, which is a 
very active business place, and an attractive place 
of residence. Urbana is the county seat and the 
next in population. Homer, Rantonl, Tolono and 
Mahomet are also thriving little cities. There are 
several prosperous villages, among which are St. 
Joseph and Philo. 

Champaign Count}' is theseatof one of tiie great 
educational institutions of Illinois, the State Uni- 
versity. It has an attractive ami healthy location 
on high grounds, between Champaign and Urbana. 
The domain occupied by this University embraces 
about 625 acres. There are several buildings con- 
nected with this institution, all of which are well 
built, commodious and attractive. In addition to 
agriculture, horticulture, practical mechanics and 
engineering, the curriculum embraces a full En- 
glish and a classic course, (ireat pains have been 
taken by the State in selecting the best professors 
and educators for this University, in all its depart- 
ments, and thoroughness in all branches of study is 
its distiuguishing feature. 

The public schools the county has endeavored 
to make first-class. Some of the city school 
buildings are elegant, and all are substantial, num- 
bering within the borders of the county about 245. 

In the growth and development of her vast re- 
sources, in her agriculture and stock-raising, in all 
the departments of labor in which busy man is en- 
gaged; in her churches and schools, in civilization 
and culture, Champaign County has taken a front 
rank. Well may her people be proud of their jirod- 
uct; well may her pioneers turn with pride to their 
achievements. Within a half century a wilderness 
has been subdued and converted into beautiful 
farms and thriving, populous cities, and a com- 
munity established commanding the admiration of 
the country. 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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189 







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*^ilK portrait iiiion lliu oiipu- 
t^ite page i*; that of one of 
the best known and most 
higlil}' esteemed men in 
Champaign County, Mark 
Carley. He was one of 
the early benefactors of its 
capital city, and lias probablj' 
done more than any other one 
man in Innnging it to its present 
prosperous condition. He has 
spent very much time and money 
upon improvements for the gen- 
eral good, and ou every hand may 
be seen the silent evidences of the 
work which he inaugurated in this 
locality nearly thirty-five years 
ago. Our subject was born in Hancock, Hillsboro 
Co., N. H., Aug. 24, 1799. With the history of his 
ancestors prior to his grandfather he is not familiar, 
further than that he knows they were of Knglish 
extraction. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Car- 
ley, was born in Massachusetts, Feb. 17, 171s, anil 
in early manhood married Miss Sallie Washluirn, 
who was born Sept. 1, 1729. This lady was c<ju- 
nected with the numerous family of Washburns, 
who have since filled so large a space in State and 
National affairs of this country. The father of 
Mark Carley was Elijah, the youngest of his par- 
ents' family-, and who was born in Massacliusetts, 
Ma3' 21, 1771. The mother of our subject, for- 
merly Miss Agnes (Jraham, was born i^i New 
Hampshiic, .luly IS, 1772. The elder brullicrs of 



^m^ 



Elijah Carley served in the Revolutionary War, 
and one of them left a soldier's discharge signed by 
the hand of Washington himself. As may be su|)- 
posed, this document is carefully preserved .as an 
invaluable relic. Elijah Carley, Sr., and one of his 
eldest sons, served in the War of 1812. Two years 
prior to this, however, the former removed from 
New Hampshire to Vermont with his family. 

In the year 1815 young Mark commenced to 
learn tiie trade of a house carpenter and millwright, 
at which he served an apprenticeship of four years, 
and subsequently followed milling and the gin busi- 
ness in Louisiana for seventeen years, and until 
he was thirty-five years old. In 1835 he removed 
to Clermont County, Ohio, where he purchased 300 
acres of land and engaged in agricultural pursuits 
He subsequently added to his first possessions and 
remained a resident of the Buckeye State until 
1853, in the meantime having visited California. 
After his return from the Pacific Slope he decided 
to make his home fiirtlier westward, and coming . 
to this county located first at Urbana, whence he 
removed to Champaign. Soon afterward he put 
up a dwelling on State street, and erected the first 
grain warehouse in the city, placing within it the 
first steam engine which operated a coru-sheller. 

In 1857 Mr. Carlcj' purchased lots in Tolono, 
and there also built the first warehouse, and put in 
the first steam engine and side track for cars. He 
encouraged the .settling up of Cliampaign by *>vcry 
means w'ithin his power, such as erecting, luiildiiig 
.•ind buying city property, and disposing of it at a 
reasiiiiMbie figure lotlio.se who desired to become citi- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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zens. His fine business abilities, in connection with 
his genial disposition ami courteous manners to all, 
have secured for him scores of life-long friends, who 
esteem him as much as they are grateful to him for 
what he has done for them personall3', and for what 
he has done for the community in general, lie has 
now arrived at fourscore years and eight, with all 
his faculties in fine preservation, and retains the 
same love of sociability which characterized his 
younger years. He has contributed liberally' to all 
worthy enterprises, giving of his time, means and 
influence to the support of every project calculated 
to increase the welfare and prosperitj' of Champaign 
County. 

Mark Carley was united in marriage with Miss 
Abigail W. Stevens, of .Springfield, Vt., April 27, 
1830. Of this union there were born eleven chil- 
dren, only three of whom are now living, and are 
residents of Champaign. Mrs. Carley departed this 
life in the latter city, Nov. 12, 1871. She was a 
lady of much force of character, highly esteemed, 
and well worthy to be the companion of such a 
man as Mark Carley. 

Mr. Carley, during his earlier years, vvas a Clay 
Whig, and a Fremont and Lincoln Republican, but 
later has voted independently, giving his support to 
the men whom he believed best qualified for office. 
In this, as in all other duties of life, he has brought 
his conscience to bear, and has little to regret dur- 
ing the course of a remail<:ihh' long and worthy 
life. 



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LLISON LOWMAX. This prosperous 
and enterprising farmer of Scott Town- 
ship came to this vicinity in the winter of 
188.3, and has lived here since that time. 
His homestead, which is pleasantly located on section 
14, consists of eighty acres of good land with first- 
class improvements, where he has operated success- 
fully, and by his upright course as a business man 
and industry as a farmer, has gained for himself a 
good position socially and financially, and is_ es- 
teemed a valued factor of society. 

The parents of our subject, John and Mary (Alli- 
son) J^owrnan, were born, reared and married in 



Indiana Count}', Pa., where the father died about 
1881. The mother still survives, and continues to 
live in the Keystone State. The parental family 
included seven children, of vvhom Allison of our 
sketch was the oldest. He was born in the same 
county as his jiarents, on the 28th of October, 1837. 
He remained under the home roof until twent\'- 
one j-ears of age, and was soon afterward married, 
locating on his father's farm, where he remained un- 
til 18G2. In July of that year, the Civil War be- 
ing then in progress, he became a member of the 
nth Pennsylvania Infantry, and served faithfully 
as a soldier until the preservation of the Union was 
fully assured. He was mustered out of the service 
at Harrisburg, Pa., and returning to his native coun- 
ty, resumed the peaceful vocation of a farmer's life 
on the old homestead, where he continued until 
starting for the West. 

The marriage of Allison Lowman with Miss 
Sarah Lytle was celebrated in Indiana Count}', Pa., 
Dec. 18, 18.58. Mrs. L. is the daughter 'of John 
and Mary (Robinson) Lytle, both natives of Penn- 
sylvania. They located in Indiana County after 
their marriage, became the parents of thirteen 
children, and there passed the remainder of tiieir 
daj's. Mrs. L. was born in that county on the 1st 
of Ma}', 1838. The children of our subject and 
his wife, eight in number, are .as follows: Inez J., 
Alice M., Belle A., Elizabeth E., John i^., Mary A., 
Samuel L. and Cora. Inez J. became the wife of 
Chalmers Stitt, a farmer of Scott Township; Alice 
died in Indiana County, Pa., when but nine years 
old, while on a visit to her grandfather; Belle is 
the wife of Joseph Mullikin, and resides in Scott 
Township. Mr. L(jwman has held the offices of 
Road Commisioner, School Director and Constable. 
Socially he is a member of Champaign Post No. 
140, (i. A. R. Politically, he is a true blue Re- 
publican, and with his excellent wife a member in 
good standing of the Methodist Church. 

In March, 1 .sOO, after Mr. L. became a resident 
of Scott Township, and was living three-fourths of 
a mile south of Bondville, on a small tract t)f land 
where he had erected a new house, and which he 
h.ad occu|)ied but five days, about eleven o'clock at 
night a terrific storm of wind and rain burst upon 
them and the entire house with its contents was 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



191 



bjowii to the four wiiul^. Mr. and Mvi. l^owiuan 
with their three children were Inndcd in the jfardcn 
witliout serious injury, but as may he su|)i)osed, 
badly frightened. Mr. L., clad in only a sliirt and 
overcoat, set out on horseback to find a shelter for 
his family, but the night was so dark that he became 
bewildered on the prairie and lost his way. lie 
finally gave the reins to his faithful horse, which 
carried him all right to the residence of a Mr. twis- 
ter, who returned with him and assisted in the 
search for the wife and children. They twice 
passed the place where the house had stood before 
they could locate it, on account of the darkness. 
They linallv found the stable where he had placed 
his family for shelter, and it was four o'clock in 
the morning before he had them comfortably 
housed in the dwelling of Mr. Foster. 






M^s-^^ 




4 



R. SHAWHAN, County Sui)criuteMdcnt 
Schools, is located at L^ibana, of which 
he became a resident in lSiS2. He is a 
graduate of the Illinois University, and has been a 
teacher of long experience and more than ordinar3^ 
ability. He was called to the duties of his present 
position in 1881, and has acquitted himself with 
credit and satisfaction to all concerned. He was 
born in Rush Count}'. Ind., Jlarcli 20, 1844, and is 
the son ot William M. and Nancy (Redmond) 
Shawhan, who were both natives of Harrison Coun- 
ty, Kj". The grandfather of our subject, .John Shaw- 
han, married Miss McCune, of Kentucky, of which 
State he was also a native, and afterward engjigcd in 
milling on the Licking River. Their son, William 
M., was born in 1803, I'eeeived a practical education, 
and was associated with his father in the mill until 
183G. He then removed to Indiana, purchasing .'500 
acres of land in Rush County, which he occupied for 
twent}' years, and then sold, to become a resident 
of this count}'. Here he purchased 320 acres of 
land in Raymond Township, together with 1 GO acres 
for his sons. He remained on this farm until his 
death, which took place while he was attending 
divine service at the Christian Chui'ch at Sidney, 
on the 2d of May, 1 87.5. At the close of the scrv- 



ice he droped dead, of heart disease as it is sup- 
posed. He had been a member of this religious 
organization since ayoung man, and later was elect- 
ed an Elder, in which capacity he served for many 
years. He was a man of large benevolence, and be- 
sides contributing money to the erection of the 
church building near his Indiana home, donated 
the land upon which it stood and also the sites for 
the academy and district school-houses. He always 
took an active interest in the establishment of 
schools and churches throughout the county, an<l 
was School Treasurer of Raymond Townshi|> for a 
period of twelve years. Prior to the election of 
1 840. he was Democratic in [wlitics, and cast his 
last vote that year, for which purpose he rode v\\ 
horseback twelve miles to deposit his ballot in favor 
of the Free School law of Indiana. He assisted in 
the establishment of Butlei' University at Irvington, 
near Indianapolis, and kept up a scholarship for 
many years. During his residence in Kentucky 
he was a Captain in the State Militia. His family 
included ten children, of whom seven are now liv- 
ing, and the record is as follows: Charles is farm- 
ing in Nebraska, and Daniel in Indiana; .loseph, a 
resident of Kentucky, is employed as a traveling 
salesman; Margaret, Mrs. lliggiubotham, is a resi- 
dent of Champaign; G. R., of our sketch, is the 
ne.xt eldest; James is farming in Champaign Coun- 
ty, and William is P<>stmaster in Nebraska. 

The subject of this biography spent his ciiildhood 
and youth on the farm, receiving a good common- 
school education, and when seventeen years of age, 
commenced teaching. He was thus occupied mostly 
during the winter seasons for ten years following. 
He entered mi)ou a course of study in the Illinois 
State University in 1871, anil after graduating, re- 
sumed his labors as a teacher in Mansfield, Piatt 
County, having charge of a graded school which he 
conducted for two years. He then came to this 
county, and w.as made Principal of the Homer 
graded school, which included five departments, 
and of which he had charge for a [)criod of four 
and one-half years. In December, 1881, he was ap- 
pointed County Superintendent to fill a v.acancy, 
elected in 1882 and re-elected in 1.^811. 

Prof. Shawhan was united in marriage with Mis> 
\ista UroWM in the spriii"; of l>iti7. .Mrs. Shawhan 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, 



is a native of Roseoe, Ohio, and the daughter of 
Samuel W. and Catherine (I'utter) Brown, natives 
respectively of Marblehead, Mass., and Penns\lva- 
nia. The early representatives of the I'otter family 
in this eountr\' nere descendants of a l)rother of 
Gen. .Iose|)li \\:irren, of lUmker Hill fame, and hy 
intermarriage, from Gov. Gage, of Boston. Of this 
marriage there have been born four children; two 
are living — (k-rtnideand William \V. Prof. Shaw- 
hau is Ile|)iiblican in jxilities, and with his excellent 
wife, a meml)er in good standing of the Christian 
Church. Socially he belongs to the Masonic fra- 
ternity, and is a Ciood Tcm[)lar. The family resi- 
dence is |)leasantly located, and is the res(jrt of the 
cidtured and intelligent i)eoplc of Krbana. 






r^RHISON SlIRKVE, one of the oldest and 
most honored pi(,'iieers of St. Joseph Town- 
shi|), is a native of the liiicUeyc State, born in 
Brown County. Dec. 2, 1811, and is now fast a<l- 
vauciug to fouisi'oie years. He came to this 
county with his family in the spring of IS.Vj, and 
has consequently been a witness of tiie reimirlvaljle 
changes which have occurred during a i)eriod of 
over thirty years. The scenes which he has wit- 
nessed and the ex[)eriei!Ces through which he has 
passed have probably brought to his mind many 
times the maxim that ••ti'uth is stranger tli in fic- 
tion." He came to Illinois when it was compara- 
tively yomig in year:i, and when he himself was 
strong and in the pride of his manhood, and he has 
witnessed with a feeling of gratification, the devel- 
opment of the State, which has m)w become one of 
the i)rincipal commonwealths in the West. 

The first re[)resentatives of the Shreve family iu 
this country emigrated from Amsterdam, making 
their first settlement in Pennsylvania, a branch of 
the family settling in Mason County, Ky., in the 
. early settlement of that region. In that locality, 
tDO, was born Caleb Shreve;, the father of our sul)- 
ject, whose marriage is recorded as having taken 
place in about 171)9, in Mason County. Five years 
later, iu isui, he removed with his family to Ohio, 
.and locating in Brown County, continued a resident 
there until the spring of 18;Jf, whence he removed 



to Fountain County, lud., and from there in the 
spring of 18o.J to this count}'. He purchased land 
in Sidney Township, upon which he settled, but 
only lived until the .September following. The 
mother of onr subject, before her marriage, was 
Miss Anna Slack, who was born near the city of 
Baltimore, Md., and was the daughter of .John 
Slack, Esq.. who was also a native of that locality. 
By her marriage with Calel) .Shreve she became the 
mother of twelve children, six sons and six daugh- 
ters, who all lived to mature years, married and 
reareil families of their own. Caleb .Shreve had 
served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and our 
subject still has in his possession the land warrant 
which was issued in payment of his services. 

Orrison Shre^ve [lassed his boyhood and youth iu 
Brown Count}', Ohio, and after repairing to Ripley 
learned the tanner's trade, which he followed in 
his native State for eleven years. WHien twenty- 
three years old he w.as married, Aug. 1 1, 18,U, to 
Miss Eleanor Hamilton, a native of his own county, 
and the daughter of Robeit and Nancy Hamilton. 
Our subject, resolving then to change his occiii)a- 
tion, located on a farm in Brown County, where he 
remained until fall, in 1853, and then began mak- 
ing preparations for a removal to the Pi-airie State. 
After reaching this county he located in St. .Joseph 
Townshq) near tiie Sidney line, where for several 
years he farmed on rented laud, and met with good 
success. In 1871 he became a resident of the 
town of St. .Joseph, and for thirteen years had 
charge of a water tank of the I., B. & W. R. R. 
Later he retired from active l.aljor, and is passing 
the sunset of life in peace and quiet ift St. Joseph. 

Mr. S. has been twice married. She who was 
the first companion, and whom he nnirried in. his 
native .State, became the mother of eight children, 
namely: Joseph H., Robert N.; Nancy A., now de- 
ceased ; William ()., a merchant of St. Joseph; 
Mary E., Amanda J., Joshua E. and Ely F. The hit- 
ler -served as a soldier in the late war and was 
killed at the battle of Mnrfreesboro. Of these 
children, five died of cholera. The second wife of 
Mr. S. was' formeily Miss Rebecca Ilayden, our 
sul)jecl being her third husband. Of her former 
marriages there were born five children, and by her 
union with Mr. Shreve five children were born. 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 

193 1 



Mr. S. liecame .i member of the Methodist Kpisco- 
pal Church in 18o4, with which he has since lieen 
connected, and strives to perform his duties faith- 
fully. His wife is a member of the saiiic church 
and attends (piite regularly at St. .)ose[)h. 



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AVn:) B. STAVTON, .li;., senior niemlier 
\\ of the firm of Stayton & Son, dealers in 
general merchandise, is numbered among 
the representative business men of St. .lo- 
sei)h, among whose people he h.as grown up and 
among whom he was born on his father's old home- 
stead ill St. Joseph Township, Dec. 2, 1802. Our 
subject is the son of David B. and Sarah (Bartley) 
Stayton, who are numljered among the oldest and 
most highly respected residents of St. .Tos<!|)h Town- 
ship. The father, a native of Mason C'ouuty, Ky., 
was reared to farming pursuits, and at an early pe- 
riod in life became skilled in its various duties, also 
receiving fair advantages educationally. By tlie 
assistance of his worthy and intelligent wife he be- 
came an important factor in the business and ag- 
ricultural community, establishing a good home- 
stead and rearing a fine family of sons and daugh- 
ters. 

The subject of this sketch took kindly to the ex- 
cellent parental training which he received at iiome, 
and has continuall3- improved his mind by the pe- 
rusal of books and the various ))oriodicals of the 
da^', which have kept him well posted upon the 
affairs of the world in general, lie remained a 
member of his father's household until the spring 
of IHHl , and was then united in marriage with Miss 
Lydia Bird/.ell, of this county. Mrs. S. is the 
3'oungest daughter of .John and Catherine Birdzell, 
who are mentioned elsewhere in this volume. The 
former was boru in 1828, and died in March, 1884. 
His wife was liorn in 1832. Mrs. S. was l)(jrn Nov. 
6, 1 864, and reared on the farm by her parents, 
receiving a fair education. Of her marriage with 
our subject there have been boin three bright 
daughters, named respectively Maude, Lettie and 
Oral Anna. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. S. located in 
St. .Joseph Township, where they continued until 



•►-■-♦- 



V )fcJLI.IAM Will ri<;, ot .St. .loselili 1 uwnslup, 

\/iJ/ ''■''* distinguished himself as one of the 

\^^ most eiieig'etic and successful farmers and 



Jul}', 1884. Mr. S. then formed a partnership with 
William II. .Swcaringcn, aii<l the\' embarked in the 
grocery business. At the end of six months Mr. 
Swearingen disposed of his interests to D. 15. Stay- 
ton, Sr., the father of our subject. The firm is a 
strong one, and carries a full stock of dry-goods, 
groceries and notions, and has an extensive and 
constantly increasing trade. Their straightforward 
methods of doing business and i)romptness in meet- 
ing their obligations have commended them to the 
respect of the people in that section, by whom they 
are generously patronized and whose confidence 
they enjoy in a more than ordinary degree. 



pJLLIAM WHITE, of St. Joseidi Township, 

le 
d 

stock-raisers of that region, where he is the owner 
of oOO acres of valuable land, a commodious and 
substantial residence, good barn's and out-buildings, 
and everytliing required by the |)rogressive and iri- 
telligent agriculturist. The dwelling stands iijion a 
gentle elevation, and commands a fine view of the 
surrounding country. The eye of the passer-by is 
invariably attracted to the neatness and good order 
of the entire premises, and the spirit of thrift which 
is one of its |)revailing elements. 

The master spirit which has presided over the 
homestead which we have described, was first intro- 
duced to the responsibilities of life in ( ircenliner 
County, W. Va., on the 3d of June, 1832. His 
parents, David and Klizabeth (Reynolds) White, 
were also natives of the Old Dominion, where they 
were married and rennuned until removing to Itoss 
County, Ohio, where the death of both parents took 
place, the f.'Ulier ilying in 1847, and the mother in 
18(;(). They reared a family of eight children, 
four sous and four daughters, who, with one excep- 
tion, were all mari'ied. and .all but two remained 
residents of the Buckeye State. One brother is a 
resident of this count}', another w.as accidentally 
killed by a mowing-machine in Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch, who was the third 
chilli and sou of his parents, spent his earliest yeais 
in his native State, but completed his education in 
till' district schools of Ross Countw (>liio. lie w.as 



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di 194 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



but sixteen years old when his fathei- died, and re- 
mained with his motiier three years afterward, then 
began life on his own acconnt, by laboring on a 
farm at ^I;') |)er muntli for tliroc months. He was 
afte:war(l proffered larger wages from anotlier 
l)arty, whidi he accepted, and remained in that 
vicinity until tiic fall of 186G. His attention was 
tlien attracted l)y the reports coming from tiie ra[)- 
idl3' growing State of Illinois, and he res(_>lved to 
investigate. He spent his first winter in Alonltrie 
Connly, and in tlie spring of 1863 came to tin's 
connty and commenced operating on a rented farm, 
of which he remained in possession as a tenant for 
five years. He then purchased eighty acres from 
tiie railroad company on section 30, in St. Joseph 
Townshi[), upon which there were no improvements. 
He first put up a small log house wliich is still 
standing, and proceeded with the cultivation of his 
land, meeting with success in his labors. He in- 
vested his surplus capital in additional real estate, 
and is now- the owner of 300 acres, most of which 
is in a g(H)d state of cultivation, well fenced and 
thoronglily drained with about '23,000 rods of tile. 
He has also added to his annu;d income bj' fattening 
each year numbers of cattle, usually sliipping two 
carloa<ls to tlie Eastern markets. He has attained 
(piite a reputation also as a breeder of ISclgian 
hor.ses, and exhibits some fine draft animals and 
roadsters. 

While energetically eng.aged in the labois and cares 
of farming, Mr. White, with a due a|)preciation of the 
value of the home circle and domestic ties, was mar- 
ried, after reaching his majority, to Miss Mary I'eni- 
will, ami they commenced housekee|)ing in the hum- 
ble dwelling which our subject had erected when 
taking possession of his lirst i)iirchase. His early 
hopes, however, were destined to disappointment, 
as his young wife died eleven months after her 
marriage. The thread of his life thus broken was 
again taken uj) in l.SfJo, when he was united to Jliss 
.Mahala F., daughter of Lew is and Sarah Jones, who 
had become residents of St. Joseph Township in 
183.'). Of this union there were born seven chil- 
dren, four sons and three daughters, viz., Marion 
E., Leona, Isaac, Sarah E., Bertha, Homer H. and 
Frederick. 

.Mrs White is a member in good standing of the 

4> 



United Brethren Church, in which Mr. White has 
been Trustee, and is one of its most valued sup- 
porters. He has never been b.ackward in any en- 
terprise calculated for the welfare of the community 
when called ui)on for assistance, and is one of the 
Trustees of Hnss Cemetery, which w.as laiil out and 
devoted to burial pur|)0ses in about 1880. Politically 
he is stanch Uepublican. and one of the strongest 
advocates of law and good order in these times 
when so many subjects t3nd to agitate and unsettle 
the people. 

In the career of Mr. White, who commenced the 
battle of life dependent entirely upon his own re- 
sources, we find a striking example of the results of 
an upright course and persevering industry. His 
possessions have been but the just reward of a man 
who has labored faithfully, been prompt to meet 
his obligations, and who has built up a record Oof 
which his children may well be proud. 

W? (i. I'ARK. of Champaign, is filling an ini- 
[)ortant ()lace in its business interests, and 
„ „ is at present employed as wholesale presser 
and shipper of ha}', his business being locjited on 
Lynn street, north of the C, II. & W. R. 11. Mr: 
Parr was born near (Jreenville, IJond Co., III., Oct. 
2, 1832, and is the son of Samuel .and Nancy (Cor- 
rick) Parr, natives respectively of Ireland and 
N'irginia. The mother of our subject descended 
from substantial Scotch ancestry. Her father, Sam- 
uel Corrick, emigrated to America with his parents 
when four years old. They ktcated in Harrison 
County, Ohio, and eng.aged in fanning [lursuils, 
and Samuel resided in that c<ninty until twenty-live 
years of age. He then removed to Illinois and set- 
tled near Greenville on the east fork of Shoal 
Creek, where he built a grist an(! saw mill, and was 
occupied in running these until 1847. In the mean- 
time he had entered 400 acres of timber land, 
of which he cleared 100 acres.. In the year named 
he sold out and removed to La Salle County, juir- 
chasing 320 acres of laud near Peru, where he en- 
sraired in fanning and remained until his death, in 
186(1. He was married -in 1810, to Mi.ss Nancy 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



195 



Corrick. They became the parents of eight chil- 
dren, and the mother departed this life upon the 
homestead of her husband in 18o9. Of the eight 
children comprising the parental household, three 
only are now living, naniel}', Mrs. Sarah .1. Delatour, 
of Chicago; James, a resident of ^\'ilmette, Cook 
Co., 111., now retired from active business, and W. 
G., our subject. 

Young Parr was reared on his father's farm and 
remained under the home roof until twenty-six 
years of age, taking care of his parents until they 
passed to their final rest. He was married, in 1859, 
to Miss Maria L. Mitchell, of Wisconsin, who was 
born in 1839, and was the daughter of Samuel 
Mitchell, of Virginia. Two years previously our 
subject had engaged in the dry-goods trade at 
Granville, Putnam County, but after eighteen 
months sold out and took charge of the old home- 
stead until 1864. He then sold this also, and re- 
moving to McLean County, opened u|> a stock of 
goods at Normal, selling the first commodity of 
the kind in that town. He remained there until the 
fall of 1870, ;ind the following sjiring removed to 
liloomington, where, in coni[)an\' with Mr. Aldricli, 
he engaged in the bu^'ing and shipi>ing of hay. 
They left Bloomington in 1874, and established 
a similar business at Henderson Station, where our 
subject remained one year, and in 1875 came to 
Champaign, where he established his present busi- 
ness and has operated since that time. Here he has 
thirteen acres of land, which he purchased in 1884, 
supplied with a shapely and convenient residence, 
and the requisite machinery and buildings for carrj'- 
ing on his business. He employs upon an average 
six men the year round, and has a profitable and 
constantly increasing trade. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parr became the parents of tiiree 
children: Nora is-a graduate of the High School; 
Harry (t. is in the insurance business in Chicago; 
Katie is studying art in college. Mr. Parr is Re- 
publican in politics, and with his wife and two 
daughters is prominently connected with the Con- 
gregational Church. While living at Normal the 
first society of this denomination there, was organ- 
ized, in the parlor of our subject, in 18(J4, and he 
I was Secretary and Treasurer for seven years after- 
ward. He has taken a genuine interest in the prog- 



I 



ress of morality and education, and has contributed 
his full share toward the l)uilding uj) of society 
since coming here. 



RA A. MAN LEY, Agent of the Illinois Cen- 
tral Railroad and the American Express Com- 
ij\ pany at Tolono, became a resident of this count}' 
in 187-2. He is a native of Herkimer County, 
N. Y., born Sept. 30, 1829, and is the son of Ad- 
dison and Henrietta (Parsons) Manlej-, the former a 
native of X'ermont, born in 1794, and the latter of 
Connecticut, born in 179(1. The parents were mar- 
ried in Norway, Herkimer Co., N. Y., in 1820, and 
resided on a farm until 1842, when the.y took pos- 
session of a hotel in the town of Norway, which 
the}' carried on two years. Then, resolving to come 
to the West, in May, 1844, tlicy stai'tcd for Illinois, 
and located first on a farm at Byron, Rock River, 
ii Ogle Ct)uuty. Tiie father died in November 
following, leaving a wife and llu-ce cliiiili-en : Mary, 
the eldest, bocanie the wife of S,-iuuiel \Viil;u-d, of 
Newport, llcrkiiiier Co., N. Y.; Henrietta A. mar- 
ried .lohii \\ . Andi'cws. and resides at Kirkwood, 
Mo. ; her husband is engaged in the jewelr}' business 
in St. Louis. Our subject is the second chihl and 
only sou. The mother was mari'ied the second 
time, in 1847, to a Mr. Jones, and died at Burling- 
t(jn, I(jwa, in March, 18(J0. 

Ira A. Mauley was fifteen years of age when the 
family came to Illinois. He completed his educa- 
tion at IMt. Morris Seminary in 1848, and then 
going to Philadelphia, Pa., entered the employ of 
the Philadelphia Si Reading Railroad Company, 
nndcr whom he served as telegraph operator and 
clerk until the latter |)art of 1855. Then return- 
ing to Illinois he located in Irotiuois County on a 
farm, where he remained until 1872, during the last 
ten years of which time he was also emploj'ed as 
agent of the Illinois Central at Bulkle}', being the 
first railroad agent at that point. In 1872 he re- 
moved to Tolono. having been appointed to his 
present office. 

Our subject was married, on the Kith of October, 
1852, to Miss Amanda K. P^raley. who is a native of 
Philadilpliia, P;i., ami was born Jan. 23, 1831. She 



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19(5 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



•►Hh-^l*- 



1 



is the (liiugliler of Thomas and Mai-garet (Baker) 
Fraley. also natives of the (Quaker City. Of this 
marriage there were born five children : Ira A., 
Jr., was accidentally killed at the station at Tolono, 
Dec. 4, 1875, being then seventeen years of age. 
Those living are Alice ^^, now the wife of Charles 
11. Bell; Mary L,, Mrs. Kali)ii L. Brown; George 
W. and Horace A. 

Mr. Manley, politically, votes with the Repub- 
lican part}', which he has cordially endorsed since 
its organization in 185(). He is also a strong advo- 
cate of temperance and interested in the success of 
the prohibition movement. Mr. and Mrs. M. are 
active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
our subject having lieen Superintendent in the Sab- 
bath-school for the last ten years. Socially he is a 
Royal Arch Mason. He owns his present home in 
Tolono. and Mrs. Manley has 1 10 acres of land ad- 
joining the town limits. 

^^ ..o*o..^C)^><r®-'»*o" ■''-- 

t-HOMAS W. CHAMBERLIN, of the Ex- 
change Bank of Rantoul, is a gentleman 
highly I'espectcd for his excellent business 
qualities as well as for his genial and companiona- 
ble cliar.acter. He has been identified witii the 
l)nsin('ss interests of Rantoul since 187.'), and estab- 
lisiied the Exchange Bank in November x)f that 
year. Here a general banking business is con- 
ducted, and the institution, which is considered 
tiioroughly reliable, has become one of the indis- 
pensal)le features of this localilj- — one of which 
Rantoul has reason to be |)r(jud. 

The childho.^d and youth of our subject were 
passed in Hamilton and Warren Cos., Ohio, where 
his birth took place near Cincinnati, Aug. 20, 1840. 
His parents, Reuben and Susan (McClane) Cliam- 
lierlin, were natives respectively of \'ermont and 
New Hampshire, of English and Scottish ancestry. 
After his mairiage Reuben Chamberlin with his 
young wife located near Cincinnati. Ohio, and for 
many years was engaged as te.'iclier in the public 
schools. Later he embarked in mercantile business, 
l)Utdid not live to carry out tlie plans which he liad 
inaugurated, passing from earth when our suliject 
was a small boy. The family included live children, 




of whom Thomas W. is the the only surviving child. 
The mother is still living, making her home in Ran- 
toul, and for one of her years is quite active in 
mind and body. 

The subject of this sketch, after finishing his pri- 
mary studies, took a course in the Cincinnati Com- 
mercial College, and in Ma}', 1864, came into Ford 
County, this State, where for a period of seven 
years he was in the employ of the A^iiericau Ex- 
press Companj'. In 1872 he engaged in banking in 
Vermilion County, where he remained until the es- 
tablishment of the Exchange Bank in Rantoul. He 
has been prominent in local matters since coming 
here, having been at once recognized as a gentle- 
man of more than ordiuarj' abilities, and one whose 
judgment could l)e relied upon. He has served as 
Village Treasurer, and is Director of the Rantoul 
Building and Loan Association, besides giving his 
support to other worthy enterprises. The Congre- 
gational Church recognizes in him one of its most 
useful and valued members, and in fact he has be- 
come quite indispensable to the best interests of 
the town in general. In onlj' one particular has he 
failed tt) signalize himself as having performed all 
the duties of life — he has never married. He is of 
that courteous and pleasing manner which at once 
indicates him as the true gentleman, whom the 
stranger recognizes at once, and for whom his 
friends have a faithful and lastinaf regard. 



~w.-»*iia£?©^^ 



..g§-a/Era7r»\^' 




ONALD McINTOSH, V. S., and Professor 
]] of ^'etcrinarv Science, has charge of one 
of the most important departments in the 
Illinois ludustri.Tl University, at Urbana. 
For this his natural talents have eminently fitted 
him, and he takes a genuine interest in the profes- 
sion to which lie has given years of time and 
thought. He is a native of Sct>tland, born in the 
city of Perth, June 28, 1841, and is the son of 
William and Kate (Pennycook) Mcintosh, natives 
of tiie same eouutry. They emigrated to America 
in 1848. ;iud located in New York City, where the 
father of our subject engaged as a contractor au<l 
builder. After two years' residence there he was 
recommended to a fine position at Kingston, Can- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



197 



■! 



ada. which he accepted, and was there emiiloyed at 
his chosen calling for a period of nine years. Af- 
terward he went to Guelph, in the western [lart of 
the Dominion, where he followed his vocation until 
his death, in 1887; the mother is still living;. The 
parental family included nine children, of whom 
our subject was the second in order of birth. 

Young Mcintosh began his education in the 
schools of his native Scotland, and completed it at 
the grammar school in Elora, Canada. In 18()4 he 
took up the study of medicine, which he pursued 
two 3'ears, and then entered the A'eteriiiary College 
in the Province of Ontario, from which he grad- 
uated in 1869. .Soon afterward he was appointed 
Veterinary Surgeon of the Dominion artillery, 
which position he occupied for a period of thirteen 
years. He then resigned, and started for the North- 
west Territory on a pleasure and exploring expedi- 
tion combined. In 1881 he returned East to New 
^ York City, and engaging with his brother as Veter- 
inary Sui'geon, operated in that line until 188G, 
when he came to this county and took the [wsition 
in the University which had been proffered him, 
and which he still holds. He has carried on the 
duties of his department with credit and success, 
and as an instructor is scarcely to be excelled. 

Prof. Mcintosh was married, in November, 1871, 
to Miss Charlotte Urquhart, a native of Niagara 
Countj-, Canada. Their three children are named 
Winnifred, Mabel and Kate. The Professor is 
Republican in politics, and a member in good 
standing of the Presbyterian Church. 



1?SAAC THOMPSON LEAS, who has distin- 
I guished himself principally as a successful 
/1\ breeder of fine stock, is one of the valued land- 
marks of St. Joseph Township, where he has been 
an important factor of the rural community since 
1860. His birth took place neai- Covington, the 
county seat of Fountain County, Ind., Oct. 27. 
1 833, and he traces his descendants across the water 
to where they originated, in England, whence they 
emigrated to this country in the Colonial days, set- 
tling in Pennsylvania. Daniel Le.as, the grand- 
father of our subject, removed in early life from 

4» 



his native State of Ohio, and there reared a f.amilj- 
of sons and daughters, among whom was George, 
the father of our suijject. This lad, although born 
in Pennsylvania, was reared in Ohio, and there grew 
to manhood, learning the potter's trade, which he 
followed for several years thereafter. He was mar- 
ried, in 1H30, to Miss Lydia, the eldest child of 
Abner and lluldah (Robinson) Crane. Her par- 
ents were natives of New Jersey, and Abner Crane 
was a private in the War of 1812. 

George Leas after his marriage removed to Eonn- 
tain County', lud., where he first followed iiis trade, 
and then took up farming, remaining there until his 
decease, in 1877. Isaac T,, of our sketch, passed 
his bo3diood and youth in his native count}' and 
upon reaching his inajorit\ and setting out to do 
for himself traced his steps to Central Illinois. He 
first eng.aged in stock-raising, meeting with unusual 
success, and ere long was considered an exi)ert at 
his calling. In 18')8 he purchased a tract of land 
on section 'J, St. .Josepii Townshii), to which he has 
since added by degrees until he is the owner of 
,'j20 broad acres, beautifully laid off in grain fields 
and pastui-e lands, and whicli invariably attracts the 
attention of the passer-by on account of. its hica- 
tion, its handsome and substantial liuildings, aixi 
the evulent care and forethought exercised, both 
as regards the estate as a homestead and a stock 
farm. Of late years he has turned his attention 
principally to the breeding of Norman horses, and 
exhibits some of the finest animals in this section 
of country, models of beauty and strength. In 
connection with his cattle operations he ships sev- 
eral carIo;i(ls .innnally to Chicago and other Eastern 
markets, I'roni the. proceeds of which he realizes a 
handsome sum annually. 

The marriage of Isaac T. Leas and Miss Ervilla 
Sumner, was celebi'ated at the home of the bride's 
parents near Covington, Ind., in October, l.sOO. 
The wife of our subject is the youngest daughter 
of tiie first settler of Ciiampaign County, namelv, 
Sell)y Sumner, who married .Miss Rebecca Ilatlia- 
waj'. Our subject and wife became the parents of 
eight children, twosonsand six daughters, of whom 
two, Nettie and Frank, are deceased. Those sur- 
viving are lunma. .lennic. Clara, (iertrude, Sadie 
and F.Mrnest, all at home with liieir parents. 






t. 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



The rnraily residence is :i coiniiiodious and sub- 
stantial structure, finely finished and furnished, and 
was erected in 1879. The liarn in the rear had 
been put up twu years previously. The grounds 
surrounding it are ample and neatly kept, and the 
whole has an air of plenty and comfort, refreshing 
to the eye. iMr. and Mrs. l^eas are active members 
of Prairie Hope Churcli, in which our subject has 
served as Clerk for many years, and officiated as 
teacher in the Sabbath-school, in which he has al- 
ways maintained a lively interest. Their children 
have been carefully trained and well educated and 
present a group of which the parents ma}' well be 
proud. 



•"^^W-^*^ 



«^^5tf?-»«^«<?^- 



W EONARD McELWEE, a highly respected 
I /?^ niemiier of the farming community of St. 
/I*— ^v, Joseph Township, became a resident of the 
Prairie State when a youth of nineteen years, and 
located with his father's family upon the land which 
constitutes his present homestead. This is a good 
body of laud, finely located, furnished with all nee- 
essai'y farnr Ijuildiugs. and constitutes one of the 
desirable homes so often seen in the district settled 
up by an intelligent and progressive class of peo- 
ple. Each year adds something to its value and 
attractiveness, and onr subject, if we may judge 
from apjiearances, has availed himself uniformly of 
the modern improvements of the age. 

Mr. iMcElwee is a native of Pennsylvania, born 
in Lancaster County, Nov. 2!), 1.S37. His grand- 
father, .John McElwee, was a prominent iron manu- 
facturer of that county, and a descendant of sub- 
stantial Scotch ancestry, possessing in a marked de- 
gree the qualities for which that race is noted. He 
married and reared a family of sons and daughters, 
among whom was Carson J., the father of our sub- 
ject, who was born in Maryland in about 1811. 
The latter learned the carpenter's trade in his 
3'outh, but later engaged in farming. Upon assum- 
ing domestic ties he chose for his wife Miss Eliza, 
the daughter of John and Ann J. Huchanan, and 
going into Pennsylvania they located on a farm in 
Lanc.a.ster County. This, however, they only occu- 
pied about three j'ears, and thence removed to 
-*i 



Fountain County, Ind., where Mr. McElwee en- 
tered forty acres of land, in the improvement and 
cultivation of which he vras engaged for ten 3'ears 
following. He then sold out and jjurchased another 
farm, but only remained upon it until the spring-of 
l.S.iG. Then, resolving to push further westward 
he came with his family to this county, and took 
possession of a tract of land on section 1, St. J(«eph 
Township, where he remained until 1876. He then 
crossed the Mississippi into Cherokee Count}', Kan., 
where his death took [)lace in 1883. The mother 
died on the homestead in St. .Joseph Township, in 
August, 18G4. 

The parental family included nine children, of 
whom seven lived to mature years, but three only 
now survive. Leonard C. of our sketch was the 
second born, and received his education mainl}' in 
the schools of Fountain C<,)uuty, lad. He contin- 
ued with his )).arents until his marriage, coming 
with them to this county, but had previously 
formed an attachment to a 3'oung lady in Indiana, 
where he afterward returned, and was married in 
Fountain County, in the twenty-second year of his 
age. The maiden of his choice wiis Miss Anna M., 
daughter of David and Margaret Simons, of the 
latter-named county. The Simons' family first set- 
tled in Pennsylvania, whence they removed to 
Ohio and afterward to Indiana. 

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. McElwee re- 
turned to this county and located upon the home- 
stead which had built up from the uncultivated 
prairie by the father of our subject. Afterward, 
however, they were induced to return to Indiana, 
where Mr. McE. rented a farm in the neighborhood 
where he had been reared, and which he occupied 
with his family thereafter ten years. Subsequently 
he purchased a timber tract of eighty acres in that 
vicinity, of which he cleared forty. He then sold 
out, and returning to this county purchased his 
father's farm in St. .Joseph Township, where he 
now resides. This included 120 acres of thor- 
oughly cultivated land, to which he has since 
added forty-eight acres. He also put up a good 
residence in 1 883, and this, together with the com- 
modious barn and other necessary out-buildings, 
fornH a homestead which will bear comparison 
with those around it in its appearance and manage- 



I 




7fUMA:ju^^ y^>/^xAAA^ 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



201 



ment. Mr. McE. Ims given parlicuhir .'itteiilioii to 
stock-raising, .anrt has a niiniher of graded anini.als 
wliieiiare in tlie iial)it of earryingolT tlie lihie rihlion 
at. eounty fairs. 

Tlie six children which completed the iiousehold 
circle of our subject and wife, consisted of three 
sons and three daughters, as follows: Samira .1., 
now the wife of Thomas F. Mapes; Charles F. ; 
Eliza 1)., the wife of William Osborne, of Edgar 
County; .Tames C, who married Miss Mary Alsop; 
Anderson C. and Orpha D. The latter two are at 
home with their parents. l\Ir. and Mrs. McE. are 
members and regular attendants of the United 
IJrethren Church, and politically, our subject is an 
independent voter, aiming to support the candi- 
dates best qualified for oflice. 




i 



OLOMON NOX, a prosperous farmer of 
Urbana Township, is one of the old settlers 
of this county, having come here with his 
parents in 1,S27, since which time he has 
been cuntinuousl}' i<lentified with its agricultural 
development. He was born in Gallia Countj', Ohio, 
near Callipolis, M.iy 20, 1813. His matern.al' grand- 
father was of Irish descent and was a resident of 
Gallia County. 

Our su))ject's father, William Nox, was a farmer 
by calling and born in the State of Delaware. He 
was twice married, his tirst wife, whose name was 
Miss Reed, leaving at her death a family of ten 
children. The second marriage was with Miss Mary 
Gillespie, a native of Virginia. Soon after his first 
marri.age William Nox moved to Gallia County, 
Ohio, and located on a farm, which he cleared and 
improved. Before he removed to Champaign Coun- 
ty, 111., he had cleared and cultivated three farms in 
Ohio. In 1827 he tirst established himself near Sid- 
ney, this county, which was at that time in Vermilion 
County, and on that farm he jiassed the remainder 
of his days. Ilis death occurred April 4, 1840, and 
his wife died April 20. 1847. He was the father of 
twenty children, having had ten by each marriage. 
Solomon Nox was born of the second marriage 
and passed his early boyhood in Ohio. He was 
about fifteen years of age when he removed to 



Champaign County with his parents. He received 
a limited education and remained with his parents 
until his marriage with Miss .Mary A. Buse^', in 
18;i7. She was the daughter of Matthew and Sarah 
Busey. Her father died in 18G;3, and her mother 
iMay 13, 1887, aged ninet3'-si.x 3'ears. After his 
marriage Mr. Nox settled on a farm near Sidney, 
where he remained for a number of years. He then 
removed to his present home on section 1 5, in 
Urbana Township, the date of his locating being 
in the spring of 18.")1. His farm contains 100 .acres 
of valuable, well-improved land. 

In 18G2 Mr. Nox enlisted in Co. G, 3(5th 111. 
Vol. Inf., and served his country faithfully for three 
years. He was engaged in several battles but 
fortunately escaped being either wounded or taken 
prisoner. In August, 1865, he was mustered out, 
returning to his home, and resumed his former 
occupation of general farming. He is very success- 
ful in stock-raising and supervises his farm without 
doing much .active work himself. Although in the 
seventy-fourth year of his age he is strong .and 
vigorous. He voted for Gen. Grant although he is 
a Democrat of the old Jacksoiiian school. Mt. Nox 
began his career in life with but little capital except 
his own energy, and h.as acquired a fine i)roperty, 
enabling him to p.iss the declining years of his life 
in comfort and ease. 

ylLLIAM MEIIARRY, for more than twenty 
years one of the most .active and prosper- 
ous farmers of Champaign County, and 
one of the large land-owners of the I'rairie .State, 
left his rur.al residence and moved into the pleasant 
village of Tolono, where, surrounded by the comforts 
and luxuries of a modern home, secured through 
early industry and enterprise, he is passing the sun- 
set of life and enjoying the esteem and confidence 
of hosts of friends. 

The early years of Mr. Mehariy were spent in 
Montgomery County, Ind., where he was born Oct. 
27, 18.30. He is the son of Thomas and Unity 
(Patton) Meharry, natives of the Buckeye State, 
where the father followed farming until he re- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



moved to Indiana, where he died when seventy- 
four years of age. The mother, who was born 
Aug. 16, 1.S02. died Aug. 7, 18H7. Tlie seven chil- 
dren of the parental household are .ill living and re- 
corded as follows: Jane, the wife of Kli H. Dick, is 
a resident of Phih), 111.; William, of our sketch, was 
the second child ; Ellen. Mrs. John INIartin, is a resi- 
dent of Montgomery County. Ind.; Jesse resides in 
I'hilo Township (sec sketch); Polly Ann, who mar- 
ried Calvin McCorlvie, was liorn July 3, 1838, and 
died Aug. 11), 1887; Abraham and Isaac were 
twins; the former is a resident of this count}', and 
the latter occupies a part of the homestead in In- 
diana. 

Mr. Meharry lemained under the home roof un- 
til twenty-seven years old, passing his time in .as- 
sisting in tlie cultivation of the farm and in .at- 
tendance upon the common schools. He early in 
life very wisely' began to accumulate property. His 
first purchase of land w.as near Attica, Ind. This 
he tilled until 1804. In the meantime his father 
had purchased section 9 of Crittenden Township, 
this county which lie gave to William, a few years 
later, when he sold out his property in Fountain 
County, Ind., and removed to the Pr.airie State, and 
in 18C4 added to his landed interests bj' the pur- 
chase of section 32 of Philo Township, upon which 
he lived until the year 1883, and tlien, leaving his 
farm propeily in good shape, removed to tlie 
village of Tolono and purchased iiis present liome, 
which is one of the most complete in the town. The 
dwelling is finislied and furnished in modern style, 
.and everything about the premises indicates culti- 
vated tastes and ample means. Mr. Meharry still 
owns the two sections of land above mentioned and 
a farm of 160 acres near the town limits of Tolono, 
besides valuable village, property-. His career has 
been marked by industry, energy and excellent 
judgment, and lie has iierformed an important part 
in the l)uilding up of Tolono Township, and the 
development of its resources. He has been honest 
and upright in his dealings, prompt to meet his 
obligations, and while enjoying the good things of 
this life and regard of his fellow-citizens, is simply 
in possession of that which he has justi}' earned. 

One of the most important events in the life of 
our subject, and wliicli undoui>tedly h.ad much to 



do in shaping his future course, was his marriage 
with Miss Margaret McCorkle, which took pl.ace in 
18(59. ]\Irs. M. is a n.ative of Putnam County, Ind., 
and their union has been blest by the birth of two 
daughters — Maj' and Lelia. Mr. Meliarry isastanch 
supporter of the Republican party, and his estima- 
ble wife a member in goo<[ standing of the Presbj-- 
terian Church. 

The portrait department of the HiO(;i;ArniCAL 
Ai.iusr of Champaign County is greatly enhanced i)}" 
including in it a likeness of this prominent and 
wealthy citizen. 

~*OBEirr M. POPTEKFIELD, a prominent 
hardware merchant of Sidney, was boin in 




Armstrong County, Pa., Sept. 23, 1 847. His 
^^ parents were R. 0. and Hann.ah (Campbell) 
Porterfield. His father w.as born Ma}- 31, 1814, and 
his mother Jan. 22, 1815. They were reared in Arm- 
strong County, and were there married Jlay l(i, 
1837. In 18G7 R. G. and Hannah Porterfield 
moved from Pennsylvania to Sidney, this count}', 
where they passed the remainder of their lives. 
The former died Oct. 22, 1872, and his wife Feb. 
2.'), l«71t. 

Robert M. Porterfield was the sixth in order of 
birth in a family of ten children, of whom the 
record is as follows: Nancy became the wife 
of George Forsyth, and is now deceased; L. C. 
married Miss Mary A. Toy, and they live in 
Sidney Township; S:irah is deceased; S. A. married 
Miss Lydia Williams, who is deceased; Malinda, 
formerly the wife of (Jeorgc Wilson, is .also dead; 
Robert M. is the subject of this sketch; Mary E. is 
single; J. W. is deceased ; Hannah M. is the wife 
of John Kennie. and they reside in Sidney Ti>wn- 
ship, and Martini A. is dead. 

■ Robert M. Porterfield was married to Miss Maggie 
Hunter, Oct. 31, 187(). She was born Jan. 10, 
1853, and is the daughter of Samuel and Margaret 
(Fleming) Hunter. Her father was a prominent 
merclnmt, and was born in Armstrong County, Pa., 
July 21, 1820. IJoth parents died iiNPennsylvania. 
Their family consisted of four children, of wlumi 
iMartraret was the third in order of birth. The T 



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203 



others were Jolin, Williiun and Tillio. The latter, 
who is the wife of Samuel Beck, lives in Pennsyl- 
vania. Mrs. Porterficld has become the mother of 
four interesting children, namely : Ira B., born 
Oct. 15, 1877; Charles C, Oct. 22, 1880; Frank 
M., Dee. 30, 1882, and Zula V., Jan. 13, 1885. 

Mr. Porterficld is the owner of an extensive and 
highl}' cultivated farm, being the southeast quarter 
of section 22, Sidnej' Townshijx His farm is ex- 
cellently raan.aged, and successfully carried on with 
the aid of all the best modern appli.ances. He also 
owns three well-improved town lots, ui)on which is 
erected one of the most elegant frame residences 
in the place. It is surrounded by an extensive 
lawn, planted with evergreen shrubbery and the fin- 
est hard maple trees in the township. His house 
and barn are unsurp.issed by any in the county, 
everything within and without bearing witness to 
the cultured taste of its owner. Mr. Porterficld 
and his wife are members in high standing of the 
Methodist Church. His political syn)i)athies are 
with the Republican party. 

<* IfelLLISON HA WORTH. This gentleman 
\^// has attained quite a reputation in Stanton 
V^ Township and vicinity, as a stock-raiser and 
feeder, .and dealer in Durham cattle. He is essen- 
tially a self-made man. provided with but limited 
advantages in his j'outh, but who, with the aid of 
his natural talents and industr3', has secured a com- 
l)etency and a g(jo(l position socially among his 
fellow-men. His real estate consists of a good farm 
located on section 27, which is provided with a 
complete family- residence, a convenient and sub- 
stantial barn, and a proper .assortment of valuable 
modern machinery. 

Our subject is a native of this Stale, burn at Ver- 
milion Grove, Dec. 10, 1835. His parents, David and 
JNIariam (Mills) Ilaworth, were .also natives of \cr- 
milion County, where llu^y were reared and married, 
and where the mother is still living on the old 
homestead. David Ilaworth dei)arted this life ,Iuly 
25, 187(5. The eleven children of the iionschold 
included eight sons and three dangliters. all of 
whoni grew to mature ^ears and present one of the 



finest families found in the Prairie State. Willison, 
the subject of this sketch, is the oldest; Claj-born 
married .Miss Esther Williams; Maria died .Sept. 1, 
18G4; James W., married Miss Rose Porter, of Ver- 
milion County; Klvin is living in California; John 
married JMiss Ann Sigler, of Vermilion County, and 
went to Colorado, dying at Golden, that State, 
April 11, 1880. His wife died two years later, 
leaving two children, both now living. Beriah mar- 
ried Miss Anna Lewis, and is farming on the old 
homestead in Vermilion Connt}^; Horace married 
Miss Dora Kenned}'; Mary J. became the wife of 
James Judd ; Cecelia is the wife of Joseph Cook, 
and Lindley married Miss Mollie Hoskins. These 
are living in Vermilion County, mostly engaged 
in farming pursuits. 

The subject of our sketch p.assed his early days 
in his native county, and chose from its daughters 
Miss M.artlia E. Judd, who became his wife Feb. 
28, 18G1. Mrs. Ilaworth is the daughter of Syl- 
vester R. and Eliza ((4owen) Judd, being the third 
of eleven children born to her parents, of whom 
only five arc living. The mother is living and a 
resident of Champaign County. Her brothers and 
sisters are recorded as follows : James H. married 
Miss Ilaworth; Thom.as married Carrie Cline, and 
is a resident of Fulton Count}', 111. ; Martha E. is 
the wife of our subject; Josephine married James 
Mund}'; Lorena is the wife of Eli Stratton, of 
Somers Township. The father of Mrs. Ilaworth 
was born in Kentucky, March 7, 1812. He was a 
miller l)y tr.ade and a man generally respected in 
his community, being a member of the Cumberland 
Presljyterian Church, and holding the various town- 
siiip offices. He died at Georgetown, in tiiis St.ate, 
on the 5th of May, 1877. Tiie mother was born 
Sept. 27, 1 SI 8, and is still living among her children. 
She became connected with the Christian Church 
at an early da}', of which she lias remained a consist- 
ent member to this time. Three sons o£ the family 
served as Union soldiers in the late war, all in Illi- 
nois regiments, and afterward returned safely to 
tiieir homes. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ilaworth after their marriage, lo- 
cated first in \'ermilion County, where they lived 
two years, and in the spring of I SOli took up their 
residence in Stanton T(iwnshi|), upmi the eighty 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



acres of land which Mr. H. had purchased, and 
which is now inchided in the homestead. He after? 
w.ard purchased forty acres additional, which makes 
a farm of 120 acres, upon which he has effected 
fine im[)rovements, setting out a good orchard, 
building neat fences, and in 1882 put up a residence, 
which, with its adjacent buildings, is not excelled 
by any in the county. The live-stock is of excel- 
lent quality and receives the best of care. None of 
the land is allowed to rmi to waste, being utilized 
eitiier in pasturage or the growing of grain and 
other crops, eitlier for market or the use of the 
household. Their two children are (laughters. 
Flora E. is now the wife of Milton Simcox. of Stan- 
ton Township; Maria T., a music teacher, remains 
at home with hor parents. 

The grandparents of our subject, John and 
Cecilia Haworth, were natives of North Carolina- 
They spent their last days in Vermilion County, and 
tiieir children became residents of this .State, where 
some t)f them spent the remainder of llieir lives. 
The Haworths were of English ancestr}-, and were 
(.Quakers on both sides of tlie family. Willison, of 
our sketch, cast his first presidential vote for John 
C. Fremont, and his last one for James (i. Blaine, 
indicating tiiat for a period of nearly thirty 3'ears 
he has been connected with the Republican party. 



yMLLIAM HENDERSON. On section 10, 
' in Homer Townsliip, is located one of the 
best conducted farms in tiiat locality, 
owned and occupied by tlie gentleman whose name 
stands at the head of this sketch. He is tlie de- 
scendant of an excellent family who were of strong 
and sturdy character, [Assessing the spirit of tlie 
pioneer days, and who wcnked hand in liand with 
the courageous colonists, who, from time to time, 
left their homes in tlie East, or the other side of 
the Atlantic, to found new associations and build 
up new homes in an untried counli-y. 'I'lio parents 
of our suliject, Alexander and Isabella (Chapman) 
Henderson, were natives respectively of North 
Carolina and Ohio, the former honi Sept. i'., IMl;'), 
^ and the latter Dec. :!!, l«li). Hotii are still living, 
and residents of Montgomery County', Ind., and 



i 



the father is in a moderate way carrying on agri- 
culture, with which he has been familiar through 
life. 

Alexander Henderson and his wife were careful 
and conscientious in their lives, and trained up 
their children in those moral and religious princi- 
ples which formed the basis of their own course in 
life. They were married on the 1 1th of Novem- 
ber, 1838, and in earl}' life identified themselves 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which the 
father has been Steward and otherwise proininentl}' 
connected with it for many years. He was a man 
of much force of character, and great energy and 
industiy, which qualities have become but little 
lessened bj' the flight of years, and he is now in the 
enjoyment of a competency. The ten children of 
the parental household are recorded as follows: 
Elizabeth, who became the wife of J. W. Hendriek, 
died at the home of her husband in Indiana in 
1874; William, of our sketch, was the second child; 
Amanda became the second wife of J. W. Hendriek; 
James married Miss Amanda Tliom.as; Milton mar- 
ried Miss Sarah Macomb; Maiy became the wife of 
Simon Lynch; Alice is the wife of George Munns; 
Martha is Mrs. James Miller, and John married 
Miss Jennie Quick. One child died in infancy un- 
named. 

William Henderson, of our sketch, is a native of. 
Parke County, Ind., and w.as born Feb. 17, 1841. 
He received thorough training in agricultural pur- 
suits, and, c(}nsidering his early education and a.'^so- 
ciations, it is not to be wondered at that he is more 
than ordinarily skillful in his tilling of the soil and 
the breeding of line stock, to the latter of which he 
has given much attention, especially of late years. 
The 3'outli and boyhood of our subject were passed 
mostly upon the farm and in attendance at the dis- 
trict schools. The pleasures of the young peo|>le 
of those days were simple and few, but it is proha- 
l)le that they reaped fully as much enjoyment as 
do the sons and daughters of the present age, with 
their more expensive tastes. He w.as employed .as 
a teacher at intervals for a period of ten years, 
making an excellent tutor and instructor. 

After the breaking out of the late war. and while 
in Indiana, resolving to become a Union .soldier, 
Mr. H. enlisted in the 72d Indiana Infantry, and 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



2or) 



served three yeai^ in CuiniKiny 1>. In tlic mean- 
linio lie was promutod Corporal, lie ))articipated 
with his comiadcs in many iniiiortant battles, in- 
cluding the fight at Ciiifivaniauga, and served uitli 
the Army of the C'nmlierland the greater i)ortion 
of the time. Although ex[ieriencing man}' hair- 
breadth escapes, enduring wearisome mareiies and 
other hardships connected with a soldier's life, he 
escaped without serious injury, and received his 
honorable discharge on the Ijth of July, 18G5. 

Our sul>ject then came to lUijiois, and after 
teaching school a part of one season returned to 
Indiana, where he was married. He had already 
become proi)rietor of 150 aciX'S of land, upon which 
he now located, and occupied his time in improv- 
ing his farm during the summer seasons, while in 
thn winter he added to his income by teaching. 
His present homestead embraces 110 acres of land, 
which by constant and careful cultivation will now 
compare with the soil of any farm in its vicinity. 
All tlie farm stock is well cared for and in good 
condition, together with the machinery, fences, 
buildings, and everything about the place. 

In his various enterprises Mr. H. has been at- 
tended by his faithful wife and companion, who be- 
came the sharer of his home and fortunes on the 
2Sth of March, 18G7. This lady, formerly Miss 
Nancy J. Hoff, is also a native of Indiana, born 
Oct. lo, 1848, and the daughter of- James and Han- 
nah (Barnett) lloff, of Ohio. The ceremony which 
united her with William Henderson was performed 
by S(iuire J. T. Miller, of Waynetown, Iiid., the 
wedding taking place at the home of the bride's 
parents near that city. Her father, James Hoff, 
was born in Ohio, June 27, 1823, and is still living 
on his farm near Waynetown. His wife, Hannah, 
a native of the same State, was born Sept. 18, 182U, 
and died very suddenly of heart disease, on Sun- 
day morning, July II, 188(), on the old homestead. 
The four children of this household were, Nauc}- J., 
the wife of our subject; Jerusha A., who married 
Ambrose Fruits; Mahala, who became the wife of 
Samuel Nixon, and ICtnma, who died of typhoid 
fever on the 25th of November, 1882. 

The six children of Mr. and Mrs. William Hen- 
derson are recorded as follows: Minnie was l)orn 
Feb. 21, I8(;.S; Edgar, born Oct. 2(1, 1 S(;:), died 



Oct. G, 1870; Alice, born Feb. 23, 1871, died Aug. 
1!). 1 872; Oscar was born Sept. 1, 1872 ; Emma, Oct. 
22, 1877, and Alma, Nov. 20, 1881. Mr. Hender- 
son, with his wife and children, attends the Meth- 
odist Episcoi)al Church at Lost drove, where our 
subject is Steward and Trustee, and for several 
years has beenSu[>erintendent of the .Sunday-school. 
He is especially active in all matters pertaining to 
religious work, and has been (me of the first in or- 
ganizing societies and encouraging the erection of 
church buildings. He was a member of the first 
committee appointed to undertake the erection of 
the Methodist Church in Lost Grove, and h,as con- 
tributed liberall}' toward the support of the society, 
keeping up the Sundaj'-school and assisting in fur- 
nishing the house of worship with the conveniences 
necessary to make it an attractive resort for tlie 
yo\ing and a [>lace of comfort for the old. I'oliti- 
callv he alliliates with the Republican party, and 
has served as School Trustee in Homer Townshi|) 
for a period of fifteen years. 






■^jAMES H. FLATT, who is located on .sec- 
tion 17, Somer Township, is a native of the 
Province of Ontario, Canada, and was born 
near the city of Hamilton, June 20, 1831. 
When fifteen years of age he started out in life to 
battle for himself, and coming to the States pro- 
ceeded westward to Lee County, III., where he was 
engaged as a farm laborer for a period of seven 
years, with the exception of a time when he was I3'- 
ing ill. The balance of the time was principally 
s|)ent in working hard to pay the doctor's liill, 
which ;iniounted to at least $100 per year. Not- 
withstanding this outlay and the low price paid for 
labor in those days, he managed to save something 
from his wages. In 1858 he returned to his old 
lK)nie in Canada, where he leased the farm for seven 
years, spending that time, however, for naught, as 
the venture did not |)rove successful. 

In the inidst of his dilliculties, however, Mr. Flatt 
found one true friend and sym|iatlily.er wlm w.is 
wdling to share his foitnnes for better or for worse. 
This was Miss Lovila M.atilda Canipliell. who be- 
ranie his wife on the 25th of November, 1 .S58. .She 

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was the daughter of Louis Campbell, of Hamilton, 
Olltal•io^ ami was born not far from the liirtbplace 
of her husband. Resolving to again make his liome 
in the West, Mr. Flatt, with his wife, came to Sa- 
dorus Township, this county, where he rented a 
tract of land, which he cultivated live years with 
fair success, and from the proceeds of which he was 
enabled toi)urchase 100 acres of raw prairie on sec- 
tion 22, in Sadorus Township. He at once com- 
menced the improvement of this property, and la- 
bored thereon for fifteen years following, until I8S3. 
His fortunes had gi-eatl}' mended, and he now dis- 
posed of his farm in order to jjurchase ;)o7 acres, 
lying along tiie Illinois Central Railroad, in Somcr 
Township, five miles northeast of Champaign. 

Robert Flatt, the father of our subject, was a 
Scotchman bj' birth, and died in the i)rime of life 
when .Tames H., of our sketch, wsis but a l.ad. He 
w.as possessed of moderate means, his estate includ- 
ing seventy-five acres of land, which is now owned 
by his son William. The maiden name of ttie 
mother was Mary Baker. She was born in Penn- 
sylvania, and is still living, making her home with 
Jennett Flatt, at AVater\ille, Canada, and liaving 
arrived !vt the advanced age of eighty-six years. 
The parental household included twelve children, 
seven sons and five daughters, of whom five sons 
and four daughters are still living. Margaret be- 
came the wife of Samuel Mordcn, and resides in the 
Province of Ontarii); Abrani married Miss Betsej' 
Long, and is now a resident of Fairbnr^-, III.; Will- 
iam married Miss Eleanor Boj'le, and they are liv- 
ing on the homestead in Ontario; Fannie is the wife 
of pjd. Brown; Sarah, Samuel, Jennett and John, are 
all residents of Ontario, and all, with one exception, 
have families of their own. 

The early education of our subject, with that of 
his brothers and sisters, was obtained in the ol<l 
log school-house, with its seats and desks rudely 
fashioned out of slabs, and the other [irimitive fui-- 
nishings of the pioneer d.iys. Notwithstanding his 
limited advantages, Mr. Matt is a gentleman of 
more than ordinary intelligence; one whi> has kei)t 
his eyes open to what was going on around him, 
and made the most of his opportunities. Since com- 
ing to this county he has been (piite i)roiniuent in 
local affairs, the excellent character of the man and 

<■ 



his value as a citizen receiving reiidy recognition. 
He is a believer in the Christian religion, and 
socially belongs to the M.asonic fraternity, whose 
pi'inciples he learned to admire many j'cars ago, be- 
ing made a Mason in about 1875. He now belongs 
to Lodge No. r>'37, at S.ador;is. I'olitically he exerts 
his inlluence in support of Re[)ublican princi[)les. 

At the time of ct)ming to this vicinity, much of 
the land adjacent vvas considered absolutelj' worth- 
less. After the advent, however, of a few intelli- 
gent men, who understood drainage and the benefits 
arising from it, the Beaver Lake Drainage Associa- 
tion was former!, and Mr. Flatt became prominently 
identified with this, the rcstdt being that through the 
efforts of himself and others as persevering, a tract 
of territory was redeemed from the swamps and 
brought to a tillable conditit)n. 

The record of the seven living children of IMr. 
and Mrs. Flatt is as follows: Ormand married Miss 
Harriet Ann Rook, and lives in Sadorus Township; 
James Alvah married Miss Mary Earl, and located 
in Somer Township; Lovila Annis became the wife 
of George M. Fowler; those unmarried are Sarah, 
Carrie, George and Edward. Ira W. and Charlotte 
Ivlgar are now deceased. Mrs. James H. Flatt is 
the daughter of Lewis and Jemima (Roy) Camp- 
bell, both natives of New Jersey. The father was 
l)orn in 1799. and died July 3, 1877, being buried 
on the following day. He was a good man in evci'y 
sense of the word, and a consistent member of tiic 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Cann)bell was 
Ijorn Sept. IG, 1805, and is still living, making her 
home in Ft. Dodge, Iowa. 

The children of the parental household ai'c re- 
corded as follows: The eldest son, Daniel R., died 
when thirty years of age; Samuel S. upon leaving 
the parental roof located in St. Joseph Count}', 
Mich., and was afterward elected to the otlice of 
Road Commissioner. One day he sent his men to 
work informing them he would soon follow. He 
has never been seen by his friends since that d.ay, 
although supposed to be still living; he was unmar- 
ried. Eliz;d>eth T. died when twelve 3'c.ars of .age; 
lA)vila M. is the wife of our subject; Joseph R. 
married Miss Hannah Featherstoue, and is carrying 
on a farm near Ft. Dodge, Iowa; Jemima A. be- 
came the wife of James Barlow, who is engaged in ^ 



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207 



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4 



liiiiKniiig .■tgrieiiltunil iiiiplemonts in Wise County, 
Tex.; .Alary I... llio wife uf CImilos V. Flawoliiig, is 
living in this cuunty; Cai-rie S., Mrs. .1. llerod. i.s a 
ii'sidt'iit uf Texas; David L. nianied .Miss IClean(ji' 
Hall, and is living in Sadunis Townsliip; Margaret 
A., died in 1870, when about tsventy-two years of 
age. 

Nt) man is held in liighcr rcsiiect in Champaign 
Cuunty than James II. Flatt. As a man, citizen 
and farmer he is filling his niche in life must worth- 
ily, and i)rcscnts in his daily walk an example 
worthy of imitation as a Christian gentleman uf the 
nuhlest impulses, having a good influence upon all 
with whom lie associates. His intelligence has led 
him to keenlj' appreciate the westward march uf 
civilization, and he has taken great satisfactiun in the 
prusperity uf his adopted State, identifying himself 
with its interests, and jealous of its reputation as a 
commonwealth. No man feeling thus can fail be- 
ing of great value to a county and a community. 
There is no truer saying than "that the works of 
men live after them," and j\lr. Klatt will leave to 
his descendants a life history which they will lie 
proud to peruse and to teach their children when 
he shall iiave passed from the scenes of his earlhly 
labor. 

AVID B. GEORGE took possession of his 
|]j present homestead on section 2, in Tolonu 
Township, on the 10th of March, ISS'). He 
was born in McLean County, this .State, 
July 30, 1856, and is the son of James S. and Eliza- 
beth (Bennett) George, who are still -residents of 
the township of Danvers in that cuunty. Our sub- 
ject was reared to farming pursuits, and received 
a good common-school education, supplemented 
by a full term at the Business College at Bloom- 
ington, whence he graduated in 1879. After leaving 
school he returned to the farm, where he continued 
until the fall of 1880. He was married, November 
G uf that year, to Miss Charity M., daughter of 
Nathaniel and Margaret (McCullough) Perrj'. Mrs. 
G. was born in McLean County in 18G1, and by 
her union with oin- subject has become the mother 
of two children — Clyde and Sedella May. 

After marriage, .Mi'. Ceorgc followeil f.-uniing in 




his native county until ISfs.j, then sold out and re- 
moved to his present homestcul. Tiiis embraces 
1 ()0 acres; fairl3' improved and provided with a com- 
fortable dwelling and barn. Mr. (jcorgc has not 
yet reached middle life, in fact has only just begun 
as a member of the farming community, and bids 
fair to become one of its valued factors. He is in- 
telligent and well informed, has held the various 
local ollices of his township, and politically casts his 
vote with the Democratic part3'. A lithographic 
view uf his handsome residence is shown on another 
page of this work. 

James .S. George, the father of our subject, is 
pleasantly located on section oG, Danvers T'own- 
ship, McLean County, where he is engaged as a far- 
mer and carpenter. He is a native of Pendleton 
County, Va., and vvas born on the iith of March, 
1821. His parents were William and Mary A. 
(Hawkins) George, both natives of Virginia, and 
the mother uf German ancestry. William George 
was a carpenter b}' trade; he vvas born in 1796, and 
removed to Champaign Countj", 111., where he died 
in April, 187.'). The parents were married in Hamp- 
shire Count}', Va., in 1816, the mother being eight- 
een j'ears old. She removed with her husband to 
Illinois, and died of cholera in Danvers Township in 
1854, at the age of fifty-four years. The parental 
household included the following children: Samuel 
married Miss Rebecca Idleman, in Virginia; John 
died of cholera in 1 854; Thomas married Miss Col- 
lins Betts; James S. is our subject; Catharine, Mrs. 
Simons, lives in Harrison Cuunty, W. Va. ; IClsie, 
the wife of ' Elijah White, resides in Randolph 
Cuunty, W. Va. ; Mary became the wife of William 
Brown, uf Virginia; Sarah married Silas Smith, uf 
Tazewell Countj', 111. ; Rebecca married William 
Eramett, of Tazewell County, 111.; William mar- 
ried Miss E. Dennning, of McLean County; 
Abraham and Isaac were twins; the first married 
Miss Goram, and Isaac married Miss R. Cook, of 
McLean County, 111. 

James S. George became a resilient of the Prai- 
rie State in 1852, and fur twu years fullowed the 
trade of a carpenter. Not being quite satisfied 
with the results in this direction, he took up I arming 
pursuits, locating on the tract of land which he now 
owns and occupies. He is making a s[)ecialtv of 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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stock-raising, and deals in liigh-grade Short-horn 
cattle. 

After coming to Illinois, Mr. Oeorge was mar- 
ried to Miss Elizabetii Bennett, on the 1 2tli of Sep- 
tember, 1853, in Tazewell County. Mrs. George 
was born in Virginia, on thel2tli of September, 
1829, and is the daugliter of John and Catharine 
(Grapes) Bennett, natives of the same State, the 
father born in 1797. He emigrated to Iowa after 
his marriage, and died there in 1.873. The mother 
died in Tazewell Connty, this State, in 1836, leav- 
ing four children, two boys and two girls. Eliza 
married John Roarbecii; Elizabeth, Mrs. George, is 
the second child; David married Miss Salina Green; 
AVilliam was liilled b^' lightning when sixteen years 
old. The education of Mr. and Mrs. George was 
necessarily somewhat limitcil, their parents being 
pioneers of a new country, and schooling facilities 
very meager. Realizing the advantages of mental 
culture they have given their children the best ad- 
vantages which the schools of the present day af- 
ford. Of these children, John died of cholera, in 
1854; David B. married Miss Charitj' Perry ; James 
W., Ida and Elmer are at home. While Mr. and 
Mrs. George have not identified themselves with 
any church organization they are firm believers in 
the Scriptures, and endeavor to follow the precepts 
of the Golden Rule. Mr. George is Democratic in 
politics, and in all respects is a worth3- citizen and 
a valued member of society. 



kEWIS KUDER, Kerr Township. Tiie beau- 
tiful homestead of tlie gentleman whose 
name stands ut the head of this biograph3-, 
forms one of the most attractive spots in the land- 
scape of Champaign County. Its ample ai\d sub- 
stantial buildings, in which beauty and utility are 
happily combined, are finely located, and invariably 
command the admiration of the passer-by as evinc- 
ing in a marked degree the outlay of ample means 
and tlie ■ exercise of cultivated tastes. The dwell- 
ing is commodif)US and of a tasteful stjdc of archi- 
tecture, and the well-built barn, with its .adjacent 
structures for the storage of grain and the shelter 

4* 



of stock, is in keeping with the requirements of the 
modern and pi-ogressive farmer. 

Mr. Kuder is one of the most extensive land- 
owners in Central Illinois, the home farm alone cm- 
bracing 900 acres. Besides this he has 230 acres in 
one tract north, 120 a short distance east, and fifty 
in A'ermilion County. Tlie land is all in a high 
state of cultivation, and yields in abundance the 
richest crops of the Prairie State. Mr. Kuder 
manages the home farm, while his sons have charge 
of the others. In addition to general agriculture, 
Mr. Kuder is largely interested in stock-growing, 
in which department he has gained quite an envi- 
able reputation and has been remarkably success- 
ful. He is in all his operations uniforndy s^'stem- 
atic and exact, prompt to meet his obligations, and 
is uniformlj' ranked among the representative men 
of one of the most prosperous counties in the .State. 

Our subject, a native of Ohio, was born near 
Circleville, Pickaway County, Dec. 22. 1819. He 
was the thirteenth child in a family of fifteen, the 
offspring of John and Mary (Chaniberliu) Kuder. 
His paternal grandfather, Elias Kuder, was of Ger- 
man extraction, and a native of Bucks County, Pa. 
He was a carpenter by trade, and served as a soldier 
in the Revolutionarj- War during the entire struggle. 
His wife was a native of New Jerse}', but beyond 
this the records are lost in oblivion. John Kuder 
wiisalso a native of Bucks County', Pa., where his 
father had settled after laying aside the implements 
of war. He inlierited the patriotic impulses of his 
sire and took part in the AVar of 1812, being de- 
tailed to duty in Northern Ohio. 

Lewis Kuder commenced early in life to make 
his own way in the world, and when quite young 
began learning the carpenter trade under the in- 
struction of his oldest brother, Solomon. He left 
the parental I'oof when eighteen years old, and for a 
time was emploj-ed on the Ol^io Canal. Subse- 
quently he returned to his native place where he 
engaged at his trade, and in the manufacture of 
wagons. He then determined to seek his fortune 
in tlie fai-ther West. He came to this State in 
1838, locating at first near Danville, Vermilion 
Connty, where, for five or six years, he eontiimed 
to follow carpentering. Having, b}' the exercise of 
industry and economy acquired sufficient capital. 



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fe Jab^L-qjj S e c . 2 1 ...-^,.;,^ 



■' r-v-'""'nnw-i iiii k fiiiTa r"-'^''^"^''''''' w i^«^^^ 



Scenes on the Farm Property of Lewis Kuoer,5ec's .20,21.23.29., Kerr Township. 



f 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



211 



he IxiiigUt forty acres of p;ivtly iiii|iroved lanil. 
and afterward purchased tlie interest of the other 
heirs to tiie estate of whicii his laud formed a part. 
This constituted a fine [tnjperty of 2 10 acres, and 
from this handsome beginning lie steadily pro- 
gressed to his present position. 

Tlie marriage of Ia'wIs Knder and Miss Susanna 
Wood was celebrated in 1S44. JMrs. Knder was 
the fourth in a famil_v of si.xteen cliildren horn to 
Henry and Nancj' (Hoover) Wood. Her father 
was a native of ^'irginia, the son of .lolniand Mary 
(Harper) Wood, also of the Old Dominion. Her 
mother, a native of Ohio, was the daughter of 
Daniel and Xancy Hoover, who were natives of 
Virginia, of German descent. Mrs. Kuder was 
born ne<ir London, Madison Co., Ohio. Oct. 1 4, 1826.. 
Mr. Kuder and his wife settled on the Kerr Town- 
ship farm in IS-lJ. Their first dwelling was a small 
cabin, located there when our subject purchased 
the land. Thirty years ago he built a fine resi- 
dence, which is now in an excellent state of preserv- 
ation, and is occupied by his family. In 1809 he 
erected a fine, commodious barn, which ac'coinmo- 
dates a large number of horses and cattle. 

When Mr. Kuder first settled in Kerr Townshiii 
there were but three cabins within five miles of his 
farm. Deer and wolves roamed over the prairie 
and the grass was as high as his little cabin. Dur- 
ing the first few years of his residence on the farm 
he continued to follow his trade, and emjjlo^ed 
help to run the farm, but a freshet having occurred 
which swept away manj' of his valuable horses, 
cattle and hogs, he gave up his trade an<l took 
charge of the farm himself. Among the improve- 
ments which he has instituted arc five artesian wells 
which suppl}' his stock wilh an abundance of the 
best water, and he annually replenishes his pastures 
with large numbeis of young cattle, purchased 
chietly from the best to be found in the Chicago 
market. 

Mr. Kuder and his wife have had a family of 
nine children — Henry, Candus, Nancy, Sarah, Al- 
bert, Lincoln, Lydia, and two who died in infancy 
unnamed. Only two arc now living, Albert an<l 
Lincoln, who are married, and sketches of whom ap- 
pear elsewhere in this work. Mr. Kuder has served 
f as Supervisor of Kerr Township for several terms. 



•►-ii-*- 



and has held various local oflices, but his farm in- 
terests re(juire so much of his time that he has of 
late declined assuming additional cares, although 
he attends imj)ortant elections, anil is one of the 
)nost conscientious voters of the Republican jiarty. 
A view of the handsome home farm of Mr. 
Kuder is shown on an adjoining pag(^; also the 
residences of his two sons, who have inherited 
the thrift au<l energy of the father and are already 
nnniliered among the important members of the 
agricultural community. 



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OHN W. i'AHK, who became a resident of 
Cham[)aign County in the fall of I8(;;i, is 
widely and f;ivoral)ly known in this locality 
as having at one tune been one of its most 
extensive land-owners, and at one time the pro- 
prietor of 700 acres in one body. Although now 
retired from active labor, he is still possessed of 
272 acres in Mahomet Township, whicli is operated 
b}' a tenant, but whose cultivation he superintends 
with the same good judgment as of old. He also 
owns 320 acres in Sherburne County, i\Hnu. He 
now owns and occupies a pleasant honu' in .Ma- 
homet, besides other valuable vilhige property. 

!\Ir. Park is a native of Mt. I'ljCasant, Jefferson 
Co., Ohio, and was born Oct. 14, 181o. His par- 
ents were John and Elizabeth (Hannah) I'aik, both 
natives of Virginia, where they were married anil 
located for a time after. They afterward removed 
to Ohio, and from there to Kentucky, returning 
finally to the Buckeye State an(\. settling in Clarke 
County, of which they remained residents for sev- 
eral years. Afterward they lived in Marion and 
Ottawa Counties, where .Inhn Park was engaged 
in farming and butchering, and where both parents 
died. The household included live sons and three 
daughters. 

John W. Park remained with his i)arents until he 
was of age, and then commenced farming on his 
own account. He was married in l)ttawa County. 
Ohio, March 17, 1844, to Miss Caroline, daughter 
of Solomon and Sallie (Arnold) Streeter, both na- 
tives of New Hampshire, who, after their mariiage, 
located lirst in (Jenesee County, N. Y., whence 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



L. 



they removed to Huron County, Ohio, and from 
there to Ottawa County, siimc State, wiiere they 
[Kissed the remniiider of their lives. They ix-ared 
a family of ten eliildreii, three boys and seven 
girls, of whom Caroline, Mrs. Park, was the eighth. 
She was born in Genesee Count}', Dee. I'i, 1824, 
and by her marriage with our subject became the 
mother of eleven cliildren, seven of whom survive. 
Elizabetii A., tlie eldest, met her deatli I\v drnnii- 
ing in the Sangamon River, when twenty-two years 
old; David (J., the j'oiuigest, and two otliers, uii'- 
named, died in infancy; Mary J. is tiie wife of 
William U. Paisley, who is farming in Mahomet 
Township; William W. married .Miss Alice Clark, 
and is living in Kansas; James S. married Miss 
Sarah Angeline Coniiiar, and lives in Nebraska; 
Clarissa I. is the wife of J. 11. Hume, and lives in 
Maliomet Townslii|); Caroline F., Mi's. William 
llarland. resides with her liusband in Eureka, 111.; 
Abraham L. married Miss E. M. Kilgore, and lives 
in Mahomet Townsliii); Hugh V. is at home willi 
his parents. 

Mr. and Mis. Park are members in good stand- 
ing of the Baptist Ciuircli, and our subject, politi- 
(;ally, is a waini adherent of liepublican principle. 
He has taken a genuine interest in the progress and 
welfare of Iiis township, and has served as Ti'iistee 
of Mahomet Village. 



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\i;SAAC 15U0WN, who makes a specialty ot 
breeding line stock, owns and oecu|)ies IGO 
acres of good land on section 21, in Homer 
Township, of which he took possession in Is.jT. 
lie has a good resilience, a substantial barn, and 
all the other Iniildings necessary for convenience 
and comfort, and his fields are tenanted by liigh- 
grade Short-horn cattle, his stables with line horses, 
and various pens adjacent contain a fine assortment 
of Poland-China hogs. Among his horses is one 
especially line stallion, Honny H., sixteen hands 
high, a bright bay in color, and besides this valua- 
ble animal he has a number of English carriage 
horses. He has gained an enviable re|)iitation in 
this locality as a breeder and stock-dealer, and e.\- 

'^ 



hibits some of the finest animals in Central Illi- 
nois. 

Mr. Brown comes of stanch Pennsylvania stock, 
his parents having been (Jeorge W. and Ruth 
(Rogers) Brown, natives of the Keystone Slate, 
and the father a farmer by occupation. He was 
born in I .s07, and died in Homer Townsliii), .Sept. 
i:3, 1X84. The mother w.as born in 1 s()8, and died 
on the old homestead in Homer Townshij), .Ian. 13, 

1872. Both parents wore members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, and the father a Deiiuierat 
in politics. Their live children, all born in Penn- 
sylvania cxcei)t the youngest, who was born in 
Ohio, were Ann M., who only lived to be four 
years of age; Isaac, of our sketch; David, .lolin 
and William M. The latter followed farming, and 
died at his home in Homer Townslii|i on the l.'Jtii 
of November, 1871. 

The youth and boyhood of Isaac Brown were 
spent mostly in his native State occupied in agri- 
cultural pursuits. In September, 1857, deciding 
to change his location, he came to this State and 
county, locating near the town of Sidney. He was 
there employed at farming until purchasing the 
laud in Homer Township where he is now living. 
He w.as first married in Indiana to Miss Sarah C. 
Cunningham, Dec. 25, 18G4. Nine years later this 
lady passed from earth at the age of thirty-one 
years, her death taking place on the 1st of April, 

1873. The seven children born f>f this union were 
George L. and Laura B., twins, born Dec. 25, 1 8G5 ; 
William O., M.arch l7, 1808; Irvin C, Dec. 23, 
1870; Elizabeth O., Sept. 21, 1872. The next 
child died in infancy unnamed, and the j'oungest 
was James A., born March 26, 1873. The present 
wife of our subject, to whom he was married Dec. 
23, 1875, vv.as formerly Miss Lncinda Forbis, a na- 
tive of Madison County, Ohio, whose l)irth took 
place at the home of her parents in Paint Town- 
ship, Nov. 22, 184(i. This lad}' became the mother 
of six children, viz., Francis K. and Minnie, died 
in infancy; Milo E. was born March 15, 1879; 
Jessie W., M.iy 8, 1881 ; Charles D.,Sept. 20, 1883, 
and Clarence, Sept. 28, 1885. 

Mr. Brown has been an Elder in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church for many years, and is independ- 
ent in politics. He carries on the operations of his 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



213 



farm and the breeding of stock after the most cip- 
proved modern methods, and everything ahont his 
premises indicates the enterprise and tlnift of its 
proprietor. A lithograpiiic view of tht' place and 
surroundings is shown on another page. 

George W. Brown, tlie fatiier of our snliject, was 
born in l-'a^'ette County, Pa., Jan 2 4, 1 MOT, and 
died Sept. 13, 1884. He removed from his native 
State m 1836, and four years later purchased 157 
acres of land in Fayette County. To this lie added 
lifty-seven acres, and afterward sold the whole witli 
a view of coming to this .State, lie started from 
Ohio Sept. 13, 1857, landing in this countv' thirteen 
d.a3's later, and purchased ."ifi!) acres of land in 
Homer Township, which lie occupied for a period 
of tweuty-seven years, effecting many improve- 
ments, and becoming one of the most important 
members of the farming community of tliat section. 
He was for many years a member of the Methodist 
Church, Democratic in politics, and a man straight 
and strict in his business affairs. He became very 
successful, and at his death iiad accumulated a 
large property. He was noted for his industry and 
frugality, and was the most liighly respected by 
those who knew him best, being greatl}' missed by 
iiis near friends and neighbors wlien his earthly 
labors had ended. AVhile in Ohio he occu[)ied tlie 
office of Justice of the Peace for fifteen years. 



»••£>- 



Sff ACOB TINDALL. This gentlem.an in 1 876, 
after having been successful!}' engaged in 
various enterprises, in all of which he was 
remarkabl}- successful, turned his attention 
to farming pursuits, and selected for his future 
'operations a fine tract of land consisting of 11)1 
acres on section 31, in Homer Township. He had 
abundant faith in his venture, and time has i)r<)ved 
that he was correct in regard to tiie capacities of 
the soil and his own judgment in presiding over its 
cultiv.ation. Tiie farm is finely laid off in pasture 
lands and grain fields, Mr. Tindall devoting iiis at- 
tention principally to the breeding of fine Short-horn 
cattle. It is .said by those who are judges of 



stock, that his anim.als arc scarcely to be equaled in 
any section of the State. He has been particularly 
fortunate in his selections, and they have been given 
the care and treatment necessary to the develop- 
ment of their finest points. 

Our sul)ject's birth took |)lace in Morgan County, 
this State, on the lOlh of April, 1810. His par- 
ents were Jacob T. and Isabella (Ferguson) Tin- 
dall'; tiie former born in Delaware, in February, _ 
1800, and the latter in the city of Baltimore, Nov. 
30, 1805. The mother of our subject w.as the 
daughter of Robert Ferguson, of .Seotland. J.acob 
Tindall in early life learned the trade of a carpen- 
ter ill Pliiladel|)liia, Pa., and for many years was in 
the emiiloy of the well-known capitalist, Stephen ' 
Girard. Later he removed to Morgan County, 
111., and engaged in farming pursuits. He was 
a man of limited education, quiet in his haliits, and 
was a keen but silent observer of what was going 
on around him, thus gaining a good fund of gen- 
eral infoniiatiiiu. He became a member of tiie 
Masonic fraternity during the early years of its 
organization, and was a man of deep religious con- 
victions, being connected with the Christian Church, 
and was often the host of Alexander Caiiipljell, 
who put iq) at his house and shared his hos|)ilality. 
The mother was a member of the same church, and 
is still living, making lier home in Jacksonville, 
111. 

Jacob Tindall, .Ir., remained a resident of his 
native county until reaching manhood, in the 
meantime receiving a common-school education 
and learning the trade of a carpenter from his 
father. He was occupied by the latter until the 
breaking out of the Rebellion, and enlisted first 
with the 100-days' men in tlie 145th Illinois In- 
fantrj'. At the expiration of tli;it time, determining 
to see the fight to the end, lie re-enlisted in Co. E, 
58th III. \'ol. Inf., as a [irivate, being mustered in 
at Camp Butler for the three 3'ears' service. lie 
was soon |)roinoted First Sergeant. With his com- 
rades he followed the fortunes of the regiment in 
its tedious marching through the South and its 
various encounters with the enemy, being [ircsent 
at the siege and captiin- of Vicksburg, and engaged 
in many ittlier iiiiportMiil battles of the war. At 
its clo.-<e lie received his hoiioralile discharffe and 



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214 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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returned to his home in Morgan County, where lie 
resumed his trade of a carpenter. 

Ill isi;,") Mr. Tiuilall ero.ssed the Mississi|)|ii and 
went over lnt<> Missouri, where, for eight months 
following, he was emplo^'ed as clerk in a drug- 
store. Upon returning to Illiiidis he took up his 
abo<le ill Ayers Townslii[), this county, and for the 
first time in his life began to work on a farm, not 
as a laborer, but as foreman of a tract which was 
called the Broad Lands, owned b}' .Jolin Alexander. 
Two years later he was promoted, and given larger 
liberties and more responsiliilities. At the end of 
three years, during which time he had been econom- 
ical and saved quite a little sum of money, he was 
enabled to purchase a quarter section of land in 
Vermilion County. This he sold a year later, and 
receiving a tempting offer to engage in the drug 
business, purchased stock and set up a store, which 
he conducted for three years. At the end of this 
time he sold out, and going to Danville engaged in 
tile livery business. This also proved a fortunate 
venture, and at the end of two years he was en- 
abled to purchase a valuable tract of 191 acres, 
which he still owns and occupies. In the spring of 
l.S<S5 his house was destroyed liy fire. He then 
moved a house from anotlier part of the farm, and 
is now living in it. 

The lady who for the last seventeen years has 
presided with dignity and excellent judgment over 
Ills household affairs, and lias [iroved herself full 
worthy to have been the coin|)anion of her hus- 
ban<l, was in her girlhood .Miss Klla Jl. Holmes, to 
whom he was married the -29111 of December, 1870, 
the service being performed by Rev. Heath, of the 
.Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Tindall is a 
native of the same county as her husband, and was 
born Nov. 10, IS-ll. Her parents, Robert and 
M.arj' (Leach) Holmes, were natives of ICngland, 
the father boiii in Scarborough and the mother in 
(Jool. The mother had been [Arevionsly married to 
a Mr. Martin. Her death took i)lacc in Morgan 
County, .\pril 28, 18.j,s. Robert Holmes died 
Sept. i;i, 1S47. Mrs. Tindall was reared by her 
grandparents in Morgan County, III. The chihlren 
of our subject and wife were born as follows: 
Robert K., born A|)ril 12. 1.S72. died the OtIiof 
.Inly following; Almali I., born ."March ;i, 1871, 

4' 



died Aug. 17, 1875; JIarv V.. born Aug. 19. 1877; 
Ella J., Dec. 10, 1879. 

Mr. and Mrs. Tindall after their marri.age, located 
in Vermilion County, whore they lived until taking 
possession of their present farm. Politically, Mr. 
T. is a '-true-blue" Repnblic;ni. and has held var- 
ious township offices, being Commissioner of High- 
ways three years, a member of the Town Poard for 
five 3' ears, and .School Trustee. He is connected 
with the I. 0. O. F., Lima Lodge No. 4, and En- 
campment No. 9, at Jacksonville. He also be- 
longs to Homer Lodge No. 199, A. F. A- A. M., 
the various offices of which he has filled with credit 
to himself, and satisfaction to the brethren. He 
takes a genuine interest in the edncation;il and 
moral welfare of his community, and is a m:iii 
whose opinions .are generallj' respected. 

-^ .#-#. ^^ 




EON I D A.S H. HO WSER. The Howser fam- 
ily has for some years constituted an im- 
5 portant portion of the farming community 
of St. Joseph Township, being uniformly enterpris- 
ing .and prosperous, fortunate in their investinc-nts, 
and possessed of the intelligence and foivsight so 
essential to good citizenship, and of which charac- 
teristics the bone and sinew of a community must 
be composed in order to advance its prosiierity. 

The subject of this sketch, one of the most en- 
terprising representatives of the name, was born in 
Clermont County, Ohio, .Iiine 29, \sU>, and is the 
eldest son of Jonathan N. and Margaret .1. (Dill- 
man) !Iow.ser. He was a boy of ten years when 
his |)arents left the Buckeye State and liecame resi- 
dents of this county, in 1850. His father i)ur- 
cliased a tract of 240 acres on section 31, in St. 
Joseph Townsliip, where he labored industriously, 
meeting with success, and where he still resides. 

Mr. Howser attended school at Old Cowdeu 
school-house, not far from his father's farm, where 
he completed his education, and received those im- 
pressions which have largely ministered to his later 
success in life. He early began to form his plans 
for the fiitiiic, and when in his twenty-second year, 
was united in marriage with one of his schofilmates, 
Miss Isabel, daughter of John Hudson, of this 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



215 



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con ntj'. who was born in Iiuliann, Nov. 7, l.^Ki. 
After remaining the coniiwiiion of her husliantl lint 
seven siiort years, tlie wifi- and nioliu'r [inssi'd from 
earth, leaving two children, a son and daiinhler — 
William R. and Ollie M.'w. In is.so .Mr. Uowser 
was married to Miss Kmnia C. Sani|is()ii, a native 
of Illinois, and the danghter of Kelson Sampson, 
Esq., of Sidney Township. Of this union there 
has been born one child, a danghter, Kditli 1!. 

The residence of our subject is a handsome frame 
structure, finely located, and with attractive sur- 
roundings, including good ont-bnildings, shade 
trees, shrubber}- and ample grounds, riic farm 
embraces 200 acres of highly cultivated land, thor- 
oughly drained with tile, provided with neat and 
substiintial fencing, and all the necessary machin- 
er}' required by the progressive modern farmer. 
A view of the place is to be seen on another p.age 
of this work. Air. llowser has distinguished him- 
self as a stock-raiser, dealing largely in hogs and 
cattle, numbers of which he fattens annually, and 
sends b}- the carload to the Eastern markets. Of 
late he has been giving considei-able 'attention to 
the celebrated Belgian draft horses, being quite 
successful .as a breeder, and able to e.xliiliit some 
extraordinarily tine animals. He has in all respects 
proved one of the most valued members of the 
farming community, whose interests he has ad- 
vanced by ever}- means in his power, ar.d being the 
encourager and supporter of every enterprise cal- 
culated to elevate the public mind and morals. 
Both Mr. and Jlrs. Howser are acceptable members 
of the Olive Christian Church, in Philo Township, 
in which the former is Treasurer and the Latter 
Clerk. 

■-^-^ -'i^^- «-=— - 

^ROF. EDWARD SNYDER, M. A., holding 
j|, the Chair of Mo<lern I>:inguages of the 
Illinois University, is a native of Sokal, 
Austrian Poland, born in 18:i5, and the 
sou of .Mathias and Paulina Anna MIynarska. lie 
was educated at the Universities of Lemberg and 
A'ienna; entered the army in 18r)l» and participated 
in the campaign of IMol), in Italy, .attaining the 
rank of First Lieutenant in the 74th Infantry. In 
ls(i-i he einigi-ate<l to the I'nited Stales, ciilisUHl in 
<* 




the 17Sth New York Infantry, serving three j'ears, 
and receiving the commission of Captain. After the 
close of the war he taught in St. Louis .and Carlin- 
ville. 111. In isds he was elected Professor of 
Military Science and (Jermau in the University of 
Illinois, and commissioned Colonel of the 1. S. N. 
(i.; was .appointed Professor of Modern Languages 
in l.S74,and has held the position of Recording 
Secretary to the Boaid of Trustees since LS7(). 

Prof. Snyder married, in .July, 1869, Miss Mary 
S. Patchen, of liurtou, Ohio, daughter of I). Pat- 
chen, of Carlinville, III. .Mrs. S. is a member of 
the Congreg.-itioual Cluireh, which the Professor also 
attends. Politically his tendencies are Republican. 



Isx AiMi<.i^ niAri^.^, a re 
j|] J>f the pioneer famii 
^'' Countv, spent his e.a 



j*f^ ANIEL MAPES, a representative of one 
families of Champaign 
ipent liis earliest youth in the 
western [lart of New York State, where 
his liirth took pl.ace .Inly 23, 1827. The family is 
of English ancestry-, the grandfather of our subject, 
Samuel Maiies, having-been born across the Atlantic. 
He married a lad}' of German descent, and raised 
a family of sous and daughters, among whom was 
Samuel, who, after reaching manhood, was married 
to Miss Sarah Button, and became the father of 
our subject. The Button family was of Scotch 
ancestry. 

After their marriage Samuel .Mapes and his wife 
remained in New York State until the fall of 1827, 
.and then removed to the eastern part of Ohio. 
After a residence there of two years, they pushed 
further westward into Indiana. Thence the^^ mi- 
grated South, locating across the river in Kentucky, 
and remained in the vicinity of Cincinnati for the 
two years following. Not being yet satisfied with 
their location they removed once more, in the fall 
of l.s;i:;, and coming to this county .settled on a 
tract of land in St. .Iosei)h Township, near what was 
called "the bend," on the edge of a tindjer tract. 
Ml-. M. possessed but limited.means. and h.-id a large 
family to support, but made the best (jf circum- 
stances and succeeded in providing comfortably for 
all. He was linally en.abled to purchase forty acres, 
which is included in the homestead of our subject, 
•► 






t- 



21 G 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



and wlieie the death of Samuel Mapes took place, 
in August, 1874, when seventy-three years of age. 
The wife and mother died cnrlj' in life, and the ten 
children were provided for by the father to the best 
of his ability. Thej' consisted of seven sons and 
three daughters, nine of whom lived to mature 
j'ears, and with the exception of two sons, all were 
married. They were named respectively, William, 
Alonzo A., Daniel, Asa B., James, Jackson, Samuel, 
Melissa B., Eliz-.ibeth and Permelia. Melissa be- 
came the wife of Park Orr, and Elizabeth married 
Z. M. Dnnn, of St. Joseph Townsliip; Permelia 
married E. Pettit. But two of the family now sur- 
vive — .Samuel, and Daniel of our sketch. 

Daniel Mapes was a bo\' of sis j'ears when his 
parents came to this eountj', and received a limited 
education in the subscription schools. He remained 
under the home roof until twenty-one years of age, 
and then commenced life on his own account, work- 
ing out by tlie month until his marriage. He chose 
from auiong the maidens of his neighborhood Miss 
Elizabeth, the daughter of John W. and Zilpha 
Swearingen. After marriage the young people lo- 
cated on section 24, upon land included in the 
present homestead of our subject. This, through 
his perseverance and industry, has become a finely 
improved farm, containing 167 acres, upon which 
are good buildings and all the apiiointments of a 
first-cl.nss country estate. This is now under the 
management of his sons, while our subject and his 
wife, in 1883, took up their residence in the town 
of St. Joseph, where they are spending their later 
3'ears, surrounded by all the comforts and miiny of 
the luxuries of life. 

()( the eleven child len born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Mapes seven are still living, namely, John M., who 
resides on the homestead; William II. and Benja- 
min, in Nel)raska; Thomas M., with his brother on 
the farm; Siegel A., of Nebraska; EHie J. and 
Charlie at homi;. Mr. Mapes since becoming a 
resident of this locality', has taken an active interest 
in local affairs, serving as School Director and oc- 
cupying other positions where his excellent judg- 
ment was of service to his township. Both he and 
his estimable wife became members of the Chris- 
tian Church at St. Joseph years ago, in which Mr. 
M. has olliciated as Elder, and has contiibuted lib- 



erally to its support. Politically, he is a Democrat 
of the old school, ancJ holds stanchlj' to the princi- 
ples in which he has believed since he began to ex- 
ercise the riiiht of suffrase. 



E=^"S$-«ai»- IS! ■z=^-^^ 



r 



^ OIIN R. OCHELTREE, dealer in furniture 
and undertakers' goods, established himself 
in liusiness at Homer in the spring of 18G0. 
The earlj- years of his life were spent in ag- 
.•icultural pursuits, and he has had quite an ex- 
perience in the lumber and grain trade. His present 
business is conducted after the most approved 
methods, and his stock embraces a fine assortment 
of everything required in both departments. He 
began life without means, but bj- the exercise of 
close economy and his own natural talents has se- 
cured a good property, and will l)e able to spend 
his declining years in the ease and comfort which 
he has so justly 'earned. Had it not been that he 
was forced to pay over |G,000 on account of 
friends, for whom he became security', he would 
have that much also added to his possessions. 
His life in all respects has been straightforward and 
upright, and his voice and influence have been felt 
and heard in many of the moral reforms of the 
present, especially that of temperance, which he has 
.advocated with all the force of his eloquence and 
his example. He has not t.asted liquor for a period 
of over sixt}' ^-ears, and has never used tobacco in 
any form. He possesses considerable litcrarj- tal- 
ent, and h.as used his pen in the writing of several 
fine articles opposing the use of intoxicating liq- 
uors, and the weed with which the mouths of so 
many men, both young and old, of the present day, 
are defiled. 

The subject of this histor3' was born in Green- 
brier County, Va., March 22, 1817. He is the son 
of John and Eleanor (Wilson) Ocheltree, both also 
natives of the Old Dominion; the former was born 
Nov. 30, 1774, and departed this life in F.ayette 
County, Ohio, on the 24th of December, 1833. 
John Ocheltree was a farmer \\y occupation, and 
removed from his native State first to Ross County, 
Ohio, when our subject was but an infant. Seven- 
teen years later betook up his residence in F.ayette 
County, where he established a good homo and y 



\ 



t. 



■<- 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-•►- 



217 a 



\ 



spent tlie remainder of bis days. He was of excel- 
lent Scottish' ancesti'}', his fatlier iiavinj^ come from 
tlie Iliglilands, and although reared a I'resbj'terian 
eventually cast his lot with the Methodists, lie 
possessed an education better than is usual witli the 
people of those daj-s, an<l was especially fine in 
penmanship. The mother of our subject was born 
.Tune 18, 178.5, and survived her husband twenty- 
three years, remaining a widow until her death, 
which occurred in Vermilion County, 111., on the 23d 
of September, 18o6. She also was connected with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and as a wife and 
mother fulfilled nobly her obligatidus to lier part- 
ner and her children. 

The parental household includ<Ml nine cliildrcn : 
Martha, the eldest, was born .Tan. 4, 1808, and died 
in Ohio several years ago, having been married and 
become the mother of twelve children ; Elizabeth, 
born .lul^' C, 1810, is the wife of .faeob M. Custer, 
now living in Homer; ftlary, born Oct. 2, 1812, be- 
came the wife of Jesse Bryant, and both are now 
deceased; Eleanor, also deceased, was born Feb. 
(), 1815, and married John Allen, of Faiiniount, 
HI.; John R., of our sketch, w.is the (iftli chlM; 
Jane, born April 19, 1819, died many years ago in 
Ohio; Amanda. l)orn Aug. 31, 1821, became the 
wife of S. Barker, and died in 1884; Malinda, born 
Oct. 24, 1825, became the wife of T. Ilendrickson. 
and died J.an. 9, 1887; America, born June 14, 
1828, married G. Sampson, who is now dece.'ised; 
she is living in Kansas. 

On the 7th of Septcmlier, 1842, occurred a most 
imiiortant change in the life of Mr. Ocheltree, which 
had much to do in slinpiug his future coui-se. On 
the evening of that day he was united in marriage 
with .^liss Rebecca Martin, who since that time has 
been his companion and couuseloi- i]i dilli<'ully, and 
who [)eiha|)s more than any other has rejoiced in 
his pros|)erity. Mrs. 0<'heltree was born in .Scioto 
County, Ohio, July 14, 182.3, and is the daughter 
of .I.acol) and Lucina (Clark) ^lartin. The former 
was a New England farniei', who I'cmoved to Ohio 
in l.sli;, and afterw.ard to Indi.ana, dying in the lat- 
ter State in 1855, when .seventy-three 3'ears of age. 
The molherdid not long survive the loss of her |)art- 
ner, soon joining hi ui in the other life,:ind I icing sev- 
enty-two yc^ars old. Both were consistent nicniliers 
-^•— 



of the Methodist F-jjiscopal Church, and became 
the parents of seven children, namely, Franklin, 
George, Lucina, Ann, Rhoda, Emily and Rebecca. 
These also, with the exception of the wife of our 
subject, have passed to the silent land, Mrs. O. be- 
ing the only surviving member of her family. 

Mr. Ocheltree united with the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church in 1841, of which Mrs. O. has been a 
member since 1838. In religious work he has dis- 
plaj-ed the same energy as in other matters, hold- 
ing the ollices of Trustee, Steward and Chairman 
of important committees, and takes great satisfac- 
tion in the rellection that he has contributed more 
money for Christian purposes, probably, than any 
man of his means in this section. Upon first exer- 
cising the right of suft'r.age he voted the Democratic 
ticket, but ui)on the organization of the Free-Soil 
party identified himself with the latter, and from 
them came over to the Republicans, in 185G,and for 
a period of over thirty years has cordi.ally endorsed 
Repul)lican princi|)lcs. The household circle of 
our subject and his wife was completed bj' the birth 
of nine children, namely; John A., Rhoda J. (now 
deceased), Jacob M., IIorten.se A., Martha E., Gilson 
S., Gilbert B., Benjamin N. and .Mary E. The lat- 
ter passed aw.aj' in infancy. 

— >}— «-— osi-<Hllii>-»ii.o — =;^-S<— 
OSEIMI H. HEADRICK, a gentleman in the 
prime of life, is industriousl3' engaged in 
farming on a line tract of land in Newcomb 
Township, embracing 320 acres on section 
I, whiith constitutes his present homestead. The 
ini|)roveinents on his farm are among the best, not 
only in Newcomb Township, butalso in Champaign 
County. jV living stream of water runs through 
the farm, e.\cept in exceedingly dry times, which 
in.akes it excellent for stock [)urposes. Our sub- 
ject's birth took place in Randolph County, this^ 
State, Sept. 19, 1 84(5, on the farm of his father, 
and at thirteen 3'cars of .age he started out in the 
world for liim.-ielf, and since then has spent the 
most of his time in Champaign County. 

Our sid)ject is the son of Andrew and .Susan 
(lleadrick) lleadrick, who were natives of Ken- 
tucky,, where they remained a few years after their 
marriage, and thence emigrated to McLean County, 
III. The mother died on the homestead in Ran- 



i 



t. 



218 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



n 



<lulpli Township, in August, 1856. Tlie father is 
still living, and a resident of tiie latter-named 
county. The family included eight sous and one 
daughter, of wiiom our subject is the seventh child. 
He was naturally of an industrious and enterpris- 
ing disposition, and lo(jked out for liinisclf witliout 
didicuUy, being always cheerful and willing to per- 
form his whiilc duty, and mailing many friends. 
During the progress of tlie late war lie, in 1804, 
enlisted in Co. G, UiUh 111. \'ol. Inf., serving un- 
til the expiration of his term, of enlistment, at 
whicli time the preservation of the Union was as- 
sured. After leaving tlie army he returned to 
his old home in .McLean County, reniaining in that 
vicinity until 1877, and tlien became a resident of 
Newcomb Township, this countj', wlierc he has 
since remained. 

IMr. Headrick was married when thirty years of 
.age, in Newcomb Township, Sept. 10, 1870, to Mrs. 
Nancy (Richmond) Brine^'. wlio was born in 
Tazewell County, Sept. '20, 1S47, and is the daugh- 
ter of Wilson and Mary (-Tudy) Richmond. She 
was re.-ired by her parents on a fariu in her native 
county, and when nineteen years of age liecamc 
the wife of .John 11. Brine}', who died in Tazewell 
County, March 21, 187.3. Of this first marriage 
there were born three children — Lill.y M., .lohn W. 
and \':dentine W. The two latter arc deceased. 
The union of Mr. and JMrs. Headrick resulted in 
the birth of live children, whom they named as fol- 
lows: John \y., Calvin A., Grace L., Guy W. and 
Walter. The latter died in infancy. Mr. Head- 
rick, politically, is identilied with the Democratic 
party, and both he and his excellent wife are mem- 
bers in good standing of the Christian Church. A 
lithogr;iphic view of the residence and home place 
of Mi-. Headrick is shown elsewhere in this work. 

Tf? AMES W. STONESTRKI<yr, one of the most 
l)rominent and respected citizens of Kerr 
Township, as is evident from the number (jf 
years he has held the odice of Assessor, was 
bTTi^n in Hardy County, W. Va.. Oct. 19, 1828. He is 
the son of Klisha and Hannah (Skidinore) Stone- 
street, natives of Mrginia. His paternal grandparents 
were Butler and Mary (Williams) Stonest|j-eet, and 
his maternal grandparents, Elijah and Eleanor 



(Westfall) Skidmore. In 1 848 Klisha Stoaestreet 

went to Illinois, and first located at Blue Grass, Ver- 
milion County, where hestaifl three years. After his 
death his widow returned to the South in order to 
settle up some business affairs there which required 
lier personal attention. 

James W. Stonestreet was the fifth in order of 
birth in a family of nine children. During the ab- 
sence of liis mother at the S<iuth he bought 120 
acres of land, upon which he moved a little house, 
and assuming the [josition of head of the family 
brought all of his brothers and sisters to live with 
him. All around his primitive home stretched the 
bare, unimproved prairie covered with rough, tall 
grass and wild flowers. The only post-office in the 
vicinit}' was located at Champaign. JIany times 
during the night the little band of pioneers was 
startled by the howling of the wijlves, which some- 
times made friends with the dogs,' partaking of 
their food and robbing the family of all the fowls 
which they attempted to raise. In this desolate 
wilderness Mr. Stonestreet first engaged in farming, 
and struggled with the crude elements of nature 
until his efforts were finally crowned with success, 
and he 'succeeded in bringing his land to a high 
state of cultivation. 

In the meantime one of his sisters, who had kept 
house for him, died in the year 18fi7, and he mar- 
ried, J.an. 10, 1868, Miss Ellen Keene, of Westfield, 
Clark Co., III., the orphan daughter of Samuel and 
Irene (Klesher) Keene. who were among the old 
settlers of Indiana. After his marriage he settled 
on his farm on section 29, Kerr Ti>wnship, which 
place has since continued to be his residence. 

Mr. Stonestreet and his wife have had a family- 
of eleven sons, two of whom died in fnfancy un- 
named ; the names of the others are as follows : 
James Edward, Ereddie H., Walter C, Ashford 
Osborne, Samuel, Da\id T., Otis, and Bertie and 
Bruce (twins). Of these James Edxv^ard and .Sam- 
uel are dead; the rest live at home with their par- 
ents. 

Mr. Stonestreet has inherited much of the strong 
chai'acter and executive ability of his father, who 
was a highly educated man, possessing great mental 
power. Our subject was present at the organiza- 
tion of the township, of which he was elected the 
second Assessor, and which jtosition he has ever 
since retained, with the exception of three years, 
when he was un.able to perform its duties on ac-- 
count of severe illness resulting from a white swell- 
ing, which had troubled him when a bo}' thirteen 
years of .age. He has, on different occasions, held all 
the local offices, and now votes with the Democrats, 
though formerly he was a Republiean. Himself 
and his wife belong to the Ciiited Brethren Church. 



-► J i ■^* 



i 



J, 



-4•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



219 



eHRISTIAN F. SI 
German farmer o) 
native place wai 



I 



,HRI.STIAN F. SUMMIT, a representative 
'.r of Ludlow Townsliip, whose 
place was the little Kingdom of 
Wurtemberg, crossed the sea in 1853, when a 
young man twent^'-two j'ears of age, and two years 
later sought the Prairie State, of which he has 
since been a resident. He has proved one of the 
most highly esteemed and reliable men of this sec- 
tion, and has in all lespects identified himself with 
its interests and thoroughlj' adapted himself to 
American institutions and customs. In the estab- 
lishment of his home and the rearing of his family 
he has set an example worthy of imitation, lie 
chose for his helpmeet a rarely intelligent lady, and 
their three children have been given an excellent 
education. He is now surrounded by a large cir- 
cle of friends who have learned to respect and es- 
teem him for his enterprise and industrj- , his prompt- 
ness in meeting his obligations, and his value as a 
farmer and a useful member of the community. 

The family patronjinic is spelled Sammet in 
Germany. The birth of oui- suijject occurred Jan. 
11, 1831. He is the son of Frederick and Doro- 
thea Summit, both also natives of Wurtemberg, 
where they spent their entire lives on a farm. Our 
subject was placed in school at an early age and 
pursued his studies uninterruptedl}' until fourteen 
years old, when he was apprenticed to the black- 
smith's trade, which lit worked at in the old coun- 
tiy until 1853, and in April of that year started 
for the New World. After a voyage of thirty 
daj's lie landed in New York City, and first found 
employment on a farm near Syracuse, where he re- 
mained until coining to the West. He had been 
with one family during this time and was accom- 
[lanied by them to tills State, remaining with them 
in Logan County fur some time afterward and un- 
til his marriage. After this important change in 
his life he rented a tract of land in Logan County, 
until IsCT, whence he removed to McLean Count}' 
and cultivated rented land near I'.loominglon until 
1873. 

In the meantime Mr. Summit had purchased tiic 
land which he now owns and occupies, and which 
ho took possession of in the spring of 1873. A 
few aci'cs of lliis had been broken, .'ind upon It 
stood a rude shanty. He occupied this with his 



3'oung wife foi a time until enabled to put up a 
good frame dwelling. He now has all the land in 
a good stale of cultivation, with all necessary 
buildings, and has beautified his home b}' the plant- 
ing of choice fruit and shade trees. His stock and 
farming utensils are all first class, and his farming 
operations ai'e being conducted with that skill and 
judgment which have assured liliii a comfortable 
home and competency. 

Jlrs. Summit before her marriage was a resident 
of Philadelphia, by name Miss Magdalena Spoehrle. 
She also was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and 
was educated there in the same school as her hus- 
band. Her birth occurred Nov. 'itj, 1830, and her 
parents were Gottlieb and Catherina (Shafer) 
Spoehrle. She emigrated to America with her par- 
ents in 1854, and resided with them in the Quaker 
City until a short time before her marriage. She 
joined her future husband an Logan County on the 
16th of June, 1858, and they were married ten 
days later. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Summit, four in 
number, are Maude, Saddle, L}'dia C. and Minnie 
C. John F., the second child, died when two and 
one-half years old in Logan County. Saddle and 
Lydia are teachers in the public school. The par- 
ents and children .are consistent members of the 
Methodist Episcopal. Church. 

^IIOMAS O. DARRAH, a successful farmer 
of Pesotum Township, was born in Dela- 
ware County, Ohio, March 12, is;!i). His 
parents were John and Ellz.abeth (Orr) Darrah. 
The father, born in Harrison Count}', Ohio, in 1810, 
was the son of James and Nancy (Kent) Darrah, 
natives of Virginia, His maternal ancestors were 
from Ireland and Scotland, respectivel}', and emi- 
grated to this country, settling in Pennsylvania at 
an early dn}', where his mother was born in 179'.) 
in Huntingdon County. Our subject's iiarents re- 
moved from Ohio to Illinois when he was but an 
infant, settling In I'Ike County, where they re- 
mained until the spring of 1S(;5, then removed to 
Champaign County, this State, wheri^ the father 
bouiiht 320 acies of laml then known as the How- 



I 




t 



U^ 220 



t 



-•► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



let farm, and where our subject remained until his 
marriage, when his father gave him a deed to 
eighty acres of the iiome farm. John Darrah died 
in 1886; the mother of our subject preceded her 
husb.aud to the silent land in 1MG8. 

The marriage of Thomas (J. Darrah and !Miss 
Arclissa Nelson occurred Dec. 1, 1870. The}^ are 
now the parents of two children — Mertie M. and 
Sylvia M., both at lionie. The parents of Mrs. 
Darrah were Benham C. and Lydia Nelson, who 
were natives respectively of Virginia and Pennsyl- 
vania, and of German origin. Mr. Darrah's par- 
ents had a family of ten children, he being the 
eighth in order of l)irth. Of these three are now 
deceased. 

Mr. Darrah has been uniformly prosperous, and 
added to his first purchase until he now has 
185 acres all under a good state of cultivation, 
and notwithstanding he has traded to a considera- 
ble extent, he has always retained his first home- 
stead, the gift of liis fatlier. He h.as contributed 
his share in building up his community, and has 
filled the office of Township Supervisor for four 
years. Commissioner of Highways five years, and 
School Trustee eight. In politics he is a Demo- 
crat, and upholds the principles of that party. 

Mr. and Mrs. Darrah have been members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church for the past six j'ears, 
and are carrying out the principles of that faith in 
word and deed. They are wortii^' members of so- 
ciety and are highly' respected by their friend.s and 
associates. 




\ 1 — 



:^\ AMUEL A. HYDE, a son of one of the 
earliest pioneers of llensley Township, is 
one of the few representatives of the ad- 
venturous spirits who sought the Western 
wilds at an early period in tiie history of this 
region, and estsiblished the homesteads few and far 
between, with which the first settlement of the un- 
cultivated prairies commenced. Comparatively 
few are now left to tell the tale of their earlj' strug- 
gles and the courage reciuired to brave the hard- 
ships and dangers which confronted them on everj' 
hand. Too much credit can not be given to the 
pioneer fathers and mothers who have left to their 



children a heritage more valuable than gold or 
precious gems — -the legacy' of sound principles, in- 
dependence of cliaracter, industiy and persever- 
ance. One of the most prominent re|)resentatives 
of the pioneer element was Samuel Hyde, Sr., fa- 
ther of our subject, who was a native of Vermont, 
and emigrated with his family from his native hills 
about 1823. His father, Walter Hyde, was a na- 
tive of the same State, whence he removed to On- 
tario County, N. Y., with his f.imily, where he 
lived a number of 3'ears, and then to Indiana, set- 
tling in Switzerland County'. 

Samuel, Sr., was but a lad when he left his na- 
tive State, and was twent.y-one >'ears old when his 
parents removed from New York to Indiana. He 
stood upon the present site of Indianapolis when 
it was but a wilderness, and assisted in clearing 
away the virgin trees in order to lay the founda- 
tion of the State House. He remained a resident 
of that section until his marriage, and after this 
event settled in Vigo County, where he farmed on 
rented land until 1844. That year, accompanied 
by his wife and ten children, with an outfit of six 
horses and three w.agons. he started overland for the 
prairies of lUlinois. They carried their household 
goods and provisions with them, and, it being be- 
fore the days of palace cars and hotels, camped and 
cooked by the wa\'side. It was in the spring soon 
after the frost had left the ground, and the roads 
in some places were almost impassable. It took 
three days to I'each Vermilion County, a distance 
of forty miles. 

The father of our subject rented land in the lat- 
ter-named county until 1849, and the following 
spring came to this county, and purchased a tract 
of 200 acres of wild land in what is now llensley 
Township. He put up a log house on section 19, 
and commenced to improve the farm. He was one 
of the first of the permanent settlers in the town- 
ship and his neighbors were few and far between.. 

He lived to see the count3' well developed, and 
where once had been the wild prairie watched with 
keenest satisfaction the establishment of beautiful 
homesteads and the cultivation of fields of j-ellow 
gi-ain. He saw alst) the approach of the iron horse 
and noted with gratification the laj'iiig of the rail- 
road tracks, one after another, through one of the 
^ ■► i~ 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



A 



221 



i' 



richest regions of the I'niirio State. After a well- 
spent life, durinu' which he had made hosts of 
friends, he was gathered to his fathers on the 1 .3th 
day of September, 1878. The mother of our sub- 
ject, who w'as formerl3' Miss Olive Franklin, was a 
native of New York State, and departed this life 
at the old homestead in July, 1875. 

Samuel Hyde was the ninth child of the parental 
household, and a little lad of eight years when his 
parents removed to Illinois. Five years later they 
came to this county, and here he grew to manhood 
and completed his p'ractical education. He re- 
mained under the home roof until 1860, then 
farmed one year on the place he now owns and oc- 
cupies. At the expiration of this time the Rebel- 
lion began to .assume alarming proportions, and he, 
in common with thousands of others, laid aside his 
personal plans and interests and proffered his serv- 
ices in behalf of the Union. He enlisted Sept. 22. 
1801, and was attached to the .3d Missouri Cavalry > 
serving in the Western army three years. At the 
expiration of this time he received his honorable 
discharge, and returning home resumed agricult- 
ure on his present farm. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Catherine 
Montgomery took place in Mahomet Township. 
Jan. 19, 1865. Mrs. Hyde w.as born in Salem, N. 
J., and was the daughter of (iilpin Montgomery, a 
native of the same State. Her grandfather was 
born in Ireland and emigrated to America when a 
young man, locating in New Jersey, where he spent 
the remainder of his life. The father of Mrs. II. 
removed from New Jersey to Iowa in 1853, but 
only remained three or four months. He then re- 
turned East as, far as Ohio and lived in Champaign 
County, that State, three years, after which he re- 
turned to this county and located in Mahomet 
Township. Thence he removed to Kansas in 1883, 
settling in Neosha County, where he died Dec. 3, 
1886. The mother of Mrs. II., who in her girl- 
hood was Miss Elizabeth M. McCombs, was also a 
native of New Jersey, and died in Mahomet Town- 
ship, this county, Jan. 1(!, 1804. 

Our subject and wife have seven children — Liz- 
zie, Oriu, George, Charles, Harry, Kosie anrl Wil- 
ber. The parents and three of the children are 
members and regular attendants of the Methodist 
-^»-. 



Episcopal Church. Mr. Hyde is a Republican in 
politics, and keeps himself well [xisted upon m.at- 
ters of general interest. In his business habits and 
manner of living he is a worthy representative of a 
family widely known and universall\" respected. 



-v'l/v -xeiiec-©-^* 



•<g*.a/OTTr»v. -W/>^ 



(Si I^ILLIAM C. fisher, a well-known resi- 
\w// '^^"'' *^^ Hensley Township, and one of the 
W^ honored pioneers of Champaign County, 
came to this section of country while the greater 
part of the soil was uncultivated, and was among 
the first to turn the sod and mark out the path for 
a later civilization. He is a man possessed of un- 
common energy of character, who Laj's his plans de- 
liberately and seldom fails of execution. Conse- 
quently, when he had once decided to build up a 
permanent home in the Prairie State the result was 
only a question of time, and he was as confident 
that it would be carried out as that the sun shone. 
The fine homestead which he now occupies, and the 
pbsition which he enjoys among his fellow-towns- 
men, give ample evidence of what he has accom- 
plished and the m.anner in which it has been done. 
During the pioneer days he became intimately ac- 
quainted with dangerous difficulties and hslrdships, 
but met them all like a man, and held himself 
in readiness for any emergency. It is hardly nec- 
essary to say that he is accorded that jieculiar rev- 
erence which belongs to all those who ventured into 
an untried region and were willing to brave its soli- 
tude and labors. 

Mr. Fisher was born in Ohio Count}', W. Va., 
Dec. 15,1810. His father, .lohii Fisher, also a na- 
tive of the Old Dominion, grew to manhood in his 
native State, and was there mairied and lived until 
1811. He then emigrated to Ohio with his family 
via the Ohio and Scioto Rivers to Chillicothe, where 
they landed on the lOth of May, 1811. The father 
of our subject, who was one of the earlier settlers 
of that region, operated on rented land until 1820, 
then purchased a farm in Madison County, to 
which lu^ removed and spent the remainder of his 
days, departing this life at the ripe old age of 
ninety-three years. The mother of our subject, 
formerly Miss Klizabclh Hyers, was also a native ^' 



^- 



t. 



t 



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222 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



^ 



of Virginia. She accomptiuied her hiishaiul on his 
various travels, lived to take up with him their 
abode in Madison County, Ohio, and there died in 
about 1850. Of their fifteen children nine grew to 
become men and wtmien. 

William C'. Fisher of our sketch was Init a babe 
when his parents removed to Ohio. Me grew to 
manhood in the Bucke3-e State and was there mar- 
ried. After assuming domestic ties he purchased 
100 acres of land in Fayette Count}', upon which 
he removed with his bride and lived until 1848. 
when he sold out. In the meantime his household 
had been increased bj- the birth of five children, 
and with his family he now started for the jirairies 
of Illinois. Their outfit consisted of three horses 
and a wagon, and they made the entire journey 
overland, landing in Piatt County after a journey 
of eighteen days. Mr. Fisher rented laud there for 
the first year, and then coming to this county en- 
tered IGO acres on sections 7 and 18 of what is now 
Hensley Township, in addition to which lie pur- 
chased fifty acres. His first claim was a Mexic.in 
warrant, and the 160 acres cost him $12.5. He 
purchased a small log house which stood about one 
and one-half miles distant, and which he removed to 
his land and fitted it up so that his family occupied 
it f(jr several years. There was no grain mar- 
ket for several years, but corn found a ready sale 
in the field to cattle-feeders at ten cents per bushel. 
Deer and wolves were plenty, and the family were 
kept supplied with all the wild meat they could 
consume. 

When Mr. Fisiier came to this townshij) there 
were but three or four persons who had remained 
here. Their removal hence has been brought about 
in various ways, some by .seeking different locali- 
ties, and others by pa.Viing to the land of the here- 
after. There was then but one house between his 
dwelling and Champaign, and it may be readily 
imagined that he waiciied with pleasure and satis- 
faction the gradual settling up of his adopted 
county, and the i)rosperity to which it slowlj' but 
surely attained. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Jemima 
Coyner, took place at the residence of the bride's 
parents on the 1 2th of I'\'bruary, 1 835. Mi's. F. was 
boni in Ross Count}', Oiiio, Dee. 1 G, 1 81 G, and is the 
4' 



daughter of John Coyner, of Pennsylvania. Her 
grandfather was a native of Germany, whence he 
emigrated in earlj- life to tlie United States, and 
spent his last days in the Keystone State. His son 
John removed from ^■irgillia to Oliio in 1814, be- 
ing among the earliest settlers of Ross County, 
where he purchased a tract of land and improved a 
farm, which he occupied until his death. The 
mother of Mrs. Fisher, who before her marriage was 
Miss Hannah Lawell, was a native of \'irginia and 
of Scotch parentage and descent. 

Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fisher there 
were born eight children, six now living: John, J. 
Madison and David C. are residents of Hensley 
Township; Hannah married A. B. Hensley, and is 
now a resident of Kansas : Russell B. and Martin 
remained on the old homestead. Onr subject and 
his wife identified themselves with the Methodist 
Church early in life, Mr. F. when twentj'-one years 
old, and Mrs. F. when sixteen. ^Ir. F. in the old 
Whig daj'S affiliated with that party, but since its 
abandonment has cordially supported the principles 
of the Republican, and casts his vote in support of 
them. 

ENRY M. DIINLAP, proprietor of Rur;il 
Home Farm, is beautifully located on sec- 
tion 36, Champaign Township. He comes 
from an excellent family, and was trained 
by careful parents to habits of industry and princi- 
ples of honor. He was born in Lej'den Township, 
Cook Co., JIL, Nov. 14, 1853, and is the sou of 
Hon. M. L. Dunlap, now deceased. The latter; a 
native of Cherry Valley, N. Y., was born Sept. 14, 
1814, and in early j'outh indicated the quiet and 
studious habits which directed his course later in 
life. His choice was the study of medicine, but he 
was never, however, permitted to carry out his 
wishes. He removed West with his father's family 
in 1836, and after remaining one winter with his 
parents went to Chicago, which was then a town of 
about 2,000 inhabitants. He engaged as clerk for 
a time, and afterward went to Lamont, where ho 
became book-keeper for a firm of eontractf>rs on 
the Illinois and Michigan Canal, with whom he re- 
mained two 3'ears. In the meantime he saved a few 




* 



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'I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



223 



hundred dollars, and concluding to cuj^age in agri- 
culture, entered a tract of Uovcrnnient land in 
Coolc County, about twelve miles west of the city 
limits of Chicago. This he at once proceeded to 
improve and cultivate, and also engaged in survey- 
ing. 

In aliout 184;') Mr. Dunlap turned his attention 
to horticulture, which he followed for several years. 
In 18.55 he visited Champaign County, and pur- 
chased the north half of section 3(), in what is now 
Champaign Township. Two years later he removed 
his family here, and in due time had one of the 
largest nurseries in the West. As a man of thrift 
and intelligence, making the interests of his adopted 
county his own, he contributed of his time and 
means to the carrying out of every enterprise which 
would benefit its people and increase its standing. 
He was a man of unusual energy, and if unsuccess- 
ful in one direction or enterprise, lost no time in 
bemoaning the loss, but at once set about some other 
project, and was usually successful. 

During the struggle for the location of the In- 
dustrial University, j\Ir. Dunlap aided materially in 
its establishment at Urbana, by his wide acquaint- 
ance and influence among the public men of the 
State. He also possessed the pen of a ready writer, 
and was for many j'ears a frequent and intelligent 
contributor to the leading journals of the West. 
When the Bemocratiu Press, a Republican and 
leading free-soil paper of the West, was established, 
in 1 853, Mr. Dunlap was engaged as its chief agri- 
cultural writer, and his weekly letters came to be 
looked for and read with warm interest. His intel- 
ligent arguments on farm and garden attained a 
wide popularity, and the impetus which his thoughts 
gave to agriculture will be recognized many 3'ears 
hence. His nom de plume, "Rural," was well known 
throughout the West. After the consolidation of 
the Press with the Chicago Tribune, Mr. Dunlap 
was retained as the agricultural correspondent, 
which engagement covered a period of twentj'-two 
years. He took a warm interest in State and Na- 
tional affairs. In earlier years he was an adherent 
of the Democratic party, with which he cast his last 
vote in 1852. After that time he was one of the 
most ardent adherents of Republican principles. 
He was strongly opposed to slavery, and his house 



became one of the depots of the Underground 
Railroad, where the (leeing slave always found the 
lateh-string out. A man of his generous sympa- 
thies and rare intelligence could not fail of recog- 
nitii>n, and he w.'is apijointed to various oflices of 
trust. In 1854 he was one of the four members 
who represented Cook County in the State Leg- 
islature, in which body his influence was uniformly 
felt, as elsewhere. 

Hon. M. L. Dunlap was married, in Chicago, to 
Miss Emeline Tierce, who was born March 18, 
1818, at Sandy Creek, Oswego Co., N. Y., and was 
the daughter of .Tohn and Hannah (Ballon) Pierce, 
natives of Rhode Island. Mr. I'ierce served .as a 
soldier in the War of 1812, was Sheriff of Oswego 
County, and in other respects a prominent man in 
the public affairs of that section. The children of 
the Pierce household were Theodore, now deceased ; 
lliram J., a resident of Champaign; Oscar, of Grand 
View, Dak.; Merton, of I'a.xton, III.; Albert, de- 
ceased; Ernest L. and Ella, twins; the former a 
resident of Savoy, and the latter the wife of C. H. 
Riser, and now living in Kankakee; Eva J., the 
wife of R. G. Riser, of Kankakee, and Louie J., de- 
ceased. 

Mr. Dunlap of our sketch was but four years old 
when he came to this county with his parents. He 
pursued his primary studies in the district schools, 
and afterward entered the Illinois State University 
at Urbana, from which he graduated in 1875. Soon 
afterward he went into Eord County, and l)ecame 
the assistant of his brother Jlerton, who was then 
and is still County Clerk there. After a few mouths 
of office work he returned to the old homestead, 
which he took charge of until 1883, and then be- 
came its possessor by purchase. He is extensively 
engaged in raising grain and stock, the latter of 
which includes horses, sheep, cattle and hogs. He 
also has a fine fruit orchard, in the cultivation of 
which he takes great pride, and produces annually 
some of the finest specimens to be found at the ag- 
ricultural fairs. The main orchard includes 150 
.acres, among the trees of which are 150 varieties 
of apples. This orchard is one of the krgest in the 
United States, and tlie largest in Central Illinois. 
In coiniectidu with tliis ho has a steam cider mill, 
from which he turns out 1,000 barrels of cider an- 



i 



•^^m^4»- 



■*► ■ -<« 



4 



i 



If 224 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 



nually, and which finds a ready raarliet. The farm 
and buildings are liept in first-class condition, and 
form one of the most attractive spots in this lo- 
cality. 

Mr. Dunlai) was married in Urbana, July 5, 1877, 
to Miss Nora C. Burt, who is a native of Coshocton 
County, Ohio, born Feb. 4, 1 850, and the daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Mary L. Burt. Of this union 
there have been born two children — Mabel and 
Clarence. Mrs. Dunlap is connected with the 
Universalist Churcii. Politically our subject casts 
his vote with the Republican party. 

en. \'AN VLECK, of Philo \illage, is a 
substantial representative of the family 
which originated in Holland and the first 
members of which came to this countrj' prior to 
the Revolutionary War. The first of the family 
to locate in this country was the great-grandfather 
of our subject, who settled in the Mohawk Valley 
and remained a resident of the Empire State until 
his death. He there reared a family, among the 
members of which was James, the grandfather of 
our subject, who became a successful farmer, was 
married to Miss Rachel Francisco, of Spanish an- 
cestry, and spent the last years of his life in Herki- 
mer County', dying in 1822. His wife survived 
him until 18;58, and until about seventy years of 
age. Their eldest son and cliild, also named James, 
was reared to manhood in that locality and when 
twelve years of age began to work in the woolen- 
mills of Honeoye, N. Y. 

James Van Vleck attained to great skill in the 
manufacture of woolens, and was also possessed of 
much mechanical skill, becoming perfectl}' familiar 
with the intricacies of machinery and operated as a 
millwright during the later years of his life. At 
tlie early age of twenty-tliree j'ears, in company 
with his brother-in-law, he erected a large woolen- 
mill at Brownsville, N. Y., aud was even at that 
time the master mechanic in its construction. 
Afterward, in 1840, in company with a partner, he 
established the mills at Macedon Locks, in Wayne 
County, where he operated four years. He then con- 
cluded to try farming, but after one year's expori- 

4' 



ence returned to his former business and re-estab- 
lished the old factory in Penfield, Monroe County. 
His partner died al)out that time but he remained 
there for several 3'ears and thence removed to Dans- 
ville, Livingston County, aud afterward to Addison, 
Steuben County. In 185G he removed from the 
Empire State, and coming to Joliet, 111., was vari- 
ously' engaged until his death, Dec. 9, 1885, when 
seventy-four years old, having been born Dec. 1 1, 
1811. The mother of our subject was Miss Mary 
A. Haskins, who was born at Hinsdale, Mass., where 
she was reared and educated and learned to weave. 
She came of a long-lived family and is yet living 
in Joliet, being about seventy-three years old. She 
was the youngest of twelve children, aud was or- 
phaned by the death of both parents when a small 
child. The twelve all lived to a good old age and 
six yet survive, lieing well advanced in years. 

Our subject was the eldest in the family, consist- 
ing of two sons and one daughter. The latter, 
Mary, died in infancy. The parents afterward 
adopted a little girl named Elizabeth, who was re- 
garded as one of the family and became the wife 
of George Thompson, of Steuben County, N. Y. 
She is now deceased. Mr. Van Meek received a 
good education, completing his studies at Albaii}' 
University, from which he graduated in the class 
of 1854, being its youngest member. He had 
attended a course in the law department, and was 
admitted to practice that same j'car. Soon after- 
ward he withdrew from the bar of the State and 
came to Illinois, locating in Winnebago Count3', 
where he was alternately engaged in teaching and 
farming. In 1858 he became a resident of Will 
County. During that year also he set out with an 
organized company to cross the plains, and after 
reaching California engaged in mining aud mer- 
chandising until 18G6. He then returned to Illi- 
nois via the Isthmus, arriving in this State in June. 

Fnnn that time until October our subject occu- 
pied himself in looking around for a jiermanent 
location, finally settling at Philo \'illage, where he 
began dealing in grain, which he continued for 
some years, in the meantime also becoming con- 
nected with the agency of the Wabash Railroad. 
He also dealt in lumber, coal, live-stock and real 
estate. At the early age of eighteen years he had 



•^ 



f. 



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"» ■ ^* 



CHAMPAIfiN COUNTY. 



•225 



obtained a practical knowledge of survej'ing. which 
lie followed for inanj" 3'ears. The greater part of 
tiie townsiiip of I'liilo was surveyed by him, as well 
as portions nf Kayniond, Sidney' and Url)ana, and 
111' laid nut the village of St. Joseph as earl_y as 
I.sTl'. lie has operated of late years in com pan)' 
with iiis brother, and the firm of Van ^'leek 6i liro. 
now do a business of about ^100,000 anniiallj'. 

Our sul)jcct was married at Joliet, .Seiit. 20, 
1869, to Miss Jennie .S. Palmer, who was born and 
I'eared in that eit}' and who died at the home of 
her luisliMud in Philo ^'illage, Oct. 26, 1872, being 
a few montlis over twenty-six years of age. The 
second marriage of Mr. A'an Vleck took place in 
1874, with Mrs. Emma (Gord^y) JNIoon. Mrs. Van 
\'. was the daughter of Cyrus Gordy, and was born 
and reared in Ohio. A sketch of her uncle, Thomas 
(iordy, appears on another page in this volume. 
This Iad\' died at the home of her husband in Philo 
Village, June 18, 1880. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married at Philo in 1881, was Mrs. Frances (Gil- 
lett) Godfrey, a native of New York State, and the 
dangiiter of William and Sarah Gillett. Of the 
tirst marriage of Mr. A'an V. there was born a son, 
C. Frank, who is the only child of our subject. 

Mr. Van X'leck has served as Justice of the Peace 
in Philo Township for two years. Politically he 
is a solid Republican, and with his excellent lady 
is a member in good standing of the Presbyterian 
Church. 



4 



"~* t > — l*\/\n 



/^\ APT. JOSEPH DA^'lDSON. This gentle- 
(l( man is widely and favorably known through- 

^^^ out Champaign County as possessing more 
than ordinary abilit}', and one who has proved him- 
self an important factor in the farming and busi- 
ness community of Philo Township. He is pleas- 
antly located on a tine stock farm, which occupies 
part of section 18, and also has a tract in Tolono 
Township, the whole including 455 acres, all of 
which is tinelj' improved. The residence of our 
subject is a fine and imposing structure, and the 
grounds surrounding it are beautifully laid out and 
ornamenteil with choice shrubs and trees, the main 
feature being a line grove which protects it from 

4t 



summer's heat and winter's storm. The barns and 
other outhouses corresixmd with the dwelling, and 
the whole estate forms a picture to delight the eye 
and attract the attention of the passer-b}'. 

Capt. Davidson took possession of his |)resent 
homestead in 1867, .although he had been a resident 
of Chanii)aign Count)' since the close of the war. 
His first purchase consisted of 16(1 acres, to which 
he afterward added by degrees. He has been uni- 
formly prosperous in his business and agricultural 
undertakings, and has contributed his full share 
toward the develoiimcnt of Philo Township. He 
is a native of Ironton, Lawrence Co., Ohio, and 
was born June 15, 1820. His father, Col. Joseph 
Davidson, v/as for some years Sheriff of J^awrence 
Count)', which he also represented in the Ohio 
Legislature for a period of four years. He owned 
a line property in the Buckeye State, and was a man 
who commanded admiration and respect wherever 
known. After reaching middle life he moved to 
Iowa, locating on a farm near Farmington, Xan 
Bnren County, where his death occurred. The 
mother died in Ohio when her only son, Joseph of 
our sketch, was but nine years of age. His father 
in due time was married again, and our subject re- 
mained with him until seventeen j-ears of age,' 
when he set out to do for himself. He had no 
money and the occason of his leaving home was a 
severe chastisement which his father gave him with- 
out cause. He commenced the struggle with the 
world as a Hatboatman on the Ohio and Mississippi 
Rivers, and for eight years following journeyed up 
and down between Cincinnati and New Orleans. 
During that period he saw many strange sights and 
met with some hard experiences; sometimes pos- 
sessed of a full purse and sometimes had nothing. 
Later in life he began to operate a steamboat up 
and down the Tennessee River, and during the war 
was engaged in transporting Government supplies, 
which proved quite a bonanza. He became Cap- 
tain of the J. H. Done, and later built a boat, J. H. 
Done No. 2. He transferred the first Ft. Don- 
nelson prisoners from the fort to N'icksbiirg for ex- 
change, and his craft was afterward utilized entirely 
for army officials. He became one of the most 
skillful pilots and Ca|)tains throughout that section 
of country. In June,! 864, he sold out his boats , 



i 



I 



226 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






and business to good advantage, and located in 
Ironton, Oliio, wlience later he removed to Cham- 
paign County, 111., invested in land and began to 
operate as a general farmer. He was for a few 
years engaged in merchandising in Ironton, but 
confesses more of an affection for Champaign 
County than any other locality where his lot has 
been cast. 

Our subject was first married in Lawrence County, 
Ohio, in 18.50, to Miss Kliza Frampton. This lady 
was a native of Ohio, born in Lawrence County, 
and died in tliat county, at Ironton, in 185C, leav- 
ing two children. Ada became the wife of Chester 
A. Bowman, now a successful young farmer of 
Philo Township, this county; Joseph M. is engaged 
as a grain dealer at St. Louis, Mo. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married at Ironton, Ohio, in May. 18G5, was for- 
merly Miss Susan Hover. She was born in Penn- 
sylvania, of which State her parents were both 
natives. She possesses in a marked degree the 
energ}' and intelligence of her husband, and their 
home is the resort of the cultured people of Philo 
Township. Capt. Davidson is strongly Republican, 
but has steadily declined to become an othce- 
seeker. 

.5. H5»^H^&4",^W-<~ * 



yfclLLIAM DAWLEY. The subject^ of the 
/ following sivetch owns and occupies a fine 
^^^ homestead in Scott Township, on section 
3. This comprises 240 acres of choice land, upon 
which he has erected a flue Set of frame buildings, 
and supplied the prcniioes with all things needful 
for the carrying on of agriculture in a first-class 
manner. Mr. Dawley has been a resident of Scott 
Township since 18GG. He was born in Oreene 
County, Ohio, April 2G, 1828, and is the son of Dev- 
vorix and Iluld.ah Dawley, the former a native of 
Maryland and the latter of Kentucky. After their 
marriage they located in Ohio, and the mother 
died in Greene County in about 1837. After the 
death of ids wife the father of our subject removed 
to Muskingum County, Ohio, where he again mar- 
ried, and then removed to Fairfield County. He 
died in Lancaster, th.at county, in about 18X0, 
The parenUd family consisted of seven children, 



three sons and four daughters, of whom our subject 
is the third chihl. He remained a resident of Ohio 
until 1851, when he came to Piatt County, this 
State, first woi'king out by the month, then operat- 
ing on rented land until 18UG. He was married in 
Piatt County, Jan. G, 1853, to Miss Susan Gay, also 
a native of the Buckeye State. They became the 
parents of nine children, three now deceased. Those 
surviving are Diautha, John, Mary C, AVilliam, 
Ida and Clara. John married Miss Nancy Beck, 
and is fanning in Scott Township. Those deceased 
are Albert, Rosaltha and Jane. 

Mr. Dawley has held the office of Highway Com- 
missioner, and is a man who t.akes a genuine inter- 
est in the welfare of his community. Politically he 
is a reliable Republican. Mrs. 1). is a member in 
jj-ood standing of the IMethiMlist Cliurch. 



FNRY SADORUS, deceased, father of Ileury 
T., Allen M. and William Sadorus, repre- 
sented in this work, was a native of Penn- 
sylvania and of German descent, as was 
also his wife, Mary (Titus) Sadorus. He followed 
farming in Allegheny County, Pa., from early man- 
hood until 1817, then left the farm and drifted 
down the Ohio River on a raft, landing at Cincin- 
nati, where he remained two years, engaged in var- 
ious kinds of business. Thence he migrated into 
Rush County, Ind., and purchased a farm of eighty 
acres, where he remained until 1824. In the mean- 
time he had been greatly prospered, but desiring to 
change his location once more, pushed still further 
westward into Illinois, and purchased GOO acres of 
land in Vermilion County. From this Champaign 
County was afterward detached, and Mr. Sadorus 
settled at the lower end of what is now known as 
Sadorus Grove. Here he remained engaged in the 
peaceful pursuit of agriculture, and rested from his 
earthly labors July 18, 1878, dying at the advanced 
age of ninety-five 3'ears, having been born July 2G, 
1783. 

The subject of this history possessed a varied and 
interesting experience. During the progress of the 
Revolutionary War he served with the minute men 
who guarded the navy yard iluring the construction 




, 



i' 



^ 




Residence of L. H. Howser,Sec.31 , St. Joseph Tov/ns 



u\ 





fec--:ai«i~->(ffi^>«-<~WtJKg«i>ae)»i;«jaaJ>llwi--is^^ 



ir%»i' -ii '"-44 -ij t^ '♦rrr^^i. T^vi *-t -^ 



Residence of Gustave Stumpf , SEc.6.,(R9-t) RantoulTownshir 




Residence of G.W.Griswold^Sec. 17 ,Harwood Township. 



f 



f 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



229 



of Comiuoilorc I'crry's tieet for the inenioi'ablc 
cruise on Lake Erie. He witnessed tlie Indian war 
dance and tlie bloody massacre which followed, and 
during the early days of the settlement of Penn- 
sylvania, incurred, in common with those around 
him, the dangers and iiardships of life in the wilder- 
ness. 

Henry .Sadorus lived, however, to note the disap- 
pearance of the untamed savages, and to behold the 
native soil, where many years before had roamed 
wild animals and Indians, cultivated by the civil- 
ized whites and teeming with settlements. Upon 
coming to Illinois his rich experience enabled him 
at once to grasp the duties of the (lioneer, which he 
performed in a manner worthy his high character 
and the principles which had ruled his life. He was 
a citizen who enjoyed in a marked degree the re- 
spect of those around him, and of whom still fur- 
ther mention is made in the biographj- of his sons. 

LEXANDER YEXLEY. This gentleman 
made his first advent into Cliauipuign 
Countj- thirt}' years ago, in 1857. He is 
thoroughly acquainted with the vicissitudes 
of pioneer life, having had a rare experience with 
the dilliculties of a new countr3', his first experi- 
ence having been when he was a bo}' in the Ruck- 
eye. State, to which he had emigrated with his par- 
ents from his native city of (^uel)cc, Ontario, 
Canada. There he lirst opened his eyes to the light 
on tlie 21th of May, l.s;31. His father, Alexander 
Yexlev, Sr., was liorn in the city of l^onilon, En- 
gland, where he grew to manhood, was married, 
and soon afterward emigrated to America. He 
was a hoise-trainer by profession, which he followed 
until his death, which occurred in l.s;i.'). The 
mother of our subject before her marriage was 
Miss Mary .1. Ihnun, also a native of London. 
Their son, our subject, was but a year old when his 
father died. Tiie mother was subseipiently mar- 
ried to \y. Wood, and they removed to New York 
State, where they lived for a short time, thence 
going to Toledo, Ohio, and afterward into Defiance 
County, that State, where .Mrs. Wood slill lives. 
Mr. Yexle}^ of our sketch was but a child when 

4* 




his mother hecame a resident of Defiance County, 
(^liio. 'I'hey located on the piesent site of Ilicks- 
ville, which was then a wilderness, and tlie boy as- 
sisted in clearing a farm and establishing a coinforta- 
able home, remaining with his mother until eight- 
een j'ears old, when he paid his stepfather ^30 for 
his time, and started out for himself. He com- 
menced working for $8 a month, but his 
wages were raised as his usefulness increased, never, 
however, going over $14. When twenty-one years 
old he commenced dealing in stock, in which he 
was occupied until 18.")7. In that year he decided 
to tiy his fortunes in the farther West, and made 
the journey overland into Illinois, bringing with 
him four horses and selling three after his arrival. 
Coming into this county he commenced to break 
prairie at $20 per month and during the summer 
season worked in the harvest field. In December 
of that year he returned to Ohio and resumed his 
stock ojicrations, to which he also added that of a 
lively trade in furs. 

In 1803 Mr. Y'exley returned to this county and 
purchased the farm which he now owns and occu- 
pies. Its condition, however, is now widely differ- 
ent from that in which he found it. There was 
then a house of one rotuii, very little of the land 
was enclosed, and but a few .acres had been turned 
by the plow. The passing traveler now descries an 
attractive homestead with shapely and substantial 
farm buildings, and the laiul under a good state of 
cultivation. Eveiytliiiig aljout the pn'iiiises de- 
notes the supervision of the intelligent modern 
farmer. 

The l;idy who has been the sharer of the labors 
and successes of our subject, and to whom he was 
married Nov. 28, 18;j7, was formerly iMiss Jane 
Ham. She was born in Fa3'ctte County, I'a., .May 
23, 1811, and is the daughter of Hartliohunew and 
Luciiida Ham, natives uf ^■irgillia. Mr. Ham re- 
moved fnim his native State to Ohio at an early 
period in the settlement of Fayette County, where 
he was one of the first pioneers. He cleared a farm 
friiiii the wildei-jiess and built a comfortable home 
which he occupied for man}' years. In 18.JI he 
came to Illinois, loc.'iting first in Piatt County, .and 
after operating there Wvi' years on rented l.-iiid en- 
tered a claim in Condil Township, this count}-. 



i 






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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



which became his home until about 1860. He is 
now a resident of Kisher. 

Mr. and Alr.s. Yexle3- have become the parents of 
five children, namel}- : Lillle V.,the wife of Will- 
iam Porter, of Mcrriciv County, Nel). ; Alta M., 
Tina 1?., Cenrge A. and Katie M. Mrs. Y. is con- 
nected with the .Metiiodist Church; our subject [w- 
liLically is a sM|ipiirter of Rc|iublic:ui princiiiles. 






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t= 



a^LKXANDKli P. WlllT.MORK owns and 
(( P/lJ I occupies one of the liucst farms in Philo 

/// Hi Tuwusiiip. which is hjcated on section 4, 
<^ and invariabl_v attracts tiie attention of tlie 

passing traveler on account of tlie beauty of its 
location, the tasteful ;iiid iuiposiug residence, and 
the sul)stantiid bai-n situated in llie midst of fine 
grounds, every tliirjg- indicating tlie cultivated tastes 
and ample means of the (iroprietor. Our suljject 
purchased his present homestead in 1873. but did 
not t;ikc possession until four ^ears later. It c<jm- 
prises Kil acres drnined by .')()(( rods of tile, in- 
closed with substantial fencing and cultivated by 
means of the most improved machincr}'. 

Mr. Whituiore has been a resident of Ch:impaign 
County since IMIJ;'), arriving here on the 1 4th of 
A[)ril, the day made memorable li)- the assassination 
of Abraham Lincoln. He located in the city of 
Champaign, of which he remained a resident until 
1.S71, when he removed to a farm in Homer Towu- 
siiip, wliich he occupied until the reinovid to Philo. 
In tlie foiiner township he liecamc propri('tor of 
1 jO acres, wliicli he secured solely througli his own 
industry and by the exercise of tlie closest econo- 
my, as lie started out in the world poor in pocl^et, 
with no possessions but his rare good sense and 
willing hands. His subsequent career has been a 
fine illustration of wiiat m.ay be accomplished by 
energy, industry and prudence. The birth of 
Alexander P. Whitmore took place in Rutland 
Conntj', \'t., April 1."), 1834. He resided in his 
native .State until reaching years of manhood, and 
tU«!nce removed to Washington County, N. Y., lo- 
cating at Ft. Ann, where he remained until conung 
to Illinois. He vvas married, Dec. !), ISGl.to Miss 
.Susan .1. Bourne, a native of liis own town in \'er- 



mont, where she grew to womanhood, receiving a 
common-sciiool education. Of this union there 
were born four children: Susie became the wife 
of Pev. tTeorge W. Morrow, who is now attending 
the Christian Church College on the Hudson at 
Stanfordville, N. Y., completing liis studiey for the 
ministry; the younger daughter. Ma}*, is at iiomc 
with her parents. Two died in infanc}' unnamed. 

The Whitmore family were originally from New 
England, the father of oiu' subject, Perley V»' hit- 
more, having been born in Rhode Island, where the 
first rei)resentativcs of the family, who were of 
Knglish descent, settled at an earlj' day. He mar- 
ried Miss Marbury Stafford, of Rutland County, 
\t., who descended from the German. They lo- 
cated in Granville, N. Y., where the father died in 
1850, when sixty years of age. The mother, who 
afterward remained a widow, came to Illinois and 
spent the remainder of her days with one of her 
sons, Thomas S., in Champaign, departing this life 
in 1884, when eighty-seven years of age. 

The parents of Jlrs. Wliitmore were also of New 
England birth. Her father, Orson Bourne, dc- 
|)arted this life in Hid)bardton, Vt., in 18S,5, when 
about seventy-five 3'ears (jld. The mother, who was 
formerly Miss Susan Sherman, died in New York 
near the Vermont State line, about tlie year 1859. 
Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore have come honestly by 
every |)enny of their possessions. Their beautiful 
home witii its surroundings is the result of many 
years of industry Mud economy, the wife working 
side Ijj" side with her hiisbnnd in tlie endeavor to 
place themselves iu a worth}' and honored position 
ill the comuuinily. Their efforts have been amply 
rewarded, nml their later years witness them enjoj'- 
iiig the fruits of their labors, and the esteem uf all 
who know them. 



on 
ear 
far 
for 



f/OHN K. r.ARDWELL,of Hensley Townshii), 

w.is born in Slu'lburue, Franklin Cii., Mass., 

.March 11, 1835. His father, Kbeiie/.er P>ard- 

well, and his grandfather, Zenas, were horn 

the same farm. The Bardwells were among the 

liest settlers of that section of the country, the 

m having been handed down from father to .son 

several generations; it is now owned by a 




f 



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CIIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



231 






brother of our subject. Kbi'iic/.er IJiirdwell spent 
bis entire life on the farm where lie first opened iiis 
C3'es, and died tiiere in about 1872. He was mar- 
ried in early manhood to Miss Clarinda Rice, who 
was born in Conwaj', Franklin Co., Mass., and was 
the daughter of Daniel Rice, whose ancestors were 
among the earliest settlers there. The mother of 
our subject died on the old liumestead in 1844. 
There the latter was reared, and received his early 
education in the district schools. He afterward 
pursued his studies in the academy at IJernardstown, 
and after his school da^s were over engaged at 
farming. He remained witii his parents until 1 SUO, 
when he came West and purchased land in Critten- 
den Township, this county, svhich he occupied four 
yeai's, and then purchased his present farm. This 
he has brought to a fine state of cultivation, has 
erected a commodious frame barn, and is now 
building a handsome house. 

Mr. Bardwell was married, in August, 18U0, to 
Miss Levilla Kellogg, who was a native of his own 
town in Massachusetts, and tlie daugiiter of Klani 
and IJetsey (Dole) Kellogg, both also natives of 
Shelburne. Elam Kellogg held the oHice of Deacon 
in the Congregational Church of Franklin County, 
Mass., for a period of over lift}- years, and was one 
of three who voted the Free-Soil ticket at its birth 
in Shelburne. He was widely known as Deacon Kel- 
logg. Of the union of our subject and his wife 
there have been born seven children, three living 
— Ellen, Julia and Faith. Four died iu infancy. 
l\Ir. and Mrs. B. and two of their children are con- 
nected with the Congregational Church at Cham- 
paign. Our subject is a stanch Republican, and 
greatly interested in the success of the Prohibition 
party. 

ylLLIAM H. .JOHNSON is proprietor of 
520 acres of improved land, embracing the 
greater part of section 12 in Sadorus 
Townshi|). As a man of great force of cliaracler, 
who arose from a humble position in life to becmne 
one nf the most important factors of a wealthy and 
pros])erous (MinimuMity, lie [ircseiits an example of 
eoiinige and rooliitidii wiiicli is highly worthy of 
eiuuhition by tlie young man of to-day, who is so 



situated that if lie rises at all it must be through 
his own elTorts. 

Mr. .lolinson was born in the city of Hoston, 
Mass., Sei)t. 14, 182.5, and was the twelfth child in 
a family of thirteen, of whom he is the only surviv- 
ing member. His parents, Enoch and Lydia .John- 
son, \yere also natives of the Bay State, and pos- 
sessed bnt a moderate amount of this world's 
goods. When William H. was ten years of age he 
started out to do for himself. He had iu his pocket 
a cash capital of *1. .")(), which he had earned [lick- 
ing currants, and which he spent in paying his fare 
to New Vork City. He had formed large ideas of 
the metropolis from the stories recite<l by his 
3'oung associates, ami entered its gates with high 
hopes. His blight, open and intelligent face com- 
mended him to those from he sought eni[)loyment, 
and he found a berth in Lovejoy's Hotel, where lie 
remained for over three years. Jii the nieautinie, 
with the natural impulse of youth to be gay and 
foolish, he became Miirounded by a group of young 
men, who began to lead liiiii astray. His good sense 
saved liiiii, iiowever, and breaking away from them 
he left his situation and sought wcirk elsewhere. A 
j'ear later he left the city in company with a jour- 
neyman printer, and wandered u|) the river, lirst to- 
Albany and thence to Troy, where he bound him- 
self to Thomas Henderson, an iron-nail maker, for 
a period of four years, but remained with him only 
three j'ears, when he niaiiied, Nov. 20, 1812, at the 
age of sixteen years and two moiitiis. 

After this event his employer gave him his time, 
and he commeiu'ed work at journeyman's wages. 
Having a sensible and economic wife he was ena- 
bled to save some nioiie^', ;ind one year hiter in- 
vested ill real estate, purchasing two lots in the city 
of Troy, where he built a two-story house, of which 
he rented a jiart, and occupied the balance with his 
family. His wife was formerly INHss Catherine 
Jjcagle, and was only fourteen years of age at the 
time of her marriage. The first year of their union 
there was born .a daughter, Adaline A., and two 
years later a boy, uliom tiiey named William. In 
IS (7 aiKjther daughter was added to the household, 
whom they named .S;ii;ili. When little .Sarah was 
ten niontlis old her niotlier was t:iken awav bv the 
cholera, which swept over the Ivistern States, and 




t. 



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232 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



the life of Willie was saved only by the most des- 
perate iciiiedieis. This uecurred in ISiH, when our 
siihjoct was but twenty-three years of age. 

After tlie death of iiis wife Mr. .Johnson em- 
ployed a housekeeper, and attempted to keep his 
little family Idyether. This proved anything but 
satisfactory, and he then placed his children to 
l)(iard while he left them to toil for tiieir support. 
His burden of .--orrow was soon added to l)^' the 
death of his only son, from the measles, about six 
months after the death of the mother. 

These !il11icti<jns had the effect of causing the 
fatiier to lose his interest in the old scenes and sur- 
roundings, and placing his two little girls in the 
hands of his brtither-in-law in the country, near by, 
he accei)ted a |)roposition fi'om a company of nail- 
makers, to go to Cuba and construct and operate a 
nail-mill theic. Il(^ arrived in the West Indies in 
the fall of ISPJ, and located the site of the mill at 
Rcgulus near Havana, where he put up the first 
nail and iron mill on the Island, under the pro- 
tection of the (^ueen of .Spain, wlio gave his com- 
panj' the exclusive right of manufacture, and for- 
bade the importation of spikes or nails to the Island 
for a long period of years. 

- JMr. .lohnson remained in Cuba a little over two 
.years, and whik' there w.as married to Mrs. Cather- 
ine Louisa Hartman, a native of Hanover, Ciermanj'. 
After suffering a spell of the yellow fever he was 
again forced to face another cholera scourge, but 
d('termine<l to evade its dangers by returning 
North until the trouble was over. Before he could 
get awaj', however, his wife was stricken down, but 
after a desperate struggle for her life, finally recov- 
ered. The lirst husband of Mrs. .lohnson died from 
cholera very suddenly at Havana, being taken 
down one .Sunday' morning while they were i)re- 
paring for church. Of this union there was born 
one son, Frederick, who now makes his home with 
his mother and stei)father. 

After his wife was able to travel Mr. .lohnson re- 
turueil to Troy, N. V., remaining unemployed there 
until the danger was over. In the meantime nearly 
all his friends and acquaintances had been carried 
off by the dre.Klful epidendc, and as he had lo>l all 
his property he left there, determined never to re- 
turn. He accordingly engiiged in the butchering 



business in Tro}', wliicli he followed four years, and 
then abandoned this to engage in tiie gi'ocery trade. 
Two j'ears later ill-health compelled him to give up 
business entirelj' and receive treatment for con- 
sumption, which seemed to have taken hold upon 
his constitution. Not experiencing an}' relief he 
concluded to go West. 

After reaching Chicago, in 1850, upon his west- 
ern venture, Mr. .Johnson concluded to remain 
there for a time, and i)ut up at the Massasoit House, 
near the Ceutrid Depot. Shortly afterward, however, 
he started out with a company of speculators to 
view the land in Central Illinois. He was greatly 
pleased, and imrchased eighty acres on section 12, 
in Piatt County. Returning to Chicago he pur- 
chased two horses, some farming implements, and 
seed i)otatoes, and returning to his iJurehase, 
planted his potatoes on a piece of sod that had been 
broken on his land, unintentionally, l)y a man who 
owned land adjoining .and supi)osed that his ()rop- 
erty included this strip also. Mr. Johnson raised a 
tine crop of "murphies," and the people came 
for nnles around to buy them. He found himself 
unable to turn the sod with the team he had, and 
returning to Chicago, bought another horse and 
hired a trusty man to come to the farm with him. 
About this time^ his wife who had remained in 
Troy, wrote that her little boy, who had suf- 
fered severely with the measles, was still in feeble 
health, and he returned home, to find that- the De- 
stroyer had again invaded his hou.sehold. He ar- 
rived there just as the funeral was leaving, but 
with a sorrow liorn of despair, set himself mechan- 
icallj' about the arrangements for the future com- 
fort of his remaining family. 

Mr. Johnson now sold out all his possessions in 
Troy, and returned to the West with his family. At 
Toledo he purchased lumber for a house and shipped 
it, together with his household goods, to Henient 
on the Wabash Railroad, which had just been put 
in operation. Upon arriving at his farm and estab- 
lishing his famil}' in a house near bj', he proceeded 
to the woods aiul cut the timbers for the frame of 
his projected il welling, whit'h in due time was 
conipleteil and the family moved in. As will be 
seen, Mr. John.son w:us entirely ignorant c>f the art 



T 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



233 






of fanning, anil he conquered it only by the hard- 
est work and long continued efforts. 

Providence now smiled upon the efforts of our 
subject, and he remained upon the farm which he 
had built up until 18C2. In the meantime his own 
child and the child of his wife by lier former 
husband were growing up, and he determined to 
give them the advantages of a better education 
than they could secure in Sadorus Townshii). lie 
accordingly rented his farm and moving to the city' 
of (.^uincy, placed the children in school, and re- 
mained there until they had completed their stud- 
ies, in 18()5. Then all returned to the farm, which 
had been occupied by the husband of his daughter, 
James Gilman. While in (^uincy Mr. J. employed 
liis time operating in grain, of which business he 
made a success. Upon returning to the farm he put 
up a fine residence, into which his family moved in 
the fall of 18G.D, and which our subject has since 
occupied. The beautiful dwelling, situated in the 
midst of choice fruit trees and surrounded liy hand- 
some grounds, with stately and substantial out- 
houses, and the fields stretching away on either 
side, presents a picture of one of the finest home- 
steads in Central Illinois. The career of Mr. 
Johnson as a man and citizen, has been one of which 
his children will be proud to read in years to come. 

During his residence on the farm Mr. Johnson 
opened a station, a quarter of a mile away, which is 
now kuovvn as Ivesdale. For a period of fifteen 
years he conducted general merchandising in con- 
nection with tlie grain trade, while at the same time 
he olliciated as Postmaster, Station Agent and Ex- 
press Agent, and was in fact, with his emjiloyes, al- 
most a village by himself. The post-oflicc was 
opened in 18G(!, and remained in his hands until he 
sold out his stoclv of merchandise. He had also es- 
tablisiied on the farm a nuisery, which was nian- 
agod l)y John IJlockcr, a native of Sweden, and a 
man well posted in his business. Mr. 11. liad charge 
of this for sixteen j'ears. After retiring from his 
other business Mr. John-son was able to give this 
branch more of iiis time. 

Our subject uiiglit live in luxury the balance of 
his days, witho\it raising a linger to labor, but his 
natural habits of life have been such that it, is im- 
possible for him to remain idle. His mind, at 



least, is actively engaged in projects tliat will c\/- 
hance the beantj' of his homestead, and in this way 
reflect credit on his count}'. He spends his winters 
mainly in the South, returning to the farm in the 
spring, and while not lavish in his outlays for the 
convenience and comfort of himself and his familj-, 
wisel}' assists in the circulation of the '• legal tender," 
benefiting the industrial and trade interests about 
him equally with himself. He takes no active part 
in politics, and to the repeated solicitations to be- 
come an oOice-holder, has steadily turned a deaf 
ear. 

l)f the five children born to William H. and 
Catherine L. Johnson, two little boys (twins) died 
in infancy; William married Mary C, daughter of 
Elijah and Mary Centers, and lives in Chicago; he 
is employed on the Wabash Railroad as engineer, 
and is the father of five children — Etta M., Will- 
iam H., Mary Louisa, Charles and Freddie, all liv- 
ing; iNIiss Mayola Johnson is at home with her par- 
ents; Charles is deceased. 



EMUEL CRAWFORD, an esteemed mem- 
ber of the farming community of Pesotum 
^ Township, is pursuing the even tenor of his 
way as a successful agricidturist on 1 20 acres of 
good land in the southeast quarter of section 22. 
Here, with the members of his family who are at 
home, and those who are married and living not 
far away, he is enjoying, .as he deserves, the good 
things of life and the friendshi]) of his fellow-citi- 
zens. 

The childhood and youth of Mr. Crawford were 
spent in ■Teft'erson County, Ohio, where he was born 
on Independence Day in l.S2!». He was the tenth 
child of P>euedict and Catlu'rine (AriU)Id) Craw- 
ford, tlu> former a native of Pennsylvania, and (he 
latter of Jefferson County. Ohio. They lived 
quiet and unassuming lives as agricnltmists on the 
moderately sized faini, and Lemuel remained un- 
der the home roof with his brothers and sisters un- 
til attaining his twentieth year. The young men 
of those days formed marital and domestic ties 
e.'iiiier in life th:in ;it the present, and at the age 
mentioned our subject was united in marriage with 




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234 



4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Miss Sarah Henderson, a native of Maryland. 
Mrs. C. was the sixtii child of John and Lavina 
(Henderson) Henderson, the father a native of Ire- 
land and the mother of Maryland. 

After marriage our subject and wife located 
upon a farm in Carroll County, Ohio, whence they 
removed six years later to Tuscarawas County, 
where Mr. Crawford jjurchased seventy-five acres 
of improved land and followed farraiiig there 
for about seven years. He then sold out for 
tiie purpose of coming to Illinois. He located lirst 
in McLean County, where he w.as a resident five 
years, engaged in farming and operating a corn- 
slieller. Thence in lf<()i)he came to this county, 
and purchasing eighty acres of land in Pesotum 
Townslii|), occupied his time successfully in its cul- 
tivation and ini[irovcment. He afterward added 
forty acres and erected a good set of frame build- 
ings. He has the requisite machinery, and the 
farm is moderately stocked with good grades of the 
domestic animals. 

The seven children of Mr. and Mi's. Crawford 
which still constitute a family circle unbroken by 
the Destroyer are located as follows: .lohn married 
!\Iiss Anna Nelson, and is engaged as a grain l)uyer 
and general merchant in the village of Pesotum, 
being associated with J. E. Davis under the lirm 
name of Crawford A* Davis; Sanford married .Miss 
Callie, daughter of Charles Johnson, of Pesotum 
Township, .and lives on the Mills farm near his par- 
ents; Lavina married .1. E. Davis, the i)artner of 
her brother and the young and prosperous mer- 
chant heretofore mentioned ; Amanda is the wife of ■ 
David Mix, a carpenter by trade, which he is now 
following, but who also understands farmmg and 
now resides in Pesotum; lliilda is the wife of Will- 
iam Carringer, a shoemaker by trade, and they re- 
side in Seymore, 111. ; Cynthia and (irant, the two 
remaining, are at home with their parents. 

Mr. Crawforil lias frequentlj' served his town- 
ship as School Director and Road Commissioner 
but has never had political aspirations. He is a 
Democrat of the old faitli and of long standing. 
With his excellent wife he united with the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church many years ago, and is looked 
upon affectionately .as <)ne of its chief pillars and 
supporters. Although never liaving been the hero 




of any thrilling event he has performed with fidel- 
ity the duties in life assigned liiin, and exerted a 
good influence over those around him. Could 
this be said of the world in general, that happy 
time designated as the Millenium would Ijc consid- 
ered as not far away. 

BRA.M CRIST. Up<m section 3.i, Cham- 
(.(^/LJ! paign Township, lies a fine tract of 240 
acres, the pro|)erty of the subject of this 
sketch, which is chielly devoted to grain 
and stock raising, besides forming one of the most 
attractive homesteads in Champaign Tpwnship. 
Mr. C. took possession of this land in 18C9. but its 
condition then liears no comparison with what it is 
at present. The estate as it now stands is under fine 
cultiv.ation, with handsome and substantial f.arm 
buildings, and all the appliances for the carrying on 
of agriculture in a first-class manner, besides those 
wliich constitute the perfect h'ome. It is hardl3' 
necessary to say that the propi'ietor is a man of en- 
terprise and resolution, who takes delight in labor 
and in the effect,s produced by industry and fore- 
thought. 

Mr. Crist was born in Montgomery Count}-, Ohio, 
Aiiril 20. 1JS44, and is the son of Hiram Crist, who 
was born in the same county". His grandfather, 
Abram Crist, Sr., and his great-grandfather, Jacob, 
were natives of Germany. The latter emigrated to 
America when a young man and located in the 
Buckeye State at an early period in its history. He 
eng.aged in farming and there spent the remainder 
of his life. His son Aliram was for some years a 
trader on the river, shipping produce on flatboats 
for the plantatiiins South and at New Orleans. 
Later he operated a llourmiil on the Miami River 
in Western Ohio, and spent his entire life in timt 
State. He married and reared a f.amily, among 
whom was Hiram, the father of our subject. 

Hiram Crist commenced business with his father 
on .tlie Hatboat when but a small boy, and before 
twent3'-one years of age was established in trade on 
his own account. He often exchanged his k)ad of 
northern produce for sugar .and molasses, which he 
would load on his Hatboat, have it towed up the 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



235 






river, and dispose of his gooils at tlio cnuntiT 
stores. After marriage lie purchased a farm in 
Montgomer}^ County, Ohio, which, however, he did 
not cultivate himself, but continued employed at 
his trading until 1840. That year he sold out his 
river interests, and coming to Illinois kmated in 
Tremont, Tazewell County, where he kept a hotel 
for a number of years. Thence he removed to 
Bloomington, and was engaged in the same busi- 
ness there three years. Afterward he rented a faiiii 
at Mosquito Grove, west of Blnuniington, which he 
operated Uvo years, and removed from tiiere to 
Stout's Grove, where for a few years he farmed on 
rented land, and then purchased a tract of land 
three miles south. This included 1 GO acres, forty 
onl\" of which were improved. He placed the bal- 
ance under a good state of cultivation, put up a 
substantial set of frame buildings, and made his 
home there until his death, which took place in Au- 
gust, ISfiO. The mother of (jur subject before her 
uiarriiige was Miss Clariuda Brown, who was born 
in Mcmtgomery County, Ohio, and liy her union 
with Hiram Crist became the mother of nine chil- 
dren. She is now living in Danvers, Mcl^ean Co., 
111. 

Abram Crist, Jr., was but two years old when he 
came to Illinois with his parents. He remained 
under the home roof until twenty-five years of age, 
and then started out for himself, purchasing first a 
part of the farm which he now owns and occupies. 
To this he afterward added, and has been uniformly 
successful in his business and farming operations. 
He was married, Oct. _', 1861), to Miss Mary F. 
Tei-ry, who was born in Danvers Township, JIcLean 
Co., 111., Dec. 4, 1848. Iler father, Nathaniel 
I'crry, was a native of Jessamine County, Ky., and 
her grandfather, John Perry, was born in \\'ales. 
The latter wiien a young man came to this country, 
.ind locating in Kentucky resiiled there until 1835. 
He then came north into Danvers Township. Mc- 
Lean County, where he improved a farm and es- 
tablished a comfortable homestead, which he occu- 
pied the remainder of his life. His youngest son, 
Samuel, is now in possession of the homestead. The 
father of Mrs. Crist was nineteen years old when 
his parents became residents of this State. He re- 
mained under the home roof until his marriaije. 



when he sellled in Allin Township, McLean Coun- 
ty, where he improved a farm anil now lives. His 
wife, the mother of i\Irs. C, vvas formerly Miss 
Polly Margaret McCullough, also a native of .Jes- 
samine County, Ky., and the daughter of Peter 
McCullough, one of the earliest pioneers of Mc- 
Lean County, this State. He became a resident of 
that county in 18:50, and put up the first log cabin 
at Drj' (irove. This he afterward converted into 
a hotel, and served as ■• mine host" for many years. 
Both he and his excellent wife died in Dry Grove 
Townshi|), and their remains were laid to rest in 
McCullough Cenieter}\ 

Of the union of iSIr. and Mi's. Crist there have 
been born two children — Hiram and Charles. Our 
subject and his wife arc members in good standing 
of the Christian Church, and greatly respect^-d by 
all who know them for their personal worth as 
members of .society, and having a good iiiliueuce 
ujiou the community around them. Politically Mr. 
Crist atliliates with the Democratic party. 

\f'KSSE NEWTON DICK, one of the most en- 
terprising young farmers of Philo Town- 
ship, is at present devoting his attention to 
/ the cultivation of a line farm of .'520 acres, 
pleasantly located on section iO, which comprises 
one of the choicest bodies of land.in Chami)aign 
County. Of this our subject took possession April 
5, 1878, proceeding first to bring it to a good state 
of cultivation b}^ thorough di'aiuing with tile. The 
soil soon responded to its excellent care and culture, 
and now yields in abumlauce the choicest products 
of the Prairie State. The family' residence and 
out-buildings are shapely and of substantial charac- 
ter; the fences and machinery ai'e kept in good re- 
pair, and the stock well fed and sheltered. Kvery- 
Ihing about the farm indicates the supeivision of 
the intelligent and progressive modern agricult- 
ui'ist. 

The subject of our sketch w;is born in Jackson 
Township, Tippecanoe Co., Ind., Dec. 7, I8;")7. He 
is the son of l-Ily and J.anc (.Meharry) Dick, na- 
tives of Maryland and Indiana res[)ectively. Kly 
Dick in former years was one of the most extensive 



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I 



236 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



land -owners nf Champaign County, and is also the 
iwssessor of 'iDO acres in Indiana. Tlie parental 
faniilj' included three children, of whom two are 
deceased; Ellen became the wife of Richard N. 
Cording, and was formerly a resident of Tippeca- 
noe County, Iiid., occupj-ing the old homestead in 
Jackson Township; she died in Decatur, 111., wiiile 
under treatment, April 20, 1887. 

Jesse N. of our sketch spent his boyhood days 
under the home roof and attended the public 
schools. He was not quite twenty-one j'ears old 
when he came with his parents to Illinois. The 
year following, on the loth of April, 1879, he was 
married, in Montgomery County, Ind., to Miss 
Harriet E., daughter of Jacob and Charlotte (Mar- 
tin) Luse. Mrs. Dick was born Feb. "i-i, 18.j7. 
Her parents were natives respectively of Pennsyl- 
vania and Indiana, and are both now living near 
Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, the latter 
State, where for many years Mv. L. carried on 
farming in a highly successful manner. 

Mr. and Jlrs. Dick have one child only, a daugh- 
ter, Estella Pearl, born Aug. (i, 1881. Our sub- 
ject politically is a reliable Democrat, fearless in 
the expression of his views and honest in his con- 
victions. He is frank and outspoken, noted for his 
kindly impulses, and is highly estecmeil among 
tiiose who know him best as a citizen, a business 
man and a friend. 




-^ ' ■^ • 4: ' V-- 

=^-\ AMU EL H. LYONS, a highly respected citi- 
zen of Mahomet Township, came to Illinois 
with his parents in 1841). They located in 
the above-named township, of which he 
ha.s been a resident since that time and engaged in 
agricultural pursuits. He is the owner of a fine es- 
tate, comprising 2()0 acres of land under a good 
state of cultivation, with substantial and convenient 
l)uildings, well stocked, and i)rovided with all the 
•accessories of a comfortable rural home. 

Mr. Lj'ons was born in Lewis County, Ky., April 
1/), 18:jl, and is the son of William D. and Sarah 
(Ilaniplon) Lyons, the former a native of New En- 
gland, and the latter of X'irginia. After coming to 
Illinois they remained residents of Mahomet Towu- 



shii> until their decease. Our subject was the fourth 
of eight children, and remained under the parental 
roof until he had attained his majority'. He was 
married in Newcomb Township, Feb. 3, 1856, to 
Miss Martha M. Newell, of New York, where she 
was born in 18.S1. They have l)ecoine the parents 
of four cliildren — William B., Laurie B., \\'ymaii 
II. and D wight. Wj-nian II. died wlicu about ten 
years old. 

Mr. Lyons li.as held the various minor offices of 
his townshij), and votes the Democratic ticket. He 
has always been busily- engaged with his own affairs. 
to which lie has given the strictest attention, with 
little time to investi<fate those of his neighbors. 



^--^ — 'i^m- -"^^ 

ERNEST L. DUNLAP. The gentleman whose 
biographj' we briefly note below is promi- 
/ T - ^ uently identified with the business interests 
of Sa\ oy as a merchant and grain-buj'er, in wliich 
he established himself Dec. 1. 1886. Mr. 1). is a 
native of the Prairie State, and w'as born in C'ook 
County, June 25, 1851. He is the sixth child and 
fifth son of M. L. and Emeline Dunlap, a sketch of 
whom will be found in another part of this'work. 
AVhen our subject was a lad of seven years his par- 
ents removed to Champaign County, of which he 
has been a resident since that time. He received 
his early education at the district schools, which 
was completed under private tutors in Tuscola and 
Champaign, and by an attendance of several terms 
at the State University at Urban.a, 

Mr. Dunlap was reared to farming pursuits, and 
after the death of his father took charge of the nur- 
sery business which the latter had conducted, and 
in due time closed out the stock. In 1885 he pur- 
chased a part of the old homestead, which was lo- 
cated on section 36. in Champaign Township, and 
which he still owns. He still su]>erintends the cul- 
tivation of his land, the proceeds of which yield 
him a handsome income. In 1886 he succeeded his 
brother, Albert, in his present business, whidi is 
steadily increasing, and in which he has met with 
uniform succe.s.s. 

The marriage of Ernest L. I )MiiiMp .Mud Miss K.au- 
nie D. Betz took place Aug. ."ill, 187 1. Mrs. D. was 



t 



J. 



» 



f 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



239 



born in Circleville, Ohio, .Inly 20, IS;').!, and is the 
danghter of Solomon and C'athcrint' (l)nnkle) 
Betz, both natives of Lewisbnrg, I'a. 'V\wy re- 
moved fioin there to Ohio, in October, 1839, and 
pnrchased a farm in Pickaway Ci>unty, five miles 
from Circleville. The mother died there in 1864, 
and four 3'ears later the father came to Illinois and 
purchased a farm on section .'Ui, Champaign Town- 
ship, which he cultivated and occupied until his 
death, in 1882. Mr. and Mrs. D. have four chil- 
dren — Gertie, Fred, Lela and Nora M. 

C« I^ILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. One fine 
\r\J// spring morning in l.s;?(; there started out 
\^% from Pleasant Township, in Madison 
Co\inty, Ohio, two families, equipped with ox-teams 
for a journey overland to the prairies of Illi- 
noii>. One of these was our subject, wlio, accom- 
p.anied by his wife and child, had decided to seek 
his fortunes in the farther west. The thoroughfare 
in those days could scarcely be dignified by the 
name of a road, being merely a w.agon track, over 
wliich at times they were compelled to wade through 
mud and water to the waist and to urge on the 
poor beasts, who had no western aspirations, and 
conld not understand why the3' were leaving the 
more substantial soil of the P)uckeye State. 

The travelers finally pa.ssed the boundary line be- 
tween Indiana and Illinois, and coming into Mont- 
gomery County our subject contracted to remain 
with his employer, Samuel Haller, the balance of 
the year. He was engaged in breaking prairie and 
lianling various commodities to and from the near- 
est market, a distance of sixty miles with ox-teams. 
Two months before his time was up, on account of 
his honesty and industry, his employer gave him 
the b.alance of the year to work for himself. He 
had in the meantime purch.ased eighty acres of 
wild land, and now set about breaking the sod on 
his own property. He was thus occupied in its 
improvement for a j'ear following. Then, selling 
fort}- acres, he returned to Ohio, being atllicted 
with an attack of h(jmc-sickness, from wliich it 
took him twelve years to recover. 

In the meantime our subject sold the remaining 
4* 



\ 



forty acres of his land in Montgomery County, 111., 
and his fatlier having died in Ohio, himself and his 
brother ;ittempted to buy out t'le other heirs of the 
estate. In this they failed, however, on account of 
ill-health, and lost much timeand money. Our sub- 
ject now concluded to return to Illinois, and com- 
ing into Coles County, i)re-empted forty acres, for 
which he afterward paid $.'5.40 per acre. He put 
up a small house, as a temporary shelter for his 
family, rented a tract of improved land on the El- 
lars' f.arm, in the meantime improving his own, as 
time permitted, and was finally enabled to purchase 
eighty acres more. In 1863 he sold out at a profit 
of more than .^2,000. 

The outbreak of the Civil War now induced Mr. 
Harrison to lay aside his personal interests, and he 
volunteered .as .a Union Soldier to assist in the sub- 
jection of the Confederates. Becominga member of 
Co. H, 2,'ith 111. \'ol. Inf., he marched with his 
comrades to the .scene of conflict, but after six 
months was discharged, very much .against his own 
wishes, on account of ill-health. He w.as then com- 
pelled to return to where he had left his family, 
and soon afterward purchased IGO acres of land on 
section 28, in Sadorus Township, which constitutes 
a part of the present homestead. To this he after- 
ward added forty acres, so that he has now 200 
acres, all under a good state of cultivation. 
Being now seventy-five years of age, the f.arm is 
principally managed by his son, while Mr. H.arrison 
has practically retired from the active labors of life. 

The early years of our subject were spent in 
Pleasant Township, near London, the countj' seat 
of Madison County, Ohio, where his birth took 
place Nov. 7, 1812. He was the seventh of the 
thirteen children of Jonatiian and Amelia (Wal- 
lace) Harrison, natives of Maryland, and born 
across the Baj', in Baltimore, where they spent their 
childhood and youth. .Jonathan Harrison was a 
substantial farmer, and emigrated from his native 
State to Ohio during its e.arly settlement, when In- 
dians and wild animals were more plentiful than 
white men. He cleared ten acres from the forest, 
and for his first crop raised four acres of corn. He 
never became an extensive land-owner, but w.as 
content with .a few acres, well tilled. 

William Henry remained under the parental roof 



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240 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-^- 



until after reaching his majority, in the meantime 
gaining an intimate acquaintance with the hardships 
and privations of pioneer life, which Ijred within 
him the spirit of perseverance and self-reliance 
which served him so well in after years. In laying 
his plans for the fiiline, he selected for his wife 
Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Amlrew and Catherine 
(Hempleman) Pucket, to whom he was married in 
the spring of 1831. The parents of Mrs. H. were 
natives of Adams County, Ohio, and spent their 
entire lives in th.at State. Soon after their marriage, 
Mr. Harrison with his young wife settled upon a 
tract of land in Pleasant Township, where he 
pursued farming on his own account for four years. 
after which he began making preparations for a 
change of location. The results of this we have 
alre.ady indicated. 

The blooming family which grew up around the 
hearthstone of our subject and his wife, with the 
exception of two, Benjamin E. and Elizabeth, have 
passed to the silent land. Nine times there was 
made a place in the country churchyard, over 
which the parents bowed with sorrowing tears, 
while a child was hidden from their sight. Their 
living son, Benjamin, married Miss Martha J., 
daughter of Ely .and Emily (Shupp) Cook, and 
with his family occupies the homestead of his 
father. The parents of Mrs. Benjamin H.arrison 
were natives of this State and are now deceased. 
Elizabeth, the only remaining daughter of our sub- 
ject, is the widow of Charles B. Monroe, and lives 
on a farm in the northern part of Douglas Countj-, 
111. Mr. Monroe departed this life on the 4th of 
May, 18S7, leaving a family of six children, four 
sons and two daughters, with means for their proper 
training and education. 

Mr. and Mrs. Harrison united with tlie Methodist 
Episcopal Church many 3'ears .ago, since which 
time they have been consistent and active mem- 
bers, doing good as they iiave opportunity, and 
working faithfully for the Master. Although never 
a zealous politician, Mr. Harrison, formerly a Whig, 
is now a cordial supporter of Uepublicau princi- 
ples, believes in univers.al freedom, and cheerfully 
sui)p()rt8 every measure calculated for the most 
good to t.iie greatest numlicr. He lias built up a 
record as an honest man and a go(jd citizen, and 



receives his abundant reward in the confidence and 
esteem of all who know him. 

It is with pleasure we present the portrait of Mr. 
Hai-rison in this connection, and as a fitting com- 
panion picture th.at of his wife. For over fift\- 
three years they have lived together, and during 
that time have worthily fulfilled all tlie duties of 
life, living uj) to the noble princi|)les which for so 
many years they have professed. 



'j\yW*^<j2j2j2/©"^@* 



..@5-gi/OT7ra\»-./v~» 



■*<HOMAS EXNIS,of Philo Village, is a niem- 
I ht\\ '"'* '-'^ ^^'^ family whose first representative 
VV^^ in this country emigrated from Ireland. 
His grandfather. Thomas Enuis, who descended 
from an excellent family, was educated for an 
Episcopal minister, which, however, was not in .ac- 
cordance with his tastes, and he made a decided 
change in his life occupation by learning the trade 
of a saddler. This greatly displeased his parents, 
who were strongly opposed to his leaving the 
Church, and caused a rupture between him and 
them. He was a youth of rare intelligence, how- 
ever, .and a colleague of Robert Emmett, the cele- 
brated Irish patriot, whom it will be remembered 
was executed during the struggle for freedom more 
tiian a century ago in that oppressed country. 

About this time Thomas Eiiiiis decided to leave 
a huid wiiich promised little for the future, and 
emigrating to the United States located in I'hila- 
delphia. Pa., and became the founder of tlie family 
in this country. He was m.arried in the (iiuaker 
City, Oct. 22. 17i».'),to Miss Eydia Cassell, who had 
been reared and educated in the Society of Friends 
and possessed in a marked degree their excellent 
characteristics. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
Ennis established themselves in Baltimore, Md., 
where the grandfather of our subject pursued his 
occupation .as a saddler, and became the f.athcr 
of a son, William, who was born Sept. 2S, 1801. 
After a few years they returned to Philadelphia, 
wiiere the grandfather of our subject l)ecaine 
prominent in the affairs of that locality, and was 
lard inspector for the city of Philadelphia and a 
part of the State of I'ciiusylvania for a iiiimberof 
years. He dietl in I'iiiladelphia on the same daj' 



■ 
i 



■*¥^m^4» 



•^f^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



241 



t 



that Lafaj-ettc made his visit tu that city in 1824. 
He iiad reared n fainil3' of nine children, three sons 
and six daughters. Of tiicse four are still living 
in Philadelphia, all being over seventy-five years 
of age. 

William A. Ennis, the father of our subject, was 
the eldest of his parents' children. He engaged in 
the manuf.acture of umbrella frames during his 
earlier years and followed this until forty-five years 
old, most of the time being established in business 
for himself. He married Miss Mary K. Sayre, who 
was the descendant of an old New England family, 
and whose father, uncles and grandfathers were all 
seafaring men of considerable importance. Of this 
marriage there were born eight children, of whom 
our subject alone survives. The last member of 
the family who died was a son, Sayre, who had en- 
listed during the late war in the 'id Illinois Cavalry, 
and died on the Gulf of Mexico. The father died 
in Philo. 111., Dec. 23, 1881. The mother's death 
took place at the home of her son in Philo Town- 
ship, March 2'J, 1885. Both parents were active 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
highly respected by all who knew them. William 
A. Ennis before the war was a supporter of the 
Democratic partj' but afterward became a stanch 
Repulilican. 

Thomas Ennis of our sketch was born in Phila- 
del|)hia, April 25, 1827, and remained a resident of 
his native city until twenty-nine years of age. He 
was educated in the public schools, learned the 
trade of his father, and early in life set out to earn 
his own livelihood. His marriage with Miss Eliza- 
beth Charlton took place in the (Juaker City, Feb. 
24, 1851. Mrs. E. was born in Philadelphia, Feb. 
24. 1834, of English parentage and ancestry, and 
lived at home until her marriage. She became the 
mother of seven children, the record of whom is 
as follows: Cornelia became the wife of James 
Marquette, now deceased; she has two children, 
and makes her home with her father in Philo; 
William A., Jr., was first married to Miss Mary A. 
Buxton, who died in Philo, and he was then mar- 
ried to Miss Lillie Crosier; he is a tinner by trade 
and a resident of Seward County, Nob. Mercy 
C, Mrs. Charles S. Morrison, is a resident of Col- 
conda, 111.; her husliand is a professor of music. 
^» 



Su.sannah C., an engraver by profession, is at pres- 
ent at Birmingham, Ala. ; Mary .and Bcttj* are at 
h(mio with their i)arents. The lirst daughter, who 
W.1S named Mary, is now deceased. 

A few years after his marriage Mr. Knnis came 
with his family to Illinois and purchased a tract of 
land on section 4, in Philo Township, which had 
belonged to the Illinois Central Railroad. But on 
account of sickness and misfortune he returned to 
Philadelphia, where he remained until 18C1. In 
that 3'ear he returned to the West and engaged in 
farming in Philo Township until 1 872. He then 
purchased the hardware business of Frank L. Nan 
Vleck, which is ifow one of the largest establish- 
ments of the kind in the town. Besides his stock 
and store he owns good village property, and is con- 
sidered one of the most valued citizens of Philo. 
He has held the various ottices of the township and 
is accounted a representative business man and 
v.alu.able member of the community. Before the 
war he was Democratic in polities but since that 
time has bee" ", warm supporter of Republican 
principles. 



"if) H. CLARK, a leading farmer and land- 
owner of Philo Township, is the po.ssessoi" 
of eighty acres on section 2, and 100 on sec- 
tion 3. His land is thoroughly drained and 
under a tine state of cultivation, well stocked with 
good grades of horses, cattle and swine. Our sub- 
ject located here in 18G(!, since wliich time he has 
labored for the establishment of a permanent home, 
and in his business and farming operations has been 
remark.ably successful. He is a native of West 
Virginia, born in Morgan County in January, 183(). 
His father, Isaac Clark, was a native of the same 
State .and followed fai'ming pursuits. He was mar- 
ried in Morgan County to Miss Mary Ambrose, a 
native of the same county as her husband, where 
she was reared and educated by her parents, who 
occupieil a good position among the people of that 
section. 

The parents of our subject lived to a good old 
age and were greatly respected and beloved by a 
host of friends. They connected themselves with 
the I'nitcd Brethren Church early in life, and were 



n 



•^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 



its cheerful and liberal supporters from that time. 
The father, in early life, politically was an (^Id-line 
Whig, but after the abandonment of that party 
identified himself with the liei)ublicans. He died 
in Ohio in 1884. The mother is still living in Cham- 
paign County, Ohio, and is about eighty years old. 

Young Clark spent his childhood and youth un- 
der the parental roof, receiving a fair education in 
the public "schools, and when he removed from his 
native State became a resident of Ohio. He lo- 
cated near the city of Urbaua, where he engaged in 
farming, and in due time was united in marriage 
with Miss Margaret Evilsizor, the wedding taking 
place at the home of the bride's parents. Mrs. 
Clark was born at Urbana, Ohio, in 1844, and was 
the daughter of William and Nancy (Jenkins) 
Evilsizor. The mother died in middle life. The 
father is still living and a resident of Ohio. Al- 
though nearly eighty years of age he is still hale 
and hearty and remarkably active. 

Of the union of our subject and his wife there 
were born seven childTcn, four sons and three 
daughters, of whom three are deceased. The 
mother of these children died at the home of her 
husband in Philo Township, in 1875. The present 
wife of Mr. Clark, to whom he was married in the 
latter-named township, April 13, 187G, was Miss 
Maliuda Stout, who was born in Orange County, 
Ind., in 1845. Of this marriage there have been 
born four sons, two living- — George and Eldo J. 
Mr. and Mrs. Clark are members in good standing 
of the Christian Cluirch, and our subject, politi- 
cally, is an uncompromising Republican. 



— s- 



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T 



JACOB F. HUFFMAN. 'I'liis gentleman, who 
is a liighlj' esteemed resident of Hensley 
Township, may be properly classed among 
the self-made men, who, starting in life at the 
foot of tiie ladder, have by their own resolution 
made their way slowly but surely to a good jwsi- 
tion among their fellow-citizens, socially and finan- 
cially. Our subject commenced the struggle of life 
with a cash sum of *5. He is now the owner of a 
fine homestead, com|irising 1!)7 acres of land, a 
handsome and sul)stautial farni residence, a good 



barn and plenty of stock and farm machinery. His 
land is thcnoughly drained with tile and produces 
in abundance all the crops for which the Prairie 
State is noted. Our subject has accumidated his 
possessions by honest toil and is not ashamed to 
own it. 

Mr. Huffman was born in Westmoreland County, 
Pa., Jan. 1, 1830, and comes of substantial Penn- 
sylvania stock, his grandfather, George Huffman, 
having be%n born in New York State, from which 
he emigrated to the western border of Pennsylva- 
nia when the latter was considered quite the front- 
ier, and where he was one of the earliest settlers. 
He was a man of remarkable industry, and opened 
up three farms in that section, which was afterward 
included in Westmoreland County, and where he 
spent the last years of his life. There also he reared 
his family. 

John George Huffman, the father of our subject, 
was but a child when his parents became residents 
of AVestmoreland County, where he was reared to 
manhood, and during the War of 1812 left home to 
become a soldier of the army. When peace w.qs 
again declared, he was married and established 
himself with his bride in a log cabin, in Westmore- 
land County. This humble dwelling w.as covered 
with clapboards, there being no sawmills in that 
country, and these were held in jjlace with "weight 
poles." The floor was of puncheon, and the chim- 
ney was built outside with mud and sticks. AVithin 
this hnrnl)le abode our subject was born, l)cfore the 
days of either railroads or canals, when the country 
developed slowly and the settlers were constantly 
annoyed by Indians and wild animals. John G. 
Huffman had learned the trade of wagon-maker and 
carried on business at the cross-roads near Harrison 
City, where he spent the last years of his life. The 
mother of our subject, who before her marri.-ige was 
Miss Martha Fink, was born in Westmoreland 
Count3-, and still lives there on tlie old homestead. 

When J.acob F. Huffman was fourteen years of 
.age he commenced to learn the slujemaker's trade, to 
which he served an apprenticeship of three years. 
He worked .as a "jour" fourteen years in different 
places in his native State, Ohio, Indi;uia and V'^ir- 
ginia, loc.iting finally in North Middleton, Ky., 
where lie opened a shop, and did custom work until 



->-m^4» 



i 



f 



•►^It-^ 



■» ■ 4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



243 



1H.58. That year lie came to Illinois and piirchasecl 
eighty acres of his present farm, only a few acres 
of which were broken, and the only biiildinj^ on it 
was a small frame shanty. He at once commenced 
the inn)rovenient and cnltivation of his purchase, 
with the result as above stated. 

The same year in which he came to Illinois Mr. 
Iliiffmau was united in marriage, April 7, 1858, 
with Miss Rebecca Stivers. tShe was born in Bour- 
bon County, K3'., Sept. 5, 1835, and was the daugh- 
ter of Rozelle P. Stivers, a native of Fayette Coun- 
ty, Ky., and the son of Reuben Stivers. The latter 
was a cooper by trade. lie served in the War of 
1812, and was wounded in battle .it the time St. 
Clair was defeated. After leaving the army he re- 
turned to Kentucky and spent his last days in 
Bourbon County. The father of Mrs. H., who vvas 
a natural mechanic, also learned the trade of a 
cooper, and could make almost anj-thing that could 
be fashioned out of wood. He followed' his trade 
the greater part of his life and died near North 
Middletown, Ivy., in 185G. He was married in 
early manhood to Miss Nancy A. Bargar, who was 
born in Culpeper, Ya. Shedied in Bourbon Coun- 
ty-, Ky., before her husband. 

Mr. and Mrs. Huffman have four children: Ed- 
ward L., of Los Angeles, Cal. ; William T. ; Mattie 
A., who became the wife of Sherman Stivers, of 
Bourbon County, K}\, and Oeorge F. The two 
sons are living at home with their parents. Mr. H. 
is Democratic, and is held in high regard as a citi- 
zen, business man and member of society. 



\f?OIIN C. PARRY. The subject of this biog- 
raphy became a resident of I'hilo Town- 
ship in IJSGl, at which time he purchased 
(^^ eighty acres of land from the Illinois Cen- 
tral Railro.ad Company, to which he afterward 
added forty acres, and which was then in a wild 
and unbroken state. By years of persevering in- 
dustry he has converted it into a beautiful farm, 
and established one of the most complete iionu- 
steads in Champaign County. The cpiality and con- 
dition of the land in its original state requinil the 
exercise of more than ordinary good judgment anil 



industrj', but Mr. I'arry waseipial to the emergency, 
and in a few years had reduced the barren soil to 
cultivated fields and smiling meadows. The land 
is well drained with tile, and its pro|)rietor has 
[flanted an orchard of the finest fruit, while the 
grounds around the residence are beautified with 
handsome shade trees and llowering shrubs. His 
agricultural operations include the breeding of fine 
stock, consisting of Norman horses and high-grade 
cattle. His machinery and farm buildings are of 
first-class description, and kept in good repair, and 
evei-ything about the premises indicates the enter- 
prise and intelligence of the proprietor. 

Our subject is a native of Onondaga County, 
N. Y., and was born in Manlius Township, Dec. 26, 
1826. He was reared to manhood in his mother's 
house, and completed his education in the High 
Schools of his native county. He is the eldest son 
of John and Abigail (Cutting) Pariy, natives re- 
spectively of England and Vermont. .John Parry, 
Sr., was born in 1801, anil came to this country 
when a young man, locating in Manlius, N. Y., 
where he met the lady who subsequently became 
his wife. After their marriage they located on a 
farm in Onondaga County, where the mother of 
our subject died in 1869, after becoming quite 
aged. 

Mr. I'arry of our sketch when of age started out 
for himself. In 181G he went to North Carolina, 
where he was engaged as a machinist and engineer 
for thirteen years following. In June, 1861, he 
came north to Illinois and located on his present 
farm. In the meantime he had been married, in 
Randolph County, N. C, to Miss Jane Craven, the 
daughter of Lawrence and Mary Craven, who was 
born in that State and county, Feb. 28, 1840, and 
became a wife when sixteen years of age. Her par- 
ents were also natives of North Carolina, and spent 
their entire lives in Ramhjlph Township. She re- 
ceived a limited education in the public schools of 
the South. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parry became the parents of six 
children, of whom the record is as follows: Mary 
L. is at home with her parents; John F., a plumber 
liy trade, married Miss Helen Reinhar J, and resides 
in Cham[)aign City: Fidelia died when two and 
one-half years old ; ( J eorge, Joseph L. iuid Frank 



•►-■-4«- 



V 



.i* 



244 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1"^ 



are at home with their parents. Mrs. Tarry has 
proved in all respects the worthy companion of her 
husljand, and their l>eautifnl and tasteful home is 
the result of their united efforts. Mr. P. has been 
Supervisor and Collector of his township two years 
each, and has held various other offlces of trust. 
He is Democratic in politics, and as a business man 
and a citizen has contributed bis full share ti> the 
progress and welfare of the community in general. 
Both our subject and his wife attend (luite regu- 
larly the Methodist Episcopal Church in Tolono. 



-^»i^ 



m^ 



>^*c^- 




4 



J. NASII, proprietor of Pleasant Hill Farm, 
is pleasantly located on section 9, which 
embraces some of the l)est land in Philo 
Township. In the scale of assessment it 
ranks second Ui none. The farm is finely laid out, 
with a view to liotii beauty and convenience in the 
carrying on of its various departments. The fences 
and buildings are in prime order, and the resi- 
dence is a handsome structure, finished and fur- 
nished in the jnost modern style, the wliole giving 
evidence of refinement and wealth. 

Jlr. Nash was the first man to introduce a sys- 
tem of diaiuage in Philo Townsliip. lie possesses 
more than ordinary intelligence, and keeps himself 
well jiosted upon everything pertaining to general 
agriculture, so that he may tnke advantage of mod- 
ern invention and improvements. As a stock- 
breeder he ranks among the first in Champaign 
County, dealing in Ilambletonian and draft horses, 
high-grade cattle and Poland-China swine. His 
operations in this de|)artment of agriculture iiavc 
secured for him an enviable reputation as a l)reeder 
of fine stock. He has had an experience of twelve 
years thereat and takes pride in the production of 
his farm and stables. At the county fairs of Cen- 
tral Illinois he has carried off scores of liliie rili- 
bons, and his stock has obtained an enviable notori- 
ety at the State fairs of this and other States. Ilis 
hogs include about 200 head, the chief of the herd 
being Nash's Star, sired Ijy Reveal Star, regis- 
tered No. IHO. He also owns IJravo Nash and 
Hravo Perfection, bred b^- Ridglej', of White 



Heath, 111. The most prominent of bis dams are 
Lad}' Grant, of Pleasant Hill Farm, and Minnie 
Palmer, bred by McWillianis of Knightstown, Ind. 
Several of the fine animals which belong t(j this 
herd are familiarly known throughout this section. 

Pleasant Ilill Farm was purchased by Mr. Nash 
in the fall of l.S(i7, and be located on it in the fol- 
lowing spring. Since that time he has been indus- 
triousl}' engaged in superintending its im|)rove- 
ment and remodeling and enlarging the buildings. 
The land is finel}' located and yields in abundance 
the richest crops of the Prairie State. 

Mr. Nash is a native of Erie Count}', Pa., born 
Dee. 5, 1831. His father, Justin J. Nash, was a 
native of Vermont, of New England parentage, 
born Nov. 20, 1797. The Nash family were prin- 
cipally connected with the Methodist Church, and 
widely known throughout New England. The fa- 
ther of our subject removed to Pennsylvania just 
after the War of 1812, and about the time of the 
destruction by fire of the city of Buffalo, N. Y. He 
was married, in Erie County, Pa., to JMiss Maria 
Underwood, who was also of New England birth 
and parentage. After some years they removed to 
Stnrgis, Mich., wliere the mother died in .Tanuary, 
1868, aged sixty-eight years. The father after- 
ward returned to Penns3'lvania, and died in Erie 
County in 1873, at the age of seventy-si.x. 

The subject of this history was the youngest of 
two sons and three daughters included in the 
household circle. Of these S3ivester married Miss 
Lina Wilson, and thej' reside in the northeastern 
l)art of Erie Count}', Pa., retired from active la- 
bor; Julia became the wife of Stewart Crawford, of 
Reading Township. Hillsdale Co., Mich. These 
and our subject are the only surviving children.- 
Young Nash spent his cliildhood upon the farm in 
his native county, and when fourteen years of age 
removed with his father's family to Lockport, Pa., 
and thence to Springfield, where he completed his 
education. 

Our subject was married in Kane County, 111., 
Sept. 27, 1800, the lady of his choice being Miss 
Antoinette C. Francisco, a native of Michigan, who 
was born at Grass Lake, Jackson County, June 12, 
183;'). ller fatlier, Henry A. Francisco, w;is a 
farmer by occup.ation, of New England birth and 



t 



♦- 



.t 



4' 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



245 



Scottish ancestry, and married Miss Catherine 
Overrackcr. After marriage they settled first in New 
York State, thence removed to Micliigan, and later 
the father with his cliildren eanic to this State, locat- 
ing in Kane County in ltS')3. The mother had died in 
(irass Lake, Mich. Mr. F. finalli' came to Cham- 
paign County and died in Philo Township, in Sep- 
tember, 187.5, when nearly eighty-three years old. 
He served as a soldier in the AVar of 1812, for 
which he was awarded a land grant in Grass Lake. 
He was politically a Frce-soiler. He also served 
as Associate Judge at Jackson, Mich., for twelve 
years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Nash became tlie parents of three 
children, one of whom. Frank H., died when six 
3"ears of age; Lydia L. is the wife of John Savage, 
De|nity County Clerk, and resides at Urbana; 
Martha E., an intelligent and accomplished young 
lady, is living at home with her parents. All were 
born in Seneca County, Ohio, and both ilaughters 
were educated at the Urliana High School. Our 
subject and his family' are active members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Nash, formerh' 
a Democrat, now afHliates with the Republican 
l)arty. 

\*%^ ANH':L a. FISHER, deceased, f(jrnierly 
an honored resident of Fhilo Township, 




passed from the scene of his earthly labors 
on the 2Gth of November, 1886. His 
death occurred on the homestead which he had la- 
bored many years to establish and beautify, and 
was the cause of regret both far and near, as he 
had been an honest man, a good citizen, and one un- 
selfishly devoted to the interests of his eoniniiiuity. 
Our subject was born in \Vayne Ctninty, Ind., Aug. 
14, 1821, and was tlie son of John and Jane Fislier, 
natives of North Carolina. John Fisher followed 
farming until Late in life and (inally removed to 
Cnion City, near whieli he had lived for several 
years, and died at tlie advanced age of eighty-six. 
His death was the result of an .acci<leiit, he having 
fallen and broken his hip, from liie effects of wliich 
he died about two nionlhs Inter. His wife's maiden 
name was Miss Jane Starbnck, and they lived to 
celebrate their golden wedding. Their married 
-4^. 



life had been blest with mutual affection and pros- 
perity, John Fisher being worth about 4!35,000, 
upon the interest of which they lived in comfort 
and luxury during their declining years. The 
Fisher family were (Quakers in religious belief, and of 
Scotch origin. The mother of our subject departed 
this life in about 1873, at the advanced age of 
.seventy-eight years. John Fisher was a man of 
strong views and a hearty supporter of Republican 
principles. 

Daniel A. Fisher was the eldest of his parents' 
children, and spent his childhood and youth on the 
farm, receiving a fair education in the district 
schools. He was first married in Wayne County, 
Ind., IMarch 18, 1840, to Miss Luzena Baldwin, a 
native of that county, born Aug. 10, 1824. She 
survived her marriage only nine years, dying at 
her home in Randolph County, Ind., May 23, 
185'). She was of an amiable Christian character, 
and the offspring of an old (.Quaker familj- of good 
standing and members of the farming community. 

The second m.arriage of Mr. Fisher was cele- 
brated in Randolph County, Ind., with Miss Eunice 
E. Sherman, who was born in Franklin Township, 
that county, Nov. 20, 1837. She is the third 
daughter and fourth child of Pardon and Mary 
(Parks) Sherman, natives of New York State, and 
who were born, reared, and married in Greene 
County. Tlie^' likewise engaged in fanning pur- 
suits, and after the birth of two children, removed 
to Miami County, Ohio, where their third child was 
born. Thence they removed to Franklin Comity, 
Ind., settling upon an unbroken tract of timber 
land, in Franklin Townsliip, and which they im- 
proved and brought to a good state of cultivation, 
building a line homestead, where they[spent the re- 
mainder of their lives in well-earned comfort. 
There the mother died Jan. 22, 1882, when seventv- 
six years old, and the father on tlie 8th of Febru- 
aiy, following, aged eighty-one. They were mem- 
bers of the -Alethodist Episcopal Church for many 
years, and devoted Christian people, revered by 
all wiio knew them. Mr. Sherman politically was 
a solid Republican and took a genuine interest in 
the prosperity of the country at large. Their six 
cliildreii included one sou and five daughters, of 
whom the record is as follows: Larwim W. mar ' 



-^- 



J. 



■*► 



246 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



'/ 



I. 



ried Miss Mary Ollen, and is engaged in merchan- 
dising in Randolpli County ; Julia C. M. is the wife 
of Willinm Simpson, and resides in P^xcelsior, 111. ; 
Mary A. became the wife of Westley Mann, a far- 
mer of Douglas County, Minn.; tlie wife of our 
subject was the fourth child; Kmily H. married J. 
Pucket, who died in the army during the late war, 
and her death occurred in 1SG4; Eliza died when 
five years of age. 

Mrs. Fisher was reared by her parents, with 
whom she remained until her marriage, which oc- 
curred Oct. 10. 185G. After this event she and her 
husband lived for eight years in Randolph County, 
Ind.. whence after the war they came to this county, 
where Mr. Fisher purchased 1(10 acres on section (i 
in Philo Township. To this he added until the 
homestead included 200 acres, which Mr. F. by his 
industry and energy brought to a fine state of cul- 
tivation. In addition to this are 320 acres on 
section 30 in Scott Township, and 400 .acres in 
Chamiiaign Township, on sections 28 and 20, all 
highly improved, and supplied with commodious 
and substantial farm buildings. 

Of the first marriage of Mr. Fislier there were 
born four children, of whom one son, James, is de- 
ceased ; Rachel is the wife of James Morrow, and 
resides on a farm in Douglas County, this State; 
Dillon B. is at home; Hannali M., the wife of 
George W. Johnson, resides with her husband in 
Weldon, 111. The present Mrs. Fisher by her 
union with our subject became the mother of one 
child, Nathan C, who died when nearly five years 
old, on the 3d of May, 1804. iSIrs. F. w.as reared 
in the doctrines of the Methodist Church. Mr. 
F. was at different times entrusted with the various 
township otHces, and in the duties of each ac(iuitted 
himself creditaljly and witii satisfaction to all con- 
cerned. 

^^jIIARLES W. CRAW. This honored citi- 
[if^ zen of Colfax Township w.as one of the 
^^»y pioneer settlers who came to this county in 
the spring of 1805. He took possession of 350 
acres on section 2, and for a period of twenty years 
thereafter industriously i)ursued Ills chosen calling 
as a farmer. He is a native of Franklin County, 



p 



Vt., born March 4, 1828, and the son of Allen and 
Lucy (Griswold) Craw, also natives of Vermont. 
When he was a lad of ten years old his parents 
emigrated to the Prairie State, locating in White 
Hall, Greene Count}', where our subject grew to 
manhood, receiving excellent home training and 
a common-school education. He assisted his father 
in tilling the soil and remained an inmate of the 
parental home until several years after attaining 
his majority. 

In 1856 Mr. Craw took unto himself a wife and 
helpmeet in the person of Miss Lucy, daughter of 
James and Elizabeth Rives, who were natives of 
Kentucky, whence they removed to Illinois and lo- 
cated in Greene County in the pioneer days. Mrs. 
Craw was born in Greene County, 111., Dec. 21, 
1838, and remained with her parents until her mar- 
ri.age. Our subject at that time was the owner of 
200 acres of land which he had brought to a good 
state of cultivation, and in addition to this also 
leased a tract and carried on farming until 1800. 
He then decided to change his occupation, and pur- 
chasing a stock of merchandise, took possession of 
a store building at Greenfield, in tlie same county. 
He was engaged in mercantile pursuits at that point 
until about 1803, when he disposed of his stock of 
goods and other propert}'; became into this county 
in 1805, locating upon the land which he now oc- 
cupies. Since that time he has given his principal 
.attention to agriculture, with the exception of five 
years, during which he carried on a general store 
at Sadorus. 

Mr. Craw has been greatly prospered in his farm- 
ing and mercantile pursuits, and is now the owner 
of 550 acres of land in Colfax Township, all of 
which, which the exception of 100 acres, is included 
in the home farm. He owns over 1,300 acres in 
Kansas — 991 in Barber County, and 324 in Harper 
County. His land is largely devoted to stock- 
raising, and he exhibits some of the finest horses, 
cattle and hogs to be found in the country. In 
addition to his farm property Mr. C. is the owner 
of houses and lots in both Sadorus and Tolono. 

Our subject, politically, has endorsed the princi- 
ples of the Republican party since its organization. 
He has steadily declined to become an ollicc-hcilder, 
having enough [irivate business to occupy his time 



n 



'' '.:-^ms!^mmm^'^^m^^^imm^'^iS^!:!ss^^M^^f^^^^^^^M^^^- 




Residence OF Morris E.Jones, Sec. 29., Gondii Township. 




MaajMiii««8aa««faw«iig»:ife).^;;-:.^-.!.;.y^^^ 



Residence of JacobM-. Closkey ,Sec.35.,Urbana Township. 




MyianiiittHI 



Residence OF Joseph Decker, Sec.22.,East BendTownship. 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-•►■ 
249 






;in(l iiUciition. He lias been nil active nieniber of 
the ilelliodisl Cluurli fur iii:iiiy years, and has con- 
tributed liberally and cheerfully fur its advance- 
ment and uiainteiiance. lie was trained from a 
child in the doctrines of this church, and takes 
great satisfaction in lliiis doing' honor to liis excel- 
lent parents, who were also firm believers in and 
followers of the Jlethodist faith. 

Mr. and Mrs. Craw have eight cliildren living, 
naiuciy : Fannie, the wife of L). W. Smith, of 
(Ireene Connt3', 111. ; ^'ellie, Sylvester, James W., 
Klmcr, Lidia J., William O. and John W. Ada 
died when ten months old. Our subject commenced 
life without a dollar in capital, ami received very 
little assistance afterward, lie had been trained to 
habits of industry ami economy, and was naturally 
wide-awake, ambitious, and always willing to work. 
He has the satisfaction of knowing that he has al- 
ways given his creditors abundant time and made 
allowance for misfortune and sickness. He is 
naturally of a very kind and generous disposition, 
willing to "live and let live." 

The Craw family in Vermont were widely and 
favorably known and represented b}' a large fol- 
lowing. Allen Craw, the father of our sulijcct, 
was born Feb. 21, 17'J8, and departed this life at 
Sadorus, III. on the 23d of March, 1887. When 
twenty-one years of age, he married in his native 
State Miss Lucy Griswold, who was also born in 
Vermont, in 1800. She is still living, and a resi- 
dent of Sadorus. The fathers of both parents 
served in the Revolutionary War, and were cap- 
tured by the British. Allen Craw and his wife, 
Lucy, lived together harmoniously for a period of 
sixty-eight years and nineteen days. Their union 
was blest by the birth of six children, of whom the 
eldest daughter, Polly, died in 183.5, and is buried 
in Vermont; the second one, George B., is a resi- 
dent of Sadorus, this county; Lncinda married 
John II. Waller; she is deceased and is buried 
in Greene County; Jane resides on the old home- 
stead; the youngest son, Edmond, died at the home 
of his father in this county, and his remains were 
laid to rest in Craw Cemetery, near Sadorus, he 
being the lirst one buried there. Samuel lives m-ar 
.Sadorus. A brother of Allen Craw lived to l>c 
ninety-six ye.ars old and another ninety-three. 



The f.ather of our subject was a man greatly re- 
spected wherever known, and his funeral was at- 
tended by a large concourse of jieoplc who had 
gathered from diftorent parts of the township to 
show respect to his memory. lie became a resident 
of White Hall in Is.iT, and resided there until 
18G.0, cultivating a farm of 300 .acres. He was 
converted when twenty-two years of age at a camp- 
meeting in Vermont, which meetings he was very 
fond of attending and never lost , an opportunity of 
being present when [lossible. His home was a stop- 
ping-place for the itinerant preachers, and for sev- 
eral years after settling in Greene County, 111., di- 
vine services were held in his pioneer cabin. His 
name is held in affectionate remembrance by his 
wife and children, as well as his friends outside the 
family- circle. He accumulated a goodly amount 
of this World's goods, .•iiid in his declining years 
lived at ease and in contentment, as the just rewjird 
of his labors. 



•->t^'*-^^;^ 



■<it5c?->*?*£^- 



■^OHN FRANKLIN PHILLU'l'K, youngest 
son of .lolin and Susan J. (Rusey) Phillippe 
(see sketch), was born in Condit Township, 
this county, Oct. 29, 1852. He was reared 
on a farm and pursued his primary studies in the 
district schools, his education afterward being ad- 
vanced by an attendance at Asbur3', now DePcw 
University, at Greencastle, Ind. When not in 
school he assisted in the duties of the farm, and 
made his home with his parents until 1875. In 
that year he was married, and settled on the farm 
which he now owns and occupies, located on sec- 
tion 3, Hensley Township. 

The homestead of our subject includes 175 acres 
of choice land, all enclosed and im|)roved, and sup- 
plied w-itli a good set of buildings. He also has 
twenty acres of timber. He was reared to habits 
of industry, and early in life evinced those quali- 
ties which have since constituted him a good citi- 
zen and an excellent business man. lie has con- 
ducted the management of his farm with ability 
and success, and is rated among the representalive 
and progressive agriculturists of one of the wealth- 
iest counties in the State. The farm buildings, ma- 



T 







250 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



chinery and stock are well cared for, and every- 
thing ;il)i>ut the place indicates the exercise of cul- 
tivated tastes and ample means. 

Mv. Phillippc was married, in April, l.s75, to 
Miss Ella Ilerriott, who was born in I""ayette Coun- 
ty, Ky.. and is the daughter of Kplnaim and Eliza- 
lieth (Washington) ilerriott. Of this union there 
have lieen born four children — John H., Matthew 
A., Sarah F. and William. Mr. P., as an enter- 
prising citizen, interested in the welfare of his 
county and ii immunity, was elected Commissioner 
in 1S«(;. for a term of three years. Politically he 
is Uepul)lican, and unif<irnd3' casts his vote and in- 
rtuenco in suiiiwrt of the principles of his party. 

-■^^■^- * :|3"c|: -«- ^1^ 




■ 



R.S. EUNICE MINER, daughter of Thomas 
Franlvlir.. and widow of Charles Miner, oc- 
cupies ;i line homestead of 320 acres on 
•^ section ly, Ileusley Township. .She was 

born in Vigo Coilnty, Ind., Aug. 17, 1823. Her 
fatiier was a native of New York, born it is be- 
lieved in Ontario County. Her grandfather, Benja- 
min Franklin, was born in Connecticut, and her 
gre.at-grand father, Jeliial Franklin, who it is sup- 
posed was a native of the same .State, descended from 
excellent English ancestry. He became a resident of 
Ontario County, N. Y., in the early settlement of 
tiiat region, .and there spent the last years of his 
life. There also his family was reared, and Benja- 
min, one of the sons, established a homestead among 
tlie pioneers liefore the day of either can.als or rail- 
roads, and wlien the emigrants traveled slowly with 
wagons over the eountrj' to their various destina- 
tions. 

The grandfather of Jlrs. Miner removed from 
Ontario County, N. Y., to Indiana in 1820, and 
settled among the i)ionecrs of Vigo County, where 
he spent the remainder of his days. Among the 
members of his family was Tliomas, the fatlier of 
Mrs. M., who was reared in the iMnpiie State, where 
he was married and resided until 1820. Then, with 
his wife and four children, he joined iiis parents and 
emigrated with Ihi'ni to Indiana. He also purciiased 
a trad of tind)er land in \'igo County, and in the 



midst of the wilderness erected a log house in which 
his daugliter, Eunice, was born. He toiled indus- 
triously some years, opening up a fine farm and be- 
coming quite extensively engaged in raising grain 
and stock. His death occurred there in about 184.0. 
He had Ijeen married in early inanliood to Miss 
Annie Reeves, a native of Essex Countj% N. J. 
This ladj' survived her husband eight years, and 
died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. M., in 
Hensley Township, Aug. 21, 1853. 

Mrs. Miner received careful home training .at the 
hands of her excellent parents, and a fair education 
I in the common schools. She remained with her 
parents until her marriage, assisting her mother in 
the various duties of the household, and became 
quite an exj^ert in spinning and knitting. She w.as 
united in marriage with Charles Miner, at the home 
of her parents, in Vigo County, Ind., April 30, 
1850. Mr. M. was a native of i<\ayette County, 
Ky., born March 29, 1808. He was the son of 
Rufus Miner, of Stonington, Conn., and the grand- 
son of llufus Miner, Sr., who had received an ex- 
cellent education, and for many years taught school 
in Stonington, where he spent the last years of his 
life. His son. Rufus, removed from Connecticut 
to iventucky in 1799, being one of the pioneers of 
the Blue Grass region. He was there m.arried to 
Miss Betsey W'hite, wlio was born in A'irginia, and 
was the daughter of Charles and .Sarah (Monroe) 
White, in 1811 they removed to Highland Coun- 
ty', Ohio, during its early settlement, and there re- 
mained residents for many j'ears. In 1852 they 
bade .adieu to old friends and associations, and 
coming to this .State located in .Shelby County, 
where their lives terminated. 

The Miner familj- was noted for its education 
and intelligence, and the son, Charles, inherited the 
excellent qualities of bcjth parents. His mother, 
while spinning at the old-f.ashioned wheel, taught 
him the rudinieuts of the common Englisli branches, 
which lessons his father continued at night by the 
light of a hiekor^'-bark fire. Even tallow candles 
in those da^-s were luxuries, and the hinip of the 
present was entirely unknown. Aside from this, 
three weeks' scliooling in the log house was all the 
instruction Cliarlcs Miner received. He was natur- 
ally', however, a bright and observing Ijo.y, and 



i 



f 



-^^ 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



251 



iz 



tliioiigli liis own efforts, by readina; and stiid_v as he 
had (ipportimity, bet-aine possessed of a praetienl 
Imsiness education, and was well informed upon all 
matters of general interest. When nineteen years 
of .age he went to Hamilton County, Ohio, where 
he spent four 3'ears working on a farm and making 
!in occasional trip down the river on a Hatboat 
loaded with produce, which he dispo.sed of .at New 
Orleans and other iMjints along the Mississippi. He 
spent two or three seasons in Louisiana, chopping 
cord wood for steamboats. Although his wages 
were small, he receiving a part of the time but $8 
per month, he saved a good portion of his earnings, 
and in 1837 went up into Indiana and purch.ased a 
small farm in N'igo County. This land lay about 
eleven miles north of Terre Haute. In 1849 he 
purch.ased several Mexican land warrants, and com- 
ing to Illinois entered land with these warrants on 
sections lit and 20 of what is now Ilensley Township. 
The year following he removed his family hither, 
the journey being made overland with wagons. 
After the}' were comfortably established he com- 
menced the improvement and cultivation of his 
farm. 

This i)art of the county was very thinl}' settlerl 
at that time, there being but one house between the 
farm of Mr. iliner and ivhat is now the city of 
Champaign. The house stood on the State road, 
and for some time Mr. M. disposed of a large por- 
tion of his produce to emigrants passing westward. 
He was prospered in his business and farming op- 
erations, and lived to see the countr3' around him 
opened up and improved by a good class of people. 
He watched with keen interest its various stages of 
devehjpmcnt, and as time and opportunity afforded, 
contributed his quota toward its growth and pros- 
perit}'. The primitive dwelling <^f the settler after 
the lapse of years was replaced by a handsome, 
modern farm-house, with a fine barn and all other 
necessary out-buildings. He was an honest man 
and a good citizen to the fullest extent of the 
term, and was held in high esteem by the friends 
and neighbors among whom he had lived for over 
thirty years. After a useful and unostentatious 
life he pased to his final rest, on the 2 1st of -Inly, 
iss.",. The widowed mother with her sons re- 
mained on the homestead, the business of vviiich 



I 



Mrs. Miner has conducted since the death of her 
husband with rare good sense and ability. 

Mr. and Mrs. Miner became the parents of eight 
children — Thomas, Ellen, Ch.arles, Daniel, Monroe, 
Grant, John and Seth. The three children by a 
former mai'riage of Mr. Miner are Annie, Elizabeth 
and Frank. The eldest son of Mr. Miner at the 
outbreak of the late war enlisted ;is a Union soldier 
in the 2.')th Illinois Infantry, serving first in Mis- 
souri and Arkans.as, and later with the Army of the 
Cumberland. He participated in man}' important 
battles, and was wounded at Chickamauga. After 
suffering seven months he attempted the journey 
home, but did not live to reach his destination, dy- 
ing at the Doan House in Chani|):iign Cit}', April 
11, 18G4. 

diaries Miner after l)ecoming a resident of this 
section, and .as the country gradually settle<l up, 
became an important factor among its business and 
.agricultiu-al interests. His good sense and intelli- 
gence commanded icad}' recognition, and he was 
appointed to various ollices within the gift of his 
townsmen. He was School Treasurer for a period 
of sixteen years, and was the lirst Justice of the 
Peace elected after the organization of Ilensley 
Townshi[). During the existence of the Whig party 
he was its stanch adherent. Ijut later cordially" en- 
dorsed the principli;s of the Ue|)ublicans, and upon 
the abandonment of tiie old party uniformly suii- 
liorled tiie [irinriples of the new, of which lie was a 
nienilici- for the space of nearl3' thirty years. 



^|Z^_^ENliY CLAY WEST. In 18.J.-, the traveler 
through Ilensley Township, then an unset- 
tled stretch of country, might have descried 
a lonely caljin situated on the open prairie 
with but few dwellings in sight. This humble 
abode was the original home of our subject, who 
came to this county when a 3'oung man, deciding to 
here establish a permanent home. The cour.age re- 
quired to thus pr.actically isolate himself from his 
fcllow-nien, as it were, in order to carr^- on the 
l)lans which he had in view may be better imagined 
than described. Mi\ AVest, liowever, possesseil an 
inherent independence and resolution which [)re- 







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252 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



i 



vented him froui looking back when he had once 
placed liis lianil to Hit- plow, and he settled down 
in his [lioneer c.ibin. di-teraiined to stay, to labor 
and wail tor lesnlls. Considering the fine home- 
stead whose doors he now hospitably opens to his 
oU\ friends, it is hardly necessary to say tliat his 
labors and patience have lieen richl^' rewarded. 
The log cabin has been replaced by a handsome 
and coniniodidus dwelling, and the once unfenced 
[)rairie npon which he laid claim h.as been trans- 
formed into smiling fields of green meadows and 
growing grain. Kver^'thing about the homestead 
indicates tiirift and prosperity', and is a forcible il- 
lustraticiu of what may be accomplished by steady 
[)crseverance and unflagging industry. 

Mr. West was born in Bourbon County, K\'., 
Aug. 9, isyi. llis father, Russell W'.. and his 
grandfatlier, William West, were botli natives of 
Virginia. Russell West grew to manhood in his 
native State and was there first married. His wife 
lived but a few ^-ears, and soon after her death he 
removed to Kentucky in about 182(j, settling in 
Hourl)i>u County, where he became a foreman on 
a large plantation. There also he married Mrs. 
Margaret (Ilerriott) Carter, the mother of our sul)- 
jeet. In 1 S 17 he purchased a farm in Scott County, 
Ky., which hi; occupied until l!S.")4, when he re- 
moved to Champaign County, settling in Mahomet 
Townshi|). lie also purchased land in Piatt County. 
lie remained a resident of Mahomet until his 
death, which occurred Jan. 21!, 18C1, and his re- 
mair.s are buried in a pleasant spot on the old farm. 
The mother died in Ilourbon County, Kv., Nov. 7, 
1835, and was binied in the Cane Ridge Church- 
yard. 

The suliject of this history was reared in his na- 
tive State and educated in the subscription schools. 
After his fatiier purchased land he assisted in its 
iminovement and remained under the home njof 
until twenty-one 3'ears of age. InSeptember, 18;)!, 
he started for Illinois on horseback, riding the en- 
tire distance in this manner. He stopi)ed here 
three months, then saddled his horse and started 
foi' his ol<l home in Kentucky, which he reached 
after a twelve days' journey. He reuniined with 
his father iin the farm oneyeai-.and in hsri.'i returned 
to this county. He was still a single man antl se- 

4» 



cured employihent by the month with one of the 

pioneer farmers. The following August he was 
married in Ilensle^' Township, and started South 
once more, this time aceom|)anied bj' his l>ride. 
They made the journey with an outfit of two horses 
and a covered wagon. After reaching the old 
home they visited with his father's family and 
friends until Novendjer. then started for the West 
once more, and spent the following winter in Condit 
Township. 

In the spring of 1854, Mr. West rented land in 
Henslev Township. The}' spent the fall of that 
3-ear with the father of JMrs. W. on section 28, and 
on the 17th of Ainil, 1855, located on the farm 
w'hich they have occupied continuously since, but 
which as we have seen was very far from being a 
farm when they took possession of it. There was 
little then but open prairie on all sides, especially 
the eastern part of the township. Most of the 
l)eople who there located and improved farms, have 
sold out and gone to other parts of the country, or 
to their long himie. Jlr. West is now the oldest 
settler in this part of the township, and is tacitly 
accorded that reverence and resiiect due to one 
who looked u|)on the prairie in its virgin state and 
assisted in its transformation. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was married 
Aug. 11, 1 85o, was formerly Jliss Harriett E. (ira- 
ham, also a native of Bourbon County, Ky. Her 
father, James M. Graham, was a native of Bath 
County in the Blue (irass State, and her grand- 
father, James Graham, 8r., a native of Virginia, 
was among the early pioneers of Kentuck}', where 
he engaged in farming and spent his last years iu 
Bath Countj". His son, James M., was a.lso reared 
to farming pursuits, and then began to teach a sub- 
scription school. He then went into the general 
merchandise and commission business, and remained 
in his native State until 1852, when became to this 
county, and purchased land on section 28, in Hens- 
ley Township. He opened up a good farm and re- 
mained a resident of the township until 188,'), when 
lie removed to Kansas and is now living there in 
Republic County. He was a man of much force 
of character, prominent in local affairs, and held 
the various otliees of trust within the gift of his 
fellow-citizens, among them being that of Super- 




u 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



253 



f 



t 



visor, wliii-h he filled very satisfactorily for sev- 
eral terms. The mother of Mis. West before her 
marriage was Miss Margaret llerrlott, also a native 
of Kentucky. She died when Mrs. West was but 
three years old. 

Mr. and Mrs. West have six oiiil<lreii living: 
Margaret became the wife of J>. P. Wam.-icks, and 
lives in IIensle3' Township; Susan K., Mrs. John 
P. (irindley, lives in Mahomet Township; (ieorge 
C. took to wife Miss Rosetta Bell, of Champaign 
Township, and resides on the homestead ; Sarah 
A., the wife of John Jordan, resides in Ilensley 
Township; Thomas and William are on the old 
homestead, and single. These children, who have 
inherited in a m.arked degree the excellent traits 
of character possessed by their parents, are greatly 
respected as citizens and members of societ}'. Mr. 
and Mrs. W. became connected with the Presby- 
terian Church at Champaign in 18r)4. our subject 
being one of the three charter members now liv- 
ing who .assisted in its organization, the other two 
being ladies. 

'Jp^iEY. DAA'ID CRAWFORD, who was con- 
nected with the ministry of Northwestern 
Indiana Conference for many years, has 
l;^since 1872 employed himself in agricultural 
pursuits. He owns and occupies a line farm on .sec- 
tion 31, in Philo Township, where he has built up a 
comfortable home, and enj(jys the coulidcuce and 
esteem of his friends and neighbors. 

Mr. Crawford was born in Salem, Washington 
Co., N. Y., Dec. 23, 1811, and is the son of James 
Crawford, also a native of the Empire State, and of 
Scotch ancestry. He was bred to farming pursuits, 
in which he was occupied during his youth and 
early manhood, and was married in his native; coun- 
ty to Miss Mary (iraham, a native of New Yoik 
.State. They located on a farm in Washington 
County, N. Y., and accumulated a com[)etei)cy. 
They were excellent Christian people, and widely 
known for their hospitality and kindness to the af- 
flicted and distressed, liotii parents had been faiiiy 
educated, and were above the average in intelli- 
gence. They si)ent. their entire lives in W:ishing- 
ton C(junly, the motlier dying in middle life, and 
the father at ;in advanced age. 




Of the nine cliildrcn in the parental family, con- 
sisting of three diuighters and six sons, one daugh- 
ter and two sons only arc now living. Of tiiese the 
record is as follows: .lolin, who followed farming 
pursuits, after arriving at the age of eighty-eight 
years, departed this life in 188;'); 'William died 
when ;i young man before leaving home; he w,as a 
youth of great (jromise and much beloved by his 
family and a large circle of friends; iMartha liecame 
the wife of Daniel Rice, .and died near East Cam- 
den, Oneida Co., N. Y., when about seventy years 
old; Isaac, who w.as a minister of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church for many years, died in Indiana, 
leaving a wife and three children; David, of our 
sketch, w.as the next in order of birth; a daughter 
died in infancy ; J.ames, who was connected with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church the greater part of 
his life, died at Hope, Bartholomew Co., Ind., in 
1872, leaving a wife and two sons; Thomas C. is 
living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and .activelv engaged as 
a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church; he 
has a wife .and seven children; Mary E., the widow 
of Mr. Jameson, is a resident of Rising Sun, Ohio 
Co., Ind., having two children who m.aintain.her in 
ease and comfort, her son being a practicing ph^'si- 
cian in that city. 

The subject of our sketch was educated princi- 
pally .at Casenovia, N. Y., and Kent's Hill, Me. He 
w.as licensed to preach l)y the Willianistown Con- 
ference in New York, July 4, 1840, and later ad- 
mitted on trial during the Annual Conference at 
Terre Haute, Ind., in 1810. He was api)ointed to 
Knightstown Circuit by Bishop II. R. Roberts; his 
labors also included the Morrisvillc Circuit. He 
wiis ordained Deacon by the Indiana Annu.al Con- 
ference, Nov. 21, 1842, by Bishop Thom.-is A. Mor- 
ris. Afterward he w.as transferred, .at his own re- 
quest, to the Arkans.as Conference, by which he was 
ordained Elder in November following, at its ses- 
sion at Little Rock. Three years later, desiring to 
go to Iowa, Mr. Crawford was transferred to the 
Iowa Conference, and labored in the vineyard there 
for a period of six 3'ears. In the meantime he h.ad 
met with a severe affliction in the loss of his excel- 
lent wife. This lady w.as formerly Mi.ss Elizabeth 
Toner, who was 11 nativi; of ]u<liaua, and married 
to our sut)ject at Slielliy villc, that State. She pos- 



■^ 



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•►-*^ 



264 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






sessed all womanly virtues, and was ever the active 
sympathizer and helper of her husband in his relig- 
ious work. The one child born to them died in in- 
fancy. 

The second marriage of Mv. Crawford took place 
at Pleasant Hill, Montgomery Co., Ind., Aug. 23, 
18.t4. His wife, Miss Mary A. Meharry, was the 
daughter of James Meharry, the latter born in Ad- 
ams County, Ohio, of Scottish parentage. He mar- 
ried Miss Margaret Francis, of Irish and Scotch de- 
scent, in 1827. In the spring of 1S2.S they removed 
from Ohio to Fountain County, Ind., and thence 
three years later to Montgomery County, whei'e the 
father followed farming, and where both parents 
spent the remainder of their lives. Their four chil- 
dren consisted of two daughters and two sons, of 
whom the wife of our subject was the eldest: 
Green C. is farming in Tippecanoe County, Ind.; 
he married Miss Letitia Meharry, of Canada; Cor- 
nelia B. is the wife of .Tames Hickman, a farmer of 
Iroquois County, III. ; A. W., a mute, lives with Iiis 
sister, the wife of our subject. Mrs. Crawford was 
reared and educated mostly in Montgomery and 
Allen Counties, Ind., completing her studies at the 
Ft. Wayne Methodist Episcopal College. After- 
ward she returned to her parents and remained with 
them until her marriage. Of her union with our 
subject there have been born ten children, of whom 
three — Charles G., M. L. and an infant — are de- 
ceased. Those surviving are C. M., Jessie C E., 
Ella M. F., Allen J., Anna L., Emma G. and John 
W. \V. All these are at home with the exception 
of Allen, who is attending college at Onarga. 

Mr. and Mrs. Crawford soon after their marriage 
settled in Crown Point. Ind., where our subject had 
charge of a congregation one year. He w.as thence 
removed to Pine Village, and aftervvard to Pleasant 
Hill. He was placed on the superannuated list four 
years before coming to Illinois. Since 1872 he has 
given his time princi])all3' to fjirming, and is the 
possessor of over 1,000 acres of land, half of it be- 
ing in Indiana. His homestead in Philo Township 
is finely improved, with good buildings, and the 
land is under an advanced state of cultivation. 
His stock and farm implements compare favoral)ly 
with those of the otlici' prosperous and intelligent 
farmers of Chami)aign County-. 




^ AVID F. BROWN. One of the best con- 
ducted farms in Champaign County is lo- 
cated in Hensley Township on section 20, 
and invariably attracts the eye of the pass- 
ing traveler as indicating on every hand the super- 
vision of a proprietor with cultivated tastes and 
abundant means. This beautiful and valuable home- 
stead is the 2)roperty of the subject of our sketch, 
who became its occupant in 1807. , From the time 
of taking possession he has industriously labored 
for its improvement and beautification, until there 
is little lacking that could be reasonably desired. 
Mr. B. is essentially a self-made man, who was fortu- 
nate in securing an admirable wife and heli)meet, 
and they together have built up one of those envia- 
ble homes which so materially assist in defining the 
status of a neighborhood or community. 

Mr. Brown is a native of Highland County-, Ohio. 
He was bom Jan. 15, 1828, and is the son of II«nry 
Brown, who, with his father, Nathan Brown, was a 
native of ^'irginia. The grandfather of our sub- 
ject removed with his family from the Old Domin- 
ion to Ohio at an early da}', being among the pio- 
neers of Iligliland County, where he spent the re- 
mainder of his life, and where his remains are bur- 
ied. His son Ileiuy, the father of our subject, w.ns 
reared to manhood and married in Highland Coun- 
ty, Ohio, where he purchased a tract of land and 
cleared a farm, which he occupied until 1826. He 
then sold out, and with his wife and seven children 
started overland for what was then called the 
frontier, but is now the important IState of Indiana. 
Their road laj' through the wilderness, and in man}' 
places they had to cut a passage with their a.xes. 

After reaching the boundaries of Putnam Count}' 
Hemy Brown purchased a tract of land, mostly 
timber, a few acres being jjartiall}' cleared, and sup- 
plied with a log cabin. He, however, possessed the 
genuine pioneer si)irit, .and was not the man to turn 
back from an undertaking that had an}' prospect of 
success. He unloaded his family and their limited 
supply of household goods, and with them took up 
his abode in the cabin and at ouce set about the 
imi)rovement of his purchase. In due time the 
timlier gave way to cultivated fields, and the prim- 
itive cabin to a pretentious and substantial log 
house, supi)lemented by a barn of the same de- 

_ r^ 



i 



i 



u 




iL 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



255 



t 



scription. In that iiioiii'iT home, whose occupants 
at that time felt rich, the father of our subject re- 
sided until his death, in May, l.SSS. lie had mar- 
ried, in earl}- life. Miss Rachel Clearwater, a native 
of South Carolina, and the dauglitei' of .Taeoh Clear- 
water, who proved a faithful and oompanionahle 
wife and mother, sharing cheerfully the ditHculties 
and hardships of settlement in a new country. 
After the death of her husband she made her home 
with her son, our subject, dying in Hensley Town- 
ship, Oct. .5, 1872. 

Of the children of Henry and Uacliel Brown, nine 
in number, David F. of our sketch was the fifth in 
order of birth. He was but three years old when 
his parents journej'ed overland from Ohio to Indi- 
ana, and was there reared in Putnian County, that 
State, receiving a limited education in the sub- 
scription schools. He was fifteen years old when 
his father died, and remained with his mother until 
twenty-two, when he returned to his native county 
and engaged as a stock-dealer the following year. 
He then joined hi.s mother's family in Indiana, 
where he worked at farming for three years, after 
which he operated on rented land until 181G. That 
year he provided himself with a stock of clocks and 
Yankee notions, and coming over into the Prairie 
State, peddled first on commission for another man 
and afterward for himself. 

Two years later our subject returned to Indiana, 
and purchased 120 acres of partially improved land 
in Montgomery County. This he improved and 
cultivated for several years thereafter, then rented 
his farm, and returning to Illinois, purchased (!()0 
acres of unimproved prairie in Blue Ridge Town- 
ship, Piatt County. He soon afterward put up a 
house, commenced the improvement of his pur- 
chase, and after a residence there of a few j'cai-s, 
removed to I)c Witt County, and purchased a tract 
of land near Farmer Cit3\ This he also improved 
and occupied four years, at the expiration of which 
time he returned to his property in Piatt County, 
which he occupied until 18G7. Then leaving this 
in charge of a tenant he came to this county aiul 
purchased eighty acres in Hensley Township, which 
is now nicluded in his present farm. He retained 
his Piatt County farm until 1872, when he sold it. 
He has added to his lirsl purciiase in this county 
4*- 



until lu" is now Ihc owner of 818 acres, besides val- 
uable tracts of timber elsewhere. He has also en- 
larged iiis iiouse and barn, and vastly improved the 
original coiulitiou of his [lurcbasc. His land is 
finely adapted to grain and stock-raising, to which 
of late years he has princi[)ally turned his attention, 
and has met with remarkable success. 

The lirst wife of our suljject, to whom ho was 
married in Crawfordsville, Ind., July li), 1849, was 
formerly Miss Rachel Pierce, who w.as born in 
Montgomery County, Ind., May 28, 1827. :Mrs. 
B. was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Gatral) 
Pierce, both natives of Pennsylvania. This ladj' 
became the mother of two children, both now de- 
ceased, and departed this life Dec. 2, 1851. The 
present wife of our subject, to whom he was mar- 
ried in 185;J, was Miss Elizabeth ]')ailey, a native 
of Kentucky, born Nov. 2, 182!). She is the daugh- 
ter of Charles Bailey, who was born in Hanover, 
Plymouth Co., Mass., and the granddaughter of 
Charles Bailey, Sr., a native of the same place and 
of excellent English parentage and descent. He 
met his death by being crushed under the walls of 
a burning building in his native town. His father, 
the great-grandfather of Mrs. Brown, also died in 
that town. Charles Raile^-, Jr., the father of Mrs. 
Brown, became a resident of Indiana when it was a 
Territory. He was a machinist by trade, and [lut 
in the apparatus of a carding-niill at Brookville, 
Franklin County, the first of its kind in that local- 
it3'. From there he went to Kentucky, and in 18.'!7 
back to Indiana, where he purchased a farm in 
Montgomery County', and si)ent the remainder of 
his life, dying Aug. 28, 18(18. His wife, the 
mother of Mrs. Brown, was formerly Miss Cather- 
ine \'anhook. of Bourbon County, Ky., and the 
daughter of Archibald N'.auhook, who was born in 
South Carolina, and was of Holland parentage and 
ancestry. He removed frt)m the South at an early 
day, and was one of the early settlers of Bourbon 
County. Mrs. Catherine Bailey departed this lifc 
in September, 18G1, in Crawfordsville, Ind. 

Mr. and Mrs. ]{rown h.ave nine chililrt^u living, 
of whom the record is as follows: Alice, the w;ife 
of (leorge UisiTig, is a resident of Hensley Town- 
ship; AVillard lives in Woodbury County', Iowa; 
iMary, Mrs. Euumsou W. Womacks, lives in Og- 



4 



266 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



den Townshij), this county ; Frances is the wife of 
Lvither Liiulsoy, of Hensley Township; Olive, El- 
ery, F. Lincoln, Ida May and t'lorcfice Josephine 
are at home with their parents. 

]Mr. Brown during the existence of the old Whig- 
party was a warm S3'mpathizer with its principles, 
Ijut when the old party was al)andoned, heartily en- 
dorsed the llepublican party, and is now a I'rohi- 
liitionist. He has always taken a lively interest in 
local and general matters, and keeps himself well 
posted npon current events. He has been promi- 
nent in the counsels of his fellow-townsmen, and in 
1875 served as a member of the Board of Super- 
V isors. 

Mrs. B. is a lad3^ of more than ordinary intel- 
ligence, and for a period of more than tliirty years 
has .-issisted her liusbaml in every worthy enter- 
l)risc, .nnd lias been his sympathizer and helper in 
ills undertakings, whether they were for the benefit 
of tlie fatnily or the public at large. 



KFFKRSON TROTTER, a gentleman promi- 
nent in the affairs of Champaign County 
since he became a resident in 1851), has been 
(^^/) distinguished for more tlian ordinary energj- 
and enterprise in the pursuit of his occupation as 
an .agriculturist, and of late years as a brce(ler of 
line stock. lie is essentiiilly a self-made man, hav- 
ing comiiienced iiumbly iii life, lint is now one of 
the most iiii|)ort;uit factors in the agricultural and 
business interests of tliis .section. 

Mr. Trotter w.as born in Frederick County, V:i., 
Dee. i;), 18-25, and is the son of Matthew Trotter, 
a native nf the same Slate and county, who was tlie 
son of Matthew Trotter, .Sr. The latter was born 
in Ireland in 1717, and emigrated to America at an 
early perioil in the liisl.ory of the coiintiy, taking 
up his aliode in Frederick Countj', Va., where he 
op(MU!d up a farm, and upon it spent the re- 
iiKiindcr of his life. His son Mattiiew, tlie father 
of our subject, was born May 5, 1780. He was 
H'ared on the farm in Frederick County, Va., and 
after reaching manhooil u.is united in marriage 
with Mi.ss Eliznbetli Kccly, a native of the same 
county, and of German ancestry. After the birth 



of six children, they emigrated to Ohio in 1829, 
locating in Clarke County. The journey vr&s made 
overland with w.agons, and they camped and cooked 
by the w.ay. After a four years' residence in the 
latter-named county they removed further West- 
ward to Indiana, locating in Tippecanoe County, 
and from there went to Clinton County, where 
Matthew Trotter purchased an improved farm. He 
only occupied this, however, a few years, and then 
returned to Tippecanoe County, Ind., where he 
spent the last days of his life. The mother, in her 
declining j'ears, lived with one of her sons in 
Champaign Township, this county. 

Of the seven children comprising the parental 
household, Jefferson Trotter of this sketch was the 
fourth in order of birth. He was but four j'ears 
old when his parents removed to Ohio, and eight 
years of age when they became residents of Indi- 
ana. He attended the district schools in the latter 
State as opportunity offered, and when not thus oc- 
cupied assisted his father on the farm. He was 
fond of his books, however, and after lie iiad grown 
to manhood earned money with which to advance 
his education. In due time he entered the Farm- 
ers' Institute ill Wayne Tov?nship, Tippecanoe 
County, where he studied for one year, .and after- 
ward attended Wabash College. For a few years 
following he engaged in teaching six months in tlie 
year, and worked at farming the remainder. In 
1859 he purchased IfiO acres of wild prairie in 
Champaign Township, this county, in company 
vvitli his brotiier, J. W. Trotter. They farmed to- 
gether harmoniously for more than twenty years, 
in the meantime adding to their first purchase nntil 
they became the owners of 480 acres, wliich they 
brought to a fine state of cultivation. In 1880 
they divided tlie property. Our subject has since 
added to his siiare, and his possessions now aggre- 
gate 200 acres, all in Champaign Township. Upon 
it he has erected iiandsome and substantial modern 
farm buildings, and tiiis, together witii the manner 
in which it is cared for, makes the homestead one 
of the most nttr.active features of the landscape of 
tliis section. 

The marriage of Jefferson Trotter and Miss Eliza 
C. Kirkpatrick took place in LaFayctte, Ind., May 
20, 187'J. Jlrs. T. is the daughter of George W 



•M^^ 



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J. 



4»- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 

259 



and Catherine (Porter) Kirkpatrick, the former a 
native of Kentucky', born in ITDG.and the latter of 
Ohio, born in 1801. The grandfather of Mrs. T., 
Sanuiol Kirkpatrick by name, descended from ex- 
cellent Scottish ancestry, and emigrated to this 
country', locating in I'ickaway County, Ohio, where 
he spent the remainder of his life. His son, George 
W., grew to manhood in Ohio, where he was mar- 
ried and resided until about 1S27, when he removed 
to Indiana, and was among the pioneer settlers of 
Tippecanoe County. He purchased a tract of un- 
improved prairie land in AVea Township. Here 
he opened up a farm, and remained a resident of 
that township until his death. The mother of Mrs. 
T. was of Irisli parentage, and was born in Ohio, 
of which State her parents were among the earliest 
settlers, locating there while it was yet a Territory'. 
Mrs. T. has a distinct recollection of the privations 
and hardships encountered in the settlement of a 
new country, amid whose wild scenes her native 
strength of cliaracter was developed, and where she 
became fitted for the suitable wife and helpmeet of 
such a man as her husband. She is a member in 
good standing of the Christian Church. Politically 
Mr. Trotter uniformly casts his vote witli the Dem- 
ocratic part}', and is a firm supporter of tiie present 
administration. 



HIAM TROTTKR, a gentlemnM of South- 
ern birth and parentage, who is wiiU known 
and iiighly respected throughout Ncwcomb 
Township, where he carried on farming for a 
period of thiriy years, in 1884 abnndoned active 
labor and retired t<j the village of Fislior, where he 
is no.w living upon a competency secured mainl}' 
by ills own efforts. Resides his fine property in 
the vilhige, consisting of a handsome residence, set 
in the midst of ample grounds, ornamented with 
shade trees and choice shrubbery, he has a farm of 
270 acres on sections 11 and 1.0, in Newcomb 
Township, whicii is now operated by his son John. 
Mr. Trotter is tiie third child of William and 
Barbara (Dick) Trotter, natives of West Virginia. 
They located after their marriage in Prederick 
Count}', whence the}- emigrated to Clinton County, 




Ind., and after a residence there i>f seven years 
came in 1854 to Piatt County, 111., where they 
spent the remainder of their days, occupied in 
farming pursuits. Their family consisted of six 
sons and three daughters, of whom Hiram of our 
sketch was born Jan. 22, 1813. He remained a 
resident of the Old Dominion until 1850, removing 
thence to Clinton County, Ind., with his parents, 
and six years later became a resident of Cham- 
paign County, locating on a tract of land in New- 
comb Township, where he engaged successfully in 
farm pursuits until his retirement in 1884. Dur- 
ing the period of over thirty years in which he has 
gone in and out among the people of this vicinit}', 
he has distinguished himself as an honoral)le and 
upright citizen, and a skillful and thorough farmer. 
He has always been ready to assist iii any enter- 
prise calculated to benefit his community, and is 
possessed of that wise judgment and temperance of 
counsel which lias commended liim to liis fellow- 
citizens as an important factor in their delibera- 
tions, and a man whose opinions it were wise to 
follow. 

The first marriage of our subject took jiiace in 
his native county, the maiden of iiis clioice Ix'ing 
Miss Susan Stotler, who became his wife in the 
summer of 1835. The three children born of this 
marriage were Peter, Mary and Susanna. The 
first mentioned married Miss Klizabeth Yeager, of 
Indiana, and is a successful farmer of Newcomb 
Township; Mary nnuricd Andrew McRride, who 
died shortly after; she is a resident of Clinton 
County, Indiana; Susanna died in Piatt Count3% 
this State, when twenty-five years of age. Mrs. 
Susan Trotter (lei>arted this life in P'rederick 
County, Va., in 1831), and her remains were laid 
to rest near the place of her birlji. 

Mr. T. was again married, in X'irginia. to Miss 
Lydia M. Allemang, .mIso a native of the Old Do- 
min.ion, .'ind who by her marringe witii our subject 
became the m()tii(>r often ciiiidren, seven now liv- 
ing, namely, NatiiMU, Kli/.abeth, N'irginia, .lohn, Al- 
l)ert, Rarbara and .lane. Nathan, who married 
Mi.ss Merrill, is farming in Iowa; Klizabeth, the 
wife of Capl. .1. R. Lester, whose biography .ap- 
pears elsewliere in this Ai.iii m, is a resident of 
Newcomb Township; N'irginia, Mr>. David Ins- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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keep, resides in Iowa; John married Miss Eliza- 
beth pI. Funston, and is farming in Newcomb 
Township; Albert married Miss Carrie Dorr, and 
resides in Piatt County, this State, as does also 
Barbara, the wife of George Teats; Jane is the wife 
of Oscar Mulvain, and they are living in Newcomb 
Township; three children died in infancy. Mrs. 
Lydia M. Trotter died .it the home of her husband 
in Newcomb Township in 1.S80. 

Our subject, on the 11th of May, 1S82, was mar- 
ried to Mrs. Mary A. (Starling) Schoppell, daughter 
of William and Eliz.a (Wallace) Starling, and widow 
of J.-ickson Schoppell, who died in Mahomet Town- 
ship in 1«G4. By her first marriage this lady be- 
came the mother of eight children, viz., Ann E., 
Mary J., M.-irtha, Susan E., Rose, Sarah, Charlie 
and Oliver. Ann married George T. Pearce, and 
they reside in McLean County, this State; Martha 
is the wife of D. W. Stewart, of Michigan ; Susan 
E. died in infancy ; Rose, the wife of Al Hinton, re- 
sides on a farm with her husband in Newcomb 
Township; Sarah, Charlie and OUie died in in- 
fancy. The mother of these children was born in 
Pickaway County, Ohio, Nov. 2(5, 1827. Of her 
union with our subject there have been no chil- 
dren. 

While living in Newcomb Township Mr. Trotter 
served as Highway Commissioner for nine years in 
succession, .and held the minor offices. He is Dem- 
ocratic in politics, and with his wife a member in 
good standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church 
at Fisher. 

It is with pleasure that we present the portrait 
of Mr. Trotter in this connection, as being that of 
a representative and honored citizen of Newcomb 
County. 



y..^ LFRED N. L()\'ELESS, of Newcomb 
(.^lOI Township, is the son of Isaac N. and Louisa 
M. (Pawley) Loveless, who were natives 
respectively of Clinton and Boone Coun- 
ties, Jnd., .and of Irish descent. After their mar- 
riage they first located in Clinton County, Ind., 
whence they removed to Harrison County, Mo., and 
engaged in farming. They subsequentl}' returned 
to Indiana and after a residence there of about 




fifteen years moved to Champaign County, lU., 
where they lived about three years. They then re- 
turned to Harrison County, Mo., where thej' still 
live. 

Their eight children included six sons and two 
daughters, of whom Alfred N., of our sketch, was 
the eldest. He was born in Clinton County, Ind., 
June 1.5, 18.58, becoming a resident of Champaign 
C'ount}% 111., when thirteen years of age, and with 
the exception of three or four years spent with his 
parents in Missouri, has resided here since that time. 
He is the proprietor of a good farm on section 3, in 
Newcomb Township, which consists of eight}' acres, 
and is under a good state of cultivation. 

Our subject w.as married at the residence of the 
bride's parents, in Newcomb Township, Nov. 24, 
1879, to Miss Sarah A., daughter of David and 
Mahala Najdor, of whom a sketch appears else- 
where in this work. Mrs. Loveless was born in 
Adams County, Ohio, Sept. 20, 185G, and by her 
union with our subject has become the mother of 
three children — Olin D., Jesse P. and Ida G. Mr. 
L. is Republican in politics, and in all i-espects is 
fulfilling his obligations as a good citizen. 



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EHU DAVIS. Not quite twenty-five years 
ago the subject of the following history took 
the first steps in inaugurating the splen<iid 
homestead which forms one of the most at- 
tractive spots in Pesotum Towushij). It is finely 
located, and the central feature, the handsome 
residence, with its adj.acent out-buildings, com- 
mands an extended view of the surrounding 
country. The estate includes 3oG acres of some 
of the most valuable land in the locality, finely 
improved, and stocked with graded animals. The 
building up of this homestead has comprised the 
labor of years and the outl.ay of thousands of dol- 
lars, but the result cannot be otherwise than emi- 
nentl}- satisfactory to the proprietor. Nature en- 
dowed him with rare persistence, almost exhaust- 
less energy and excellent judgment. These have 
all been called into .action, and the result is no less 
a matter of pride to the neighboring farmers th.an 
to our subject and his family. The reputation of 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



261 



a township or couniiiiiiity depeiuls upon the cliarac- 
ter of its citizens, and Pesotum Township is i)roiid 
to claim within her borders a man of the cliaracter 
and capacities of Jehu Davis. 

Mr. Davis is a native of the (Jld Dominion, born 
in ^lonongaiia Count}', Dec. 2!), 1822. He lived 
in his native count}' until eleven years of age and 
then, accompanied l)y his uncle, Jehu, migrated to 
Indiana, in which .State he lived until a young man 
about twent3'-two years of age. His occupation 
was mostly farming, but he had also learned the 
carpenter's trade in the little city of New Castle, 
whence he removed to Clinton County, Ohio, 
and on the 2.jd of November, 1848, became the 
husband of Miss Susie Ilaiile}', a native of that 
county. They remained in that loealitj' about six- 
teen j'ears, three of which were spent on the farm 
and the balance of the time occupied principally 
by Mr. Davis in carrying on a gristmill. Upon 
coming to the West in 18GG, he i)urehasod a quarter 
section of land in Pesotum Township, on section 
26, and at once entered vigorously upon its im- 
provement. He broke the sod, fenced the fields, 
and was prospered in his efforts from the start. He 
selected tiic wisest manner in which to invest his 
surplus funds, namely, real estate, and which re- 
mains to his children the fairest heiitage which a 
f.ather could bequeath iu tlie matter of property. 

The nine children of Mr. and Mrs. J_)avis were as 
follows: Christopher 15., born .lune 10, 18.')0, died 
Aug. 8, is.")l ; James E., born Nov. 9, 1851; Mary 
E., born Aug. U, 1853, died the same day; William, 
born Oct. 27, 1855, died Jan. 20, 1881; Frank, 
born July 7, 1858; Jehu, b<jrn Dec. 5, 1861, died 
Dec. 25,1863; Ralph, born April 29, IStiO, died 
Jan. 9, 1861 ; Fanny B., born April 2.s, 1861; Wal- 
ter S., born Feb. 25, 1867, died Nov. 8, 1868; 
James E. married Miss Lavina Crawford, of this 
County, and is carrying on general meichandising 
in Pesotuni. Frank married Mi.ss Emma Ervin, of 
Clinton CV)untv, Ohio, and occupies a part of the 
homestead. Fannie B. is the wife of Eli Starkcy, 
formerly of Clermont County, Ohio. He is carry- 
ing on merchandising in Parksvillc, tliis county. 

The father of our subject, William Davis, was a 
native of Delaware, whence he moved to ^\■est 
Virginia in his youtli. He married Miss Sarah 



Pride, and was occupied in farming in the Old Do- 
minion until 1850, when he moved to Ohio, and 
retiring from active labor made his home with his 
son, Jehu, until his decease, which occurred in the 
spring of 1855. The wife and mother departed 
this life over a score of years before her husband, 
her death taking place before the removal to Ohio, 
in 18;J2. \\'illiam Davis served in the AVar of 
1812, as a member of the \'irginia Regiment. 

The parents of Mrs. Davis removed from New 
York to Ohio at an e.arh- period in the history of 
the latter State, taking up their abode in Clermont 
County. Her father died when she was but six 
years of age, in 1833. The mother survived until 
1870, making her home with her oldest daughter, 
Hannah, the wife of James Brunson, of Clermont 
County, Ohio. 

Mr. Davis, politicalh', as in all other respects, 
prefers principle to men, and refu.'^es to be eon- 
trolled 1)}' party factions. He has Udien a dee|) in- 
terest iu the success of the temperance movement, 
being an ardent Prohil)itionist, and improving ever}' 
opportunity to announce his opposition to the manu- 
facture and sale of ardent spirits. Both he and his 
excellent wife are valued members of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church, of Pesotuni, and as opjjor- 
tunity permits endeavor to adorn their i)rofession 
liy evincing a Ciiristian kindness ;ind chanicter and 
encouraging the cause of moralit}- and religion. 




THOMAS RUCKMAN, located on section 28, 
'(«^"\\ '" T5''""'" Township, since 1877. has been 
cultivating a quarter section of land to 
which he has an undisputed title, and which is 
without cncumlirauce. He is a native of Fairfield 
Count}', Ohio, and l)orn March 10, 1836, whence 
he emigrated when a young man twenty-two years 
old to Illinois. His parents, Thomas and Christena 
(.Staw) Ruckman, were natives of Pennsylvania, 
and subsequently settled in Ohio. They came to the 
I'rairie State two years before tiieir son, and locating 
in Will County, leniaiiicd there until the death of 
the father in 1S(;,{. Tlic inolhcr afterward removed 
with her family to Ford County, where her death 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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took place in the winter of 188"2. The parental 
family included eight children. 

Upon the breaking' out of the late Civil War 
j-oung liuckman, then a resident of Will Conntj', 
111., enlisted in the 100th Illinois Infantry, serving 
with Companj' E for a period of nearly three 
years. Upon receiving his honorable discharge he 
returned to Will County, remaining there until the 
spring of 1877. He then came to this county and 
took up his abode iu Brown Township, where he 
has since lived. At the time of coming here he 
was accompanied by a small family, having on the 
1st of January, 18G8, been married to Miss Amanda 
McGowan, who was born in Lockport, 111., March 2, 
1.S42, and is the daughter of Thomas and Mary 
(Brown) McGowan, both of whom were natives of 
Scotland. Four children were added to the famil3- 
circle after Mr. R. and his wife took up their resi- 
dence in this cOunty, making six in all, who are 
named as follows: Charles W., Frederick, Harry, 
Nellie, Christena and Thomas. 

Mr. Ruckman has been .School Director for nine 
successive j'ears, and Commissioner of Highways 
two years. Politically he is Republican, .and so- 
cially belongs to Van Wert Post No. 300. G. A. 
R., at F'isher. 




DWARD MARSHALL. On secti<m lo, 
in Ludlow Township, where he owns ICO 
acres, lies the well-cultivated and valuable 
farm of the subject of this sketch, where since 18CG 
he has been industriously tilling tlie soil and mak- 
ing a spccialtj- of the breeding of fine stock. He 
is what may be truly termed a self-made man, hav- 
ing commenced life at the foot of the ladder, with- 
out means or influential friends. His present pos- 
session.s have been accumulated 1)3' his own industry 
whicii, with other excellent traits of ciiaracter, has 
gained liim the respect of all who know him. He 
is ranked among tiie representative citizens and 
business men of his township, and has contributed 
his full share in bnil(b'ng up its agricultural inter- 
ests. 

Mr. Maritliall first oi)ene<l his eyes to the light in 
Erin's green i.sle, Count3' Limerick, Nov. 20, 1834. 
His parents were John and Catherine (Garvin) 



Marshall. His paternal great-grandfnthei-, a native 
of France, emigrated from there to Ireland and 
bought a large estate in County Limerick. The 
title to this, however, was defective, and after 
spending a large sum of.mone3- in tr3-ing to adjust 
the matter in the courts he lost the greater part of 
his property. He settled down upon the remain- 
der and spent the last years of his life, and the es- 
tate reverted first to his son and then to his grand- 
son, the father of our subject. 

Mr. Marshall during his childhood and youth at- 
tended school quite steadil3'. and when seventeen 
3^ears of age set sail from Liverpool for the New 
World. After a voyage of four weeks and five 
days he landed in New York Citv and made it his 
first business to secure cmplo3mcnt. In this lie 
succeeded, and commenced as a brick and plaster 
mason in Neiv York. After working in the cities 
of Brooklyn, Boston and Lebanon Springs, he 
turned his face toward the West, and coming into 
this State located in Warren County, where he 
worked b3' the month until his marriage. After- 
wai-d he took up a tract of land which he cultivated 
for three 3'ears following. He then removed to 
Cold Brook Township, where he lived until 18G8. 
and during that year came to this county, and with 
the money which he had saved by close economy 
purchased the farm which he now owns and occu- 
pies. Upon it at the time was a small frame house 
which needed man3' repairs, and which he fitted ui» 
for the reception of his family temporaril3'. In 
due time this was replaced by a substantial farm 
dwelling. Mr. M. planted hedge, and fruit and 
shade trees, and has combined beaut3' and utilit3' 
in the most happy manner. Everything about the 
place is kept in good repair, and the stock and ma- 
chiner3' are well sheltered by the snug barn and 
other out-buildings, which he has put up for the 
purpose. 

Mr. Marshall was married at .Monmouth, HI., 
Sept. 28, 1858, to Miss Mary A. Bradley, a native 
of Mercer County, Pa., an<l born July 8, 1842. 
Mrs. M. is the daughter of David and Sarah (Gil- 
lespie) Bradle3', the former a n.ative of Beaver 
County, P.a., an<l the latter of Kittanning, Arm- 
stnmg Count3', the same State. Her patern.al 
grandfather, John Bradley, also a native of Ire- 



T 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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land, was the son of Robert Bradley, who partici- 
pated in the Ueljcliion of 17',)^!, in tliat conntry. 
lie emigrated to America in 1 SOO, and located in 
Beaver Connt}', Pa., during the first settlement of 
that section. He served in the War of 1812, for 
which he received a land warrant, and spent his 
last days in Beaver County. The father of Mrs. 
Jlarshall was reaied and married in Beaver County, 
whence he afterward removed to ^'enango County, 
iind fiom there to Warren County, 111., where liis 
death took place in 1807. The motlier afterward 
removed to Oregon, where she is still living. The 
grandfather of Mrs. Marshall was a soldier in the 
French and Indian War, an<l at the close of the 
struggle settled down in Venango County, where 
he lived many years and passed the remainder of 
his days, living to be one hundred and two years 
old. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, eleven 
in number, are John W., Emma C, fSarah, Mary, 
Charles, Frank, George, Ida, Harry and Harvey 
(twins) and Kdna. The parents and four children 
are members in good standing of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. Mr. M. voted the Democratic 
ticket until 1870, and since that time has identified 
himself with the Green backers and Proliibitionists. 







-^>5- 



TEPIIEN NORTON. The fine farm uhich 
lies mainly on the northeast quarter of sec- 
tion 12 and soutlieast cpiarter of section 1 
in PesotHin Township, and which consists 
of 240 acres of the choicest land in that locality, 
was accumulated Ijy degrees by the gentleman 
whose name stands at the head of this sketch. The 
homestead with its buildings is the result of years 
of labor and the just reward of enterprise and in- 
dustry. Mr. Norton is widely and favorably known 
as a representiitive farmer, a business man of rare 
judgment, and a citizen who has contributed his 
full quota in building up and sustaining the repu- 
tation of Pesotura Tovvnship as the abiding-place of 
an intelligent and prosperous community. 

Our subject is a native of the Empire .State, and 
was born in Onondaga County June 17, 182(!. He 
was the eldest sou and child of Harvey and bailie 



(Merry) Norton. The father, a native of .Sherburne 
County, N. V., was born in 180'), but while he was 
tpiite young his parents removed to Onondaga 
County, locating on a farm near Spafford, where the 
niollier departed this life in is;;'j, leaving a family 
of four children. Our subject was tiicn but a lad 
of thirteen 3-cars. His father five years later was 
married to Miss Betsey Ilaight, of (icauga County, 
Ohio, to which place he had removed in about 
1844. He still followed farming. The second wife 
died in 1871, and the father of our subject after- 
ward made iiis home with his daughter, Mrs. Cath- 
erine Merritt, in Pesotum Township, where his 
death occurred on tiie loth of February, 1880. 

After the death of his mother Sle[)hen Norton, 
his father having given up housekeeping, was em- 
ploj-ed by the farmers in that neighborhood during 
the summer and attended scIkx)! in the winter. He 
remained there until twenty years of age and then 
followed his father to Ohio, where he spent six 
years on the farm. When he felt that his means 
and prospects would justify the step, he was united 
in mari-iage with Jliss Aliigail Jloffett, the wedding 
taking place on the 7th of June, 1852, at the resi- 
dence of the bride's parents. Mrs. Norton was the 
fourth child of James W. and Margaret (Neal) 
Moffett, the former a native of New York and the 
latter of Connecticut. They passed the greater part 
of tiieir lives in Ohio, but the death of the mother 
took place in Michigan in 1878. The father died 
four years later, in 1882. The parents after their 
niarringe located in Kent County, Mich., ui)on 
ninety acres of timber laud, where the father cleared 
a home from the wilderness and remained- a [)eriod 
of eleven years. In 1803, desiring a change of lo- 
cation and climate, our subject came to this county 
and purchased forty acres in Pesotum Township, 
which is included in his present farm. 

The household circle of Mr. and iMrs. Norton was 
completed by the birth of the following children: 
Cyrena C, James M., Laura B., Harvey J., Eva A., 
Kate M., Frank M. (a twin) and Albert E. The 
eldest daughter, Cyrena, is the wife of \). VV'. Adair, 
who owns a farm near that of his father-in-law; 
James M. married Miss \'iola C. Merry, and owns 
a good farm in Pesotum Township near our subject; 
Harvey J., a successful agriculturist, with a farm of 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



his own, married Miss Cyntliia B. Reddick; Eva 
A. is tlic wife of Nelson Gordy, and moved the 
farthest of any from her parents, her husband 
owning a farm five miles distant. The remaining 
children are at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Norton have been connected with 
the Presbyterian Churcli at Tolono for over fifteen 
years. Our subject is one of the most valuable 
members of the Republican party in this locality 
whom his brethren can rely upon in)plicitly. He 
carries this qualit}' of honesty and integrity into all 
his transactions in life, lioth socially and in a busi- 
ness point of view, and his word is considered as 
good as his bond. 



•^w-vteaz/©-^^! 



|->*'@5v3/OT7r»v* -x/vx/^ 



\l/ EWIS A. McLEAN is the well-known and 
I ((§) talented associate editor of the Clinii(paii/i) 
jlL^^ Count!/ Herald. His family is one of the 
oldest among the pioneers of Illinois. Mr. McLean 
was born in Grafton, III., May .">, 1843, and re- 
moved to Urbana with his mother, Mrs. Mary B. 
Vandervcer, and stepfather, Cornelius Vanderveer, 
from Vermilion County, 111., April 15, 1853. His 
father was Dr. John II. McLean, a phj'sician, who 
died in 1844 at Carlyle, 111. Ilis mother, Mrs. Mary 
B. Webber, is a resident of this city, and is well 
known by the old settlers of the county. 

Mr. McLean received his education at liie pulilic 
schools until eighteen years of age, two years of 
which, 1857 and 185.S, were spent at the 4th dis- 
trict High School in the city of New Orleans, La. 
In December, 18G2, he entered the oliice of the Cir- 
cuit Clerk and Recorder of this county, as dejjuty 
of W. II. Somers, who was then serving his second 
term, and I'etaiuid that position for seven years; 
he was then for a time Deputy United States As- 
sessor. From 1872 to 1.S7:) he was engaged in mer- 
cantile i)ursuits. In the fall of 1879 he accepted 
the pcjsitiou of book-keeiK'r and assistant editor of 
the Champaign Gazette, which he creditiibly filled 
until Oct. I), 1 S82, when lie took his present posi- 
tion as associate editor with JI. W. Mathews, the 
proprietor of the Chamjiai(/ii fhiniti/ Herald. That 
he is a man rcniarkaldy well a(Iai)l('d to literarj- 
pursuits is apparent from the f;ict that the success 
4* ' 



of the paper has been phenomenal in the newspa- 
per history of the county, and it is only just to 
say that as its business manager and local editor he 
is entitled to much credit for its unusual growth .and 
rapidly increasing circulation. 

Mr. McLean was married, May 12, 1864, to Miss 
.lennie E. Russell, daughter of Dr. E. L. Russell, 
now of Des Moines, Iowa. She is a member and 
an active worker in the Baptist Church. Their 
children are: Nellie, who is in her senior year at the 
University of Illinois, and Albert II. and Clare F., 
who are both at home, attending school. In 1863 
Mr. McLean united with the Baptist Church, and 
for over twenty years has been connected with the 
Sabbath-school as Superintendent or Assistant Su- 
perintendent. He is actively interested in Church 
and Sunday-school work, and has served three ye.ars 
as Secretary of the Champaign County Sunday- 
School Association. He is also Secretary of the 
Old Settlers' Association of the county, in which he 
is vigilant and active in rescuing from oblivion ev- 
ery fact relating to the old settlers of the county. 
In politics Mr. McL. is a Repui)lican. He cast his 
first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and since 
that time has been actively identified with the Re- 
publican l)arty. 



ijr«#a 



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\||'OHN HALBERSTADT. Among the promi- 
nent and successful farmers of the townshi|) 
of Philo, is the subject of this personal 
,^^' notice, who is located on a good homestead 
of KiO acres on section 26. He came into posses- 
sion of this in the fall of 1866, and since that time 
has been industriously engaged in improving and 
beautifying what he determined from the first should 
be his permanent home. A small portion of the sod 
had been broken when he located here, but the 
whole is now under a good state of cultivation, and 
admirably' adapted to the raising in abundance of 
the various rich crops of the Prairie State. Besides 
the homestead IMr. II. is the owner of 400 acres in 
Ottawa County, Kan., which is also under the plow, 
and being intelligently operated by his children. 

Mr. Ilalberstadt is a native of Franklin County', 
Ind., born Oct. 13, 1820. His father, John Ilalber- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



265 



stadt, Sr., was buni and reared in Philadelphia, 
wiiere he served an apprentieeship of seven years 
at shueniaking. When twenty-two years of age he 
removed with his father to Indiana. The latter, 
Anthony Ilalberstadt, was born in Rnssia, and came 
to tiio United States during the Revolutionary War 
as a Hessian soldier. He fought in the British 
army for some time, but his sympathies were finally 
turned toward the American people, and deserting 
the ranks of the English, he went over to the Col- 
onists and became a driver for one of the Generals 
in the Continental array. This gentleman was the 
original progenitor of the family in the United 
States. After the independence of the Colonies 
had been established he retired to civil life, married 
an English lady, and became the father of four 
children. 

Anthonj- Ilalberstadt finally emigrated to Indi- 
ana, and settled in what was afterward Franklin 
County, Ijefore the advent of any white people in 
that localitj'. Indians and wild game were plenti- 
ful, but the grandfather of our subject was a man 
of great courage and endurance and took up his 
residence there to sta\'. He established a comfortable 
home for those days, in the wilderness, where he 
passed the remainder of his life, and was buried 
upon the farm where he had lived for fifty j'ears or 
more. His wife had [treviously returned to Ken- 
tucky with her son-in-law, and there died at an ad- 
vanced age. Their son John, the father of our 
subject, assisted his father in the clearing of the 
timber from their claim in Franklin County, Ind. 
The C^ueeu City of Ohio was .at that time but a 
hamlet, and for years was their nearest trading-post. 
John Ilalberstadt aftorwai'd removed to Sullivan 
County, Ind., where he died when over eighty-five 
years old. The mother of our subject, who before 
her marriage was Miss Mar^' Truslcy, of West Vir- 
ginia, removed with her parents to Indiana also 
during the first settlement of the territory. She 
survived her husband some years, and passed her 
last days with her children in Philo Township, tiiis 
county. 

The subject of our sketch was the eldest of nine 
children who completed the parental household. 
His early life was spent in Franklin County, Ind., 
where he was educated, and upon reaching manhood 



was married to Miss Ruth Peterson, who was a na- 
tive of that county. Her parents were reared and 
married in Philadelphia, Pa., whence they emigra- 
ted to Indiana after the birth of several children. 
They remained residents of Franklin County until 
their daughter, the wife of our subject, came to Illi- 
nois, when they accompanied her, spent their last 
days in Philo Township, and were buried at Linn 
Grove. Our subject and his wife were married in 
Indiana, and have become the parents of twelve 
children, four now deceased. The record is as fol- 
lows : Catherine married Mead Bottsferd, a farmer 
of Crittenden Township, this county ; Jane, the 
wife of Alex Welsh, lives on a farm in Ottawa 
County, Kan.; Anna is at home with her parents; 
Edith married John Copcly, and lives in Ottawa 
County, Kan., where her husband is carrying on 
farming; Ilattie is at home with her parents; Jerome 
married Miss Ella Brown, and is farming in Kan- 
sas; Franklin married Miss Fannie Toler, and with 
his brother. Wilbur, lives in Ottawa County, Kan.; 
Wilson was accidentally killed by the discharge of 
a gun in the hands of a cousin ; Larion Roscoe w.as 
thrown troia a wagon by a runaway team, and 
instantly killed; one infant died unnamed; Charles 
M. died of rheumatism when twelve years old. Our 
subject, witii his wife and several of their children, 
is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Mr. II. is a solid Republican, and a warm supporter 
of the principles of his party. 



^««-<fflllD>-^>$=E 




•►■-4»- 



mOMAS LINDSEY. This honored pioneer 
of Champaign County and township, is the 
oldest settler now residing within its limits, 
and is accordingly held in more than ordinary re- 
spect as one who ventured upon the soil unturned 
by the plowshare and before tiie nuirch of civiliza- 
tion iiad brought to this locality any of its con- 
veniences or pleasures. He is a native of West 
Middletown, Washington Co., Pa., and was btirn 
.luly .s, 1K20. His father, Thomas Lindsey, a na- 
tive of the saine county as his son, was born Jan. 
Hi, 1791. The grandfather of our subject, also 
named Thomas Lindsey, who was born in Eastern 
Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County, it is believed 
was one of the earliest pioneers of Washington 
»►■ 



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266 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






1 



County, where lie purchased a tract of timbered 
hiud eleven miles from where West Middletowu 
was subsequently located, cleared a farm and es- 
tablished a homestead, upon which he passed the 
remainder of his life. There with his excellent 
wife he reared a tine family, among whom was 
Thomas, Sr., the father of our subject. The latter 
iu early youth learned the cabinet-maker's trade, 
which he followed nearly all his life. He became 
a resident of West Middlelown during his declin- 
ing years, and died there April 1, 1835. 

Thomas Lindsey, Jr., attended school quite 
steadily until eighteen years of age and then, like 
his father before him, commenced to learn the 
trade of acabinct-rnaker'with his uncle, John Boyd, 
at West Middletown, where he served a thorough 
apprenticeship and worked at that and carpenter- 
ing for several years. In the fall of 1841 he re- 
solved to seek his fortunes in the great West. He 
came to this locality with limited means, most of 
the way on foot, and being twenty-two days on 
the road. He first stopped at Urbana, which at 
that time was but a hamlet, and Champaign had 
not even begun. He soon secured employment at 
his trade, remaining at Urbana during the winter. 
The following summer he spent at Mahomet, and 
in the fall of 1842, returning to Urbana, set up a 
shop and started in business for himself. He manu- 
factured furniture in the winter, which his wife 
sold during the summer season while he worked 
out at his trade and as a carpenter and joiner. He 
was a natural mechanic and became the favorite 
builder of that time. He put up about thirty 
school-houses in Chanii)aign County' alone. As 
time passed on his business increased, his means 
also accumulating, and he added undertaking to 
his business. He carried this on for seven years, 
making Collins bj' hand. Many times he worked 
at the bench all night while Ins wile iiold the can- 
dle for him. 

The success of the pioneers of those days, in 
many instances, was due in a large measure to the 
industry and good management of their wives. 
In his life companion Mr. Lindsey was peculiarly 
fortunate, having for his partner a true helpmeet 
and sympathizer, one who aided him by her coun- 
sel and sympathy as well iis by her industry and 



wise judgment. Mr. Lindsey, in 18C2, found him- 
self on the high road to a competency', and by his 
excellent personal worth had fulh' established him- 
self in the confidence and esteem of his neighbors 
and acquaintances. He concluded that the most 
sensible way in which he could invest his savings 
would be in real estate, which could not be carried 
off to Canada by a defaulting cashier. He accord- 
ingly purchased a farm on section 24, in Cham- 
paign Township, to which he removed with his 
famil3% and while his sons managed the farm Mr. 
L. carried on business in town. He was thus oc- 
cupied for several years until failing health com- 
pelled him to retire. He spent the winter of 
1885-86 in Florida. 

The maiden name of Mrs. Lindsey was Martha 
A. Bruer. .She was born in Urbana, April 20, 
1829, and was the daughter of Ashel and Martha 
(Day) Bruer, who came to this section of the coun- 
try at an early day. Mr. B. was born in Mason 
County, Ky., whence he afterward removed to 
Bracken County, that State, and afterward to Illi- 
nois, locating three miles from the present site of 
Urbana. After the latter town was started he be- 
came one of its residents and i)ut up the first hotel 
in the city, which he operated for manj' years. He 
died there in 1879, having arrived at the advanced 
age of nearh' ninetj' years. The mother, who was 
born in Bracken County, Kj-., also departed this 
life at Urbana in about 1875. 

Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey there 
were born the following children : William is 
a resident of Ilumljoldt, Kan.; Cornelia became the 
wife of W. S. McWilliams and lives iu Ft. Scott., 
Kan. ; James and Charles are residents of Urbana; 
Laura Belle married James Thornton, and lives at 
Yellow Springs, Ohio; George and Thomas E. oc- 
cupy the homestead. This is one of the most 
beautiful farms in Champaign County, and gives 
evidence in all its appointments of cultivated 
tastes and ample means. The farm buildings and 
machinery ai"e kept in good re^>air, the stock is 
well cared for, and the residence of the family is 
all that heart could wish. 

Politically Mr. Lindsey was an adherent of the 
Democratic party until after the breaking out of 
the war. Since that time he has cast his lot with 



4 




Res.of J oh n a .Osbo rn ^IBreeder oFTHOROuGHBno Poland China 5iv/A'f),S ec.S.( R.10.E),Rantou lTo wnsh i p. 




Res.ofJames W.Vanschoyck.Sec 15 .Ludlow Township. 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



269 



I 



the Republicans, :uul iiniforiuly gives bis inlliicnce 
aud vote to the support of its piiiicipk-s. lie is 
not connected with any religious org:iniz:ilion hut 
is a regular attendant of the Presbyterian C'huixh. 
The mother of our subject before her marriage 
was Miss Permelia Williams, ami was born in Penn- 
sylvania, March 1, 1789. She departed this life at 
her iiome in West Middletown, Pa, Nov. 21, IS35, 
when our subject was liut a youth. His early edu- 
cation was conducted in the log school-house of 
the pioneer days with its puncheon lloor an<l slal)s 
for seats and writing-desks. The teacher was em- 
ployed upon the subscription |)lan. The building 
and the course of instruction in those da^'s were 
widely different from those of the present time, but 
the inconveniences and dilliculties under which the 
children of the pioneers labored develoi)ed in them 
that hardy and self-dependent character which was 
the secret of their success in their later lives, and 
by which they made names for themselves which 
their children were glad to own. Socially Mr. 
Liudsey is a member of Urbaua Lodge No. 139. 

r»-«+ <-)if 4:tt >^ -H>+ -e- 

NDllEW D. UlCKETTS, grain dealer and 
shipper of stock at Kisher, became a resi- 
dent of the village in 1878, to which he 
ijfl removed from Ford County, this State. 
[le is the son of John C. and Catherine (Duncan) 
Ricketts, the latter a sister of the Confederate Gen- 
eral, Ouncan, who commanded the forts at New 
Orleans during the siege of that citj' by the I'nion 
troops. The father was a native of Ohio, ;ind the 
mother of Pennsylvania. After marriage they 
located in the Uuckeye State, and Mrs. Ricketts 
died in Hancock County, in 1855. The father of 
our subject is still living, and a resident of Lincoln, 
Neb. 

The parental household comprised five sons and 
one daughter, Andrew D. being the eldest. His 
birth took place in Hancock County, Ohio, Jan. 29. 
1843, where he was reared and pursued his studies 
in the common school with the intention of enter- 
ing college. This |ilan, however, was frustraleil 
by the outbreak of the hite war, the patriotism of 




young Ricketts inducing him to lay aside his per- 
sonal interests to assist in the [neservation of the 
I'uion. He enlisted directl_y after the first call for 
troops in Ai)ril, ISdl, becoming a member of Co. 
F, 21st Ohio Vol. Inf., and serving with tiie three- 
months' men. At the expiration of that time, he 
re-enlisted in the .same company and regiment, do- 
ing dutv in the field until the fall ()f 1861. 

During this time our subject i)articipated in 
many of the important battles of the war, being 
present at the siege in front of Petersburg aud 
Richmond, which, as is well known, engaged the 
troops for the summer of 18G4. when they were 
constantly under fire. While many of his com- 
rades were falling around him, however, our sub- 
ject escaped unharmed, and at the ex|iiratiou of 
his term of service, received his honorable dis- 
charge. Returning to Ohio lie engaged in buying 
and shii)ping stock until the spring of 1873, when 
he came to McLean County, this State, aud after 
residing at Saybrook one 3'ear, removed to a farm 
in Ford County, upon which he operated four 
years. Not (juite satisfied, he then c:ime to Fisher 
and engaged in his present business. His elevator 
here has a capacity of 15,000 bushels, and being in 
constant use is the source of a good revenue. Be- 
sides this property he also has 520 acres of finel3' 
improved land in Brown Township, much of it ad- 
joining' Fisher, and chielly devoted to grain and 
pasturage. 

Mr. Ricketts is alwaj's full of business, anil wlien 
not eng.agcd in his own affairs is looking about to 
do some good turn to a neighbt)r or his commu- 
nity. He and his wife are active members of the 
Methodist Kpiscoi)al Church, Mr. Ricketts being 
Superintendent of the Sunday-school, and working 
in many other ways for the good of the cause and 
the prosj)erity of the Church society'. He is Re- 
|)ublic.an in politics, and a meuiber in good stand- 
ing of the 1. O. O. F., belonging to Fisher Lodge 
No. 70-1. 

The marriage of our subject took place in llie 
town of Findlay, Ohio, Sept. 3, 18(;7, when Miss 
Nancy J. Taylor, daughter of Thomas and Agnes 
(Haverfield) Taylor, became his wife. Mrs. Rick- 
etts was born in Findlay, Ohio, Jan. UJ. 1814. In 
due time there came to the household thus estab- 



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270 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



lished seven children, all living and bearing the 
following names: Charles K., Howard T., Gilbert, 
Dolly, John T., Clifton and Clara. The family 
residence is pleasantly located, and <jur subject and 
his wife arc nunibercd among the tirst citizens of 
the village. 



^- 




I 

I 






(i^T^HOMAS M( CLINTOCK. This wuithy cit- 
izen of Crittenden Township lirst oi)ened 
his cNcs to the light beyond the sea in 
County Fermanagh, Ireland, on tiie 4th of April, 
1835. His parents were Alexander and Barbara 
(Wylcy) McClintock, who had a family of five 
sons and three daughters. Of these our subject 
was the f(jurth, and the only one who left his na- 
tive land to locate in the United States. He con- 
tinued a resident of his native county until 1859, 
when he was twenty-four years of age, and then 
set sail from Liverpool, after a safe voyage landing 
in New York City in the early part of Jlay. From 
tliere he proceeded to Center County, Pa., where 
he was emploj'ed as a laborer one year. Thence 
he went to Cincinnati, (Jhio, remaining a resident 
uf the (^uecn City until August, 18G1, when lie en- 
gaged to do the Itaking for R. B. Field, for a sec- 
tion of the I'nion army. He was similarly cm- 
ployed until after the war and into the spring of 
1807, when he determined to remove further west- 
ward, and coming to this Stale located first in 
Will County, where he carried on farming one 
year, and tiieu removed to Champaign Counlv 
and settled where he now resides. 

When our subject first took possession of the 
land wliieli he now owns, it was in an uncultivated 
condition willi no improvements. He has now 275 
acres under the plow and productive of the choic- 
est crops of the I'rairie State. Of late years his 
land has been devoted mainly to grain and stock 
raising. He began as a iand-liolder in a modest 
way, at first purchasing but eighty- acres, to which 
he adde<l as time [jrogressed and his means justi- 
fied. His energy and industry have met with a 
just reward, and he has fidly established himself in 
the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. 
Mr. iMcClintock was married, !it Chicago, 111., in 



the spring of 1861, to Miss Mary Ann Freeh, a na- 
tive of Bavaria, Germany. Of this union there 
were born eleven chililren, one of whom died in in- 
fancy. Those living are, Mary Alice. Robert J., 
Alex W., Th< uias II., .lohn W., Alfred E., Barbara 
A., Charles P., Kstella K. and Oscar E. It is hardly 
necessary to sa^' that our sul)ject is duly proud of 
his fine family, and that they are being trained to 
those habits of industry and principles of honor 
which have made their honored father successful 
in life, and placed him in a good position among 
his fellow-men. 

Politically Mr. McClintock usuallj' supports Re- 
publican principles, but will vote for a Democrat 
if he considers that he is the proper man for the 
office. He has served as Justice of the Peace and 
School Director three terms, and has also been 
School Trustee and Knad Commissioner. 



•J«^- 



jKM ARVIN RKAD, of Champaign Township,. 

/// iW '* '^ ''*^" "^ "^'"^ "^'^ ^^'^ earliest pioneers of 
I l^ this county, his father having emigrated 
^ to Illinois the year following its admission 

into the Union as a State. He is a native of On- 
tario County. N. Y., and was born in Phelps Town- 
ship, April 28, 1817. His father, Joseph Read, 
was a native of North Adams. Berkshire Co., Mass., 
and his paternal grandfather, who served as a sol- 
dier in the Revolutionary War, was one of the 
earliest pioneers of North Adams, where he spent 
the last years of his life, and died in 18.'58, at a 
good old age. His son Joseph, in earlj' life, 
learned the trade of a saddler and iiarncss-maker, 
and emigrated from .Massachusetts to New York 
State in 1812. He first located in Canajoharie, 
Montgomery County, whence he removed two 
3'ears later to Ontario Count}', of which he w;is 
one of the earliest settlers. • This was before the 
days of canals or railroads, and the nearest market 
was miles away. 

Joseph Read i)urchased a tract of timber land, a 
part of which he cleared and cultivated until 1819, 
then pushed on further westward into Illinois, mak- 
ing his first purchase of land in the Jlilit.iry Tract. 
He soon afterward set. out to bring his family to 
> ► 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



271 



I 



hi.s new loeation, but \v:is attacked with fever, died, 
and was bulled aniont;' strangers. lie left a widow 
witli four children. The mother before lier mar- 
riage was Miss Loriuda Eddy, also a native of 
North Adams, Mass. ITei' father removed to New 
York State in about 1 S2i), and .•settled in Farmington, 
Ontario County, wliere he died in 18.'il. Tlie 
mother of our .subject kept lier ciiildren together, 
altliough left without means of snii|)oiL She was 
a woman of great indu.stry and energy, ;ind proved 
herself equal to the emergency, and with the as- 
sistance of her children, purchased a small tract of 
Land in Ontario with a log house upon it, into 
which the family removed and which remained 
their home for ten years following. Here the 
mother died in 1834. The record of her four sons 
is as follows: Mulbert emigrated to Michigan and 
located in Lapeer County at an early period in its 
history, 1836; Carlos went to live with an uncle 
at Palatine Bridge, where he married and died, 
leaving two children; Henry removed from Mich- 
igan to Minnesota, and died there about 18G5; our 
subject was the fourth. 

Marvin Read, the youngest child of his parents, 
was but two years old when his father died. After 
his mother purcha,sed her little tract of land, he as- 
sisted his brothers in clearing the farm, aud re- 
mained with his mother until her death. He then 
started for the far West, via the Erie Canal to 
Buffalo, intending to go from there bj' the lakes 
to Michigan. On account of rough weather, how- 
ever, the boat was obliged to put in at Ashtabula, 
Ohio, aud young Read, with live others, started on 
foot for Michigan. After a long and roundabout 
jtnirncy, our subject reached Lapeer County, where 
he engaged in chopping wood. He saved what he 
could of his moderate earnings, and the following 
year purcha.sed forty acres of land in the " oak 
openings," for which he i)aid $[.2i) per acre. In 
IS ID he received ij!! 00 from his grandfather's es- 
tate, and with it entered eighty acres of l;ind ad- 
joining his first possessions. 

Mr. Read's circumstances now seemed to justify 
him in thinking about the establishuuint of a future 
home and domestic ties, and accordingly, in 1842, 
he look unto himself a wife tiud iielpmeet. Tlie 
young couple settled in a frame " house " which 



he h;id erected on his land, aud with hope and 
courage began the liattle of life togetiier. In the 
summer seas(jn Mr. Read de'voted his tinu: to the 
improvement and cultivation of his land, and in 
the winter, with two yoke of oxen, worked in the 
timber region seven miles distnut, going to tlie 
woods on Monday morniug and returning Satur- 
day night, the brave young wife in the meanwhile 
being left with but few neighbors in sight and very 
little opportunity to discuss " the fashi(jns." 

Our subject and his wife occupied their i)rimi- 
tive home in Michigan until 18i")(i. He had been 
prospered iu his operations and had added to his 
first purchase until he became the owner of 224 
acres of cultivated land, besides II. "j acres of i)ine 
timber. In the 3'ear mentioned he sold his po.sses- 
sions in Michigan and started in the month of 
February with his wife and four children for Illi- 
nois. Their outfit consisted of a span of hor.ses 
and a large sleigh with a double canvns covering 
in which, among other things, they placed a small 
stove. The journey, a distance of 500 miles, was 
completed in twelve da^'s. Coming into Cham- 
paign Township, Mr. Read [jurchased forty acres 
of hind, which is now included iu the city limits, 
and commenced farming. Their residence was 
within the corporation, and the^- lived there about 
four years, then removed to their i)resent home- 
stead. Here Mr. Read has erected a sha|iely and 
substantial set of farm buildings, planted fruit and 
shade trees, and otherwise beautified his premises. 
He has 320 acres of valuable laud, a part of which 
is devoted to [lasture. He mostly raises grain and 
stock, the latter including-graded Short-horn cattle. 

The first wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married .Ian. 31, 1812, was Miss Thetxlora Alver- 
son, who was born in Warsaw, Wyoming Co., N. 
Y., in November, 1825. She was the daughter of 
Lewis and Finie Alverson, who removed from the 
Empire State to Michigan at an e;uly day, settling 
in Washtenaw County. From there he moved in 
1834, to Almont, Lapeer County, and engaged in 
mercantile pursuits. Detroit, lift_y miles distant, 
was then the nearest market, to which tin- grain 
was hauled with ox-teams. Mrs. Theodora Read, 
.after becoming the mother of six children, departed 
this life at the home of her husband In Charnpaigu, 



4^ 



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•272 



CIIARirAIGN rOT'NTY. 



oil tlie 14lii of -M:iy, \6.')S. Two of llii-ir children 
(lied ill cliildiiood ; Alfred lives in .San J^iej^o, Cal. ; 
Caroline, who became the wife of S. K. Kiker. and 
Knielinc, Mrs. U. C. Ilaniirton, l)oth live ill Cham- 
paign Township. 

On the 2oth of Febniarv, 1801, Mr. Head was 
united in marriage with Mrs. Kale (Loper) Huff. 
This lad3' was born in Camden, N. J., in IS'iiSjand 
is the daughter of David II. and Matilda (Huston) 
Loper, of New Jersey. !She was first married to 
Charles M. Huff, of New Jersey', and they re- 
moved to Chain[)aign County, lliis Stale, where 
Mr. Huff' died. Of tliis union there were two ehil- 
dren: Sallie II. married L. W. Ambrose, and lives 
in Galesbnrg, this Stale ; Charles M. is a resident 
of Toloiio Township. Tlie two children of the 
present marriage of our subject are .losie and 
Addie F. 

Mr. Read politically, is a stanch Uc|nil)lican, and 
cast his first presidential vote for (ien. Harrison in 
the days before llie old Whig was al)audoiicd by 
tlie organization of the Republican parly. Jlr. 
and Mrs. Read arc both meinbers in good stantliug 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which our 
subject became connected while he lived in Michi- 
gan. In this he has held the odices of Trustee and 
Steward, and has contributed liberally and cheer- 
fully to the support of the (Jospcl for man}' years. 

/'^SsA AMUIiL WILLS, wiio is located on section 

^^^^ 20, Newcomb Townshii), came to Cham- 

l(l£_^) paign County fr'om McIIenry County, 111., 

ill 1S70. He lirst located in Colfa,\ Town- 

.ship, whence in the spring of 187C he removed to 

the farm where he now resides. This includes 370 

acres of good land, all of which is under cnltiv.a- 

tion, and iniiirovcd with suit;ible farm buildings. 

He is engaged in mi.xod husbandly, and raises and 

handles considerable stock. 

Mr. Wills was lioru in Devonshire, Kngland, 
.May 21, ISSfi. and is the son of John and Nancy 
(rartridge) Wills, also natives of the same shire; 
they were farmers by occupation. Our subject em- 
igrated to America .luly 15, 18(!(), and stopi)ed 
with his brother at Chicago for a while, thence go- 



ing lo .McIIenry County. ■ Ho has all his life been 
engaged in farming pursuits. He was married in 
England, June 10, l.SGG, to Miss Sarah A. Austin, 
the daughter of James and Drusclla Austin, and a 
native of his own country. Since becoming a nat- 
uralized citizen Mr. Wills has uniformly voted with 
the Republican party. While residing in their na- 
tive land he and his wife became memliers of the 
Presbyterian Church. 



^:>'>^:i?H^t>^^^^ 




ijZ ENRY FISHER, ail extensive farmer of To- 
riV lono Township, is the owner of 320 acres of 
finely cultivated land on section 15. Of 
this he came into possession on the 1st of 
May, 1870, and since that time has been indus- 
triously engaged in beautifying and improving his 
property. The land is thoroughly drained with 
tile, and produces in abundance the choicest crops 
of the I'rairie State. His residence and other farm 
buildings are of first-class description, and the 
homestead in all its aiiiioiutments iirescnts one of 
the most attractive spots in liie landscape of this 
section. 

Mr. Fisher was born in Clark County, Iiid., Oct. 
10, 1831, and is the son of Frederick and Sarah 
(Fouls) Fisher, natives of Indiana. In 1832, 
Frederick Fisher with his family came to Illinois 
and settled on a farm in Fulton County, where he 
died (m the 5lh of July, 187G. I'he mother sur- 
vived until February, 1887. Our subject was the 
fourth of the twelve children comprising the [lar- 
eiilal household. He received a good common- 
school education, and w;us reared to farming pur- 
suits. W^hen twenty-two j'ears of age he pur- 
chased a tract of laud in Fulton County, which he 
cultivated induslriously until his marriage in 1851), 
and in the meantime had laid the foundations for a 
good home .and a competency. The lady of his 
choice was Miss Naomi E. Shields, a native of Ful- 
ton County, 111., and the daughter of Andrew J. 
and Margaret (Reed) Shields. Mr. F^isher contin- 
ued on his farm, which consisted of 200 acres, until 
18G8, then removed to Canton, in Fulton •County, 
and incom|)any with his brother David, engaged in 
the livery business. The year following they sold 



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■U 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



— •► 
273 



out and David came to Champaign Ctmnt}'. He 
was great!}- pleased witli the prospects in tliis re- 
gion, and persuaded our subject to move hero also. 
The latter then purchased the land which lie now 
owns and occupies. He has l)rought about vast im- 
provements since taking iiossessiou of it, as it had 
then been practically untillcd. 

Jlr. and Mrs. Fisher have l}econie the parents of 
ten children — Elmer, Minnie, Walter, .lolin, Klsie, 
Zell, Naomi, Grace, Scott and Claude. Our sul)- 
ject takes an intelligent interest in State and Na- 
tional affairs, and casts his vote in support of Re- 
publican principles. He has never desired office, 
.as his private business engages all his time .and at- 
tention. He w:is for many years a member of the 
Christian Church, and socially belongs to the Ma- 
sonic fraternity, Tolono I^odge No. 3'21. 



:i<T::, 



<^ 



t 



JjOHN W. DAY. One day in 1870 there 
I started out on foot from McLean County, 
I 111., a traveler with a limited amount of 
' money, seeking a location and the best land 
to be obtained fi)r the cash wjiich he had in hand. 
After coming into East 15cnd, this county, ho found 
1()() acres of unimproved prairie, within his me.ajis, 
which he at once contracted for, .and which is now 
included in his i)resent homestead. The land is 
now enclosed with neat fences, thoroughlj' drained 
with tile, supi)lied with a shai)ely and convenient 
set of frame buildings, and in all respects illustrates 
the cnteri)rise and industry of its proprietor. 

Mr. Day was born near Green Pond, N. J., 
Miirch .5, 1824. This was also the birthplace of 
his father, Cornelius D.ay. His grandfather, 'riionias 
Day, was a native of France, whence he emigrated 
to America in the Colonial days, and served as a 
soldier on the side of the Colonies in tlu^ Kovolu- 
tionary War. After being mustered out lie located 
in New .Iers<!_y, where his family was reared and 
where he passed the roniainder of his days. His 
son, Cornelius, remained :^ resident of his native 
State uulil reaching manhood, and was married to 
Miss Nancy VVethorholt, of Now .Jersey. Sho was 
the daughter of .John Wotliorholt, who w.as born in 



Germanj', came with his parents to America vvhen 
eleven ye.ars t>ld, and afterward fought in the War 
of the Revolution, and in the iriterests of the Colo- 
nies. After the close of this struggle, he lived in 
New .lersey until about 1 H.SO, then removed to 
Ohio, locating at (ialena, eleven miles from C<jlum- 
bus, and was there drowned in Elm Creek, when 
eighty-two yoais of age. He received a pcnsi<m 
from the Government during tiie Last years of his 
life. 

The parents of our subject, in 1S28, removed to 
Ohio and located in Franklin County, twelve miles 
east of Columbus. The father rented a tract of 
land which he cultivated the remainder of his life, 
and in I8G2 died at the home of his son, our sub- 
ject. The mother survived her husband seven 
years, dying in 18G9. John W. w.as a lad of not 
quite five years old when his |)arents became resi- 
dents of the young and rapidly growing Buckeye 
State. The opportunities for an education, how- 
ever, in his vicinity were extremely limiteil and he 
was ol'iliged to go three miles to pursue his studies. 
As soon as old enough he coniiuenced to assist his 
parents on the farm. During the winter sea.son 
when nr>t in the harvest field, he chopped wood 
and s|)lit rails, receiving for the former twenty-live 
cents per cord, and for the latter fift}' cents a hun- 
dred. He worked by the d.ay and month until 
1801, and became famous as a cradler of gr;iin. 
cutting down one year eighty-five acres of wheat. 
When in his i)rinie six acres w.as an average day's 
work. At the date uiontioncd he had saved (piite 
a little sum of money and with it [uirchasod twenty- 
one acres of good Land five miles from Columbus, 
Ohio. From this he clo;ued the timber, put u|) a 
house an<l barn, and rem.anied there four years. In 
I si;.") he came into Cumberland ('<iuuty, this State, 
and purchased IGO acres of heavy timbered land 
whieli, however, he never settled upon, but rented 
land In Woodforil and McLean Counties unlil he 
ha<l aecumulate(l enough means to buy something 
more suited to his business. In 187(1 the time came 
when his hopes were realized. 

Mr. Day was married in Ohio, Oct. .">, Isdl, to 
Miss I'jmma Houck, a native of Fairfield County, 
that State, and born Feb. 22, 1 M.ii;. Her father, 
Solomon Houck, w.as of Cjerman ancestry' and par- 



4 






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•274 



4 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



eentagc. He was a native of Pennsylvania, where 
lie was married, and soon afterward removed tt) 
Ohio, locating in Fairfield Countj', wliere he re- 
mained until 1 .S31). He then started with iiis family 
overland for Illinois, and arrived upon the present 
site of Metamora, Woodford County. His family, 
however, was soon prostrated with fever and ague, 
and becoming dissatisfied they retraced their steps 
to their old home in Ohio, where the father died 
soon after his return. The mother of Mrs. J. was 
formerly Miss Sarah Gawthroup, who was born 
Nov. 14, 1783, in Maryland. After the death of 
her husband she made her home with her daughter, 
the wife of onr subject, and died in McLean 
County, this State, on the 8th of February, 1873. 
.She was a most excellent and worthy lady, born of 
English jjarents, and was left an orphan when ten 
years of age. After her marriage she became, with 
her husb.and, a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Mrs. Day received a good education in 
her youth, and when eighteen years old commenced 
teaching, which she followed quite steadily until 
her marri.age. 

The children of our subject and his wife, four 
in number, arc, Pearl W., Dwight, Ella M. and 
Harry. The eldest son, Pearl, lost his hearing 
from sickness when four years old. Two years 
later he entered the .lacksonville Institute for the 
Deaf and Dumb, where he graduated in .Iune,.lS84, 
and afterward attended Kendall (ireen College, at 
Washington, D. C. Mr. .Tohn W. Day is a Reinib- 
liean in j)olitics, and both he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Ciuu'ch. 



#••# 



-v 




^ 



BRAHAJI 1'. MEIIARRY, of Crittenden 
Township, is one of the well-known resi- 
n dents and land-owners who have .assisted 
^jfl materially in advancing the agricultur.al 

and industrial interests of this section. He came to 
this count}- in 18(!,'j, .and took possession of the 
land which his father had given him, comprising an 
entire section, and upon which he now resides. 
This excellent parent at the same time ]iresented 
his sou with $2,000 in cash, so that he began life 



! with abundant means, and to his credit it may be 
said he has taken good care of what was given him. 

Our subject was born in Montgomery County, 
Ind., Feb. IG, 1842, and is the son of Thomas and 
Unity (Pattou) Meharry (see sketch of Jesse Me- 
harry), from whom he received careful training and 
a good common-school education. He remained a 
member of the parental household until twenty- 
three years of age, at which time he came to this 
county, as we have stated. Soon afterward he 
formed a partnership with his brother Jesse, and 
they engaged in farming and stock-raising until 
1879, extensively and successfully. After dissolv- 
ing partnership with his brother our subject took 
unto himself another partner, namely. Miss Martha 
J. McMillin, of Tippecanoe County, Ind.. to whom 
he was married on the 3d of June of that same 
year. Mrs. M. was born Nov. 23, 1846, and is the 
daughter of John K. and Sarah E. (Stafford) McMil- 
lin, the former of whom is a prominent fanner of 
Tippecanoe Count}'. Ind., and is widel}' known 
throughout that section .as an extensive stock-raiser 
and shipper. The wife and mother departed this 
life in 1885, at the home of our subject while on a 
visit. Mrs. Meharry received an .academic educa- 
tion, and resided in her native county until her 
marriage. 

After this event Mr. and Mrs. M. took up their 
location on their present farm, which has been 
greatl}' improved since that time. The land h.as 
been thoroughly drained with tile and supplied with 
good buildings. Their first dwelling will soon be 
abandoned by the removal of the family into the 
fine residence which is now being erected .and which 
will bear comparison with anything of the kind in 
this part of Chamiiaign Count}'. Besides the home 
farm Mr. M. afterward i)urchased 100 acres on sec- 
tion 7. His land is mostly devoted to stock-rais- 
ing, which he has followed the principal part of the 
time since taking possession of it. His cattle are of 
the PoUed-Angiis breed, and he exhibits some of 
the finest specimens of the kind along the Missis- 
sippi Valley. 

Our subject and wife became the parents of two 
children, one of whom died in infancy; the other, 
a son, Charles, w.as born March 11, 1885. Mr. M., 
politically, is a warm supporter of Republican prin- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



275 



ciplcs. but has steadily declined to become an of- 
fice-seeker, having all he can possibly attend to in 
the management of his extensive farn'iing interests. 
He is a valued member of the Methodist Church, 
and takes a genuine interest in the advancement of 
his community, religiousl_y, morally and intellect- 
ually. 

fl RS. LUCY M. NELSON. This lady is 
l\\ well known among the intelligent residents 
I* of Condit and highly respected by all. She 
comes of an excellent New England family 
and was born in Guilford, Windham Co., Vt., 
March a, 1826. Her father, Arad W. Lynde, was 
a native of the same town, and the son of Lemuel 
Lyude, a highly respected farmer whose land lay 
near the town limits. He w.ts reared to farming 
pursuits, and when a young man also learned the 
blacksmith's trade in Guilford Village. .Subse- 
quently he built a shop on his fathei''s homestead, 
and carried on the business there until his death, 
which took place in May, 1827. His wife, the 
mother of Mrs. N., before her marriage was Miss 
Mary Bolster, also a native of Guilford. When her 
husband died she was left with 'three children. She 
purchased a lot in Green River Village, upon which 
she built a house and there spent the ren)ainder of 
her life. 

Lucy JL Nelson, of our sketch, remained with 
her mother until her marriage in January, 1844, to 
Myron E. Nelson. Mr. N. was a native of Colerain, 
Franklin Co., Mass., and born Dee. 20, 1821. His 
parents were Obed and Elizabeth (Sturtevant) Nel- 
son, who owned and occupied a farm in Colerain, 
and with whom he resided until his marriage. He 
received a good education and engaged in teaching 
in M.assachussetts and \'erinont. and for a brief 
time in Cook. Count^', 111., after coming to the 
West. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Nelson settled 
on a farm of Mr. N. was part owner, in Colerain 
Township, Mass. After two years they removed 
to Green River, whore they kept a hotel for a brief 
season and then removed to Colerain. In ls,")i; 
they started westward, and cimiiug lo this Sl;ite lo- 



cated first in Cook County, where Mr. Nelson was' 
engaged four years at farming, and the following 
four j'ears kept a boarding-house six miles west of 
the County Court-House. In 1864 they removed 
to this county. Mr. N. had previously visited this 
locality and [jurchased 160 acres of railroad land 
in Condit Township. This had never been broken, 
and upon removing to this place he rented a farm, 
upon which he raised crops of broom corn for two 
years. In the meantime he worked upon his wild 
land as he had opportunity. He put up a house 
upon this in 186(!, into which he removed with his 
family, and for a number of years was industriously 
eng.aged in the improvement of his new farm, lie 
erected a good set of frame buildings, planted fruit 
and shade trees, and established a permanent and 
pleasant home, where his death took place Dec. 29, 
1884. 

The children of thi^ household who now survive, 
four in number, are Myron E., Ahi S., Charles C. 
and Benjamin E. The oul}' daughter. May Eliza- 
beth, died when one year and seven months old. 
Mr. Nelson was a good citizen in the broadest 
sense of the term, and took a genuine interest in 
the welfare and advancement of his community. 
He was a warm supporter of Republican principles 
and greatly respected by his fellow-townsmen. 



i 



L. TABLER, a successful lunibor dealer of 
Philo Vill.age, is one of its most energetic 
i/^j II; business men and a representative citizen of 
^^S=^ Chanipaigu County, lie became a resident 
of this locality in 18C8, and passed his first three 
years as clerk in a general store. Early in life he 
displayed good judgment and business cai)acity, 
and saw the propriety of establishing a lumber- 
yard .at Philo, by wliich he could supply the sur- 
rounding community with building material, which 
would be a convenience not only to his fellow-citi- 
zens, but a benelit to himself financially. Accord- 
ingly, in 1871, he began business in a modest way, 
meeting with success from the start, and linaliy 
building up a prolitalile trade. 

Mr. Tabh'!' is a, native of Martinsburg, W. \'a., 
and was born May ITi, IS 111. He descended from 



I 



t 



276 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



excellent German ancestry, and the family history 
in this country dates back to about the beginning 
of the present centur3\ His father, Christian Tab- 
ler, was born and reared in Baltimore, j\ld., where 
he mot Miss Sarah R. Lycth, who became his wife 
in 1848. The mother of our subject was born and 
reared in Maryland. Her parents were also of 
American birtii but of Seottisii ancestry. They re- 
mained in Maryland some time after their marriage, 
then removed to Martinsburg, W. Va., where their 
only child, our subject, was born. The father died 
six years later, in 18.54. The mother was left with 
small means, but she possessed a brave and cour- 
ageous spirit, and set aI)oul maintaining herself and 
her boy, at the same time training him to habits of 
industry and princi|>les of honor. He grew to man- 
liood with a strong affection for this, his best 
friend, and Ijecame her comfort and supjjort in her 
declining 3ears. Late in life she rejoined him in 
tlic I'rairie State, and died at his home in Fhilo, 
Aug. '2, 188;). 

Mr. Tablcr began in early life to la^- his plans for 
the future, and .applied himself diligently to what- 
ever he undert(jol{. By his own efforts he secured 
a [)ractical knowledge of business matters, becom- 
ing his own book-keeper and gaining a good insight 
into business methods. After liaving been estab- 
lished two years at Pliilo he returned to his old 
home in West \'irginia, and was there married to 
Miss Mary H. Rankin, on tiic 7tli of June, 1870, 
Mrs. T. was born in Stanton, W. Va., in 1852, 
and yielded up her life at the birtli of iier first 
(tiiild, I'Y'b. 14, 1873, at Martinsburg in her n:itivc 
State. Tlie loss of this excellent lad}', an affection- 
ate wife, was a si^re bereavement to <)ur suliject, 
and he was further .■Ullictcd in the death of iiis lit- 
tle child, six months later. On the 2()th of Au- 
gust, 187;'), h(^ was again married, to Miss I'.elle L. 
Campbell, a native of Coshocton County, Ohio, 
born in 184.S, an<l the accomplished daughter of 
Patrick and Rachel (Mitchel) Camphell. This lady 
was orphaned at an early age and afterward re- 
ceived into the iiomc of licr uncle in Ohio. She 
l>ursued her lirst studies in tlie common .schools 
and subsequently took a course in the college at 
West Leb.anon, Oliio. Slie came to Illinois before 
her marriage with some of her relatives, locating 



with them in Sydney Township. She has become the 
mother of four children, of whom two died in in- 
fancy. Those living are Clyde L. and Virginia C. 
Mr. and Mrs. Tabler are members in good stand- 
ing of the Episcopal Church, and our subject, po- 
litically, affiliates with the Democratic party. He 
has served his township as Supervisor for several 
terms, and has held other local olHccs within the 
ijift of his fellow-citizens. 



-Sft^tS^i^ 



>^*<^~t^^*£^ 




nil. LIP McLENNAN. Among the quiet. 
I unobtrusive workers and the law-al)iding 



citizens of Pesotum Township, the subject 
of this sketch is spoken of with the re- 
spect due his course of conduct in looking after the 
affairs of his homestead and providing for the 
wants of his family. He owned a snug farm of 
i:j() acres in McLean Count}' until 1882, and then 
on account of failing health sold out and moved 
into the town of Pesotum, this county, where he 
[)nt up a good residence and provided the other 
conveniences of a modern home, which he now en- 
joys with his family, lie is not at present engaged 
in any business, his labors in earlier life having en- 
abled him to put by a snug sum for a rainy day. 

Our subject is a native of the Dominion of 
Canada, and was born near Montreal, June II, 
1848. He is the sixth child of Alexander and Jane 
(Bicket) McLennan, natives of Scotland, who came 
to the Western Continent with their parents during 
their early childhood. Alexander INIcLcnnan, who 
had been bred to farming |)ursuits, owned about 
100 acres of land near Montreal, whose cultivation 
he superinten(le<l and where he passed the later 
years of his life. He was a man who attended 
strictly to his own concerns, and wliile keeping 
himself well posted up-on (iovernmental affairs, 
never pnrtieipatcd in any of the agitations which 
periodically attack the Dominion. 

Our sul)ject remained under the parental roof 
until eighteen years of .age. and coming to the 
States located first at Danville, 111., where he worked 
,as a carpenter about three 3'cars. and thence re- 
moved to Bloomfield, where he eugage(l In f;inning. 
After two years thus occui>ied in Edgar County he 



T" 



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■► J^^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



279 



came to Champaign Cuimty, began the cstalilisli- 
ment of a home, and placed at tlie head of his do- 
mestic affairs the j^oung wife, whose maiden name 
was Miss Sarah Iluggins, tlic daughter of Wnsliing- 
ton and Saphronia (.luhiison) Iluggins, formerly of 
Ohio. Into the household thus formed there came 
in due time seven children, one of whom died in 
infanc}' unnamed. The others were — .T.ames Edwin, 
Frank, Alexander, Jessie, George and Fred. 

Mr. ]\IcLennan has nsu.ally voted independently 
of p.arty, but is strongly inclined to Republican 
principles, and now gives his support to the party 
representing these. He h.as mingled but little in 
public .affairs, preferring the retirement of his home, 
and expects after two or three years of life in town 
to return to the farm, and in the cniploynients and 
enjoyments of rural life to probably spend the re- 
mainder of bis days. 

"\|]ESSE R. fiUEiCK, a resident of Newcomb 
Township, and the son of .Joseph and Eliza 
(Hilleary) Gulick, is a n.ativc of Pickaway 
^^' County, Ohio, and was born Dec. 8, 18 40. 
His father was a native of Virginia and his mother 
of Ohio. They settled in Pickaway County, the 
hatter .State, soon after marriage, whence they re- 
moved to Champaign County, 111., in 1(S58. The 
elder Gulick was a farmer by occupation. After 
coming into this county they first located in Con- 
dit Township, whence in 1800 they removed to 
Piatt County, this State, of which the}- remained 
residents for seven years following. In the fall of 
18G7 they removed to Jasper County, Mo., where 
they still reside. 

The parental household included twelve chil- 
dren, six sons and six daughters, of whom Jesse R. 
of our .sketch w.as the second of the family. 
He came to Champaign County with his parents 
and remained with them until twenty-one j-earsold. 
He had for three years, however, been eng.agcd in 
teacliing during the winter season. In the fall of 
18()2 he entered Asbury University, at (ireencastle, 
Ind., where he remained for three years, in the 
nieiuitime furnishing bj' his own labors the monej' 
neeess.ar^' for his expenses. This course, however, 



had a serious effect ujjon his health and he was 
obliged to abandon his studies before graduating. 

Returning to Piatt County, our subject worked 
on the farm in the summer and taught school in 
the winter. His tastes, however, inclined to the 
legal profession, and in the summer of 1866 he en- 
tered the law oflice of Coler & Smith, under wiiose 
instruction ho pursued his studies for one 3'ear. He 
w.is admitted to tlie bar in 18G7, and at once 
opened an office in the citj' of Champaign, where 
he followed his profession for two years, and 
thence removed to Vandalia, 111. He built up a 
good pr.actice in the latter place, but in 1872, on 
account of failing health, wiis obliged to abandon 
it. He was School Commissioner pro tern for about 
three months, and w.as also tendered the office of 
Prosecuting Attorne}', which he declined. He 
once more resumed briefly his f.arni life, returning 
to his profession when able, in the meantime vary- 
ing its dnties by dealing in live stock until the 
spring of 1 87.5. He then returned to Champaign, .and 
followed his profession until 1878, when he virtually 
abandoned the practice of law and took possession 
of his present farm in Newcomb Township, which 
he has since occupied. This comprises G30 .acres, 
most of which is tillable, and upon which he has 
erected a fine modern dwelling, with all the other 
accessories of a first-class farm estate. He has been 
remarkably successful in his farming and lousiness 
operations, and ranks among the representative 
citizens of the township, who began life in a mod- 
est way, and have by their own etforts attained to 
a good position, both socially and financially. 

Mr. Gulick was married in the city of Cham- 
paign, Dec. 17, 1867, to Miss Louisa L. Everett, 
a native of Newcomb Township, born Dec. 4, 
1848. She is the daughter of Joseph T. and Je- 
mima (Piper) Everett, who were natives of Lewis 
County, Ky., and a sketch of whom appears in the 
biography' of David L. Yancy, elsewhere in this 
volume. Our subject and his wife became the par- 
ents of seven children — Edward E., Joseph P., 
Roscoe E., Clyde 1)., Jlaggie (!., an infant de- 
ceased, and Wilber L. While living in Mahomet 
Mr. Gulick served .as Police Magistrate, .and he 
h.as been School Director in Newcomb Township. 
Socially ho l)clongs to the I. O. O. F. Mr. and 



I] 



*»-■ 4« 



i 



md 1 ' j 






i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



*i 



Mrs. G. are both merabei-s of the Baptist Church. 

While Mr. G illicit has always been a stanch Dem- 
ocrat, and has contributed in a large measure to 
the success of the part}' in the county, j'et he has 
never sought office for himself but has preferred to 
assist his friends in their ambition for party or 
political honors, and he numbers among his friends 
many of the prominent men of both the dominant 
parties in the county, as well as in his old home at 
Vandalia and other counties in this section of the 
State. As a lawyer during his practice he brought 
to bear on the duties of his profession a mind well 
trained in that most difficult and exacting of all 
professions. He was a pleasing and graceful 
speaicer, and a strong and vigorous thinker, and his 
pleadings and legal papers were prepared with that 
degree of accurac}' and legal acumen which charac- 
terizes the well-informed lawyer. 

Mr. Gulick is a gentleman of large stature, good 
appearance and pleasing .address, and it is with 
pleasure that we present to our numerous readers 
his portrait, together with a A'iew of his handsome 
and elegant country home. 

JAMES V. MITCHELL became a resident of 
Raymond Township in 1S77, although his 
first entrance into the Prairie State was made 
fifteen years before. He first located in 
Sidney Township, this county, where he farmed on 
eighty acres, but afterward disposed of this prop- 
ert}' to take possession of his present homestead in 
liaymond T(^wnship, on section 3. Mr. Mitchell 
was born in I'arke Count}', Ind., Oct. 14, 1830. 
His parents, James and Nancy (Burton) Mitchell, 
were both natives of .Virginia, as was also his pa- 
ternal grandfather, William jNIitchcll, who served 
as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and after- 
ward drew a pension. After retiring from the 
army he engaged in farming and lived to the ad- 
vanced age of ninety-eight years. His wife, the 
grandmother of our subject, was ninetj'-one years 
old at tlie time of her deatli. Tiiey removed from 
the Old Dominion to Indiana and reared a family 
of eleven chililren. Both died m Parke County, Ind. 
James, the father of our subject, was the young- 



est child, and was married in Kentucky, where his 
four oldest children were born. After crossing the 
line into Indiana he settled on the Wabasii River 
when there was scarcely a white man to be seen in 
that part of the State. He was compelled, how- 
ever, to leave this locality' on account of sickness, 
whence he removed to Parke County, and from 
there in 1833, to Woodford County, 111. He was 
also one of the early pioneers of that locality, and 
opened up a farm from the uncultivated soil, upon 
which he remained until his advanced age rendered 
labor no longer practicable. He tinall}' removed 
with his wife into the village of Eureka, where he 
died at the age of seventy-four years, and the 
mother twi > years later, aged seventy-seven. Of their 
ten children, two died in cliildhood. The remaining 
eight lived to attain their majority, and the record 
is as follows: William and Joseplius are farming 
in Woodford County; Elizabeth married John K. 
Craton, and is now deceased ; Frederick is engaged 
in the hardware trade at Chicago, 111.; John is de- 
ceased; .James P. is our subject; Mary Ann became 
the wife of William S. Bullock, a successful stock- 
raiser of AVoodford County ; Eliza, who was mar- 
ried to John Foster of Woodford, is now deceased. 

Our subject was but three years old when his 
father's family came to Illinois. He grew to man- 
hood on the farm in Woodford County, and re- 
mained a member of the parental household until 
18.T.'), when he set out to farm for himself and was 
fairl}' successful in his business and agricultural 
operations. The present fine residence which he 
occupies with his famil}' was erected in 1880. It 
is a shapely and commodious two-stor}' structure 
and the only brick residence in the township. The 
premises on all sides indicate the enterprise and in- 
dustry of the proprietor, who has done good .service 
in building up a valuable iiomestead and advancing 
the agricultural interests of his townsliip. 

The marriage of James P. Mitchell and Miss 
Alice McElroy took place in 1881. Mrs. Mitchell 
was born ne.ar Marietta, Ohio, and is the daughter 
of Samuel and Mary (Franklin) McElroy. Of this 
union there have been born four children, of whom 
two, twins, died in September, 188(i. Those sur- 
viving are Ilenrj' W. and Mary A. Our subject, 
politicall}', is a decided Democrat, but in local mat- 




i 



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1. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



281 iL 



t 



ters supports the candidate wlioiii he thinks best 
qualified for office. He lia.s iioen (juite contented 
to remain as a private citizen, witli no desire for 
olliciai honors. lie joined tlic C'iiristian Church 
when sixteen 3ears of age, anci has remained faith- 
ful to its doctrines since that time. 

^p^EORGE STUART, a native of .Saratoga 
[|[ g-. County, N. Y., whose birth occurred on the 
^^jl 'iSth of .lune, 1817, became a resident of 
Cliampaign, this county, in the spring of 18C5. 
He is conifortablj- located on section 4, where he 
owns eight}' acres of good land which lies on a 
pleasant ridge overlooking a large stretch of coun- 
try. The father of our sid)ject, Nathaniel Stuart, 
was a native of Danbury, Conn., born in Decem- 
ber, 1780. When three years of age, his father re- 
moved with the family to Saratoga County, N. Y. 

The grandfather of our subject, Joseph Stuart, 
served as a soldier in the Revolutionar}^ War. At 
the close of this struggle and after the removal to 
New York State, Nathaniel was reared upon a farm 
in Saratoga County. Upon reaching manhood he 
was married to Miss Ke/.iah Toby, who was born 
in Saratoga Count}' in Ma}', 1795. After marriage 
they located upon a small farm, but Mr. Stuart be- 
ing afflicted with asthma, was able to do but little 
manual labor. He was not idle, however, but 
served as Deputy Sheriff of the county and also as 
Assessor and Tax Collector. They remained in 
Saratoga County until 183U, then removed to 
Union County, Ohio, where they took possession of 
a farm and where the mother died on the 21st of 
August, 1859. 

The parental household included twelve children, 
eleven of whom survived the mother. Of these 
the record is as follows: Ephraim is a retired 
farmer of Mechanicsburg, Ohio; Eliza A., Mrs. 
Green, resides in Union County, tliat State; Isaac 
is carrying on the business of a woolen factory in 
Carthage, Ind.; Orlando died in Marysville, Ohio, 
in 1881; Lucinda became the wife of Nathaniel 
Raymond, of this county; she had formerly been 
married to Dr. Crew, of Logan County, Ohio. 
George, of oursketcli; Melissa, deceas('(], was the 

<■ 



first wife of Nathaniel Raymond; Adeline, Mrs. 
Monroe, is a resident of Allen County, Ohio; .Tane, 
Mrs. Wilkins, resides in Union' County, Ohio, and 
her son, Beriah Wilkins, is a Member of Congress 
from Zanesville district, Ohio; Mary, Mrs. Hender- 
son, and Joseph, are living in Olathe, Kan. 

After the death of his wife, Mr. Stuart, with the 
exception of two years, during which time he vis- 
ited among his children in Illinois, continued to 
reside in Ohio until his death, which occurred on 
the 12th of October, 1872. He was a stanch sup- 
porter of the Democratic party, and took a lively 
interest in State and National affairs. He was also 
a consistent member of the Christian Church, and 
although not wealthy, accumulated a fair amount 
of this world's goods. 

tiieorge Stuart, of our sketch, [wssed his child- 
hood and youth on the homestead in his native 
county, and was educated in the common schools 
of that day. He removed with the family to Ohio 
in 1830, and seven years later, on the 0th of April, 
1843, was married to Miss P>ances Fisher, a na- 
tive of Ross County, Ohio. After becoming the 
mother of two children, Mrs. Stuart departed this 
life on the 10th of October, 1853. Her eldest son, 
Ephraim, died in Texas, April 11, 1887. William 
is a resident of Corsicana, that State. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married Jan. 17, 1855, was formerly Miss Mary A. 
Vail, a native of Coshocton County, Ohio, and 
born Sept. 8, 1832. Her parents were Isaac and 
Julia (Richards) Vail, the former a native of Rich- 
land County, Ohio, and the latter of Lancaster 
County, Pa. Mr. Stuart gave his entire attention 
to agricultural [nirsuits until 1859, then engaged in 
general merchandising in Newton, Ohio, which he 
carried on in connection with farming until 1864. 
The year following he came to this State, locating 
first in Vermilion County, whence after a residence 
of one year, he removed to Champaign City, and 
was there occupied as a merchant until 1870. In 
that year he purchased the homestead which lie 
has since occupied. 

Of the three children of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart, 
one daughter, Grace, died at the age of two years. 
Those surviving are, Fannie, a teacher in Cham- I 
paign, ;uid I'raiik, ;i real-estate and loan agent in y 



n 



t 



282 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



Kansas. Mr. Stuart is Democratic in politics, and 
has held various offices in the township. He be- 
came connected witii the Methodist Episcopal 
Church in \>^'>G, of which he has since been an act- 
ive and consistent member. 



tv^^^/?7^f?rv\^-\r^/\^ 



^%y>y\,'^\ijlQj2/^§^^^^- 



HILLIP SHAFFER, in the fall of 1868, be- 
^ JV came a resident of Newcomb Township, 
'^ ^ this county, starting out in a modest man- 

|1^ ner and working thereafter faithfully and 
industriously until he acquired possession of his 
present farm, which is now unincumbered, pro- 
vided with good buildings, and under a fine state 
of cultivation. His family consists of his wife and 
six children, the latter constituting a briglit and 
interesting group, who are being well reared and 
receiving the benefits of the admirably conducted 
free school system. 

Our subject is a native of Knox County, Oliio, 
and the tenth of eleven children born to his parents, 
Valentine and Nancy (Taylor) Shaffer, natives 
respectively of Pennsylvania and West >'irginia. 
The mother was of German and Irish ancestry, and 
after marriage ]\Ir. and Mrs. Shaffer located in Knox 
Countj', Ohio, where they spent the greater part of 
their lives. In 1872 tiiey disposed of their prop- 
erty in the Buckeye State, and came West to live 
among their children. The fatlier died at the home 
of his son Paul in Condit Township in 18«0. The 
mother still survives, making her home with her 
children. 

The parental household included seven sons and 
four daugliters. Phillip, of our sketch, attended 
school only until he was about thirteen years of 
age, and then began assisting his fatlier and brothers 
on the farm, remaining there uTitil he was nineteen 
years old, wlien. starting out for himself he worked 
by the month in Knox County', Ohio, a 3'ear after- 
ward, and in the fall of 1H()8. commenced working 
in Newcomb Township, this county, being thus 
employed three years. He lived economically and 
saved his earnings, and at (lie expiration of this 
time got together the necessary implemi'uts and 
couiuienced farming on rented land. Two years 



later he purchased fifty-seven and one-half acres on 
section 24, in Newcomb Township, which is in- 
cluded in his present homestead ; it now comprises 
120 acres. 

In January', 1873, Mr. Shaffer was united in 
marriage with Miss Irftne Fisher, at the home of the 
bride's parents in Mahomet. Mrs. S. is the daugh- 
ter of Jonathan and Ziphora Fisher, and was born 
in Condit Township, Dec. 12,1851. Their union 
resulted in the birth of seven children, of whom 
one died in infancy. Those surviving are Alberta 
B., Cora E., Elza J., Lillio G., Maude and Bessie M. 
Mr. Shaffer from a humble position in life, by his 
honest industry and raornl woitli, has arisen to a 
worthy place among his fellow-citizens, who re- 
gard him with confidence and esteem. In the spring 
of 1880 he was elected Supervisor of Newcomb 
Township, which office he hold until the spring 
of 1887. He holds strong views upon the temper- 
ance question, being a decided Prohibitionist, and 
gives his support to Democratic principles. Both 
Mr. and Mrs. S. are members in good standing of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



(|Z_^ENRY W. STEPHENSON, one of the most 
enterprising yoinig farmers of Hensley 
Township, is pleasantly located on a good 

^ farm on section 15. He belongs to a fam- 
ily- well and favoi'ably known in this section, be- 
ing the son of Leonidas and Nanc^' Stei)henson, of 
whom a sketch is given elsewhere in this work. 
Our subject was born in Center Township, Boone 
Co., Ind., Oct. 4, 1844, and commenced his educa- 
tion in the subscription schools of his native town- 
ship. He afterward attended the free schools, an<l 
being a bright, ambitions boj', acquired a g(.(od 
fund of useful information. He remained under 
the parental roof until after the removal of the fam- 
ily to this State. 

Our subject's marriage occurred in Indiana on 
the same day they started for Illinois. He first lo- 
cated in Logan County, purchasing a tract of land 
near that of his father, in East Lincoln Township. 
'I'his was unimproved, but he was the son of a pio- 
neer, and knew just what steps to take in opening ^ ' 



i 



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■» ■ 4» 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



283 



up a farm. He operatijcl tliere successfully a few 
years, ami hecanie (juiU' a spcculatur in laiifl, l)U3'- 
iiig and selling at dilTcrent times until 1878. In 
the spring of that year he took possession of his 
[iresent farm. This is under a good state of culti- 
vation, and suiiplied with all necessary farm build- 
ings and machinery. Mr. Stephenson possesses in 
a marked degree the industry and sj'stem which 
have always characterized the transactions of his 
father, and is on the road to prosperity. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was mar- 
ried in February, 18G5, was formerl3' Miss Cynthia 
Abbott, who was born in Clinton County, Ind., and 
is the daughter of Joseph and Annie (Dunn) Ab- 
bott. Their four children are, Albert, Annie, Le- 
onidas and George W. The homestead is pleas- 
antly located, and presents a picture of peaceful 
country life never found within the conlines of the 
crowded metropolis, or in a community lacking in 
thrift and intelligence. 



'^_^ GRACE IIAZEN. the proprietor of 200 
acres of choice land in Newcomb Township 
became a resident of this county in Febru- 
ary, 1 876, and took possession of a part of 
his present homestead. His birth occurred in the 
Green Mountain State, .TUI3" 13, 1823, where he 
was reared on a f.arm and obtained a common- 
school education. He remained a resident of his 
native State until 1853, then emigrated to (Jliio, 
and shortly afterward to Woodford Couut3', 111., 
where he lived until becoming a resident of this 
countj'. He was reared to agricultural pursuits, 
which he has followed all his life, and in which he 
has been uniformly successfid. 

The marri.age of Mr. Hazeu took i)lace in Stowe, 
Vt., on the 2d of June, 1847, JHss Sarah A. Kel- 
logg becoming his wife. The parents of Mrs. U. 
were Warner and Jennie (Gregg) Kellogg, also na- 
tives of ^'ermont. Gf this union there were born 
eight children: Alma .-ind Ellen M. died when (piite 
young; George K. iirTirried Miss Emma Ellis, ;uid 
resides in Fi.sher, 111.; Fred married Miss Eelia 
Homier, and is a resident of jS'ewcomb Township; 
I'earl married Miss Addie .layue, and lives in 





•►■-^^ 



i~ 



Brown 'i'ownship; Mark married Miss Cora Funs- 
ton, and is farnnng in Newcomb Township; Dan is 
a resident of Woodford, 111., and Ed resides at 
home. Mr. lla/.en, politically, uniformly suitports 
the principles of the Republican part}'. 

ILTON J. FRAME. This gentlenum, one 
of the successful farmers of Hensle}' Town- 
ship and also a skilled mechanic, is pleas- 
antlv located on section 22. Here he has 
a snug homestead, with 100 acres of land under a 
good state of cultivation, and a convenient set of 
frame buildings. He has been a resident of this 
township since 1870, and is regarded as one of the 
important factors of the .agricultuial interests in 
this locality. 

Gur suljject is a native of Montgomery County, 
Ind., born April 30, 182'J. His father, William 
Frame, of Kentucky, grew to manhood in the Blue 
Grass State, where he was married. Thence he 
removed to Indiana and was one of the earliest 
pioneers of Montgomery County. He purchased a 
tract of heavy timber laud, in the midst of which 
was a log cabin, into which he removed with his 
family. He cleared a p.art of the land and in due 
time erected a brick dwelling which remained his 
home until his death. The mother of our subject 
before her marriage was Aliss Susan Davis, of Vir- 
ginia. The fourteen children of the p.arental house- 
hold all grew to mature years. Of these our sub- 
ject was the youngest and w.as but seven years old 
when his father died. After the death of her hus- 
band the mother kept the family together until 
they were old enough to start out in life for them- 
selves. Her death occurred in Des Moines County, 
Iowa, in about 1862. Milton J. Frame lived with 
his motiier until ho was twenty-two years old, then 
started West to seek his fortune. He went to Iowa, 
locating in Kossuth, Des Moines Countj% and there 
carried on farming, together with blacksmithing 
and wagon-making, until the outbreak of the late 
war. in December, 180;j, he enlisted in Co. K, 
14th Iowa Vol. Inf., and served until the close. 
He was present at the battles of l'le:isant Hill, Old 
Oaks, Mentotock, Miss., and participated in various 



i 



t. 



284 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



•^m ^ 



minor engairemciits anil skirmishes. He escaped 
wounds and imprisonment, and in Angnst, 1865, 
received his honorable discharge. He returned 
to Kossuth, Iowa, and resumed his trade until 1876, 
when he sold out, and coming into this county, 
purchased the farm in Hensley Township which he 
now owns and occupies. 

The marriage of Milton J. Frame and Miss Maria 
Allen tooli place in Indiana in 18.52. Mrs. F. was 
born in Fleming County, K^-., and is the daugliter 
of Henry and Elizabeth (Sullivan) Allen (see 
sketch of Joseph Allen). Of the seven children 
born to them, six are now living: Mar}-, Mrs. 
Seeds, and Elizabeth, Mrs. Bandy, live in Des 
Moines County, Iowa; Susan, Mrs. Rogers, is a 
resident of Butler County, Kan. ; William, Robert 
and Mattie are at home; Julia became the wife of 
Charles Wright, and died in Hensley Township, 
Nov. 14, 1884, .aged twenty-two years. 

Politically Mr. Frame is a warm supporter of the 
Republican party. He is a gentleman of more than 
ordinary- ability and keeps himself well posted upon 
the current events of the day. His opinions are 
those of a man decided in his views and whose 
counsels it will be usuallj' safe to follow. He has 
been successful in iiis business and farming opera- 
tions and both as a business man and a citizen is 
held in the highest esteem bj' all who know him. 

JOHN G. CAMPBELL, who is Postmaster of 
Dewc}-, is one of the oldest settlers of East 
Bend Township, of which he became a resi- 
dent in 18,57, and locating upon a tr.act of 
wild prairie land, commenced its imjjrovement and 
cultivation, having in view from the first the estab- 
lishment of a permanent home. In due time his 
labors met with their just rew.ard and he occupied 
the farm thus opened up for a period of twenty 
years. He then practically retired from active 
labor and made liis home with his oldest son three 
3'ears. In 188.5 he took up his abode in Dewey, 
where he has since lived, being appointed Post- 
master in the fall of that 3'car. 

Mr. Campbell was born in Cumberland County, 
-4« _ 



Pa., April 1,181«. His father, James Campbell, 
was a native of the same county, and his grand- 
father, who was born in the North of Ireland, was a 
descendant of Scottish ancestry. The first repre- 
sentative of the family came to this country and 
located in Cumberland County, Pa., where he fol- 
lowed farming and spent the remainder of his daj's. 
Upon this farm James Campbell w.is born and 
reared, seven miles from the town of Carlisle. 
After reaching manhood he was married to Miss 
Elizabeth French, a native of the same count}' as 
her husband, where they remained until 1827. 
They then determined to remove to Indiana, and 
started with a four-horse team for Pittsburgh, Pa., 
where they embarked on a river steamer said to be 
the first of the kind that ever ploughed the Ohio. 
They located in Switzerland County, Ind., among 
the earliest settlers, and the elder Campbell rented 
land the first year. The next spring he purchased 
a farm in Cotton Township, the same county, in 
the cultivation and improvement of which he was 
engaged until his death, in 1862. The wife and 
mother departed this life two j'ears later. 

Of their thirteen children, eleven grew to mature 
years, and the record is .as follows: Joseph taught 
school for a number of years, and when last heard 
from was at A\'alla Walla, AV'ash. T\'. ; Robert died 
in Switzerland County, Ind.; Jane, the wife of 
Abraham Atkinson, lives in Dearborn County, Ind. ; 
Eliza, Mrs. David Weaver, is a resident of Atchison 
County, Kan.; William died in New Orleans; .John 
G. of our sketch was the sixth child ; James lives in 
Switzerland County, Ind,; Samuel in Lamonte, 
Pettis Co., Mo.; Oliver, now deceased, located at 
Pensacola. I^a., and during the Rebellion was con- 
scripted into the rebel armj'; Caroline married 
Ilenr}' Faubi-a, and lives in Switzerland County, 
Ind.; Mary, the wife of Amsley Morrison, lives in 
Jennings County, Ind. 

Our subject passed his boyhood and youth in 
the manner comnum to the sons of pioneers, receiv- 
ing a limited education in the' subscription schools, 
which were conducted in the typical structure 
built of logs, and covered with clapboards held in 
place by weight-jjoles. The benches and writing- 
desks were m.ide by sjililtiug a small log, turning 
the flat side upward, and jjutting in wooden pins 



i 



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i 



t 



r 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



285 



for legs. The sohool wns kvpi up on the subscrip- 
tion plan and the teacher >' boarded around." John 
Ci. remained with his parents until eighteen years of 
age, and then started out in life for himself. For 
six years following he was varionslj' emi)Io3'ed, 
most of the time in tlatboating, taking pro<luce 
down the river, which he sold at Natchez, Vicks- 
burgor New Orleans. His time was thus occupied 
until after his marriage, when he rented a tract of 
land in .Switzerland County, Ind., upon which he 
operated a few years and then, in company with 
another man, erected a set of buildings and provided 
all the appliances of a steam-turning establishment, 
putting in an engine, and had everything ready for 
operation and in good running order when the 
lioilcr exploded and the building and machinery 
were ruined. Thus nearly the entire capital of 
Mr. Campbell was destroyed and a radical change 
of plans ensued. He engaged as a laborer in the 
Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Siiops for three 
years, and afterward l)ecame a traveling salesman 
for the firm of Clark & Mooney, remaining with 
them also three years. In 1857 he came to this 
county to sell fanuiug-mills. The f.ace of the 
country pleased him greatly and he determined to 
locate, which resolve he put in execution the fol- 
lowing spring, and renting a farm in Champaign 
Township, established himself upon it with his 
family. The next year he removed to East Bend, 
where he purchased the land upon which he perma- 
nently settled. 

Mr. Campbell was married in .Switzerland County, 
Ind., in the spring of 1842, toMissUuby Peabody, 
a native of th.at county, and born Dec. 15, 1821. 
She is the daughter of Stephen G. Peabody, a na- 
tive of New York, who became one of the pioneers 
of Switzerland County, whence he removed in 1855 
to Champaign County, 111. Here he purchased 
1,000 acres of land, all in Kast Bend Township, and 
in 1858 took possession of it, but finally removed 
to the city of Champaign, where his death occurred. 
Of six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Campbell the 
record is as follows: Oliver A. is a resident of 
Uantoul Township, this county; James is a nicml)er 
of the Nebraska Legislature, elected in 188(); he 
served four years as Clerk of Sarpy County, and is 
a resident of I'apillion, the county seat; Mary be- 




•►■-4i- 



came the wife of John Strouse, who is farming in 
Condit Township; Elizabeth, the wife of William 
Wagoner, lives in Columbus, Kan. ; John R. is farm- 
ing in Rantoul Township, this county; Artemns W. 
is a resident of and the Sheriff of .Sarpy County, 
Neb. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically our sub- 
ject is Democratic, and represented his township in 
the Bc>ard of Supervisors six j'ears. 



ILLIAM McMILLEN. The subject of the 
history, a resident of Champaign 
p, and one of the honored pioneers 
of the I'rairie State, is widely and favorably known 
throughout this county as a man revered alike for 
his genial and .social qualities and his v.aluc as a 
citizen, and has done much to advance the interests 
of his adojjted county and townsliip. He comes of 
excellent ancestry, and was born in Highland 
County, Ohio, in November, 1809. It has been 
his lot to witness the remarkable growth of a 
country which was comparatively in its infancy 
when he first opened his eyes to the light. He 
remembers the time when the canal was considered 
a fine medium of transportation, and when a rail- 
road project was considered a wild and improbable 
scheme. The remarkable changes which have oc- 
curred since he became old enough to note the 
development of the resources of the country have 
been witnessed by him with that satisfaction always 
felt by the intelligent man who has a genuine and 
patriotic regard for the land which gave him birth. 
The father of our subject, Thomas McMillen, 
was a native of Pennsylvania. He grew to man- 
hood in the Keystone State, whence after his mar- 
riage, he removed to Ohio and was among the first 
settlers of Highland County. He purchased land 
in the Military Tract and erected a log cabin in 
the midst of the heavy timber. He cleared 100 
acres, and established a comfortalile homestead 
where he spent the remainder of his life. His wife, 
the mother of our subject, was formerly iNIiss Jane 
Irving. After the death of her husband, she be- 
came a resident of Cass County, Ind.. where she 
died in about 1839. .She kept hcrchildrcn together 
until they were old enough to do for themselves. 



i 



T 



u 



T 286 



■■► I I <• 



1' 

1 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



William McMillen first saw tiic light of day in 
the huiuble cabin elected b}' his father in the 
woods of Highland County, Ohio, and was only 
ten years of age wlien the latter died, lie re- 
mained with his mother, assisting his elder brothers 
in the improvement of the farm, and continued a 
member of the family until he liad arrived atj'ears 
of manhood. He still remembers seeing, in his 
childhood, the deer and vvolves that scampered 
through the timber, and the howling of the latter at 
night around their cabin home. Before his mar- 
riage he had purchased a tract of land, and after 
this event he erected a log house to which he 
proudly conveyed ins young wife, and they entered 
upon their future life with hope and happiness. 

In 18o'J Mr. McMillen disposed of his real estate 
in Cass Count}', Ind., and started overland for the 
Prairie State. His outfit consisted of three horses 
and a wagon of his own, in addition to which he 
hired another wagon and team to accompany him 
and his family. They traveled after the manner of 
the emigrants of those days, camping and cooking 
by the wayside, and upon their arrival in this 
county, Mr. McMillen purchased the farm which 
he now occupies. It is scarcely necessary to say 
that he has greatly improved its original condition, 
and that it compares favorably with the other 
beautiful and comfortable h(jmesteads which are 
scattered so pleuteously through one of the richest 
counties of Illinois. It is located about four miles 
from town, and the familiar form of its proprietor 
is always greeted with pleasure as he travels back 
and forth through the section of country which he 
first looked upon nearly thirty years ago. 

The marriage of William McMillen and Miss 
Rosanna Ilenderson took place at the residence of 
the bride's parents in Cass County, Ind., in 1835. 
The death of this esteemed lady occurred at the 
home of her husband in Champaign Township, in 
Januaiy, 1880. Of the children which came to 
bless the household six are now living, of whom 
the record is as follows: Lucinda became the wife 
of William Hell, and lives in Pratt County, Kan. ; 
Susan married Prank (iothshall, and their home is 
in JjOg.'insport, Ind.; Newton is engage<l in mining 
in Mexico; Isabel, Mrs. Thomas (iraliam, is a resi- 
dent of Nebraska; Joseph lives iu New Salem, 
4» 



Kan., and Fremont carries on the l)usiness of the 
homestead for his father in Champaign County. 
Mrs. McMillen became a member of the Presby- 
terian Church soon after her marriage, and Mr. 
McM. in 1808. In politics he is Republican. 



-■^■h^ 



^^-^ 



--v- 



<A I^TLLIAM ELLARS came to this county in 
\jjj// 18;j0, comparatively a poor man, when 
y^^ thirty-four years of age. He is now the 
owner of 1,300 acres of the finest farming land in 
Sadorus Township, where he has an elegant resi- 
dence, with a fine barn and other substantial out- 
buildings, a valuable assortment of live-stock, 
costly and modern farm machinery and all the ap- 
pliances of a first-class country estate. It is hardly 
necessary to sa^- that to accomplish this has required 
persistent labor, with rare good management of his 
farming operations and a wise investment of sur- 
plus funds. His home stands prominently as one 
of the most attractive features in the landscape of 
Central Illinois, the fairest monument that could 
be reared to the resolution and energy of its ^n•o- 
prietor. 

Mr. Ellars was introduced to life audits responsi- 
bilities among the hills of Ross County, Ohio, on 
the 10th of July, ISIO, and was the sixth child 
of Benjamin and Eunice (Taylor) Ellars, natives of 
Delaware, where the father followed farming, and 
where both parents spent their entire lives. The 
mother, however, was called away from her family 
of little ones when our subject was but a boy twelve 
years of age. His father married a second time, 
and William left home to carve out his own fortune, 
from the vicissitudes of a sometimes unfriendly 
world. Going to Chillicothe, Ohio, he entered 
upon an apprenticeship to the tailor's trade, to 
which his father had bound him. He became dis- 
satisfied, however, and after eighteen months ran 
away to Washington, in Faj-ette County, where he 
worked at whatever his hands could find to do, un- 
til twenty-one years of age, most of his time, how- 
ever, being spent in the tailor shop. 

Our subject's health now began to fail, and he 
found that he could no longer endure the confine- 
ment involved in following his trade, and abandon- 



■* 




RESIDENCE OF F. B . B ATTL E 5 ,(««^^^'^J?,°/^'''i^!^^^,°°° } SEC .28. HARWOOD TP 




RESIDENCE OF W . S . CO R L I S , S EC . 25, 5 I DN E Y TOWNSHIP 




^ 



RESIDbiNCt; OK MiNLKVA P U T F^A M ,bLC.^ , U -^u-N-; QGDEN TP. 



^ 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



289 



iiig it, engaged as a farm laborer. He worked by 
the month for five years following, sowing, reap- 
ing, plowing and mowing, there being little farm 
niauliinery in those days, and recovered his health, 
so that he felt fully competent to provide for a 
family. His heart had already been captured by 
Miss Kliza Jane, daughter of Daniel and Klizabetli 
(Coon) Harrison, natives of Ohio, and they were 
married in the fall of 1842. Mr. Kllars, then feel- 
ing quite independent, proceeded to rent a farm 
and begin agriculture on his own account. He was 
thus employed in Madison County for eight j'ears 
following, his father in the meantime having joined 
him there, and making his home with his sou. 

In 1S.50 Mr. Ellars decided to find out for him- 
self aljout the truthfulness of the reports coming 
from tlie Prairie State, which was offering great in- 
ducements to the enteri)rising emigrant. Getting 
ills family and household goods togctiier he jour- 
neyed into this county, and located on a tract of 
wild laud in .Sadorus Township, which embraced 
I'.IO acres and was located on section 31. II is in- 
tention had been to enter land from the Govern- 
ment, but the day after his arrival, Sci)t. 20, 1850, 
the Tnited States land ollicc, at Vandalia, was 
closed, for the purpose of allowing the Central 
Illinois Company to choose their territory, which 
was to be each alternate section, on a strip of land 
fifteen miles wide, through tlie center of which the 
tract was to pass. Thus cut off from entering laud, 
Mr. Kllars was obliged to content himself with 
what he could purchase and cultivate. lie pro- 
ceeded with his improvements, fencing his ground 
and putting up suitable buildings, and added to his 
landed interests by degrees until the result was ob- 
tained which we now l)ehold. Although tlie neces- 
sity for arduous labor on his part has long gone past, 
he still retains the same active oversight of his 
affairs as ever, and exercises his uniformly good 
judgment in all important matters. 

During the first j'ears of liieir resolute and per- 
sistent labor, there came into tiie household of our 
subject and his wife a family of eight little ones, 
of whom seven are still living to administer to their 
joy and comfort. Their children were named re- 
spectively, James, John, C'atlierine, Sarah, .Martin, 
Melissa, Emma and Martha. Their eldest son first 
-^« 



married Miss Jane Moore, who departed this life in 
188.'), leaving two children; the second wife was 
Miss Jane Hj'c, and they are residents of Douglas 
County; John married Miss Mary (^uick, and is a 
resident of Bement. Piatt County ; Catherine is the 
widow of James Webster, and is living in Philo; 
Sarah became the wife of A. J. Hunter, a farmer 
of Douglas County, and died in 1881, leaving a 
child, Anna, whom her grandparents took to their 
hearts and home when she was but four days old, 
and are now raising her as their own ; Martin mar- 
ried Miss Klla Hess: he is now Postmaster of I'hilo, 
and is also engaged in the grocery trade there; 
Melissa is the wife of W. Collins, a [irosperous far- 
mer of Douglas County; Emma and Martha arc at 
home with their i)arents. 

Mr. Ellars. as a citizen having extensive interests 
in the real estate of .Sadorus Townshi[), could not 
evade a portion of the duties devolving upon a citi- 
zen of more than ordinary ability as a business man, 
and a member of an intelligent com mull it}'. He has 
represented the townshi)) in the lioard of Sui)er- 
visors several times, and his influence has been sen- 
sibly felt in tlie ranks of the Democratic party in 
this locality. His enterprise has furnished an ex- 
ample which others have sought to emulate, and 
the result has been that the homesteads around him 
have attiiined to a higher degree of iierfection, by 
the mere force of the example set before them in 
the licauty of the Ellars estate, in the cultivation of 
its soil, and the care which has Ijcen e.vercised in 
its entire management. 




^^3—2 



1111,11' IIUM.MEL. This gentleman, who 
is widely and favorably known through- 
out the townslii[p of Kast Bend, came to 
this section in the pioneer days, and has 
been one of its most industrious, intelligent and 
public-spirited citizens. He owns a good farm on 
section 28, besides property in the present village 
of Dewey, where he proposes to retire in due time 
and siiend his declining years in the ease and com- 
fort which he has justly eanieil. 

Mr. II. is a tine represeutativ"; of the .>ul)>l!iiitial 
Gerinaii element which lias assisted so greatly in 



n 



ik 29C 



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.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



bnilrling up the western country. He was born in 
Hesse-lJaiinstadt, .June lo. LSI 5, and at an early 
age eurninenced attending the public schools, con- 
tinuing his studios until fifteen years old. After- 
ward he remained with his father for some years, 
working on the farm of the latter, and in 1853 
took possession of a tract of land which he inher- 
ited from the parental estate. In the nieanlime he 
had been married and become the father of three 
cliildren, and believing that he could bettei his 
condition and that of his family in the New World, 
he sold his property in Germany and set sail from 
Havre for the United States. He lauded with his 
family in New York City on the 4th of .July, I«53, 
after a voyage of thirty-nine days. He proceeded 
directlj' westward, and after reaching Kane Count}', 
this State, was employed as a laborer for two 
years following, in the meantime having purchased 
a iKjnie in Kaneville, where his family were 
conilui tably located. At the expiration of this 
time he rented a tract of land whicli he operated 
on until 1 >i^>'J. 

During the latter-named year. Air. lluinuiel came 
to this county and i)urchascd 120 acres on section 
28, in East Dend Ti)\vnslup, which arc now included 
in his present farm. The laud at that time was un- 
enclosed and uncultivated, and the emliryo town 
of Ilantoul was tlie nearest trading-post. Deer and 
wolves still roamed over the [)rairie, which was un- 
settled, save here and there, where a lonely cabin 
would be seen. Mr. Hummel, however, witli true 
l)ii)neer courage set about the improvement of hi.-s 
laud, which in due time responded generously to 
his labor and yielded excellent (■roi)S. He had the 
land enclosed with gotxl fences and put up all nec- 
essary farm buildings. He also added to his estate 
as his means accumulated, and is now the owner of 
.'i20 acres under a good state of cultivation. 

Mr. Ilummell was first married, in 1843, to Miss 
l.,izzie Kell, a native of his own Province in Ger- 
many, and they became the parents of two children 
— Philip, now living in Kast IJeiul Township, and 
Mary, the wife of Frank Brush, a resident of Ore- 
gon. The mother of these children died at the 
home of our subject in (Jermanj', in 1848. His 
second wife, wlio in her gii'lhood was Miss Kate 
Bloss, was also a native of Hesse-Darmstadt. Of 



r 



this later marriage there were born five children, of 
whom the recortl is as follows: Henry is a resident 
of East Bend Township; Dora married .John Clark, 
a farmer of Rantoid Township; Christian lives with 
his sister Dora; AV'illiam is at home with his father, 
and Annie, the youngest, also resides in Rantoul 
with her sister. Mrs. Kate Hummel died in East 
Bend Township in 1872. 

Our subject was again married, the following 
year, to Mrs. Amelia Herzbe:g. Mrs. Hummel 
was born in Prussia, and was the daughter of Fred- 
erick Kusch, a native of the same country, and she 
was first married there, in 18G1, to Herman Ilerz- 
berg, with whom she came to the United States five 
years later. They located in Bloomington, 111., 
where Mr. II. died in 1870. The children of her 
first marriage were Frank, now a resident of Bloom- 
ington, and Hannah, who lives with her nujther. 
Mr. Ilummel is a decided Republican, [wlitically, 
and both he and his wife are members of the hutli- 
erau Church. He is a wide-awake citizen, having 
contributed ^1,000 toward securing the narrow- 
gauge railroad, and also having with a few others 
put up the school liuildiug in his neighborhood. 

ON. FIELDING L. SCOTT, deceased. The 
name of this late esteemed resident of Ma- 
homet was well and favorably known in 
past j'ears among the l)usiness men and so- 
cial circles of this locality, as a man of more than 
ordinary business talent and jicrsonal worth. He 
became connected with the affairs of Champaign 
Count}' at an early day, coming witL his wife and 
child frc)ni Kentucky in 18.">(). He endured with 
his brother i)ioneers the dilliculties and hardships 
of settlement in a new section and contriliuted his 
full share toward its growth and development. 

.Judge Scott was born in Bourbon County, Ky., 
.Ian. 27, 1807. His father was a native of Wasiiing- 
lou County, Pa., of Scoteii ancestry, and his mother 
was born in Ireland. The latter came to An)eriea 
with her parents when a child. In 1778 tlie grand- 
fatiier of our suliject, in comiiauy with his own and 
al)out twenty other families, emigrated from Penn- 
sylvania to Kentucky and located in Bourbon 

■ ► i T 4 < 




^i 



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i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



291 



County, wlu'i-c he died in 1 S(K!, leaving, among other 
members of his family, F. L. Scott, tlie father of our 
subject. The latter remained in I5ourl)on County, 
wliere he married and reared a family. 

Fielding L. Seott, the subject of this bii»grai)hy, 
remained under the home ri)of until he reached his 
majority and was married, Se|)t. 1<S, 1827, to Miss 
Julia A. llerriott. Three years later he emigrated 
with his wife and child to this State, as we have 
stated. The}' located in Vermilion County, whence 
after a residence of six years they came to Cham- 
paign County and settled upon the farm in Ma- 
homet Township whicli is now owned b}' Jacob 
Bellinger. Our subject carried on the cultivation 
and improvement of his land for a period of over 
forty years, and departed this life Nov. 10, 1877. 
He was a man greatly respected in his commnnit}'; 
a Ke[)ublican of the strictest type, and religiously 
a Missionarj' Baptist. During the late war he was 
a vigorous supporter of the Union cause and en- 
couraged the enlistment of two of his sons in the 
army. One of these met his death at the battle of 
Kenncsaw Mountain ; the other, Thomas J., is e.\- 
Sherift' of Champaign County. 



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4^^ 



-^^~.. 



ylLLIAM SADORUS, in h(mor of whose 
father the township bearing this name was 
called, has been a continuous resident on 
section 1 for a period of sixty-three years, and is 
now, with his two brothers, among the oldest set- 
lers of Champaign County. His father, Henry, in 
the journcj' from Indiana to this State w.as accom- 
panied by the celelirated Mormon, Joe Smith, and 
his family. They readied Big Raccoon Creek on 
the east side of the Wabash River, and in the 
early spring set out for Illinois equipped with 
several yoke of oxen and cows. Duiing the entire 
journey they required not even an ear of corn for 
their cattle, but fed them on the rich grass that 
grew by the way. On account of the rough 
condition of the thoroughfare they vvcre obliged at 
times to put all the cattle to one wagon in order to 
pull through. 

Mr. Smith settled in Sadorus Township, this 



County, and spent the summer in clearing and fenc- 
ing his land. Imt in the f.all became discouraged and 
gave Mr. Sadorus all his improvements, together 
witii 7,(100 mils, on condition of Mr. S. hauling one 
load of liousehold goods to Peoria. This now 
tloiu-isiiing city was then a small French village, 
giving little promise of its future importance. Our 
siiliject Ml his prime w.as considered one of the 
most skillful hands with a gun in the country, and 
prided himself on his record as a deer hunter, hav- 
ing killed hundreds of these animals before they 
were frightened or destro3'ed by the march of a 
later civilizatitju. For nearly forty j-ears he battled 
with the hardsiiips tjf the wilderness before the 
railroad was built and he could safely say he had a 
neighbor. 

William Sadorus isa native of Allegheny County, 
Pa., born July 4, 1812, and was the eldest child of 
Henry and Mary (Titus) Sadorus, also of the Key- 
stone State, but of Cernian extraction. He remained 
at home with his parents until nearly twenty-six 
years of age, and on the 11th of March, 18;j8, was 
united in marriage with Miss Mary Moore, a na- 
tive of Kentucky and the daughter of .loini and 
Hannah Moore, who were .also burn in the Blue 
tJr.ass regions. t)f this marriage there were seven 
children, namely, George W. B., Henry W., Marga- 
ret E., Samuel S., Sarild.-i J., Sarah S. and .John T. 
In the summer of 1851, Mrs. Mary .Sadorus. the 
affectionate wife ami mother, yielded up her life, 
after having been the eom|)anion of her luisband 
thirteen years. In Sei)teml)er following Mr. Sa- 
dorus was married to Miss (^iiincy Ann Brunnley, 
of Kentuck}', and of this union then' were born 
two children, Mary K. and John A., both now de- 
ceased. The mother died Oct. 'J, 1877. On Octo- 
ber 7 of the following year our subject was married 
to Mrs. Charity Hastings, daufjhter of Bailey and 
Mary A. (llenson) Phillii)s, natives of South Caro- 
lina. The one child of this union, a daughter, Ida, 
is now aw.aj' at school. 

Previous to his first marriage Mr. Sadorus, in 
1834, purchased cightj' acres of land in this town- 
ship, upon which he moveil and engaged in its im- 
provcMuent and cultivation. He was successful 
from the .start, .and in due time added to his prop- 
erty until he was possessed of a good farm of .'iliO 



i 



t. 



292 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i- 



acres. This he has since divided among his cliil- 
dren, liaviug now init 104 acres, located on section 
1, .Sad(niis Townsliip. His son, George W. B., 
nianied Miss Thebe .1. Biovvn, and is farming in 
Tolono Township; Henry married Miss Marvilla F. 
I'adgelt, and lives on a farm near his father; Mar- 
garet E. is the wife of (). C. McConney, a retired 
fanner now living in the village of Sadorus; .Samuel 
was married in Utah, where he has spent many 
years as a minister in the Mormon Church; Sarilda, 
Mrs. T. M. Hixsi)n, lives on a farm in Missouri; 
Sarah married Charles K. Mills, who is engaged in 
railroading at P.ana, 111.; .lolin T., John A. and 
Mary E. are deceased. 

Politically' Mr. Sadorus is an uncompromising 
Democrat, and a fearless advocate of tlie doctrines 
of his party. He has for many years been connected 
with the Baptist Church, of which his wife is also a 
member. He lias never been desirous of political 
distinction and uniformly declines to run for 
odice, although he maintains a warm interest in 
State and National affairs. He is one of the hon- 
ored landmarks of this section, who will be held in 
kind remendjrance by numbers of its |)eople long 
after he shall have been gathered to his fathers. 



.•i?»^»-^>ja?>-« 



•«^«s<-^i;tf-» 



\|/()SEP1I M. HAIINIT. The people of Lud- 
I low Townshi|) made the acquaintance of 
I this gentleman in the fall of 1864, when he 
(^^// came to this county with his father and set- 
tled on the northwest quarter of section 7. Of 
this forty-live acres were broken, which constituted 
its (jnly improvement. The land to-day with its 
appurtenances presents one of the finest country 
estates in this section. The fields are enclosed with 
neat hedges and snpi)lied with a fine set of frame 
buildings, the whole constituting a moiuuneut of 
what may be accomplished In' the energy and in- 
genuity of one man alone. Our subject occupied 
this fine farm until l«7G, and after living upon an 
adjoining one for a year, removed to l^udlow Vil- 
lage wlieie he has since been engaged in the ]>rac- 
tice of law. He became a member of the legal 
profession in 1H77, and since th.at time h.as devoted 
the greater part of his efforts to his law business 



and official duties. He has been Supervisor of 
Ludlow Township for a period of fifteen years and 
also held the office of Assessor and Collector, while 
at the same time serving as a member of the School 
Board, and giving his time to every worthy enter- 
prise calculated to advance the moral and intellect- 
ual welfare of his community. He cast his first 
vote on Culpeper Plains on the march in Virginia, 
for Governor and other officers of Ohio, and sup- 
ported the principles of the Republican p.arty until 
the nomination of Peter Cooper as Presidential 
candidate of the Greeub.ack party, since which time 
he has given his support to that political organiza- 
tion. 

The subject of our sketch was born near Enon 
Station, Beaver Co., Pa., May 20, 1842. His father, 
Samuel Harnit, a native of the same county, was 
born Feb. U, 1804. His grandfather, a native of 
Wales, emigrated to the U'nited States when a young 
man and located in Pennsylvania, where he soon 
afterward took to himself a wife in the person of 
Jliss Anna B. Lutzenheizer, who was a native of 
Westmoreland County, Pa. Grandfather Harnit 
was a blacksmith by trade, and built a shop upon a 
small tract of land which he had purchased and 
which he cleared from the timber, carrying on 
farming and his trade, and also mining the coal 
which he used as fuel in his shop and house. He 
met his death in the coalmine, which caved in upon 
him with fatal results before he could be extricated. 
This occurred in December, 1803, two months be- 
fore the birth of his son, .Samuel, the father of our 
subject. The familj- then consisted of five chil- 
dren, who were all obliged to assist their mother in 
the maintenance of the family as soon as old 
enough to work. Young Samuel learned the trade 
of a wheelwright, which he followed until about 
1852, then purchased a fiouriug-mill in Lawrence 
County, to which he devoted his time for ten years 
following. He was quite successful in his business 
and mill operations, and spent the last years of his 
life retired from active labor and in the enjoyment 
of a coiiipelency. His last residence was in 
Voungstown, .Mahoning Co., Ohio, where he yiehlcd 
up lii.'i life on the 4lh of February, 1886, after 
reaching the advanced age of eighty-two years. 
The mother of our subject in her girlhood was Miss 



•^■tr** 



I 




-U 






CtTAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



203 



Sarah Corey, who was born in Beaver County, I'a., 
and after becoming the mother of ten cliildren, 
(lied there in 18 IS. 

Mr. Harnit of our sketch, who was the eiglith 
child and joungest son of the iiouseiiold, was ten 
years old when his father moved to Lawrence 
County. Fotir years later he went to Columbiana 
County, Ohio, where he remained two years, and 
from there to Marion County, of whicii lie remained 
a resident until 1801. That yeai- will long- be re- 
membered b}' everj' [)atriut as the time when l)oth 
young and middle-aged men were called from home 
aud the bosoms of their families to figlit for the 
protection of those homes and families. Young 
Ilarnit was one of the first to respond to the ca,ll 
for troops, and on the 17th of April became a mem- 
ber of Co. K, 4th Ohio Vol. Inf., which was or- 
ganized under the call for three-months' men. Six 
weeks later he re-enlisted for the three years' serv- 
ice in the same companj' and regiment, with which 
he remained until finally' mustered out, June 23, 
1864. He was present at the battle of Rich Moun- 
tain, Petersburg, Winchester, Antietam, Frccloricks- 
burg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the \\ilderness 
and Spottsylvania, being under fire for a period of 
thirt3' days, from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor, 
in May and .Tune, 18G4. During the weary mai'ches 
and all other hardships incident to a soldier'.s life, 
he never evaded his duty, and at the close received 
his honorable discharge and the commendation of 
his superiors. After becoming a citizen he pro- 
ceeded to Marion County, Ohio, and worked in the 
harvest field on his uncle's farm the following,suni- 
mer, and in the fall of 18G4 made his first advent 
into Champaign County His sul)scquent course 
we have already detailed. 

The wife of our subject, to wlioni he was married 
on the 10th of .January, 1871, was Miss Libby, 
daughter of John Newlin, who was born in Mont- 
gomery Count}', Ind., M.ay 24, 1852. Her father 
was a n.ative of Hamilton County, Oiiio, to which 
State her grandfather Newlin removed at an early 
period in its historj'. His son John wa.s reared in 
his native county, whence he removed to Indiana, 
and was there married to Miss Cyntiiia Fleming, 
who was born near Mid<lletown, Ohio, and is the 
daughter of Thomas Fleming, of Pennsylvania. 



The parents of Mrs. H. removed from the Keystone 
State to Putnam County, 111., in about 1854, where 
the father died three years later. Mrs. Newlin is 
still living, and makes her home with her daughter, 
Mrs. H. 

Our subject and his wife became the parents of 
four interesting children, namely, William. Claude 
E., Jessie L. and Joseph M. Mr. Ilarnit socially l)e- 
longs to Pera Lodge No. 574, A. F. & A. M., of 
wiiich he became a member in December, ISGCand 
served eight years as W. M. He w.as the first Com- 
mander of Ord Post No. 372, G. A. R. 

The maternal grandfather of Mr. Ilarnit. who was 
a native of Switzerland, located in Eastern Penn- 
sylvania when a young man, whence he removed 
later across the mountains to Westmoreland County. 
After marriage he removed to Beaver County dur- 
ing the early settlement of that region, where he 
spent the remainder of his life. 



»'^m''?A 



\i^ 



J [JOSEPH T. CRIMES, who w.as born and 
11 reared among the hills of New Castle Coun- 
l| ly in the State of Delaware, is now unm- 
11 bercd among tiie highly respected citizens 

of Tolono Township, of which he became a resi- 
dent in 18GG. He owns eighty acres of improved 
land, which is thoroughly drained and enclosed 
with good fences, and upon which stands a 
model farm-house 'and .all necessary out-buildings. 
Althougii perhaps his farming operations iiave not 
covered as much ground as some of his neigiiljors, 
be has adhered to the theories of Horace Greeley 
and taken good care of his snug estate. Every 
acre is made available either for pasture or the rais- 
ing of farm produce, and the premises present the 
picture of comfort aii<l contentment, with plenty 
on every hand. 

The birth ofMr. Grimes occuried on the 1st of 
October, 1841, and he is the son of John and Sally 
Ann (Sharp) Grimes, also natives of the .State 
of Delaware, whence they removed to Ohio in 
1852. They selected a location in Butler County, 
but subseiiuentl}' removed to Hamilton County, 
the same State, where John (J rimes followed farm- 
ing until 18G1I. He then removed with his family ) 



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> 



t. 



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294 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



to Illinois, and after a residence of three yeai*s in 
Champaign Count}', took up his aljode in Marion 
County, Kan., where he now lives, and has arrived 
at the age of seventy-two 3'ears. The mother died 
in August, 1879, when a little over sixty-three 
j'ears old. The household circle, which was com- 
pleted bj- the birth of eight children, was broken 
by the death of one daughter in childhood. Seven 
are yet living, of whom our subject is the eldest. 
The others are Levi ; Mary Ann, now Mrs. John 
Dole; John A.; Emma, the wife of Hiram Beck; 
Robert, and Narcissa, Mrs. H. Smith. 

The subject of this biographj' spent his childhood 
and youth amidst the peaceful surroundings of 
farm life. He was eleven years old when his par- 
ents removed from Delaware to Ohio, .ind re- 
mained with them the greater portion of the time 
until his marriage, wliich took place on the 30th of 
November, 1805. The maiden of his choice, Miss 
Mary (irace Louks, was a native of Hamilton 
Count}-, Ohio, and the daughter of John and Mary 
(McLain) Louks. Her father is now a resident of 
Tolouo. Mrs. G. was born on the iUh of Febru- 
ary. 1!S4S. and received careful liouie training and 
a fair e.liicalion in the common schools. .She was 
instructed in all needful household duties and re- 
mained a niembei' of her father's family until her 
marriage. A year afterward Joseph (i rimes and 
his j'oung wife set out for Illinois and located in 
this county upon the homestead where thej' now 
reside. Their union has been blest by the birth of 
three children, all duugliters — Ada Florence, Ida 
Blanche and Lena Ethel. Mr. and Mrs. G. are 
worthy members of the Presbyterian Church, and 
our subject politically is a heart}' supi)orter of the 
Repul)licaii i)arty. 



-,>5— 



#-#► 



^ IrlLLlAM H. SWAYZE, one of the honored 
\/\j// l''<"i^^'"* "f East Bond Township, was born 
W^ i" Wyandot County, Ohio, .lune 28, 
1840. His grandfather. James Swayze, a native of 
New Jersey, emigrated to Ohio in the early settle- 
ment of the State, purchased a tract of timber land 
in Wyandot County, and spent the remainder of 
his life in its improvement, and cultivation. With 



I scores of others in that vicinity he labored indus- 
; triously for years in cutting down the forest trees 
and preparing the land for the raising of farm prod- 
uce. This with the limited conveniences at hand 
would seem to the people of the present day an 
Herculean task, but the men of that period pos- 
sessed a rugged industry which laughed at all ob- 
stacles and knew no such word as "fail." James 
Swayze possessed these qualities in a remarkable 
degree, and they have been transmitted to his chil- 
dren and grandchildren. 

The father of our subject, Bescherer Swayze, was 
born in New Jersey, and was a young chihl when his 
parents made the journey overland to the Buckeye 
State. He grew to manhood in Wyandot County, 
and among the maidens of that region chose for his 
wife Miss Matilda Hunt, a native of his own State, 
who had removed to Ohio with her parents about 
1820. Her father, William Hunt, located on a 
farm in Wyandot County, Ohio, where he died 
in about 1840. Bescherer Swayze in 1863 came to 
this county, where he purchased 120 acres of land 
which was partly improved, and later added to his 
estate 240 acres more. He became very successful 
in farming and stock-raising and accumulated a 
competency. He departed this life Feb. 5, 18(!7. 
The mother survived him over nine years, and 
died at Rantoul, Sept. 20, 1876. 

The sul)ject of this history was the second of ten 
children. His early education was conducted in 
the district schools, and when but a boy he com- 
menced to assist his father on the farm. He re- 
mained a member of the home circle until 1861, 
and on the 17th of September of that year, the 
Civil War being in progress, he enlisted in the 1 1th 
Ohio Artillery and served for three years and three 
months. He marched with his comrades through 
the States of Missouri, Alississippi, Alabama, Limis- 
iana, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee, participat- 
ing in many of the important battles of the war. 
He escajx'd wounds and imprisonment, and after 
his honorable discharge joined his parents in East 
Bend Township, this county, of which he has since 
been a resident. 

Mr. Swayze took possession of his present farm 
in the sjiring of 1870. Considering that he now- 
had a linn foothold on the road to i)ros|jerity and 



I 



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i 



h 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



•295 ' ' 



a competence, anil limliiig no pleasnre in working 
for himself ak>ne, he i)roffere(l his hand and fortnne 
to the only lady whom he desired to share them, this 
being Miss Mary Mc.Jilton, and tiiey were united 
in marriage Sept. 15, 1870. Mrs. S. is a native of 
Woodford County, this State, born Dec. 8, 1854, 
and the daughter of Jolm T. and Elizabeth (Shaf- 
fer) IMeJilton. To this household tliore came 
seven children, viz., Delia May, Barbara IJelle, Jay 
T., Lora Alice, Nira Edith, Myrtle Kdna and Claia 
Elizabeth. 

The homestead includes HiO aeres of finely im- 
proved land, with a tasteful farm residence and 
good out-bnildings. Mr. Swayze and his family 
are held in high respect by the community. He 
has performed all the duties of a good citizen, and 
although never an office-seeker, has taken a genu- 
ine interest in placing the best men where tliey 
could do the most good, not confining himself to 
party lines but voting independently. 



10F 



L^'ijHEODORE FRY. The subject of the fol- 
^" lowing sketch is the proprietor of a beauti- 




\ 



ful farm homestead in Champaign Town- 
ship, on section 1 7, where since 1 805 he has been 
industriously engaged in the cultivation of the soil 
and the various duties of farm life. lie is de- 
scended from excellent Cierman ancestry, and the 
first representative of the family' in this country 
was his great-grandfatiier, who located in Pennsyl- 
vania and there spent the remainder of his life. 
His son John, also born in Germany, was cpiite 
young when his parents came to this country. He 
was reared to farm piu'suits, which he prosecuted 
mostly near the homestead of his father in Pennsyl- 
vania, but spent the last year.s of his life near Ilar- 
rodsburg. He was a man of great force of charac- 
ter, self educated, and of more than ordinary 
al)ility. He represented his county in the State 
Legislature, and took an active interest in the af- 
fairs of his State and Nation at large. His son 
Cornelius, the father of our subject, was born in 
Pennsylvania, reared on tiie farm, and trained in 
those habits of industry and principles of honor for 
which the family has always been distinguished. 



When quite 3'oung he entered the army and served 
in llie War of 1812. 

In 1815, after his marriage, Cornelius Fr^' re- 
moved with iiis wife and child to Oliio, locating in 
Butler County. The removal was made on a flat- 
boat down the Ohio River to Cincinnati, and thence 
overland to Butler Conntj% where Mr. P'ry arrived 
with but |il.'25 in his pocket. He at once com- 
menced working at wliatever he could find to do, 
and was employed by the day or month at small 
wages. His wife possessed a s|)iuning-wheel, and 
with the aid of this manufactured the cloth for the 
family- wear. By the closest economj' Mr. Fr3' 
was in due time enabled to save money enough to 
buy a team which, in 182(5, he utilized in remov- 
ing to Preble C<)unty, \vhere he purchased eight3' 
acres of timber land on time. One acre of this 
was cleared, and upon it stood a small log cabin, of 
wliich tiie family took possession, and the father 
immediately set about clearing more of tiie land 
and placing it under cultivation. For his first 
crop of wheat he received tiiirty-three and one- 
half cents per linshel. He progressed slowly but 
surely, and in time was enabled to clear the little 
farm of debt. Upon tiie homestead which he thus 
established after many years of toil, lie jiassed the 
remainder of liis days. In tiie uK-antiine the log 
cabin was replaced by a substantial liewed log 
house, aftei' wliich a barn was put up and an orchard 
planted. 

Cornelius Fry, after a goodl}' and pleasant life, 
closed his eyes upon earthly scenes on tiie 21st of 
()ctob(M', 1850. amid the universal regret of the 
friends wluun lie made by his straightforward and 
honest life and kindly Christian character. Tlie 
iin)ther of our suljject, who before lier marriage 
was Miss Catherine Shafer, was also of German an- 
cestry and a n.ativc of the Keystone Stale. Of lier 
union with Cornelius Fr}' there were born 'Cwn cliil- 
drcn, the record of whom is as follows: Eliza A. 
became tlie wife of Robert McDivitt, and is a resi- 
lient of Preble County, Ohio; .John lives in New 
Boston, Mercer Co., 111.; Thompson died in Darke 
County, Ohio, when about sixty-two years of age; 
Tlieodore of our sketcii w'as the fourth child; An- 
drew served iii tiii^ Union army during the late 
war, and has not been heard from since its close. 



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k 



t 



296 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



t 



The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm 
in his native county in Ohio, and pursued his 
early studios in the sul)seription schools. As soon 
as old enough he went out to work at very small 
wages, receiving the summer before his fourteenth 
birthday but *4 per month and bo.ird. As his 
usefulness increased his wages were raised, and 
three years later lie w.as considered worth ^IG per 
month during the summer season. He was occu- 
pied ill this manner until twenty-one j'ears of age, 
and then determined to seek a new location for his 
future efforts. Going westward into Indiana he 
rente<l land in Tippecanoe County, which he cul- 
tivated for the following fifteen years. He had 
been successful in his business and farming opera- 
tions, and now found liiinsolf jjossessed of sufiicient 
means to purchase a tract of laud in the same 
eountj'. There was upon it a small frame h<juse, 
and twelve .acres were cleared. He cleared thirty 
acres additional and erected a good set of frame 
buildings, also planting .an (u-chard and adding 
other improvements. After a residence tiiere of 
five years he exchanged for a prairie farm of eighty 
acres in I'crry Township. This he sold two j'ears 
later, ,'ind purch.ised another farm not- far away, lo- 
cating in Shettield Townshij). Before removing 
upon this he sold it, making 4700 b}' the operation. 
He llien |)nrch!ised a tract of land in Fairfield 
Township, which he took possession of and occu- 
pied until ISC"), then traded it for land in C'iiam- 
paign County. In October of that year, gathering 
togetiier iiis family antl household effects, he 
started with an outfit of four teams for Illinois. 
He did not, liowever, settle upon the land he had 
purchased, l)ut traded for tliat which constitutes 
his [jreseut homestead. There was ujion it at the 
time a small frame iiouse and another structure 
dignified by the name of a stable. The family 
took possession of tlie formiM-, and Mr. Fry began 
in earnest the cultivation and imi)rovemeiit of his 
land. In due time llic lirst rude duelling gave 
place to a handsome and modern structure, and the 
stable to a barn of goo<lly proportions. Mr. Fry 
also planted a variety of fruit ;uid shade trees, and 
by oilier nieaus lieautified his premises unlil they 
became botli altrac^live and valuable. 

The marriage of Tlieodore Fry and iMiss Lucy 



A. Dryer took pl.ace in Indiana on the 18th of 
October, I84G. Mrs. Fry wjis born near Nobles- 
ville, Hamilton Co., Ind., in 1823. Her father, 
Edward M. Dryer, was a native of Massachusetts, 
and her grandfather, also a native of New En- 
gland, removed from there to New York State at 
an early day, and spent the last days of his life in 
Cattaraugus Count}-. His son, Edward M., was 
(luite j'oung when the famil}' became residents of 
the ]<;mpire State, where he grew to manht)od, re- 
ceived a good education, and adopted the pro- 
fession of a teacher, which he followed tlie greater 
part of his life. Wlien twenty -one years of age he 
located in Butler County, Ohio, where he married 
and lived until early in 1 823. Tiience he removed 
to a point near Noblesville, Ind., from which a 
year afterward he returned to the Buckeye State. 
Five years later he came back to Indi.ana and pur- 
chased a farm in Sheffield Township, Tippecanoe 
County, where he established a permanent home 
and spent the remainder of his life. His decease 
occurred on the 7th of April, 1836. 

The maiden name of the mother of Mrs. Fry 
was Margaret M. Gregory. She was born in A'ir- 
ginia, July 24, 1792. and W.as of Scotch-Irish an- 
cestry. She departed this life in Tippecajioe 
County, Ind., Nov. 19. 1878., The maternal grand- 
parents of Mrs. Fry were both natives of Virginia, 
whence they removed to Kentucky, .and after a 
short residence there took up their aliode in the 
Buckeye State. These removals were made before 
the days of wagon-roads, their goods being trans- 
ported upon pack horses. The gr.andmother, then 
a young woman, rode one horse and carried the 
niotiier of Mrs. F., then a little child, together witii 
a large Ijundle of household goods. They located 
in Butler County, and were among the earliest set- 
tlers of that region. The grandfather, in company' 
with others, erected a fort in which they all lived 
secure from the Indians. No one went into tlie 
fields witliout beirtg .armed, as the redskins were 
plenty in those days. The grandfather became 
possessed of a large extent of land and jiassed tlie 
last years of his life in Butler Count}-. 

Tlie marri.age of our subject an<l his wife was 
blest by the birth of six children, of whom tlie rec 
ord is as follows: .lohii I), is a resident of 



II, I tr^- I 

Clmm- ^H 



i 



J^ 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTV. 



293 f 



paign; Bidwai'd is farming in Scott Township; 
Margaret Catlicrine became the wife of John W. 
King, and resides in Newman, Douglas Co., 111. ; 
Alonzo lives ill Scott Township; Jay in Ludlow 
Township, and Hiram G. on the old homestead. 
Mr. Fry during his earlj^ life affiliated with the 
Democratic party, but upon the organization of the 
Republican changed his views, and has since cast 
his vote in support of the principles of the latter. 



J' AMES GOUDIP:, deceased. The name of this 
gentleman can scarcely be forgotten for many 
3'cars to come, as he lias left one of the fin- 
est homesteads in I'esotum Township, which 
will remain a monument to his enterprise and skill 
long after the present generation has begun to go 
down the other side of the hill. This beautiful coun- 
try seat is located on section 5, and forms one of the 
most attractive spots in the landscape. Its broad 
acres stretch awa}' on either side from the hand- 
some and substantial buildings, and the green fields, 
with the yellow grain, form in the summer season a 
picture delightful to the eye. 

He who thus effected the elimination of a home- 
stead from the uncultivated prairie was a native of 
Eastern Pcnns3'lvania, born in 1815, and the son of 
James and Mary (Alexander) Goudie. They were 
also natives of the Keystone State, where they re- 
mained until .after their marriage, and whence, in 
1811), they removed to Franklin County, Jnd. 
There the father purchased a tract of land, which 
he cultivated industriously, and which both parents 
occupied until called from life and its labors. 

James Goudie was a child of two years when his 
parents removed from his native State to Indiana. 
He remained with them until after reaching his ma- 
jority and then set out for himself. About the first 
important step w.as his marriage with Miss Susanna 
Mathewson, which took place in the spring of 1839. 
Mrs. G. was the second daughter of James and 
Mary (Edgar) Mathewson, natives of Ireland, wlio 
crossed the ocean to this countr3' when their (laugh- 
er, Susanna, was a little girl eight 3'ears of age. 
-^» ! 



They located in the East, but shortly afterward re- 
moved to Indiana and settled upon a farm. Their 
daughter remained under the parental roof assisting 
her mother in household duties, receiving careful 
parental training and a fair education in the com- 
mou school. 

Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. G. lo- 
cated upon the quarter secti(m of land in Franklin 
County, Ind., which our subject had purchased and 
upon which he labored until it was brought to a high 
state of cultivation. There most of the children 
were born, and there they remained residents for a 
period of twenty-five years. In 1863 Mr. Goudie 
became desirous of changing his location, and com- 
ing to this count}' entered a tract of land in Peso- 
turn Township, to which he added by purchase 
from time to time until he became the owner of 
sever.al hundred acres. This came into his hands 
wholly unimproved, and it is hardly necessary to 
say that it required years of labor to bring it to its 
present state. His farm was his pride, however, 
and he si)ared no pains to make it one of the finest 
in the county. He received a rich reward in the 
products of the soil, and in the income which ena- 
bled him to make the improvements he so much de- 
sired. In his later years he was enabled to rest and 
look around him upon the work of his hands, and 
truly had reason to feel that his labors had not been 
in vain. His death took place in this township in 
1885, when he had reached the ripe old age of sev- 
enty' years. The farm is now carried on by his 
sons, with whom the mother remains, an excellent 
and worthy lady held in the highest respect by all 
who know her. Mr. Goudie was not an active poli- 
tician, nor did he ever seek political preferment. 
He was a careful reader, however, and kept himself 
well posted ui)on Stale and National affairs, and 
when casting his vote gave his support to the can- 
didate whom he esteemed best qualified for the 
oflice. 

The twelve children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gouilie 
were named respectively IMary E., John A., Sarah 
J., Samuel F., Ida 15., Eddie C, Rachel C, Re- 
becca A., Joseph B., James M., Aaron E. and Ar- 
thur N. Of these but six are living. John mar- 
ried Miss Rowena Scluilt/,, of Indiana: Mar^, the 
wife of James Barnard, and Sarah, Mrs, Archie 



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i 




A- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Allen, are also residents of the above State; Joseph, 
on account of ill-health, is traveling in California; 
Aaron E. and Arthur N. are at home with their 
mother. 

The .accompanying portrait of Mr. (ioiidie will 
be looked upon with pleasure by all who enjoyed 
his acquaintance, and will go down to |)osterit3' as 
the features of a man who aimed to do all the good 
possible, and who in all the relations of life was 
honorable and upright. 



#"# 



-V-- 



■► f LI* 



^^EORGE W. .JOHNSTON. The subject of 
III __ the follovving sketch occupies a prominent 
^^ijj position among the representative business 
men and farmers of Hensley Township, of which he 
h.as been a resident since 1859. In that 3'ear he 
emigrated from the town of his birth in the old 
Granite State, and soon afterward purchased 180 
acres of land on section 4 of what is now Hensley 
Township. Upon this there was a log cabin, and 
100 acres were broken. Aside from this tiie land 
was practically in its original condition. During 
many years of industry and forethought Mr. .lohn- 
ston has brought al)out the transformation which is 
now so pleasant to contempl.ate. The smiling fields 
are in a fine state of cultivation, enclosed witli 
beautiful hedge fencing, and Mr. J. has planted 
sliade and other ornamental trees around the resi- 
dence and farm buildings. He has .also drained the 
soil with about three miles of tiling. His original 
purchase has been added to until be is now the 
owner of 320 acres, all of wliich is under a good 
state of cultivation. 

The birthplace of our suljject was Haverhill, 
N. H., and the date thereof June 4, 1836. His 
father, George Joluiston, Sr., w.as a native of the 
same town, where he spent liis entire life, .and died 
there in 1837, when our subject was but a child lit- 
tle over a year old. The latter remained on the 
homestead witii iiis mother, and after becoming of 
suitable .age attended school, assisted in the labors 
of the farm, .and spent his childhood and youth in 
a manner common to country boys. In 18,09 he 
left his n.ative State and came to this count}', lo- 
cating in Condit Townsiiip, wiiither his I)rother 



iiad preceded him. There he lived with the latter 
until lie cstnlilishcd iiimself on a homestead of his 
own. 

The mother of our subject before her marriage 
was Miss .Susan Atkinson, a native of Boscawen. 
N. H., where she was educated and lived on the old 
lu>mestead with her mother for some 3'ears. To 
this she returned .after the de.ath of her husband, 
and there spent the last years of her life, dying in 
March, 1887, after having reached the advanced age 
of seventy-nine years. 

Mr. Johnston was married in this county, in Sep- 
tember. 18G4, to Miss Sarah C. Shearer, a native of 
Delaware County, N. Y.,and the daughter of Arad 
Shearer. Tier father was a native of Franklin 
County, Mass., w-here he followed farming pursuits 
and spent his entire life. The mother of Mrs. John- 
ston, before her m.arriage, was Miss Nancy Oliu, a 
native of \'erniont. She died at the home of her 
husband in Colerain, in 1857. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, four in 
number, arc Lee, Jessie L., Herbert and Ilarley T. 
Mr. J. is a Republican in politics, .and botii he and 
his wife are members in good standing of the Pres- 
byterian Church. Thoj' .are highly respected in 
their community, and have done much in shaping 
its moral sentiment and aiding in its general welfare 
and pros])erity. 



ULIUS CRAN.STON, one of the honored 
pioneers of E.ast Bend Township, is a native 
of the Buckeye State, born in Cham]iaign 
County, Oct. 26, 1833. His father, .Stephen, 
and his gr.andfatiier, John Cranston, were natives 
of Rhode Island, the former born in Foster, Oct. 1, 
1793; the Latter was an immediate descendant of 
.Scottish ancestry, and the first representatives of 
the family in this country located in Rhode Island 
during the Colonial days. From there John Crans- 
ton, in 1813, emigrated to Ohio to Union County. 
He purchased a large tr.act of timber land, where 
he opened up a farm, .and upon it remained until 
his death. Tiie journey from Rhode Island to 
.Oliio was m.ade overland witii horses and w.agons. 
The father of our sul)ject grew to manhood in his 



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I 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



3ni 



1 



native .State, received a limited e<)iication in the 
subscription schools, and was bred to fanning piir- 
snits. Fie was tvrent_y years of nge when the fam- 
ily removed to Ohio, and six j-ears later was united 
in marriage with Miss Esther Hammond, llieir wed- 
ding occurring July 2.5, 1819. Mrs. Cranston was 
born in Canterbury, Conn., .Tan. 1, I.S02. The 
young people located ujx^in Innd wliicli the father 
h.ad purchased, where they resided for many years, 
bnt tinall}' removed to a timber tract in I'nion 
Countj', fi'oro which Stephen Cranston cleared a 
farm which he occupied until his death, whioli oc- 
curred on the 10th of 'Slay, 1SS4. The mother is 
still living upon the old homestead. The father of 
our suliject w.as one of the early Abolitionists, and 
his house an important depot of the underground 
railroad. Through his assistance many a fugitive 
was helped on to freedom. He was a sincere, 
whole-souled gentleman, and a member of the 
Christian Church. 

The seven sons .and two daughters of the paren- 
tal family all lived to become men and women, .and 
arc located as follows: George is a resident of this 
State; John occupies the old homestead in Cham- 
paign County, Ohio: James and Stephen are resi- 
dents of Union County, that State; Edwin is mer- 
chandising in Hardin County, Ohio; William died 
in the Union arm^' during the late war; I'hebe be- 
came the wife of Hiram Benton, and was herself a 
minister of the United Brethren Church, liut is now 
deceased; Melissa married a minister who was of 
the Methodist persuasion; she was well educated 
luid is now a practicing physician at Topcka, Kan. 

The subject of this sketch was the fourth son of 
his parents, and remained with his brothers and 
sisters on the farm, pursuing his primary studies in 
the district schools. He completed liis education 
iu the seminary .at IMechanicsburg. After reach- 
ing his majorit}' he was employed as a canv.asser, 
mostly in Virginia. In 18,5.") he came to Illinois, 
locating first .at Clinton, and engaging as a laborer 
in a brickyard. Two years later he came into this 
county, having previously purchased a tract of 
land in E.ast Bend Township, which he located upon 
and still occupies. In 1868 he solil his land and 
purchased a farm in Ford County, which he culti- 
vated for a period of eight years, tlieu returned 



and took possession of his present homestead. 

Mr. Cranston was married, on the 1st of May, 
18.50, to Miss Artemesia R. Atwood. Mj's. Crans- 
ton was a native of Stowe, Lamoille Co., V't., born 
Feb. (i, 1839, and the daughter of Luke Atwood, a 
native of AV'oodstock, Windsor Co.. Vt., born May 
4, 1801. He was married in the town of Stowe, 
Oct. 13, 1828. to Miss Roxanna Kelsey, the latter 
also a native of Stowe, born Feb. 3, 1808. They 
located near that town, where they lived until 
1851, and then emigrated to Ohio, settling in 
Ch.ampaign Countj'. Three years later they again 
gathered together their household goods and 
started overland for the Prairie State. Their out- 
fit consisted of four horses and two wagons, ant' 
they traveled after the manner of the emigrants of 
those days, carrying with them their provisions, 
cooking by the wayside and sleeping in their w.ag- 
ons at night. Mr. Atwood purch.ased land in 
Penola Township, AVoodford County, which he oc- 
cupied with his family until 18(54, then sold and 
purchased a farm on section G of East Bend Town- 
ship in this county. He proceeded with the culti- 
vation of the soil, erected a frame house, and built 
up a comfortable home, where he passed the re- 
mainder of his life. His death occurred Dec. 5^ 
187.5. Mrs. Atwood resides on the old homestead. 
Mr. Atwood, rcligiouslj% w-.as a Univcrsalist in be- 
lief. 

Our suhject and his wife became the parents of 
the following children, namely, Leslie A., Clara J., 
Mary E., Lucy R. ; Phebe M., now deceased; 
Stephen C, Gr.ace A. and Artie F. Leslie grad- 
uated from Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio, 
in June, 1 887, and Mary is now a student in that 
institution. Mr. Cranston is a pronounced Re- 
publican. His first l)allot w.as cast for I-'remont, 
and .all subsequent ballots for Republican nominees. 
He and his wife are members of the Methodist 
Protestant Church. 

The i)aternal grandfatiier of Mrs. Cr.anston, Luke 
Atwood by name, was born in Middleboro, Vt., 
and on her mother's side, her grandfather, Nathan 
P. Kelsey, w.as born in New llanipsiiirc, whence he 
removed to Vermont during its early settlement, 
when he was obliged to cut down the trees .and 
burn them before he could secure a space large 



i' 



n 



f. 



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302 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 







enough to biiikl his house. His father, Giles Kel- 
sej', was born in Scotland, whence he emigrated to 
America before the Revolutionary War, and be- 
came a soldier on the side of the Colonists. JNIrs. 
Cranston's great-grandfather, Jacob Churchill, was 
also a Revolutionary soldier. 

BRAHAM ORDEL, a successful farmer and 
stock-raiser, is pleasantly located on section 
;35, in Philo Township. He came here in 
1871, and is in possession of IGO acres of. 
choice land, under a good state of cultivation and 
supplied with convenient and substantial buildings. 
He became a resident of the Prairie State when a 
young man twenty -one years old, but onl}- remained 
two years, when he returned to Fairfield Count}', 
Ohio, and was a resident there until 1871. His 
birth took place in Washington County, Md., Jan. 
8, 1831. His father, George Ordel, was a native of 
Germany, whence he emigrated to the United 
States early in life, and settling in Maryland, met 
and married Miss Catherine Baker, a native of his 
own country. They remained for a time in the 
latter-named State, where the father followed his 
trade of a weaver. In 183G they removed with their 
children to Ohio, and settled on a, farm in Franklin 
County, where both parents spent the remainder of 
their lives. 

Upon first ctmiing to this St.ate our subject spent 
two years in Edwards and Tazewell Counties, then, 
returning to Ohio, was married in Fairfield County, 
to Miss Mary J. lloshor, who was born there Feb. 8, 
1833. Her parents were George and Mary (Litz- 
enberger) lloshor, natives of Pennsylvania, but of 
German ancestry. They removed to Ohio before 
their marriage, their wedding also taking place in 
F.airfield County. The father was born in 1800, 
followed farming all his life, and departed hence in 
1882. Themother is yet living in Ohio. Mrs. O. w.as 
reared in her native county, and remained with her 
parents until her marri:ige. Of her union with our 
subject there were liorii nine children, two of whom, 
M. Catherine and Edward, are deceased. Those 
living arc Ida B. and George, married, and Jolui, 



Emma Iv. William H., Samuel and Franklin at 
home. 

After the marriage of our subject he settled with 
his wife upon a farm in Fairfield County, Ohio, where 
the}- remained until their removal to this State. 
They became residents of Champaign County in 
1871, operating on renteil land in Philo Township 
two years before the purchase of their present 
homestead. Both are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, of Raymond Township, of which 
Mr. O. is Trustee. Politicall}- he uniforml}' casts 
his vote in support of the principles of the Demo- 
cratic party. 

B. HAZEN, a representative business man of 
Philo Village, is engaged .as a dealer in grain 
and all kinds of farm implements, in fact 



i 



nearly everything pertaining to the carrying on of 
agriculture. He established business here in 1878, 
and has been uniformly successful, building np a 
good patronage and securing for himself the confi- 
dence of his fellow-citizens. He ships annually 
about 300,000 bushels of grain, and in addition to 
his town business carries on a good farm of 1 20 
acres, located on section 24 in Philo Township. 
His land is well drained and finely improved, and 
produces in abundance the ordinary farm crops 
and vegetables. Mr. Ilazen became a resident of 
Ch.impaign County in 18(10, since which time he 
has lived in both Sidnej' and Philo Townships. He 
carried on agriculture during the earl}' part of his 
life, his hist tr.ade venture being his present busi- 
ness. 

Our subject was born in Hampshire County, 
M.ass., June 17, 1849, and is the son of Elbridge 
H.azen, also a native of the Bay State, but of En- 
glish descent, tr.aciug the history of the family back 
to the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in this coun- 
try. The grandfather, Nathan L. Ilazen, was born 
in Connecticut, whence he removed to Massachu- 
setts when a young man, locating in Hampshire 
County. He w.as there married to Mrs. Phelie 
Starkweather, a lady of New England ancestry, 
born and reared in Connecticut. Her father was 
an o/ficer in the Revolutionary War, and her grand- 



I 



^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



303 



parents died in Ilanipsliire Coimty. both being 
about eighty-five years old. 

Elbridge Ilazen was born, reared, educated and 
married in Hampshire County-, Mass. Tlic maiden 
of his choice was Miss Lucy Brewster, a native of 
his own county, whose ancestors came from En- 
gland in tlie May (lower. After marriage the jMjung 
people located on a farm in their native .State, 
where they spent their entire lives, honored and re- 
spected by all who knew tlieni. Tho^' were noted 
for their charities and liospitality, and were active 
members of the Congregational Church. 

The subject of this history was the fifth of eighth 
children born to his parents, four sons and four 
daughters. Five of these are yet living. Elisha 
early in life was trained to habits of industry, and 
when of suitable years went to work for himself. 
After reaching manhood he was married, in Worth- 
ington Township, Hampshire County, to Miss 
Helen E. Burr, their wedding taking place Dec. 13, 
18G4. Mrs. H. is a native of the same county as 
her husband, and was born July 1, 1842. Slie is 
the daughter of Amos Burr, who lived and died in 
Massachusetts, and remained under the parental 
roof until her marriage. Of this union there have 
been no children. Our subject and his wife are 
worthy members of the Presbyterian Church, and 
Jlr. Hazen, politically, is a warm suiijiorter of the 
Republican party. 



1-^-f 



JT/AMKS E. DAVIS, Postmaster at Pesotum, 
I and otherwise identified with its interests, 
I is one who considei's the welfare of his 
I) township his own, and is willing to contrib- 
ute generously of his time and means toward its 
well-being and advancement. He is ;i native of 
Clinton County, Ohio, where he first drew breath 
on the 9th of November, I.s.')l, and is the second 
child of .lehu and Susan (Hanley) Davis, of whom 
a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. In de- 
tailing the personal character of our subject the 
fact that he is the son of cjue of the most valued 
citizens of Champaign County is suHicient to com- 
mend him to the people of this section of the State. 



He came here with his parents in the spring of 
18GG, at the conclusion of the Rebellion, and re- 
mained on his father's farm, making himself useful 
as opportunity offered until after reaching his ma- 
jority. 

Our subject then took possession of a farm ad- 
joining the parental homestead, and two years later, 
on the 1st of October, 1873, secured a partner of 
his fortunes in the person of Miss Lavina C. Craw- 
ford, who has been the sensible presiding genius of 
his domestic affairs, and an earnest s^-mpataizer in 
his efforts to maintain a commendable position in 
society and among his fellow-men. The brother 
of this lady, John Crawford, in 1883 joined with 
him in the establishment of a tile factor3' in the vil- 
lage of Pesotum, which they operated successfully 
two years, then sold out and purchasetl the busi- 
ness and stock of S. M. Harvey, who had estab- 
lished a store of general merchandise. This then 
consisted of all the commodities required in town 
and a rural community. Mr. Davis has since 
added to his transactions the purchase and sale of 
coal and grain, in which he has built u[) a good 
patronage, and from which he realizes a handsome 
income. 

Mr. Davis commenced fulfilling the duties of a 
citizen soon after reaching his majority, and has 
been elected to oflice nearly every year. He has 
served as Assessor, Collector, Town Clerk, etc., and 
the case and good judgment with which he has up- 
held the dignity of the various positions to which 
he has been called has become proverbial. While 
thoroughly alive to his own interests he gives a 
generous share of his thoughts to the interest of 
his community, and devotes much time to the va- 
rious enterprises which are set on foot tending to 
this end. Although Democratic in politics he re- 
serves the right of a free American citizen tt) give 
his support to the mo.st worthy candidate, regard- 
less of party bias. Both himself and his business 
partner are well erpupped for their undertaking, 
and are rapidly building up an extensive patron- 
age among the best jieople of Pesotum Township. 
Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of one child, 
a son, Jehu Everett, born in 1874, and who is at 
home with his parents. They are members of 
the Pesotum Methodist Episcopal Church, where 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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their influence is sensibly felt both by their gener- 
ous support of the society and their uniform inter- 
est in its maintenance and growtii. 



Sw/ONATIIAN T. SEWELL, wlio resides with 
his son on a farm in Sadorus Townsliip, has 
been a resident of this county since the 
spring of 186S. He at that time purchased 
eighty acres of land on section 2, which, with the 
exception of a brief residence in the village, has 
since been his home. Through his enterprise and 
industry the land has been brought to a fine state 
of cultivation, yielding in abundance the rich prod- 
ucts of the Prairie State. 

Mr. Sewell is a native of Jackson County, Ind., 
his birth taking place Sept. 7, 181 i). He was the 
third child of his mother, Mrs. Polly (TiiUis) Sew- 
ell, and the eighth child of Peter Sewell, of Vir- 
ginia, who was thrice married, and the father of 
three families of children. In 182G Peter Sewell 
removed with his family from Indiana to Cham- 
paign County, Ohio, and later to Iowa, 'where he 
spent the remainder of his daj's. Our subject re- 
mained a resident of Champaign County, Ohio, un- 
til the spring of 1 854, when he started West in 
company with a brother-in-law, and located in Ed- 
gar County, 111., where they contemplated bu3ing 
land. They were induced, however, to abandon 
the project of buying, but remained in that counjj- 
fourteen years, engaged in farming on rented laud. 
In 18G8 Jonathan Sewell came to this county; 
his life thereafter we have alread}' partial]}' indi- 
cated. His marriage took place in Urbana, Ohio, 
in December, 1843, the lady of his choice being 
Miss Martha T., daughter of Thomas and Lucy 
(Wilson) Wilson. The parents of Mrs. S., al- 
though of the same name, were in no wise related. 
Of this union there were born seven children, four 
now deceased, viz., Mary E., Sarah, Clayton and 
Charles Philander. Laura became the wife of 
Joseph Lawrence, who is now engaged as Principal 
of the schools at Philo, and is assisted in his duties 
by his wife; they have become the parents of five 
children. Lucy married Thomas Stevens and re- 
sides with her husband on a farm two miles uurth 



of her father's home; Wilson W., in 1876, married 
Miss Ida, daughter _ of Darwin and Penelope 
(Swayze) White, who were natives of Canada; 
this son lives on the home farm which his father 
put into his hands four years ago. The latter then 
removed to the town of Sadorus. where he had pur- 
chased seven lots, and prepared a iiome for himself 
and his aged companion, thinking to retire from 
active life and spend the remainder of his days in 
the comfort which he had so justly earned. In 
1886 his residence, with all its contents, was de- 
stroyed by fire, and he returned to the farm to live 
with his son Wilson, and wiiere he still remains. 

Mr. and Jlrs. .S. are members in good standing 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Sadorus, and 
our subject although not mixing actively in i)olit- 
ical affairs, fulfills the duties of a good citizen each 
year at the polls, casting his vote and his intluence 
with the Republican part}-. 




DWJN H. SHARPE owns eighty acres of 
land on .section 3, in Sadorus Township, 
which he has carefully managed since lo- 
cating upon it in the spring of 1869. He has 
strictly adhered to the theory that a few acres wejl 
cultivated are of more real profit than a large es- 
tate indiflferenth' cared for. He has i)ursued a 
quiet and unobtrusive life, looking well to his bus- 
iness affairs and the comfort of his family, and en- 
joying the respect and confidence of his fellow- 
citizens. He has devoted considerable attention to 
the raising of fine stock, which for a number of 
years consumed a larger part of the products of 
the field, and in return, bj- their salable value, 
3'ielded him a handsome sum anuuall}'. The deli- 
cate health of his wife has of late 3'ears induced him 
to abandon the more active labors of the farm, 
and content himself with keeping it up in good 
shape rather than the accumulation of more property. 
He has taken an intelligent interest in the welfare 
of his township, holding its minor offices and con- 
tributing whenever he could to the furtherance of 
worthy projects. 

Mr. Sharpe is a native of this State, and was 
born in Pike County, Jan. 1), 1838. He is the old- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



305 






est cliild of Abisha P. and Fanny L. (Ilutcliins) 
Shariiu, natives of Connecticut, wlio came to Illi- 
nois in liS34. Since that time they have been resi- 
dents of Pike County, their piojierty there embrac- 
ing -180 acres of valuable land, a i)art of which 
Abisha Sharps entered from the (iovernment, and 
afterward purchased the lialance. The [larents of 
our sul)ject are most estimable people, and the 
father in his younger days was prominently identi- 
fied with the growth and progress of (Jriggsville 
Township, where iiis farm is located. The parental 
family consisted of ten children. 

Our subject remained a member of the parental 
household until dver twenty-nine years of age, and 
then iissumed marital and domestic ties, taking for 
his wife Miss Kva Chai)nian, the fourth child of 
Wilson and Alvina (Wood) Chapman, who were na- 
tives of South Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. S. remained 
on the father's farm two years after their marriage, 
our sul)jeet being engaged in the raising of grain 
and stdck. He then came to this county, and pur- 
chased eighty acres of wild land in Sadorus Town- 
ship, on section 3. His labors, extending over a 
period of twenty years, have resulted with great 
credit to himself, his skill and industry as a farmer, 
and his good judgment in his investments. 

In the meantime the advent of five children into 
the family- served to increase its pleasures with its 
responsiblities also. These arc named respectively 
William, Iva, Mattie, Julia and Fannie. The life- 
less form of the lirst-l)orn was borne from the sor- 
rowing home circle, and laid to rest in the quiet 
couutry burjang-ground after he had brightened 
the household but four years. Those surviving are 
at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe, 
with their eldest daughter, are members of the 
Baptist Church. 



' NDRKW JACKSON DEVOKK, one of the 
earliest pioneers of East Bend Township, is 
I im the oldest one now living who came in at 
^ that time. In the storehouse of his mem- 

ory are treasured up hundreds of interesting inci- 
dents of pioneer life and its peculiar experiences, 
4' 



which, if [)roperly compiled, would make a most in- 
teresting volume. He came to this section when it 
was peopled principally by wild animals, and has 
seen as many as ninety-three deer in a herd at one 
time roaming <(ver the then uncultivated prairie, 
but wiiicli is now smiling witli fields of growing 
grain. Our subject during his young manhood was 
a great hunter and very lively' on foot, being able 
to travel over the couutry at a rapid pace and pos- 
sessed of great endurance. He h.is been a resident 
of East Bend Township for a period of over thirty 
years, and has noted with satisfaction the changes 
which have transpired since he arrived here after 
an overland journey of ten days, made with ox- 
teams. 

Mr. Devore was born in Owen County, Ind., 
April 18, 1S2G, and is the son of Nicholas Uevore, 
a native of Kentucky. His grandfather, Jerry De- 
vore, whom it is supposed was born in Penns3iva- 
nia, passed the early years of his life in Kentucky, 
whence he afterward removed to Indiana and died in 
Putnam County, that State. Nicholas Devore grew 
to manhood and was married in Kentucky, and after 
the removal to Indiana located in Owen County, 
where he became proprietor of a large tract of tim- 
ber land. From this he cleared a farm, which he 
occupied with his family until 1S40, and then set 
out for the Prairie State. He was accompanied by 
his family which, with the household goods, were 
transported by means of two wagons and four j'oke 
of oxen. They carried their provisions and eani|)ed 
and cooked by the wayside. After reaching Cham- 
paign County Nicholas Devore made a claim of 
Government land on section 2, in what was then 
township 22, range 8, now known as East Bend 
Township. There was a small log cabin near by 
and in this the family lived temporarily while the 
father proceeded to construct a hewed-log house of 
larger dimensions. 

When the land came into market Mr. D. re- 
paired to Danville, secured his title, and at once 
commenced the improvement and cultivation of his 
property. Chicago at that time was the nearest 
market and Bloomington the nearest trading point. 
Here the father lived and labored until one year 
before his death, when both parents removed to 
McLean County and died at the home of their 



i 



(^ 306 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4* 



1 



daughter, Mrs. .Joseph Newton, the father in 1853, 
and the mother in 1862. The mother of our sub- 
ject, who in her girlhood was Miss Marj' Ilardsock, 
was born in either Kentucky or Maryland. The 
parental household included twelve children. 

Our subject was fourteen years old when the re- 
moval was made to this State, and attended all the 
athletic sports of that day in the surrounding towns 
after the country began to settle up. He became a 
champion foot racer of that section, which position 
of honor he retained until voluntarily withdrawing 
from the field. He remained with his parents until 
after his marriage and then, locating on a part of 
the homestead, remained until 1852, when he pur- 
chased the farm which he now owns and occupies. 
It was new laud at the time he took possession, 
but after years of industrious labor it has been 
transformed into a fertile farm with a good set of 
frame buildings, neat and substantial fences, and all 
the requirements essential to the successful agri- 
culturist. 

Mr. Devore was married, June 17, 1847, to Miss 
Susanna Veatch. She was born in Fayette County, 
Ind., Oct. 10, 1820, and is the daughter of James 
Veatch, who became a resident of Indiana in an 
early day, whence he removed to this State in 1837, 
and located two and one-half miles northeast of 
Mahomet, where his death occurred six years later. 
He had married in early life Miss Barbara Hammer, 
who survived him twent\' 3'ears, and died in Ur- 
baua, this county, in 18G5. The wife of our sub- 
ject was eleven years of age when her father's fam- 
ily came to this State, and she remained with her 
mother until her marriage, assisting in the duties of 
the farm and household, learning to spin and weave, 
and becoming an expert in this as in other employ- 
ments common to the wives and daughters of the 
pioneers. She was naturally of industrious habits, 
and when not needed at home would often earn a 
little " pin mone^- " by spinning or weaving for the 
neighbors at the munificent wages of seventy-five 
cents per week. Calico at that time w.as worth 
twenty cents per yard, and other " store goods" in 
proi)ortion. Mr. Devore says that the first time he 
called upon his future wife she wore a dress of her 
own manufacture, liaving done tlie spinning, weav- 
ing, cutting and sewing. Their weilding took place 



June 17, 1847, and they have been blest with four 
children — Sarah, David A., William Eldorado and 
Mary .J. The parents and all the children are active 
members of the Protestant Metliodist Chuicii, and 
no family in the community is more highly re- 
spected than that of Andrew Devore. He is a thor- 
ough-bred Rcpi'.blican, and never expects to be any- 
thing else. 

^ SAAC S. RAYMOND. The subject of the fol- 
I lowing biography is a gentleman highly es- 
/1\ teemed in the farming community of Ray- 
mond Township, and favorably known throughout 
Champaign County as a fair representative of its 
progress and enterprise. He is a son of Nathaniel 
Raymond, one of the early pioneers of this county, 
who emigrated from Ohio to Illinois in 18(!4, be- 
fore the organization of the township which now 
bears the family name, given it in honor of this 
most estimable man and citizen. 

Our subject was born in Union County, Ohio, 
Jan. 29, 1841). His mother was formerly ]\Iiss 
Melissa Stewart, of that State. He resided with 
his parents in Ohio until fifteen years of fige, and 
since that time has been a resident of this county. 
Here he completed his primary education, and 
when the State University at Urbana was opened 
for the reception of students, he was among the 
first to enter. After a thorough course of thi-cc 
years he returned to the farm and assisted his par- 
ents in tilling the soil. He was thus occupied until 
his marriage, in 1875. At that time he united his 
fortunes with those of Miss Edith, daiighter of Lu- 
cius and Lucy Eaton, who were among the early 
pioneers of Philo Township. 

After their marriage, the young people located 
in Raymond Township on section 8, upon a tract 
of land wliich our subject had purchased previ- 
ously, and which comprised IGO acres, partially 
improved. He resided upon and occupied this 
until November, 1884, in the meantime having 
brought the land to a good state of cultivation, 
and embellisiied it with a fine set of farm buildings. 
At this time he traded farms with iiis fatiier and 
now owns and occupies tiie old Raymond home- 
stead. This includes 3G0 acres of choice land, 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



309 



well drained, and supplied with good farm build- 
ing's. Of late years he has given most of his at- 
tention to the raising of graded stock. 

Two ciiildren came to bless the union of our sub- 
ject and his wife, namely, John and Ruth, who arc 
still at home with their parents. j\Irs. Raymond is 
connected with the Congregational Church, and a 
lady of much refinement, greatly respected for her 
personal worth and kindly disposition. She was 
born in Monmouth County, N. J., Sept. 1, 1853, 
and came with her mother to Illinois two years 
later, her father having already located in I'liilo 
Township, this county. Her education was cinn- 
plcted in the public schools of the city of Cham- 
paign and the State Uuiversitj'. She taught a 
country school for six j'ears, and afterward pre- 
sided over one of the village schools at Philo. 

Mr. Raymond, politicall}', casts his vote with the 
Democratic partj'. He has served as School 
Trustee in his township for a period of fourteen 
3^ears, and with his excellent wife takes an active 
interest in the establishment and maintenance of 
institutions of learning. He was also Collector of 
the township four ^-ears, and has been the encour- 
ager and supporter of everything pertaining to its 
progress and welfare. The home of our subject 
and his family is the abode of peace and refinement, 
and they enjoy the society of the most cultivated 
people of their locality. 



-«- 



«: 



\fi' OUIS KEliS'HART. This substantial and 
I (^ highly respected German citizen of Pcsotum 
/lii^^ was b<n'n in Alsace-Lorraine in 1837, liis 
birthplace then being a Province of France. He 
drew his first breath in the month of April, and re- 
mained in his native land until a boy six 3'ears 
of age, when his parents resolved to emigi'ate to. 
America. With their family they embarked on a 
sailing-vessel at Havre, and after a voyage of 
several weelvs, landed at New Orleans. Thence the}' 
followed the river up to the city of Peoria, where 
the father of our subject purchased eighty acres of 
land and commenced farming after the primitive 
style of those days. Their neighbors were neitlier 
numerous nor troublesome. The elder Reiuhart 



broke the first sod on his emliryo farm and pros- 
pered in his labors. In due time he doubled his 
lirst purchase and liiially liad a comfortable home- 
stead, where he |)assed his later years in peace and 
quiet, and folded his hands ft)r his final rest in 1878. 
The niothor is now living with her son, Antliony, 
in Crittenden Township, having arrived at tlie lul- 
vanccd age of eighty-eight years. She was .a woman 
of splendid constitution and is still liale and hearty, 
retaining her mental facidties to a remarkable de- 
gree. 

Two years after reaching his majority, the sub- 
ject of tliis history was united in marriage with 
Miss IMary Kisennienger, of Peoria County, but a 
native of Pemisylvania. The parents of Jlrs. R. 
were natives of the same Province as her husband, 
and came to this country in 183(1. The parents of 
both our subject and his wife were quiet, unassum- 
ing peoi)le, performing faithfully their duties 
around their home and to their children, and were 
greatly respected by their neighbors. When tlicy 
first settled in Peoria County there were few people 
around them and the}' may l)e inujjerly classed 
among the earliest pioneers. Land at that time in 
the vicinit}' of what is now a flourishing city could 
be purchased at §3 per acre. 

After his marriage Mr. Reiuhart pursued farm- 
ing in Peoria County for five yeai-s. l-"rom there 
he went into Marshall County, and three 3'ears later 
came to Pesotum Township, this county, where he 
first purchased eighty acres on section 24. This is 
noiv included in his present farm. His course from 
the beginning was uniformly prosperous, and he 
added to his first estate until he became the owner 
of 200 acres, all of which he has Ijrought to a fine 
state of cultivation and supplied with good build- 
ings. The residence is a two-story frame, finished 
and furnished in excellent style, and finely located. 
The barn is a shapely and substantial structure, 
and our subject has a good assortment of the better 
grades of live stock, inchuling horses, cattle and 
hogs. 

In January, 1882, Mr. Reiuhart met with a severe 
allliction in the death of his wife, who had been his 
affectionate companion for nearly twenty-two 
years. The children Ixirn <if this marriage were 
Catherine, Peter, Joseph, George, Edward, ^Vendel 



4 



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31(f 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




(now deceased,) Annie, Matilda and Louis. Catii- 
crine is the wife of Richard Scott, a farmer of Crit- 
tenden Townsliip. Ill October, 1882, Mv. Hciiihart 
was married the second time, to Mrs. Annie (Kob- 
ler) Kennedy, liy her former marriage Mrs. li. 
had a daughter, Alay, who is still at home. Mrs. 
Ueinliart is the daughter of John Kobler, who was 
a native of Switzerland, and after emigrating to the 
United States served as a soldier in the Mexican 
War. He is now truly termed a veteran and re- 
(;eives a pension from the (iovernment. Of tiie 
second marriage of oursubject there were bom four 
children — John, Clara. Kmina and Frederick. 

Mr. 11. has never troubled himself with i)olilics 
more than to deposit his ticket at the time of gen- 
eral elections, and then he usually votes for a 
Democratic candidate. Botii he and his excellent 
wife are members of the German Catholic Church, 
and their home is the resort of the best people of 
the county. A lithographic view of Mr. Reinliart's 
handsome residence is shown on another page of 
this work. 



■<i' 



' Y Y 



-7 l?-t>5- 




AMUEL CRAW, ai)rominonlfainiernf Col- 
fax Township, is a member of the familj' 
widely and favorably known in this section 
as valued factors of the farming and busi- 
ness coinmiiiiity. Our subject is the owner of 2(!() 
acres of choice land, the greater part of which is 
devoted to stock-raising. His residence in this 
county dates from 1857, and he took possession of 
his present farm nine years later. His birth took 
place in the State of Vermont, March 4, 1836, and 
his parents were Allen and Luc3' (Griswold) Craw, 
a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. 

The family eame to Illinois in 1837, settling first 
in Greene County, where Samuel of our sketch 
grew to manhood and was bred to farming pur- 
suits. In 1858 he accompanied his brother, George 
B., to Champaign County, and purchased IGO acres 
of land in Colfax Township. Upon this he farmed 
for two years, and in 1859 was married to Jliss Eve- 
line E. Hruwn, a native of Ohio, and the daughter 
of Richard and Rebecca Brown. After the birth 
of two children Mr. C. disposed of his property on 
.^ 



section '24, and took possession of his present home- 
stead, a vie\^ of which is shown in this connection. 
The family of our subject and his wife consists of 
four children — Charlie A., Richard, George and 
Eugene. They attend the Methodist Church, and 
our subject iHilitically votes with the Reiniblican 
partj'. Socially' he is a member of the Masonic 
fraternity. 

When Mr. Craw came to this township there were 
only two houses between his land and the embryo 
village of Champaign. He was the third settler in 
Colfa.x Township, and is novv the oldest one living 
of the pioneers. Among the few amusements which 
the early settlers engaged in were the deer hunts, 
which Mr. C. and one of his neighbors often en- 
gaged in, the latter having a fine i)ack of greyhounds 
which gave additional zest and excitement to the 
chase. Where the fleet-footed tenants of the wilder- 
ness used to roam, the iron horse now rushes from 
city to cit3', and the once untrodden prairie is now 
laid C)ff in beautiful farms and valuable homesteads. 
Our subject has watched with pride and satisfaction 
the march of civilization and progress, and has con- 
tributed his full (piota toward bringing altout the 
present prosperous condition of Champaign Count}'. 



EDWARI) STYAN, an enterprising young 
farmer of Sadorus Township, has a fine body 
of land lying on sections 1 and 2. He pos- 
sesses more than ordinary intelligence and ability, 
audit is expected that in due time he will become 
one of the weighty and influential citizens of this lo- 
cality. He possesses excellent habits and since start- 
ing out in life for himself has made reniarkabl^- good 
progress. As one of the finest representsitives of the 
foreign element which has been of such invaluable 
aid to this section, he is regarded as an important 
factor among its business and agricultural interests. 
The childhood and youth of Mr. Styan were 
spent on the other side of the Atlantic, in York- 
shire, England, where he first opened his eyes to 
the light on the 3d of Eebruaiy, 1 858, at Park- 
house, Newton-on-Ouse, the estate of the Hon. 
Payan Dawn.ay, where he remained until 18U2, 
when his father removed to Beningbrough, under 







»» 1 1 '4* 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



311 



the same landlord, and here he resided until his 
advent to this county in I!S81. Mr. Kobert .Slyan 
until his coming to America, had ahva^'s lived on 
the same estate, and even his father, Scth Styan, 
and his grandfather, John .St3'an, lived there their 
entire lives, which speaks volumes for both the 
tenants and landlord. 

Our subject was the only child of Robert anil Ann 
(Jackson) Styan, natives of the same Province as 
their son, and where the motiier passed from earth in 
18aS. Six }'ears later the father was a second time 
married, to Miss Ann Cockerill, of Ilackness, near 
Scarborough, Yorkshire. Of this later union there 
were born seven children, all living at present, and 
named respectively, AVilliani, Edith M., Lizzie J., 
George II., Beatrice E., Robert and Frances K. 
In 1882 Robert Styan left England with his family 
and sailed for the United States. lie at once lo- 
cated in this count3', and now lives with his son, 
assisting the latter in the lighter labors around the 
farm, and giving him the benefit of his experience 
and judgment. 

Edward Styan came to America in 181S1, the year 
before his father, and proceeding westward to tliis 
State, worked first on a farm in this county, and 
the second j'ear purchased a quarter section of im- 
proved land, which constitutes ills present home- 
stead. It is located on sections 1 and 2, and bears 
fair comparison with that of his neighliors. lie has 
become tlioroughly Americanized, kcci)s himself 
well informed in regard to current events, and 
casts his vote with the Republican parly. 






J'^OIIN T. JESSEE. This gentleman, who is a 
resident of Crittenden Township, is a na- 
tive of Russell County, Va., where he first 
opened his eyes to the light on the 7th of 
August, 183G. His parents, Joseph and Cynthia 
(Smith) Jessee, were natives of the same county 
and State as their son, where they resided after 
their marriage on a farm until the death of the 
father when he was fifty-two years of age. Tiie 
mother is still living in her native county, having 
now arrived at the advanced age of eighty-three 
years, and enjoys remarkably good health for one 
<■ 



of her age. Iler mental facilities likewise are 
wonderful!}^ preserved. Since her eightieth birth- 
daj' she has fre(iuentl3' saddled a horse and ridden 
over tlic country, leaping over the fences as when 
a girl. The household circle was completed by 
the birth of eight cliildren, who grew to man and 
womanhood. Of these, Ta))itha is now deceased; 
Timothy was a soldier in Co. A, 2'Jth Va. >'ol. Inf., 
C. S. A., and in a skirmish near Richmond received 
a wound which caused his death; Mary became the 
wife of D. Gilmore; Ephraim K. was the sec^oud 
son; Sylvesta married Mr. Joiin I'ercel; Eliza is 
the wife of John Hrowning; Eunice married A. 
Smith; John T. is our subject. 

The subject of our sketch was reared with Ids 
brothers and sisters on the homestead, and after 
the outbreak of the Rebellion, in 18G1, became a 
soldier in the Southern array, enlisting in Co. A, 
29th Va. \o\. Inf., in which he served until the 
surrender of (Jen. Lee. He participated in the en- 
gagements at Cold Harbor, Corinth, Culpeper 
court-house and Suffolk, Xa. Two days before the 
surrender of Lee, he received a gunshot wound in 
the right foot wliich disabled him so that he was 
compelled to use crutches for three years after- 
ward. After receiving his discharge he returned 
to his home in the Old Dominion, where he re- 
mained until 1 «(!;), and then came to Illinois, lo- 
cating upon the tract of land in Crittenden Town- 
siiip, which constitutes his present homestead. 
Here he has 120 acres Ijing on sectit)u 4, under a 
good state of cultivation, and sui)])lied with all the 
buildings and other apiiliauces essential to a mod- 
ern farm estate. 

Before coming to this county Mr. Jessee was mar- 
ried, in the spring of ISO:', in Russell County, Vn., 
to Miss America E. Bickley, who was a native of 
that county, b(.)rn in 18r)3, and the daughter of 
James and Eveline (Bartee) Bickley. Their six 
living children, all born in this county, are as fol- 
lows: Robert L.. Minnie E., Belle, Grace, Clarence 
and Nellie. The two deceased are John B. and 
James B. 

Our subject and his wife are both sincere be- 
lievers in the Ciu'istian religion, and Mrs. Jessee is 
a worthy member of the Bajitist Church. Mr. 
Jessee politically supports the |)rinciples of the 



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312 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 









Democratic party; has served as Supervisor of his 
townsiiip oiie tenn, and was .School Trustee for a 
period of six 3'ears. 



Vy? AMES H. POLLOCK, secondchild and elder 
son of Samuel and iMargaret (Morrow) 
Pollock, was born in what is now Lawrence 
^l County, Pa., Oct. 21, 1822. Mis father was 
a native of Northumberland County, Pa., and his 
mother of Delaware. After uniting their fortunes 
for life, they located on a farm in Beaver, afterward 
Lawrence County, Pa., whore they lived worthily 
an<l faitlifully until life's (Uilies for them were 
ended. Their family consisted of two sons and 
two daughters. 

James H. of our sketch spent his boyiiood and 
youth on the homestead, receiving a good educa- 
tion, and at about the age of twenty-five years be- 
gan to learn the stone-cutter's trade, which, how- 
ever, he abandoned for the more congenial [lursuits 
of teaching and farming alternately, lie continued 
a resident of his native State until October, 18(j3, 
in the meantime liaving assumed domestic ties, and 
then with his wife and six children started for the 
West. His first stopping-place was in McLean 
County, this State, where he farmed in Old Town 
Township for about nine years, and then removed 
to Brown Township, in this county. Here he has 
1 GO .acres of improved land on section 21, besides 
village property in Foosland. His residence and 
farm buildings compare favorably with those of his 
neighbors, and his career as a member of the farm- 
ing community h.as been eminently creditable and 
one l)y which he has secured the respect of his fel- 
low-citizens, both on account of his industry and 
enterprise, and his excellent personal qualities. 

Mr. Pollock has held the offices of Township 
Clerk, Assessor, Collector and Trustee. He is Re- 
publican in politics, a strong temperance man and 
a Prohibitionist. In 181)4 he and his wife became 
members of the Methodist Protestant Churcli, of ! 
which they have since remained cheerful and liberal 
supporters, interested in everything pertaining to 
the religious and n)oral welfare of the community. 
During their residence in Pennsylvania they had 



been members of the Presbyterian Church, but on 
removing here — that church being so far distant — 
they identified themselves with the Methodist Prot- 
estant Church. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was mai'- 
ried in Darlington, Beaver Co., Pa., Oct. 31, 1850, 
was formerly ISIiss Lydia M. Phillips, born near 
Vershire, Vt., June 25, 1831, and the third child of 
Joseph and Lydia (Davis) Phillips, al o natives of 
the Green Mountain State, whei-e they were reared 
and married and where they lived until 1835. 
Thence they emigrated to what is now Lawrence 
County. Pa., becoming the parents of three daugh- 
ters and four sons, and passing to their final rest at 
the old homestead in the Keystone State. The 
children of Mr. and Mrs. Pollock, eight in number, 
were named as follows: David W., Joseph P., 
Samuel II., Robert M., Charles K., Milton D., 
Ulysses S. G. and Emma M. Joseph married Miss 
Ida Ball, and is engaged in merchandising in Foos- 
land ; from 1882 to the present he has otliciated as 
Postmaster of that place. Samuel married Miss Jen- 
nie Carlyle, and Robert married Miss Jennie Maltby. 
They also are residents of Foosland. 

In 1880 Mr. Pollock began merchandising with 
his three sons — Joseph, Samuel and Robert — under 
the firm name of J. H. Pollock & Sons. Since that 
time David and Milton have been admitted to the 
firm. They carry a large and well-selected stock 
of goods and have built up an extensive patronage. 
Of late they have added grain and coal and farm 
machiner}' of all kind. 



«^5tf-»<^^^ 



•■^S^»»-^>s> 



jl^M ATTHEW A. PHILLIPPE, an esteemed 
I 1\\ f'"'"' resident, located on section 3, llens- 
J 1ft ley Township, is a native of this county, 
'*' having been born in Condit Township, 

Ajtril 2'J, 1848. His father, John Philli|)pe, who is 
now deceased, was a native of A'irginia, bt>rn in 
Wythe County, Jan. 13, 1821, and his grandfather, 
John Phillippc, Sr., also a native of the Old Do- 
minion, was born April 22, 177'.t. He followed 
farming pursuits in his native State until 1832, then 
emigrated with his family to Illinois, the entire 
journey being made overland with horse-teams. 



f 



h 



t 



CHAMPATQN COUNTY. 



-•►■ 
313 



The^- brought their liousehold goods with them and 
camped by the ^ay. On arriving in Illinois the 
elder Pllilli^)pe located with his family in that part 
of ^'ermilion now included in Champaign County. 
lie entered KiO acres of (iovernient land on section 
32 of what is now Condit 'I\)wnsliip, and erected a 
hewed log house which is still standing. Here he 
made his home until his death, which occurred 
about 1SS4. 

John, .Ir., the father of our subject, was but fifteen 
j'cars old when his i)arcnts came to Illinois. He as- 
ssisted his father in clearing the farm and remained 
under the home roof until his marriage. Afterward, 
his father having given him a part of the old home- 
stead he settled n[)on it, and with the exception of 
five years made it his residence until the close of 
his life. In those days the nearest market was 
Chicago, whither the grain and other produce was 
transported in wagons, which trip over bad roads 
consumed two weeks' time. In 18.S0 Mr. P. re- 
moved to Butler County, Kan., ivliere for five 
years following he made his residence, after which 
he returned to this count}^ and died in tiic city of 
Champaign in l!S81. His remains were laid to rest 
in the cemetery' there and a handsome monument 
marks the spot where he was buried. The widowed 
mother still occupies the old homestead. She was 
formerly Miss .Susan J. Busey, and a native of 
Shelbj' County, Kj'., born April 31, 1821. She was 
the daughter of Mathew E. and Sarah E. (Smiser) 
Busey (see sketch of Sanford Busey.) 

The parental household included six children, 
four of whom are now living: Mar3' F. became the 
wife of Alfred Scrogins, and lives in Logan Coun- 
ty, this State; Matthew A. of our sketch is the 
third child; John F. is mentioned elsewhere in this 
work; Nellie F. became the wife of George Clev- 
inger, and lives in Butler County, Kan. ; Sarah E. 
married ^Viley Buckles, and is now deceased ; Me- 
lissa, Mrs. R. M. Buckles, died in Logan County. 
The father w.as a devoted member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, to the support of which he con- 
tributed cheerfully and liberally of his means and 
influence. 

The homestead of our subject is plcasantl}' lo- 
cated, and Mr. P. h.as spent much time in beautify- 
'' ing it with shade and otlier choice trees; he has 



r= 



also erected a good set of frame buildings. The 
premises in all respects denote the thrift and enter- 
prise of their proprietor and indicate the home of 
the prcigressive and intelligent modern farmer. 
The excellent grades of farm stock are well cared 
for, and the fences and buildings are kept in good 
repair. Mr. P. lias distinguished himself as an ex- 
cellent citizen and a good business man, and enjoj-s 
in a marked degree the confidence and esteem of 
the friends who have known him as a man [ironipt 
to meet his obligations, and as one of the impor- 
tant factors in the business and agricultural com- 
munity. 

The m.arriage of our subject occurred Dec. 11, 
1871, the maiden of his choice being Mi.ss Ida 
Simpson, who was born in Fayette County, Ind., 
Nov. 29, 184'J. She was the daughter of Henry 
and Melinda (Lemon) Simpson, who were natives 
respectively of Tennessee ami Kentucky. They 
emigrated to this State in about 18;")7, and kicated 
in Henslcy Township, where the father died C)ct. 
27,1858. The mother still survives and is a resi- 
dent of Ilenslej' Township. Our subject is Repub- 
lican in politics, and cast his first Presidential V(jtc 
in 1 808 for U. S. Grant. 



r 



■ -'v/W-'^<aC£/S^^^-| 



>>*'g5^S^3?^^r»v. -,/v~w 



((I )»,ALLACE SILVER is a well-known and rc- 
\/^// s[)ected citizen of Philo Township. The 
'^^ paternal grandfather of our subject, Joseph 
Silver by name, spent the earlier part of his life in 
New Jersey', and from there removed to Ohio, 
where he carried on farming in Warren County, was 
uniformly successful, and lived to a good old age. 
He married and reared a family, and among the 
children w.as David, the father of our subject, who 
was born Feb. l.'j, 171)8, before the removal to 
Ohio, and died in Warren Count\', the latter State, 
Nov. 10, 1875, aged seventy-eight years. He was 
fairly successful as a farmer and business man, and 
took an active part in local politics. During the 
existence of the Whig party he was one of its 
slanchcst supporters, and after its disbandnicnt 
identified himself with the Republicans. The 
mother of our subject, who was Miss Eliza Mun- 
ger, was mari'ied to Daviil Silver in W.-irrcu C'oun- 



> 



t. 



i 1 ' 

1 



■^^ 



:^i^ 



314 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ty, Ohio, June 26, 1823. Her birth occurred in 
Montgomery County, same State, Jan. 2, 1802. 
She came with her husband to Champaign Countyi 
111., where her death occurred in 1863, when she 
was sixty-one years old. 

The parental household of our subject included 
five children, four sons and one daughter; one of 
the former is deceased. Wallace of our sketch was 
born May 29, 1829, near Springboro, Warren Co., 
Ohio, where he was reared and educated. He was 
first married in Warren County, Ohio, April 25, 
18.')0, to Miss Rebecca Mullen, a native of that 
county, where she was reared by her parents, who 
are now living in Warren County, Ohio, at an ad- 
vanced age. B3' this union there were two chil- 
dren, Howard and Charles ^\'. The former married 
Miss Edna Foster, and is teaching in Springfield, 
j\Io. ; Charles W. is a resident of Rice County, 
Kan. The boys were both graduates of the State 
Universitj' at Champaign, and after the completion 
of their studies engaged in teaching. 

Our subject was a second time married, Nov. 13, 
18Gf!, to Miss Mary D., daughter of Andrew and 
Mary (Morris) Karr, natives of Monmouth County. 
N. J. The wife of our subject was also born there, 
whore her father followed the trade of a carpenter 
until after the birth of three children. The par- 
ents then moved to Burlington County, same State. 
Mrs. Silver w.as born Oct. 15, 1832, and was fifteen 
years of age when her parents removed from her 
native State to Ohio. The father afterward died 
at Miamisl)urg, in 187G, aged eighty-five j-ears. 
The mother also lived to an .advanced age, dei)art- 
ing this life on the 23d of December, 1 885, aged 
eighty-six. She w.as a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. The father, politically, w.as a 
stanch Democrat. Of her union with oui' subject 
Mrs. Silver has become the motiier of one cliild, 
David A., who completed his studies in the Busi- 
ness College at Champaign. 

The liomeste.id of our subject and his family in- 
cludes IGO acres of land on section .'i, Philo Town- i 
ship, and substantial and convenient farm build- 
ings. The land is well drained and has been 
brought to a high state of cultivation. Of late 
j-ear-i Mr. Silver has given much attention to ' 
the breeding of French draft horses, lie has been 



Assistant Supervisor of Urbana Township for sev- 
eral terms, and politicall}'- is a warm supporter of 
the Republican party. Religiously Mrs. Silver is a 
member of the Baptist Church at Urbana. 



J-^OHN SAMUEL BUSEY, a wc 
sentative of that well-known 
were among the first citizens ai 
of this county, is a native of She 



OHN SAMUEL BUSEY, a worthy repre- 

family who 
and pioneers 

'{(vjIBI I vf tliic r>niinfTr ic n iintivo nf ShclbV CoUUtV 

Ky., and first opened his eyes to the light on the 
16th of April. 1827. His father, Mathew E. Bu- 
sey, was a native of North Carolina, from which 
State he emigrated to Keutuckj' at an early daj' 
with his parents, who were among the pioneer set- 
tlers of Shelby County. 

The father of our subject was quite a youth at 
the time of the removal. He developed into man- 
hood ,aud vvas married to Miss Sallie Fibel, who 
was a native of the Blue Grass State and of Ger- 
man iiarentage. They lived in Kentucky until 
1829, and then with their family of seven children 
Started overhand for Illinois. Their outfit con- 
sisted of two pair of oxen and a horse .and cart. 
They brought with them their household goods 
and lived after the manner of the emigrants of 
those days, cooking and camping by the w.a^-. A 
great part of tlie j(nirney l.a^- through the wilder- 
ness, in which they followed Indian trails. Their 
objective point was the present site of Jackson- 
ville, but ui)on landing thej- found themselves two 
miles cast of the present site of Urbana. The}' 
camped in the timber and meeting a man who had a 
"squatter's" claim and who offered to sell it for *C)00, 
Mr. 15. offered him ^500 if he would throw in what 
meat he had on hand to caiTy him through the 
winter. This consisted of bacon from the wild 
hogs which abounded here at that time. At first 
the man refused this offer, but the morning after 
Mr. B. had hitched up his teams ready for start- 
ing he came to him and accepted the pro|)osilion 
of the night before. 

At this time there were five log cabins at the 

grove, which were all covered with bark for the 

roofs, and had puncheon floors. These contained 

the only settlers for man}' miles. The nearest 

\ ■» 



I 



f 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



31; 



-I 



mills and depot for supplies were over the line in 
Indiana and the journey occupied sixteen days to 
go and return. Chicago at that time was a place of 
no importance, but after the lapse of a few years 
it became a market where Mr. Buscj' and liis neigh- 
bors disposed of their grain for cash or needful 
household and f.arni supplies. The corn was 
shelled by hand and transported to the maricet by 
means of ox-teams, which journey usually con- 
sumed twenty-two days. After the land came into 
market Mr. B. entered 1,240 acres in what is now 
Urbana Township. He lived to see the county 
well developed and a town of upward of 2,000 in- 
habitants within two miles of his first location. He 
improved a large tract of land and erected a good 
set of frame buildings, and established a comforta- 
ble home which he occupied until his death, in 
1862. The wife and mother died in May, 1887. 
on the old homestead, .aged ninety-six years. 

Mr. Busey of our sketch w.as the seventli cliild 
of the p.arental household, and w.as two years old 
when his parents came to this count}'. lie pur- 
sued his primary studies in (he pioneer schools, 
which were carried on in a log cabin witii its 
punciieon floor, its huge fireplace, and seats and 
desks niiide by splitting logs and turning the ll:it 
side upward. The school w.as supported I)}' sub- 
sciiption, and in otiier respects w.as widely differ- 
ent from those of the present d.ay. Wiien not in 
school young Rusej' assisted in the ini|)rovenuMit 
and ctdtivation of his father's land, remaining un- 
der the home roof until twenty-three years old, at 
wliioli time he started out to do for himself. 

Our subject liad been reared to iiabits of econ- 
oni}' .and saved what lie could of liis modest earn- 
ings of i!:\2 per month. In due time lie w.as able 
to enter fifty acres of land on section 31 of what is 
now Homer Townsiiip. He erected a set of build- 
ings, improved his first purcli.ase, and in due time 
his father prcsiMited him with IGO acres of land. 
This little farm he occupied for three years follow- 
ing, then sold out and removed to Iowa, lo(^ating 
in Marion County, and being among the earliest 
settlers of th.at region. There .also he entered a 
tract of Ooverninent land, which he occupied and 
cultiviited for eight years following. He then re- 
turned to Illinois, and traded his Iowa rarni for :i 
4» 



farm in Urbana Township, this county, which he 
occupied for ten years, then sold out .and purch.ased 
his jiresent homestead. This consists of 160 acres, 
all improved, and provided with a good set of 
frame buildings. This now constitutes an ample 
and comfortable homestead, under a good state of 
cultivation, well cared for and indicating in all re- 
spects the cultivated tastes of its proprietor. 

Our subject was first married to Miss Marilla 
Waterman, who was born near Columbus, Ohio, 
and was the daughter of Aden Waterman. This 
lady died in Iowa, M.ay 3. 1858. The second wife 
of our subject was Miss Permelia Loudenb.aek, who 
was a n.ative of Indiana, and also died .at the home 
of her husband in Iowa. The present wife of our 
subject w.as formerly Miss Phebe Midaugh, a 
native of Ohio. Of the first marri.age there were 
four children, of whom only two are living — Sar.ah 
F., Mrs. Stickrood, a resident of Champaign, an<l 
Charles A., of Missouri. Of the second marriage 
there was one child, who is now deceased. Of the 
third marriage there have been born four children 
— Mary K. and Isaac, who died in infancy, and 
Ora and Ceorge. at home. Our subject is Demo- 
cratic ill politics, but beyond casting his vote does 
not meddle much with political alTairs, preferring 
the more peaceful pursuits of the farm, to which he 
gives the gi'ealer pait of his time and attention. 

ICIIAKI) r.. VAIL. The homestead of this 
successful farmer and slock-ltreeder of 
JUV Pliilo 'i'ownship, is |)leasantly located on 
^i^ section 21. llen^ he has eighty acres of 
finel}' cultivated land, u|)ou which he settled in the 
S|)ring of 1886, and to which he removed from 
Crittenden Township, where he owned 100 .acres. 
He is a native of Hancock County, Ohio, and w.as 
born March 16, 181i). His father, Isaac \'ail. also 
a native of the Buckeye State, was a tanner by 
trade, and married .Miss .lulia A. IJichards, a native 
of Ohio, and of (lernian ancestry. The \'ails 
originated in .Scotland. 

The grandfather of our subject, .lonalhan \'ail, 
was sixteen years old at the breaking out of the 
IJevolul ioiiMi'\' War. and before its close he was 




n 



h 



316 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. - 



seen carrying a musket to shoot the British with, 
whom he disliked as cordially as any native Ameri- 
can. Besides himself his four brothers at the same 
time were engaged in assisting the Colonists to 
maintain their independence. At the second out- 
break in 1812, although then too old for fighting in 
the field, he aided the cause of liberty by his voice 
and inrtuence whenever opportunitj' occurred. After 
his retirement from military service he removed to 
Coshocton County', Ohio, where he died at a ripe 
old age. The maiden name of the grandmother 
was Miss Pollj' Rendfrew. She also lived to be 
quite aged, and died in Ohio. 

Tlieir son Isaac, the father of our subject, pos- 
sessed in a marked degree the substantial qualities 
of his i)nrents, and upon reaching manhood was 
united in marriage with Miss Julia A. Richards. 
He had served an apprenticeship to the tanner's 
trade, at whieli he was emplo3'ed until forty j'ears 
of age. and then, in com|):iny with fifty well disci- 
l)lined men, Capt. C'arlin, of Findlay, Ohio, at the 
iiead, set out witli teams and provisions to cross the 
l)lains. They left Independence, Mo., in 1849, and 
pursued their course toward the setting sun until 
they arrived in .Sacramento, Caj. The journey 
consumed four mouths" time. Mr. A'ail located in 
tlie Sacramento \'alley on the river of that name, 
and for three j'cars following engaged in cutting 
and selling grass and hay. At the expiration of 
this time he returned to Ohio, and locating in Put- 
nam County engaged in farming. He is still living 
there witii his aged wife, being about seventy-eight 
years of .age, and the mother seventy-five. He 
lias .adhered tenaciously to Democratic principles 
and lield various otfices in his countj^ and township. 
Piolh he and iiis aged partner united with tlie 
Methodist Chureii over fifty years ago, and have 
lived together as husband and wife in peace and 
harmony for a period of fifty-five 3'ears. 

Richard B. Vail was the third son and seventh 
child in a familj' of four sons and six daugiiters. 
He received a fair education in the primitive schools 
of his n.ative count}', where lie si)ent liis boyhood 
and youth. His first trip to Illinois was made in 
18G7, and he spent three years in Champaign, De 
Witt .•ind Piatt Counties. He then returned to the 
old Iiomeslead, and was married in his native town 



on the 1st of October, 1872, to Miss Mary E. ^urt, 
of Coshocton County, Ohio. Mrs. Vail was the 
daughter of Thomas II. and Mary L. (Chapin) Burt, 
and was born Dec. 8, 1851. Her father was a na- 
tive of New York, and the mother of Massachu- 
setts. The}' emigrated to Ohio in t,heir 3-outh, and 
were there married, subsequently locating on a 
farm in Coshocton County. Besides his agricultural 
operations, Mr. Burt was quite extensively engaged 
in the coal business, which for a p-^riod of several 
years yielded him a handsome income. He was cut 
down iu the prime of life, d^ing when thirty-eight 
years of age, m 18(59. The mother is yet living 
and engaged as a teacher in the public schools of 
Peoria. Although fifty-five years of age she re- 
tains her mental faculties as brightlj' as evei-. and 
in the duties of her profession is remarkably effic- 
ient and popular. Mrs. Vail of our sketch, after 
receiving her education, also engaged as a te.acher 
in Putnam County some time before her marriage. 
Of her union, with our subject there have been 
born four children — Isaac B., Lenora A., Julia and 
Richard W. Mr. and Mrs. \. are prominently 
connected with the Methodist Episcopal Churc'h, 
and our subject, politically, votes with the Demo- 
cratic party. 



-#^s 



eURTIS E. I'ERCIVAL, a promising young 
farmer of I'hilo Township, is pleasantly lo- 
cated on sections 5 and G, where he has 1 20 
acres, fairly well improved, and where he is mak- 
ing arrangements to add still further to its beauty 
and value. He is a native of Urbana Township, 
this county, and was born on his father's old home- 
stead Feb. 29. 18.i6. He began his education in 
the public schools and completed his studies at the 
University in Champaign, where he took a three 
years' course. His father, S. P. Percival, a resi- 
dent of Chami>aign Township, is widely and favora- 
bly known as a representative citizen and business 
man, fully entitled to the position which he holds 
in the esteem of his community. 

After our subject had completed three years at 
the I'niversit}' he became a teacher in the public 
schools, which profession he followed for sever 



lie , 1 



k 



I 



■<»• 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



319 



V 



years. He was married, Mareli 30, 1881, at the 
residence of the bride's parents in Dnnlap, Peoria 
Countj', to Miss Helen, daughter of Biirloj' and 
Sylvia (Pride) Dnnlap, natives of New York State, 
and both born in Sand3' Creek, Oswego County, 
where they were reared, and whence they removed 
to Peoria County before their marriage. Their 
union took iilace in the latter county, and Mr. 
Dnnlap carried on farming until the death of the 
mother in 1873. Mr. D., who is now fifty-seven 
years of age, is a resident of Dnnlap. 

Mrs. Percival was the eldest child <if her parents. 
She was educated in her native county and re- 
mained a member of the parental household until 
her marriage. Of her union with our subject there 
were born two children — Avis H. and one deceased. 
IMr. and Mrs. P. soon after tiieir marriage located 
upon their present farm, which our subject- pur- 
chased after reaching his majoritj\ They enjoy 
the confidence and esteem of a large circle of 
friends and acquaintances, and are members in 
good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
of which Mr. P. is Steward, Trustee and Chiss- 
Leader. He is also School Director. Politically 
he is a stanch supporter of Prohibition principles. 
He was nominated .as Count}' Clerk in 188G, re- 
ceiving the full vote of his part}' ticket. 



-j»s^- 



->^5.i^ 



J' AMES S. HANNAH, Justice of the Peace of 
Newcomb Township, is the proprietor of a 
snug homestead on section 34, which he op- 
erates successfully in connection with his of- 
ficial duties. He is practically what may be termed 
a self-made man, starting out in life with little save 
his resolute will and willing hands. He has been a 
resident of Champaign County since the fall of 
1851, when he took up his abode in Newcomb 
Township, where lie lias since resided. He is a man 
of note in his townsiiip. In whicii he has exerted a 
licaltiiy influence since his residence here, being the 
encour.agcr of every enteriirise calculated to pro- 
mote the welfare of the peo|)le. His farm com- 
prises 300 aeres of finely improved land, with u 
handsome and substantial (Iwellinti:, who.se inmates 



are surrounded by the comforts and refinements of 
modern life. 

'Squire Hannah is the son of David and Jane 
(Smith) Hannah, who were of English and Irish 
descent, and were married in Clarke County, Ohio, 
where they located soon afterward. From there 
they removed to Logan County, where they spent 
the remainder of their lives. Of their ten children, 
James S. of our sketch was the third in order of 
birth. He first opened his eyes to the light in 
Clarke County, Ohio, Feb. 18, 1817. He was 
reared on his father's farm, and has followed agri- 
cultural pursuits all his life. He remained under 
the parental roof until twenty-seven years of age, 
then married, and located first in Logan County, 
Ohio, whence he removed, as we have said, to this 
county. Mrs. Hann.ah, who before her marriage 
was Miss Sina .1. Banes, was the daughter of Ga- 
briel H. and Sallic (McKinnon) Banes. Her par- 
ents located in Clarke County, Ohio, at an early 
period in the history of that region, and afterward 
removed to Logan County and then to Champaign, 
where the father died. The mother is still living, 
having arrived at an advanced age, and is a resi- 
dent of Newcomb Township, this county. Mrs. 
Hannah was born in Clarke County, Ohio, Oct. 12, 
1 826. She became the wife of our subject April 
13, 1844, and departed this life at her home in 
Newcomb Township, April 10, 1879. 

The ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Hannah are re- 
corded as follows: Sarah J. died in iiifanc}'; 
Nancy H. is the wife of C. E.Wright, of Newcomb 
Township; Mary A. married George Wysint, of 
this county ; Joseph W. married Miss Sarah Lyons, 
and is a resident of Seward County, Neb. ; Martha 
W., Mrs. Henry J. Caldwell, is a resident of I'iatt 
County, 111.; Gabriella married J. \V. Morris, of 
Sewanl County, Neb.; Maria B., Mrs. J. Tucker, 
and Emma, Mrs. J. W. Lyons, are residents of 
Newcomb Township; Abraham L. and John are at 
home. 

Mr. Hannah has served as .lustice of the Peace 
for a period of tliirty years, and has held the oflices 
of School Treasurer and Collector. Everybody 
knows 'Scpiire Ilannali, and he is probably the most 
popular man in iiis townsiiii). Politically he is a 
strong Republican, and religi(Misly is a member in 



i 



••¥■ 



i 



[ ' 320 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



good stauiling of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
with which his wife was also coimected. Uis career 
through life has been one well worthy of imita- 
tion by the ambitious j-outh of the present daj'. 
and a forcible illustration of wh.at m.a^' be accom- 
plished by an honorable and upright course of 
action, and steady perseverance in the effort to ob- 
tain a good position, both in the business "world 
and society at large. 

The portrait of Mr. Hannah, which is presented 
in this connection, will be looked upon with pleas- 
ure by his inan^^ friends and associates, who have 
seen in hiui at all times a man who has striven 
to uphold the right, and to better the condition of 
his fellow-mcn. 



-~-i/v -\<ajii2?©'^^| 



>?*^^51/^2r^'>v. -wx^ 




ENJAMIN F. MERRY, deceased. There 
are few permanent residents of I'esotuni 
Township to whom the name of this pio- 
neer settler is not familiar, and none name 
him but to praise. His character was that of a man 
noble in his impulses, enterprising and industrious, 
and as jealous of the reputation of his township and 
its interests as he was of his own and that of his 
family'. From the time of coming to this localitjs 
over thirt}' years ago, he was identified with its in- 
terests, and to him it has been in a large measure 
indebted for some of its best features, as indicated 
in the homesteads around that which he built up, 
and whose proprietors had prolitcd b}^ his own ex- 
ample of thrift and industry. Both socially and in 
a business sense he was the same, a model of integ- 
rity and sterling worth, one who could be relied 
upon, and whose judgment it was saffe to follow. 

Mr. Merrj' was a native of Montgomery County, 
N. Y., born April 14, 1831, and departed this life 
at his home in Pesotum Township, Dec. 3, 1870. 
He was the eleventh child of Jirah and Hannah 
(Jones) ]Merry, natives of Connecticut, who became 
residents of the Empire Stale. Their son Benja- 
min remained under the home r(jof, where he was 
taught filial obedience, and tiiose principles which 
formed the basis of his character in later years. He 
was trained to habits of industry and economy', and 



early in life learned to depend upon himself. When 
eighteen years of age he had already formed his 
plans for the future, the first important step being his 
marriage. This took place on the 3d of October, 
1841), the lady of his choice being Miss Catherine, 
daughter of Harvey and Sallie (Merr^-) Norton, 
natives of New York. After this event Mr. Merry 
remained four j'ears in his native State, where he 
owned and operated a farm of 135 acres, in con- 
nection with his brother, James M. In 1853 he 
sold out his interest in the property to his brother, 
and removed to Geauga County, Ohio. His brother 
in the meantime had sold the farm which they 
owned together, and followed Benjamin F. to 
Ohio, but died soon after his arrival. Our subject 
engaged in dairj-ing for two years, manufacturing 
cheese for the trade in the surrounding countr3^ 

In 1855 Mr. Merrj^ resolved to migrate further 
West, and coming to this county rented a tract of 
land known as the Universitj' Farm. The same 
j-ear he purchased 102 acres on section 12, in Peso- 
turn Township, moving upon it the following 
spring, where he labored for ten ^-ears following, 
brought the land to a good state of cultivation 
and put up a set of substantial buildings, then, 
selling his farm at a good price, he i)urcliased the 
quarter section which now constitutes the home- 
stead of his widows and the children who remain 
with her. 

The family of I\Ir. and Mrs. Merry consisted of 
two daughters and a son, namelj', Cyrena E., Ma- 
tilda and Charles D. The eldest daughter, C3'rena, 
married .Shadrack 11. Brown, who owns and oper- 
ates eight}' acres adjoining the Merry homestead, 
but lives on the latter; Matilda is the wife of Eg- 
bert P. Little, proprietor of a farm of ninet3'-four 
acres in Crittenden Township; Charles D. married 
Miss Eva, daughter of Willis Stone of Tolono, and 
cultivates the east eighty acres of the homestead, 
and forty acres adjoining, which his mother pur- 
chased since the death of her husband. He has put 
up a tasteful residence near hi? mother's home, and 
is considered one of the promising young citizens 
of Pesotum Township. 

Mr. Merry had never identified himself with 
any church organization, but w.os preparing to unite 
with the Presbyterian Church at the time of his 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



321 



tleatli. He was Deiiioc-ratif i" his politii-al views, 
ami occupied the various otlices of liis towiislii|), 
representing it in the Board of Supervisors two or 
three terms, and serving as School Trustee, Di- 
rector and Road Coniniissioner. His whole course 
in life was one which commends itself to the young 
men of to-day, and he has left a record which is 
viewed with pride by the bereaved wife and cliil- 
dren. Mrs. Merry in 1870 identilied herself with 
the Presbyterian Church at Tolono, and presents 
the example of a consistent Christian. In assuming 
the management of her husband's affairs she has 
displayed excellent judgment, and is the safe ad- 
viser of her sons, who bid fair to emul.ite the 
virtues of their father and to preserve his memory 
with credit and honor. 



^ ^#-- 



r 



VI^R. .TAMES M. BARTHOLOW located in 
I )| Philo in 1869, and by liisskillasa practi- 
(f^^^ tioner and integi-ity as a citizen, has built 
— up a large and profitable i)atron.age. He is an 

extensive reader, a close studimt, and applies him- 
self conscientiously to the duties of his profession. 
He is also one of the substantial property- holders 
of the village, and the possessor of a fine farm of 
120 acres in Philo Township, the cultivation of 
which he superintends in a successful manner. 

Dr. Bartholow is the second son and child of his 
parents, whose household included four children, 
one of whom, a daughter, died in infancy. Of the 
three sons living, E. C, the eldest, is a practicing 
ph3'sici.an of Mahomet, this county, and the young- 
est, John H., is one of the leading druggists of Mans- 
field, Piatt Count}'. Our subject was born in Uh- 
richsville, Ohio, Feb. 18, 1847. His childhood and 
youth were spent under the parental roof, his early 
education in the meantime being conducted in the 
public schools. Later he entered Wesleyan State 
University at Bloomington, 111. The war breaking 
out about this time he responded to the call for 
three-months' men, and at the expiration of this 
time enlisted for the three years' service in Co. G, 
94th 111. Vol. Inf. 

Young Bartholow served out his term of enlist- 
ment and llien veloraui/.cd. and was transferred 



to the .■57th Illinois Infantry, with which he re- 
mained until his honorable discharge in the begin- 
ning of IKliG. He had seen much hard service but 
fortunately escaped gunshot wounds and imprison- 
ment, although he was seriously injured by a log 
acccidentally being thrown upon him at the battle 
of Five-Mile Creek. ^Vhilo in tlic army he im- 
proved Ills leisure moments in reading medicine, 
and after his retirement to civil life entered Rush 
Medical College at Chicago, where he took a thor- 
ough course and gradtuUcd with honors in the class 
of 18CG. He commenced the practice of his profes- 
sion at Lincoln, 111., and soon became distinguished 
as a skillful surgeon for many miles along the dif- 
ferent railroad lines in that vicinity. After a resi- 
dence of eighteen months at Lincoln he had a good 
opportunity to [uirchase the practice of Dr. Hill, an 
old and reputable physician of Philo, and soon suc- 
ceeded to his large and lucrative practice. He ar- 
rived in this place at evening and the following 
day earned $45 at his profession. His success 
since that time speaks well for him as a practi- 
tioner. 

The father of our suliject. Rev. Benjamin Bar- 
tholow, was a native of Ohio, and of Scottish ances- 
try. He was an active minister of the Metliodist 
Episcopal Cliurch for a period of forty years, thirty- 
two of which were spent in the Central Illinois 
Conference. He was a man of fine abilities and ex- 
erted a wide inlluence for good in whatever direc- 
tion his duty lay. lie was possessed of sound judg- 
ment and fluent speecli, and performed a great 
work in establishing and maintaining Church so- 
cieties. His first charge was at Lytleville, which 
before the days of railroads was a promising town 
of McLean County, this State, but which is now 
practically- extinct. The associate of Rev. Mr. 
Bartholow was James .Shaw, tlie well-known author. 

On , the IGth of February, 1885, while at the 
home of his son, our subject, in Philo, Rev. Benja- 
min Bartholow departed tiiis life at the age of 
sixty-two, and went to receive the reward of the 
faithful. There are in the museum at Cincinnati, 
Ohio, various interesting relics formerly in the pos- 
session of the Bartholow family, and which were 
brought from England liy some of its first repre- 
sentatives in tliis country over 250 years ago. The 

— : * ¥ 









'^ 322 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



;- 



parents of our subject were reared and married in 
Tuscarawas County, Ohio, the mother iiaving been 
Miss Mary Heller, whoso father and mother were 
of German and English descent respectively. She 
was carefully trained and well educated by her par- 
ents, remaining with them until her marriage, and, 
with her husband, experienced bravelj' and pa- 
tiently the vicissitudes of itinerant life. She passed 
aw.ay one year before his death at her home in Ur- 
bana, March 18,1 884, leaving behind her a record 
of womanlj' virtues and a host of friends to mourn 
their loss. 

Dr. Bartholow of our sketch was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Florence Ford at Mason Citj', 111., 
Feb. 29, 18G7. Mrs. B. was born and reared near 
L.afayette, Ind., and came to Illinois when a young 
woman some time before her marriage. Her fa- 
ther, who was formerl}^ a grain merchant and stock 
dealer, is now retired from active business and a 
resident of Normal, 111., superintending the educa- 
tion of the younger members of the family. The 
mother before her marriage was Miss Elizabeth 
Rothroek, of Lafayette, Ind. Mrs. B. received a 
good education, and for several years before her 
marriage was employed as a te:icher in the public 
schools. Of her marriage with our subject there 
have been born two children: Oth(j F. will soon 
graduate from the State University with the title 
of J)octor of Philosophy, and he is now known as 
one of the most efficient teachers of Champaign 
County; tiie daughter, Mary Hortensia, is at home 
with her parents. Our subject and his family are 
members in good standing of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, and politically the Doctor uniformly 
casts his vote with the Republican party. 



|dLLIAM QUINLAN, Assessor of Critten- 
den Township, is also one of its most high- 
ly respected citizens, and carries on a farm 
of 120 acres, which is pleasantly located on section 
20. He vvas born near Covington, Ky., March 15, 
185G, and is the son of Daniel and M.argaret (Juiu- 
lan, who soon after his birth emigrated from their 
native State to Illinois and located in Peoria, where 
the childhood of the latter wi):i principally sjjent. 
•>-»-4. 




Twelve years later the family came to this count}', 
and located in Crittenden Township, of which our 
subject has been a resident since that time. 

AVilliam (Juinlan received a common-school edu- 
cation, and assisted his father in tilling the soil of 
the home farm until l.s7i). He was then united in 
marriage witli the maiden of his choice. Miss M.ary 
A., daughter of .lames and Ellen Rj^an, and who 
was l)orn in Ohio, in October, 1855. After their 
marriage the j'oung people settled upon the farm 
which constitutes their present hrmiestead. Their 
family consists of four children — Maggie, John, 
James and Ellen. 

Although Democratic in politics Mr. (}. does not 
confine himself strictly to his p.art}', but supports 
the candidate who in his estimation is best fitted for 
office. He possesses good judgment, both in polit- 
ical and business affairs, and has been connected 
with the School Board of his t(_>wnship for several 
terms. Mr. and Mrs. Quinlan are both prominent 
members of the Catholic Church at Tolono. 



^- 



■€-f-*- 




ENRY PUTNAM. The gentleman whose 
name stands at the head of this sketch is 
one of the earliest pioneers of Condit Town- 
ship, and located on section 33, on the land 
which by his industry and enterprise has been 
transformed into one of the finest farms in Cham- 
paign Count}'. It lies on a pleasant ridge drained 
partly by the Vermilion and partly by the San- 
gamon Rivers, and attracts the attention of the 
passing traveler on account of its neat fences 
.and fields, its shapely and substantial buildings, 
its general air of thrift and prosi)erity, and the 
evidence of cultivated tastes and ample means. 
Mr. Putnam is one of the most intelligent and 
progressive men of his community, alwaj's in- 
terested in whatever pertains to its welfare and ad- 
vancement, morally, intellectually and religiously. 
He h.as |)een the encour.ager and supporter of edu- 
cational institutions, and an honored Elder of the 
Presbyterian Church since 1808. 

Our subject is a native of Jersey Township, 
Licking Co., Oliio, born Aug. 13, 1832, and the son 
of Charles Putnam, born in Marietta, Ohio. His 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



323 



ii:raii(lfathcr, David Putnam, was a native of C'on- 
noc'tiout, and the grandson of Israel I'iitnani, of 
Rovoliitionarv fame, whose name is perpetuated in 
history. The paternal grandfatlier <jf our subject 
removed to the Northwest Tcrritoiy in about 1798, 
and located on the piescut site of the city of 
Marietta, among the earliest settlers of that region. 
He was a lawyer by pi-ofession and soon after his 
removal to what was afterward the .State of Ohio, 
accepted the position of Agent of the Ohio Land 
Company, which he held until withdrawing from 
active business. Ilis death took place in Marietta 
in about 1860. 

The father of our subject, who had been care- 
fully reared under the home roof, united with the 
ciiurch when quite young and became a minister of 
the Presbyterian faith. Mis fir.st and only charge 
was the church of .Tersey, Ohio, of which he re- 
mained pastor for a period of nearly forty 3'cars. 
lie only survived his father eight years, dying in 
1808. He had married in early life Miss Abbie 
Kdgerton, a native of Connecticut, and the daughter 
of Luther Edgertou, of New Kngland. yiie de- 
parted this life in Columbus, Oiiio, eleven j^ears 
after the death of her husband, in 187',). Of the 
nine children comprising tlie parental household, 
six are yet living: Ilenrj- of our sketch w,as the 
eldest "born; . Luther; Lydia and David are resi- 
dents of Columbus, Ohio; Douglas lives in .Spring- 
field, Mo., and Howard in Colorado. 

Henry Putnam of our sketch attended .school 
quite steadily until reaching manhood and acquired 
a good education for those d.ays. He then com- 
menced teaching, in which he was occupied during 
the seven winters following, and in the suniniei' 
season was employed in farming. Ho remtiined a 
resident of Ohio until the tail of 18.j(i, when lie 
was married, and, accompanied by his bride, came to 
this county and located on their present homestead. 
The land was almost uncultivated at that time, but 
under his excellent management, as we have said, 
h.as been transformed into one of the finest country 
estates in this section. He was prospered from the 
start and added to his first jjurchase until lie now 
has 440 acres, all under cultivation, with the ex- 
ception of fifty .acres in timber and pasture. 

Mr. Putnam was married, Sept. 10, 18,')(),to Miss 



•►-■-4^ 



Phebe Condit, a native of the same township as 
her husband, and the daughter of Wyckliff and 
Nancy (Mingis) Condit, natives of New Jersey, 
who afterward became residents of Licking County, 
Ohio, where thej' spent tiie remainder of their lives. 
Tile union of our subject and his wife w.as blest by 
the birth of five children, all living but one, namely, 
Alice C, .Tulia C, C. Wyckliff and J. Willett. Mr. 
Putnam is liepublicaii in politics, and vvith his wife 
a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. 

^0SP:PII ALLEN, Assessor and Collector of 
Ilensley Township, owus and cccupiesa com- 
fortable homestead on section 27. His birth- 
place was Fk^ming County, Ky., and the 
date thereof, .lune 21, 1829. He is a son of Henry 
Allen, a native of the same State. His grandfather, 
.Joseph Allen, is sui)poscd to have lieen a native of 
New Enghuid. He served in the Revolutionary 
War, and after its close removed to Kentucky, 
being .among the earliest settlers of the Blue Grass 
region. He was well educated for those da3's and 
while engaged in agricultural pursuits, employed 
the winter seasons in teaching school. His death 
took pLace in Kentucky. 

The father of our subject was reared in his na- 
tive State, and after reaching iiiMiiliood was united 
in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Sullivan, of the 
same locality. He was a n.atural mechanic and 
readily became master of his trade as millwright, 
wiiile also employed at cabinet-making. He died 
in Fleming County, Ky., leaving a widow and ten 
children. The mother ke|)t the remainder of her 
family together in Kentucky where she rented land 
until 1852. In that year she removed north to 
Indiana, settling in Montgomery County, which re- 
mained her home for the following ten years. She 
then came to Illinois. The removal from Indiana 
to this county w.as made overland with wagons. 
Mrs. Allen settled with her little family in Ilensley 
Township, and lived to see her children established 
in comfortable homes of their own. She died there 
in about 1882. 

After coming to Ilensley Township our subject 
commenced his career as an independent farmer on ▼ 



V 



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324 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1 



rented Land. In 1«()7 he made his first purchase of 
land, including- eighty acres of his present farm. 
To this he has added from time to time until he is 
now the possessor of 2H0 acres, finely improved and 
under a gocKl state of cultivation. This is embel- 
lished with a convenient set of farm buildings and 
his family and domestic ties are all that could be 
desired. 

The marriage of Joseph Allen and Miss Annie 
Baker was celebrated Dec. 19, 1867. Mrs. A. was 
born in Mason County, Ky., in February, 1843. 
Her father was Hiram, and iier mother, Mrs. Mar- 
garet (VanBusldrii) Baker, both of whom it is be- 
lieved were natives of Virginia. Mr. Baker died 
in Mason County, Ky., in L847. The wife of our 
subject was reared in her native county, whence siie 
came to Illinois, and located in Champaign C(ninty 
in 180(5. Here her mother joined her a few years 
later, and departed tiiis life in 1882. The five 
children of Mr. and Mrs. A. are Maggie E., Cora 
A., Charles M., Mary M. and Lulu M. Our sub- 
ject is Republican in politics, and both he and his 
wife are members in good standing of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church. 



;# 



eR. WYMAjS'N. Lying on section 10 in Philo 
Township, is one of the most valuable farms 
of that locality, the ciiUivatioii of which has 
been superintended for man3' years by the subject 
of our sketch. He comes of excellent (ierman an- 
cestry, and is a fine representative of that reliable 
element to which the West is so largel}' indebted 
for its development and progress. All over the 
fair prairies of Illinois are scattered the substantial 
homesteads of the men vvho mostl}' in their youth 
left their native land to seek their fortunes in 
the New World. Among these was Mr. Wymann, 
who was born in Kdeukol)en, Germany, June 10, 
1838. His father. Dr. Charles Wymann, is now a 
resident of Landau, Bavaria, where he is still practic- 
ing his profession, in which lie has been remarkably 
skillful. He is now seventy-live years of age, but 
through life has followed those habits that have 
lengthened his days and preserved his health aiul 
strength beyond the usual threescore years and ten. 



The mother of our subject was formerly Miss Car- 
oline Kline, a native of the same Province as the 
father and son, where she died in about 1881, when 
sixtj'-thr^e years old. The family is of pure Ger- 
man stock, i)ossessing the best elements of their 
race. 

The parental family of our subject included 
four children, of whom he was the only son. His 
eldest sister, Matilda, became the wife of F. M. 
Bowman, a Government ollicial in the Postal Depart- 
ment at Munich; Minnie married Jasper Manlove, 
editor of the Air-Line News at Kirklin, Ind. ; Kmily 
is the wife of a Government olHcial in the Postal 
Department of Bavaria, and located at J^andau. 
Our subject lived at home until fonrteen years of 
age, completing his studies in the college at Eden- 
koben, where he graduated with a good knowledge 
of his mother tongue. 

Soon afterward, in 18r)2, in company with friends, 
i\Ir. Wymann set sail for the United States, and lo- 
cated first in Philadelphia, where he engaged as a 
gunsmith. Two years later he started for tiie 
West, and after arriving in Indiana located near 
Shawnee Mound in Tipi)ecanoe County. There he 
engaged as a farm laborer, and there met Miss 
Catherine Bowers, the lady to whom he was after- 
ward married, the wedding taking place Sept. .5, 
1801. Mrs. Wjmann was born at Trier-on-the- 
Rhine in Prussia, INIay 2.'), 1842, and was the daugh- 
ter of Adam and Eva Bowers, who emigrated to 
America when their daughter was alxjut two years 
of age. They settled in Lafayette, Ind., where the 
father died the following year. Mrs. Wymann became 
a member of the well-known family of Samuel Me- 
liarry, of Shawnee Prairie, Lul., but now a resident 
of Lafa3'ette, Ind. She remained with the family 
of Mr. M. until her marriage with our subject, and 
received a fair education in the public schools. 
She was treated as kindly by her foster parents as 
though she were their own child, and rei)ai<l their 
care and affection with an ever-gratefid heart. 

Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. \\'yniann 
located in this county, where they have since lived, 
with the exception of nine years spent in Chicago. 
They took possession of their present farm in the 
spring of 1877. To this household there has been 
born one ciiild only, a daughter, Carrie, and they 



^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



325 



have an ailoptcil son, Lincoln, wlio married Miss 
Lena Morris, and is a resident of Toluno. Our sub- 
ject and his wife arc members iu good standing of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically 
Mv. Wj-maun is a solid Republican. 



yMLLIAM W. WOOD, of Condit Town- 
/ ship, is a gentleman of more than or- 
^^ diuar^- ability both as a business man and 
a citizen. He sprang from a humble condition 
in life, l)ut nature did much for him in providing 
him with a good amount of common sense, an ob- 
serving eye to what was going on around him, and 
the qualities of perseverance and energy which 
have served him well in the battle of life. He is 
descended from excellent English ancestry, his fa- 
ther having been a native of Lincolnshire, where 
he was reared, and when quite young commenced 
life as a sailor iu the merchant service. Upon 
abandoning the sea, he emigrated to America, set- 
tling first in New York .St:ile. From there after 
two or three j'ears he removed to Ohio, locating 
on a tract of timber land in Defiance County, from 
which he cleared a farm, which he occufjied until 
his death in 1882. He was married, in New Yorii 
State, to Miss Marj^ J. Yexlej', who was born in 
the citj' of London, England, and they became the 
parents of three children: William W., of our 
sketch; Lucy, who married Azariah Hatter}-, a res- 
ident of Hicksville, Ohio, and Edward, who died 
at that place in 1863 or 18()4. 

Our subject was reared on his father's farm amid 
the surroundings of pioneer life, when wild game 
was plenty and white men were few. He recol- 
lects seeing his father stand in the doorway of 
their log cabin and kill a deer which passed by. 
The nearest market was at P't. AVayne, twenty-four 
miles distant, and the produce was transported in 
wagons. Young Wood commenced to assist his 
parents as soon as he was large enough, and re- 
mained with them until reaching manhood. He 
first visited Illinois in 1857, and engaged as a farm 
laborer one j-car. At the expiration of this time 
he returned to the old homestead in Ohio. He 



worked by the month as before, in this county, then, 
believing that the possession of a home and family 
would prove a stimulus to his efforts in battling 
for a livelihood, and having become already greatly 
attached to a certain fair lady of his acquaintance. 
Miss Susan Johnson, he consulted with her upon 
this importMut matter, and finding her willing to 
take him ft)r Itctter or worse, tUey were made hus- 
band and wife on .lau. 1, LSGl. They commenced 
housekeeping in unpretentious style, and in due 
time additional plates were laid on the table, until 
the family circle was completed by the birth of the 
fourth child. Of these but three are now living — 
Edith L., Arthur and Wylie V. 

After his marriage, Mr. Wood located upon 
forty .acres of lan<l which he purchased in 18G3, 
and which is now included in his present farm. A 
part of this had been broken and a small amount 
of fence laid. He made a small cash p.ayment and 
had three years in which to pay the balance. He 
put up a small plank house or shanty, 15x18 feet 
square, which the family occupied three years be- 
fore making any addition. In 1880 he erected 
the present fine residence, which is surrounded by 
fruit and shade trees \vith a good barn in the rear, 
and all other necessary buildings required by the 
thorough and intelligent farmer. 

]Martin Johnson, the father of Mrs. Wood, was 
born in Madison County, Ohio, March 11, 1812. 
He was the son of Abraham Johnson, a native of 
Virginia, who removed to Ohio during its early 
settlement, and spent the last years of his life in 
Madison County. Martin grew to manhood and 
was married, Aug. 28, 1833, to Miss Luranah 
Mortimer. This lady was born in that part of 
Cuilford now included in Greene County, N. C, 
July 19, 1811, and was the daughter of Robert 
and Sarah Mortimer. Her parents removed from 
North Carolina to Ohio iu about 1815, and were 
among the early pioneers of Fayette County. 
They afterward became residents of Madison and 
Mercer Counties, s.peuding their last years in the 
latter. 

Martin Johnson after his marriage remained a 
resident of his native county four years, then pur- 
chased a tract of timber land in Williams County, 



i 



came back to the Prairie State two years later, and [ where he opened up a farm which he occupied leu 
-O- — ► 



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320 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 







years. Me removed fnun there in 1840, to Illi- 
nois, and purchasing land in Tike County, lived 
upon it until his decease, whicli occurred July 15, 
18C.'). The mother is now living with her daugh- 
ter, Mrs. Wood. Our sul)jcct and his wife are 
connected with Mt. \'ernon Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and politically ftlr. Wood is a decided Re- 
publican. His fine home and jjroductive farm are 
the results of his own industry. He received but 
limited advantages when a boy, but kept his eyes 
open to what w.as going on around him, and ranks 
among the most intelligent citizens and valuable 
members of his community. He possesses excel- 
lent judgment as a farmer and business man, is 
prompt in meeting his obligations, ami greatly re- 
spected by a large circle of acquaintances and 
friends. 

'-^^ -J*^- -^'^-- 

]()SKPI1 BONGARD, a wealthy pioneer set- 
tler of Raymond Township, came to this vi- 
cinit_y in 1857. He is a native of "fair 
(^^// France," born in the Province of Lorraine 
on the ;id of .lanuary, 1822. His parents, Sebas- 
tian and Ann (Florentine) Hougard, natives of the 
same country, passed their entire lives there, where 
their remains are buried. ()( their faniil}', which 
included six children, our subject was the youngest 
and the only one who came to the United .States. 
He was reared on a farm in his native France, and 
(m the 4th of J ul^', 1843, was united in marriage 
with Mi.ss Victor}' Vallance, who was born June 22, 
1821, and reared In the same neighborhood as her 
husband. Thej' became the parents of six chil- 
dren, and in 1854 our subject and wife with their 
eldest daughter set sail from Havre for the United 
States. They reached New York Ilarlior after a 
voyage of twentj'-eight days and proceeded directly 
to Chicago, 111., where for seven months Mr. B. 
was employed at whatever his hands could find to 
do. The following year he took possession of a 
farm in Cook County, and .-i portion of the time 
was eniplo3'ed b\' Emanuel Dunlap, who afterward 
became a resident of Champaign County-. 

Our subject was prospered in his labors and was 
soon enabled to purchase eighty acres of railroad 
land in Champaign County, to which he removeil 



with his famil}' and household goods, making the 
journey with a yoke of cattle and a wagon valued at 
§35. After breaking about fifty acres of the sod and 
finding it unprofitable, he allowed the company to 
take possession of it. and afterward purchased 120 
acres on section 19, in Ra3'mond Township, which 
is now included in his present homestead. Under 
his cultivation this land responded generously with 
the choice products of the Prairie State, and he 
soon began to realize satisfactory profits. He 
added by degrees to his estate until he is now the 
proprietor of 640 acres, thoroughly improved and 
valuable. Upon this he has been largely engaged 
in corn-raising, and some years has sold as many 
.as 14,000 bushels. His residence is a commodi- 
ous and convenient structure, and the barns 
and other out-buildings meet all the requirements 
of the modern and progressive farmer. A view of 
the place is sh<,fwn on another page of this work. 
In addition to his farm property Mr. B. has a store 
building in Tolono which rents for a good round 
sum. 

The eldest daughter of our subject, Mary, is the 
wife of II. 1). Waldo, and Amelia married John 
Ilagen, of Sumner County. Kan. Mr. B. is Repub- 
lican in politics, and has served as School Treasurer 
in his townshij) for two years. He believes in the 
rights of American-born citizens, and that they 
should hold the oflices and govern the country. 
The family, religiously, hold to the faith of the 
Roman Catholic Church. 




^liOMAS M. STONE, who settled in Tolono 
Township in 1875, occupies a comfortable 
homestead on section 22, where he owns 
scventj'-five acres of good land, which is well culti- 
vated and supplied with good buildings. His fam- 
ily consists of his wife and nine children, the latter 
being named as follows: John S. and Eucy E. 
(twins), WillLs, Allie, Lewis B. and Martha C. 
(twins), Harry T. and Clara E. (twins), and (iiover 
C. It is h.ardly necessary to state that Mr. Stone 
is Democratic, in politics and. named his youngest 
chilli after the present Natit)nal Executive. He is 
a gentleman highly respected in his community; is 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



329 



Koad Coramissiouer, and has held the ofHce of 
School Director for man}' years. Religiously' he 
inclines to the doctrines of the Cumberland Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Our subject was born in (4il)siin County', Ind.. 
Dec. 20, 1841. His father, .Sauinel Stone, was a 
native of Kentuckj', whence his parents removed to 
Indiana while he was yet an infant. They located 
on a farm in (iibson County, and there passed the 
remainder uf tiieir days. The mother of Mr. Stone, 
who was formerly Miss Lucy W. Mattox, was born 
in Indiana in about 1813, and the parental house- 
hold included sixteen children. Of these twelve 
are living; four died in infancy-. 

Thomas M. Stone of our sketch remained on the 
homestead until twenty-one years old, and then 
coming to Illinois, located on a farm in Menard 
County, where he followed agricultural pursuits 
until October, 1807. He was then united in mar- 
riage with Miss Permelia Knowles, a native of his 
own count}' in Indiana, and daughter of John and 
Eleanor (Montgomerj') Knowles, natives of the 
same connt.y. He was at this time the owner of 
100 acres of land in Menard Count}-, which he 
tilled until 1875, the year of his removal to this 
township. He has been fairly prosperous in his 
jjusiness and farming operations, and is considered 
a reliable farmer and business man. A lithographic 
view of Mr. Stone's handsome farm residence is 
shown in connection with this sketch. 




4 



' RTIIUR RICE, proprietor of 320 acres of 
linely improved land on sections 33 and 34, 

J II ik in Pesotum Township, has been a resident 
,5g^ of the Prairie State since 1854. He comes 
of old Virginia blood and passed his early d.ays in 
Wood County, that State, wliere he first opened his 
eyes to the light on the 'Jth of February, 1839. He 
was the fifth child of Shelton and Elizabeth 
(lirown) Rice, also natives of the old Dominion, 
the former born in about 1810, and the latter in 
1815. Shelton Rico w.as an extensive f.armer 
and pursued his calling until he rested from his 
earthly labors, his death taking place in about 1803. 



The mother had |)rccedcd her husband to the other 
world in 1853. 

The grandparents of our subject ^vcrc (if Euro- 
pean descent, and crossed the ocean at a period in 
the early history of this country. The family were 
noted for the energy and ambition with which they 
pursued their agricultural and business affairs, and 
were uniformly prosperous in their undertakings. 
Our subject came to this State during liis youth, 
settling in what was then Coles, but is now l)<jug- 
las County, six miles south of his present residence. 
A 3'ear later he came to this county. In the 
meantime he was accompanied by his father, who 
purchased a farm of 150 acres of wild prairie, 
which Arthur assisted in cultivating and improving. 
He lived with his father until his marriage, which 
took place on the 20th of February, 1802. The 
maiden who had been successful in gaining his re- 
gard was Miss Mary A. Lee, a native of Pulaski 
County, Ky., and daughter of Squire and Elizabeth 
(James) Lee. Her parents were also natives of 
Pulaski County, where the father engaged in farm- 
ing pursuits until tiie removal to Illinois, at which 
time thej' settled near where the father of our sub- 
ject took up his abode. Mr. Lee soon afterward 
purchased a tract of land in this county, and con- 
tributed his full share in assisting to reclaim the 
face of the country from the wilderness. As one of 
the earliest pioneers he was held in great respect 
and lived to a ripe old age, his deatii occurring in 
1885. The mother is still living and remains on the 
old homestead. She is in full possession of ;dl lier 
faculties, and her description of life in the early 
days forms an interesting tale to which the youth 
of her neighborliood delight to listen. 

Our subject after his marriage remained two 
years on his father's farm, and then purclia.sed 
eighty acres on section 34, in Pesotum Township. 
His early experiences had been of great service to 
him, and after taking possession of his new farm he 
was uniformly successful in Ids operations, and in 
the cultivation of his land exhibited rare gooil 
judgment. He added to his first purchase as his 
means accumulated, and in due time h.ad completed 
a fine set of farm buildings which are .as ornamen- 
tal to the face of the country as they arc useful and 
convenient to the proprietor. The farm is finely 






t. 



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330 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



r 



I 



laid out, the fields neatly fenced, .-ind everything 
about the premises is kept ui) in lirst-class condi- 
tion. Our subject in looking after his farming in- 
terests has not had very nuicli time to devote to 
political questions, but declines to be confined with- 
in the narrow system of ptirty lines, reserving ills 
right to cast his vote for the man whom he esteems 
best qualified for office. He is a strong temperance 
man and lias of late years arrayed iiiinself on the 
side of the Prohibitiim [larty. 

The three children of iMr. and Jlrs. Rice arc 
Norah E., Martha A. and Fred L. The elder 
daughter is the wife of Archie Armstrong, her mar- 
riage taking place Sept. 2, 1886. Slie resides with 
her husband on a farm twelve miles distant from 
her father's homestead. Our subject and his wife lie- 
carae members of the Metliodist Episcopal Church 
at Nelson Chai)el in 1881, with which tlicy have 
since been connected, and to the support of which 
they have always contributed liberally and cheer- 
fullv. 

,()BEKT G. RAYIJUIJN, of Mahomet Town- 
ship, became a resident of this county' when 
a boy eleven 3'ears old. He was born in 
I Madison County, Ohio. Oct. 2'J, 1842, and 
was tiie si.\th child of John K. and Mary (McCoy) 
Rayburn, the former a native of Virginia and the 
latter of Ohio. They located in the latter State soon 
after marriage, and in 1853 came into Champaign 
County, settling in Mahomet Township, and re- 
mained there the balance of their lives. John R. 
Rayburn died Aug. 31, 1872, and the motlier of 
our subject Jan. 22, 1808. Their ten children con- 
sisted of seven sons and three daughters, of whom 
six survive. 

Young Rayburn spent his youth and (liiidiiood 
on his father's farm, receiving a common-school 
education, and remained under the home roof un- 
til twenty-one years of age. During the progress 
of the late war and toward its close, in February, 
1865, he enlisted in the 151th Illinois Infantry, and 
served until the close. He then returned to Ma- 
homet Township and resumed farming, in which he 
has since been engaged. His homestead includes 
430 acres of choice laud, all improved, and fur- 

4' 




nished with a h.andsome and substantial residence, 
a good barn and .-dl necessary out-buildings. The 
fences, machinery and stock are well cared for, and 
the homestead comprises in all its appointments a 
first-class modern country estate. 

Mr. Rayburn was m.arried in Mahomet Town- 
ship, June 4, 1862, to Miss Isabella A., daughter 
of AVilliam and Louisa Herriott. The parents of 
Mrs. R. were natives respectively of Virginia and 
Kentucky, from which latter State they came to 
this county' in aljout 1851, and locating in Ma- 
homet Township, here passed the remainder of 
their lives. The mother died Nov. 15, 1875. and 
the father, March 25, 1883. Their fourteen chil- 
dren included seven sons and seven daughters, of 
whom the wife of our subject was the j'oungest. 
She was born in Scott County, Ky., Sept. 22, 1845. 
IJy her marriage with our subject she became the 
UHjtlu'r of thirteen children, of whom eleven are 
living; James F. and another child died in infancy. 
Those surviving are Ida M., Eda B., John R., 
Henry A., Eflle G., William M., Robert J., Charles 
D., Mary L., Benjamin F. and Laura J. Ida is the 
wife of Phillip Mohr, and a resident of Mahomet 
Township; Eda B. married Lewis Cla|)per, of Ma- 
homet Townshii). Our subject has been Commis- 
sioner of Highways and School Director, and with 
his wife is proniiuentl}' connected with tlie Presby- 
terian Church. Politically he supports the princi- 
ples of the Republican party. 

^] AMES W. HERRIOTT. This gentleman is 
well and favorably known in Mahomet 
Township as being an honest man and a 
good citizen, and the proprietor of a well- 
cultivated farm on section 12. He is a gentleman 
of enterprise and industry, as his homestead indi- 
cates on every hand, and in his agricultural pur- 
suits has been fairly successful. He comes of a 
good famil}', being the son of William and Louisa 
Herriott, who were natives of Mrginia. After their 
marriage they located in Bourbon County, Ky., 
whence they removed to Scott County, the same 
State, and from there in the fall of 1851 to Illinois, 
Coming into Champaign County, they located iu 



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CIIAIMPAIGN COITNTY. 



331 



■ 



Mahomet Township, of which tliey were residents 
the remainder of their lives. The mother departed 
hence Nov. 24, 1 87a, and tlie father, Marcli 24, 1 8.S3. 
Their fainil3' consisted of finuteen diildren, seven 
sons and seven daughters. 

James W. Herriutt was llie ninth in order of 
birth, and first opened his eyes to the ligiit in 
Scott County, Ky., Aug. 26, 18;3G. lie was fifteen 
years of age when Ids parents l)ecame residents of 
this county. With tlie exception of tliree years 
spent in the army he remained a member of the 
parental household until 18G9. His educatiitn was 
conducted in the common schools, and lie followed 
the occupation of his father before him, engaging 
in farming since his earliest recollection. His arm}' 
experience dates from September, 18U1, when he 
became a member of Co. I, 25tli 111. \'ol. Inf. He 
was present at the liattle of Missionary Uidge, re- 
ceiving a wound in the right lii|) and the right arm 
by minie balls, and is now a pensioner of the 
Government. Many times he barel}' escai)ed with 
iiis life, and Ids health was seriously im|iaire<l by 
the hardships and privations which he endured in 
the service. At the battle of Stone Uiver he was 
captured bj' the rebels, but soon afterward paroled. 
At the close of the war he received an honorable 
discharge, was mustered out of service at Spring- 
field, 111., and returned to his home in Champaign 
Count}". Soon afterward he luncliased a farm in 
Ilensley Township, which he occupied ten years, 
then disposed of it and retuined to Mahomet 
Township. Here he has 200 acres, forty of wliieh 
are in timber. The soil is easily tilled and product- 
ive of the richest crops of the Prairie State. 

The marriage of Mr. Ilerriott took place in Con- 
dit Township, Dec. 21, 18ti'J, the maiden of his 
choice being Miss Susan A., daughter of John and 
Elizabetli A. (George) Washington, botli natives 
of Mrginia, and descendants of the Father of ids 
County. They first settled in Virginia pro[)er, 
where John Washington de|)a,rted tiiis life in Feb- 
ruary, 1802. Mrs. W. still survives, and is a resi- 
dent of that State. Of their ten children the wife 
of our subject was the sixth in order of birtli. Her 
native place was Loudoun Count}-, Va., and the 
date of her birth Feb. !), 1848. She remained a 
member o{ the parental household until iier mar- 



riage, receiving a fair education and being trained 
in all useful household duties. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ilerriott became the parents of 
nine children, namely, William W., Lulu F-., Rosa 
G., Minnie S., Nettie, James T., George L., Lydia 
M. and Bertie. Lulu E. and Lydia M. are de- 
ceased. Mr. Herriott takes a genuine interest in 
all matters pertaining to the welfare of his county 
and community, and in politics supports the Demo- 
cratic i)arty. Both he and his excellent wife are 
members of the Presbyterian Church, and highly 
esteemed by a large circle of friends and acquaint- 
ances. 

_s ^3^ ^ 

,^^ FORGE C. STEWART. On section 2:5, in 
(|[ ,-— , the townshii) of Pliilo, is located the com- 
^^4) fortable hnniestead of our subject, where he 
has carried on his farming operations since the 
spring of 1857. In addition to grain-raising he 
has also been a successful In-ceder of good grades 
of stock, and in all his transactions has exhibited 
that good judgment and forethought which have 
made him successful as a farmer and business man, 
and have secured for him the esteem and resiieet 
of his fellow-citizens. He is a native of Woodford 
County, Ky., born in 1818, and is the son of Rali)h 
Stewart of Maryland, who witli his parents removed 
to Virginia when a 3'oung boy. His childhood and 
youth were passed in the Old D(jminion, and after 
arriving at manhood he was there married to Mrs. 
Agnes Hugh (Ca,m|)l)ell) Kerkem, a native of that 
State. The young peo|)le soon after their marriage 
removed to Woodford County, Ky., but later to 
Henry County, where they lived until the death of 
their father, which took place about 18.'!;i. After- 
ward the mother came to Illinois, and resided with 
her son, our subject, until her death, which occurred 
Sept. 20, 1858. 

Our subject was the eldest child of his parents, 
and remained under the parental roof until his mar- 
riage, which took place in Henry County, 111. The 
maiden of his choice was Miss Elizabeth Bridges, 
who was born in Bourbon County, Ky., whence she 
removed with her parents when ((uite young to 
Henry County, the same State. Of this niarri.age 
there have been born seven children: Leslie mar- 



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332 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ric'd jVIiss Sarah .1. Rarr, and is a resident of Edgar 
County, 111., wliere he is suceessfully carrying vn 
farming; S. Campbell is senior member of the firm 
of Hrown & Stewart, grain dealers i>f Pliilo; John 
is a resident of Colorado; Halph. tieorge and Ag- 
nes are at home; Lucy is a graduate of the State 
Normal I'niversity, and is teaching at Pelcin, 111. 
The farm of our subject includes 280 acres, finely 
cultivated, and supplied with handsome and sub- 
stantial buililings. Mr. and Mrs. S. arc I'resby- 
teriau in religious belief, and politically he affiliates 
with the Democratic part}'. 



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RANK STEIN. The fine farm of 240 acres 
li'ing on the southeast part of sections 22 
and 28, in Pesotura Township, has often 
been the subject of comment by the passers-by. 
Its air of comfort and plentj' strikes the beholder 
with a jileasing sensation. The land is neatly 
fenced, convenienth" divided into grain and p.as- 
ture fields, and the farm buildings, plain and sub- 
stantial, have about them evidences of the thrift 
and prosi)erity of the |)roprietor. Mr. Stein is a 
worth}- representative of the nationalit}' which has 
ct)ntributed so materially to the building up of the 
West, the development of its resources and the 
reputation of its rich and productive soil. 

Our subject was born in Hesse-Cassel, Oct. 28, 
1833, the .same day on vvhich his brother Nicholas 
first drew breath. At an early age he was placed 
in school, and continued his studies almost uninter- 
ruptedly until fourteen years old. Afterward he 
assisted his parents on the farm, and when seven- 
teen years of age set out for the United States. He 
landed at Philadelphia in the sjiring of 1851, spend- 
ing his first years near the Quaker Clt}' on a farm. 
In the spring of 1852 he emigrated to Butler 
County, Ohio, where ho was engaged in farming 
pursuits for a period of ten years. His next move 
was to this State, and he first settled in Peoria, 
where he was engaged in laboring on a farm by the 
month until 1872. In the meantime he had saved 
up quite a sum of money from his earnings, which 
ho invested in eigiity acres of land included in his 
present farm. To this he afterward added ICO 
4' 



.acres, and has the whole well drained and its best 
qualities ftdly develoi)cd. 

While a resident of Peoria Mr. Stein was united 
in marriage with Miss Louisa Wittingfcit, who 
with her i)arents, William and Elizabeth AVitting- 
felt, was a native of (ieimany. Mrs. Stein when a 
3'oung woman came to this country by herself and 
earned her own living until she became the wife 
of our suliject. Her parents remain in their na- 
tive country. Of this marriage there were born 
five children, of whom only three survive, namely, 
Charles, Carrie and Amelia. William N. and Emma 
died when one and one-half and ten years old re- 
spectively. 

On the 17th of February, 1887, the devoted wife 
and affectionate mother, Mrs. Louisa Stein, passed 
to her long home, leaving the husband and three 
children to mourn their loss. Mr. S. and his wife 
united with the Lutheran Church man}- years .ago, 
and lived quiet and unostentatious lives, devoted to 
their cliihlren and to each other. Our subject has 
frequentlv served as School Director, and in poli- 
tics is independent, supporting the candidate whom 
he esteems best fitted for the office. 



\Y/OSEPII .lERVIS, one of the self-made men 
and progressive farmers of Condit Township, 
owns and occupies a good farm, consisting 
^^y of 400 acres of improved land lying on sec- 
ti<.)ns 35 and 30. He has about scventj- head of 
cattle and 200 head of sheep and lambs, and keeps 
about nine head of horses and colts. The residence 
and out-buildings are substantially built and kept in 
first-class order. Our subject came to this locality 
in the fall of 18(!1, and commenced his farming 
operations on rented land. He continued thus for 
three years, then purchased eight}' acres of uncul- 
tivated prairie, where he put up a house and de- 
voted his time mainly to raising grain. Tliis he 
has found to be profitiible, and has given to this 
branch of agriculture his special attention, together 
with his stock operations. 

Mr. .lervis is a native of Stsiffordshire, England, 
where his birth occurred Aug. 30, 1835. His i)ar- 
ents were Thomas and Hannah (Wiggan) Jcrvis, 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



333 



natives of the same shire, where they spent their 
entire lives. Onlj' two of their cliildren came to 
the United States — Andrew, who settled in New- 
comb Township, and .Tosepli of our sketch. Both 
sons were reared to farming pursuits, and our sub- 
ject was thus emplo^'ed until twenty-one years of 
age. He then engaged on the railroad which ran 
from Liverpool to Lon<lon, and was thus occupied 
until 18G0, when he decided to seek his fortunes in 
America. He accordingly set sail from Liverpool, 
and after a V03'age of a few weeks, landed in New- 
ark, N. J., where he arrived with a cash capital of 
$100. He remained in that State until the follow- 
ing fall, and then set his face for the furtiier West, 
coming into this county, where he rented a tract of 
land and commenced farming, as we have already 
indicated. 

Seven years later, in Februarj-, 1.SG8, Mr. Jervis 
was united in marriage with Miss Catherine Shear- 
gold, also a native of Staffordshire, and the daugh- 
ter of Edward and Hannah (Jevins) Sheargold. 
Mrs. J. came to America in 1865, when twenty-one 
years of age. Of her union with our subject there 
h.ave been born nine children — Annie, Thomas, 
Norma, Harry, Lewis, Dan, Arthur, Burt and Kate. 
Both our subject and his wife were reared in the 
Episcopal faith, to the doctrines of which they still 



adhere. 



H>--J»!^»-^'0i|^'<^'i^-*-<J- 






^^ APT. CALEB TAYLOR, who received liis 
(11^' militar3' title for services rendered in the 
^^f' Union Army during the late war, located in 
Raymond Township, this countj', in the spring of 
1868, and since that time has ranked among its 
most valued citizens. He is the son of .Tonathan 
and iNIary (Phillips) Taylor, who were natives of 
I'eiuisylvania and lived in Fayette County at the 
time our subject was born, which event took place 
on the 8th of June, 1838. Three years later they 
removed to Pickaway Count}', Ohio, and located 
on a farm, where the parents sj^entthe remainder of 
their lives. Their eight children all grew to mature 
years and are recorded .ns follows: Francis M. is 
a resident of Pickaway County, Ohio; Phillip, of 
Fayette County; Delilah is deceased; .biualhan 



lives in Pickaway County: Sarah married Thomas 
Graham, and they located in Scott County, Kan.; 
Calel) of our sketch was the sixth child; Richard 
M. .7. died in Ohio; Aim, the wife of Lewis Lon- 
gerboou, is living in Jay Count}-, Ind. 

Caleb Taylor was but three years old when his 
father removed to Ohio with his family, lie was 
there reared to manhood on a farm, receiving a 
common-school education, and assisting in the la- 
bors around the homestead. In 1 867 he was united 
in marri.age with Miss Amayda Davis, who was 
born and reared in Pickaway Count}', and is the 
daughter of Ebenezer and Mary (Crabb) Davis. 
The following year the young people decided to 
seek the prairies of Illinois, and coming into this 
county located on a tract of land which our sub- 
ject rented for one year. At the expiration of this 
time he purchased eight}' .acres, partially improved, 
which is included in his present farm. He was suc- 
cessful in his undertakings and added to his real 
estate as time passed on, so that he is now the 
owner of 203 acres all under a good state of culti- 
vation. This comprises one of the finest grain 
farms in Champaign County. He erected a hand- 
some farm residence in 1882, and adjacent to it 
stand all the necessary buildings rc(piired by the 
progressive agriculturist. The Captain is Repub- 
lican in politics and cast his first vote for Stephen 
A. Douglas as Representative. He has held the of- 
fices of School Trustee, Director and Highway 
Commissioner, the duties of which he discharged 
with credit to himself and s.atisfaction to all con- 
cerned. 

Shortly after tlie outlireak of the late Rebellion 
our subject enlisted, in September, 1861, in Co. A, 
20th Ohio \'ol. Inf., where he was soon made a non- 
commissioned officer. He marched with his regi- 
ment to the scene of conflict, and during the siege 
of N'icksburg was commissioned Second Lieutenant. 
In the spring of 1864 he became First Lieutenant, 
and soon afterw.ard was presented with a Captain's 
commission. During his military career he partici- 
pated in the battles of Richmond, Champion Hills, 
J.ackson, Miss., and went with Sherman on iiis fa- 
mous march from Atlanta to the sea, being also at 
the siege and capture of the latter city. His regi- 
ment participated in forty-live regular engagements, 



'i 



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334 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



during which, although never seeking to escape the 
fire of the enemy, he was neither seriously wounded 
nor talcen prisoner. After the surrender of the 
Confederate arnij' he was mustered out at Poco- 
taligo, S. C. He then returned to his farm in Ray- 
mond Township, and since then has been industri- 
ously engaged in cultivating and l)eautifying his 
homestead. 

The mother of Mrs. Tajdor before lier marriage 
was Miss Mary Crabb. Both parents were born in 
Ohio, where they jlhssed their entire lives. The 
birtii of Mrs. T. occurred on the IGth of July, 
1848, in Pickaway County, where she was reared, 
educated, and became the wife of our subject. 
!She has proved the suitable companion of her 
iuisband during the j'ears of a worth}' life, in which 
he has displayed the qualities of an excellent citi- 
zen and become a valued member of his eomnuinity. 



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JOSEl'II MAXWELL, a retired farmer of 
Mahomet Township, residing on section 17, 
is the son of Jonathan and Johanna (Ster- 
ling) Maxwell. The parental household 
consisted of ten children, five now living, and of 
whom our subject was the sixth in order of birth. 
He was born in Bartholomew County, Ind., May 
16, 1824, was reared on the farm, and in 18o0 came 
with his parents to Illinois, settling in i\Lihon)et 
Township, where the latter died. 

Mr. Maxwell is essentially a self-made man, who 
enjoyed but a limited education but has made the 
most of his time and oi)portunities. He has al- 
ways been observant of what w.as going on art)und 
him, and by the exercise of his natural talents has 
obtained a fine insight into business matters and 
become uniformlj' successful in his undert.nkings. 
With the exception of two j-ears spent in Califor- 
nia and one ye.ar in Vermilion County, he has been 
a resident of INLnhomct Township since coming 
hci-e. While on the P.-icilic slope lie was engaged 
in freighting. He is the owner of al)out 1,300 
acres of land, .320 of which are in I'iatt County. 

Mr. Maxwell was married in Mahomet Township, 
Sept. 8, 1852, to Miss Kosanna, daughter of Samuel 
and Olive (Franklin) Hyde. The parents of Mrs. 



M. were natives respectively of Vermont and New 
York, and removed from the latter .State to Illinois, 
locating in Mahomet Township, this county, in 1 84!). 
Both are now deceased. Of their thirteen children 
Mrs. M. was the fourth. She was born in ^'igo 
Cpunty, Ind., April 22, 1832. Of her marriage 
with our subject there were born ten children, of 
whom the record is as follows: George F. married 
Miss Phebe Bird, and is farming in Mahomet Town- 
ship; Elizabeth died when eighteen months old; 
Charles II. married Miss Martha E. Robinson, and 
lives in Mahomet Township; .Jephtha, now of Piatt 
County, married Miss Ilattie Johnson; Martha S., 
j\lrs. Elias B.arnhart, is also a resident of Piatt 
County; Mary S. married Thomas J. Paisley, of 
Mahomet Township; Willie died in infancy; Julia 
O. is the wife of Joel W. Pinkston; Johanna and 
Joseph R. are residents of JNIahomet Township. 
The mother of these children died at the home of 
her husband in Mahomet Town.ship, Jan. 0, 1882. 
She was a lad}- highly respected in the community 
and a member in good standing of the Baptist 
Church, to which our subject also belongs. 

Politically Mr. Maxwell is a decided Republican, 
and lias held various township offices. Socially he 
is a member of Mahomet Lodge No. 220, F. & 
A. M. He is esteemed as a good citizen and 
worth}' member of society, and has contributed his 
full share to the agricultural interests of this section. 




*^f/ II. BALDWIN, engaged in general hus- 
bandry on section IS in Pesotum Town- 
ship, is a native of the Emi)ire State, born 
near Rochester, May 31, 18.50. He is the 
fourth child of Samuel S. and Mary E. (Fairrliild) 
Baldwin, wlio were married in that State, and lo- 
cated on a farm, where they remained until 1857. 
Mr. Baldwin then came to Illinois and purchased 
320 .acres of wild laiiil in Pesotum Township. The 
task before him seemed an Herculean one, but he 
set liiniscif iudiistiiously to work, fencing his pur- 
chase and breaking the sod, and in the course of a 
few years had transformed the prairie laud into a 
good farm. He put up suitable buildings, and by T 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



335 



purchase and oreecling fiuallj' had his farm well 
stocked with good'grades of cattle and horses. 

Upon the homestead thus establislied the parents 
of our subject lived for many years and reaped the 
result of tlieir labors in due lime b}' finding them- 
selves surrounded with all the comforts of life. The 
father passed away on the 'Sd of October, 1<S74. 
Mi's. Baldwin survived her husband for two years, 
her death occurring Dec. 2S, lS7G,at the oM home- 
stead. This is now occupied b}- their son, the sub- 
ject of this sketch, although there now remains but 
130 acres of the original purchase. Whatever is 
lacking in quantit}-, however, is fully made up in 
quality, as our suliject has worked upon the theory 
of Horace Greeley, namelj', that a few acres well 
tilled were more valuable than a larger area par- 
tially neglected. 

Our subject remained under the iiarental roof 
until several 3'ears after reaching his majority', and 
when twenty-seven years of age was married to 
Miss Melissa J., daughter of .lohn and Mary (Stur- 
ges) Cook. The parents of Mrs. 15. were residents of 
Montgomery County, 111., where the father owned 
and operated a good farm. Of the union of our sub- 
ject and wife there have been bxrn two children — 
Theodore H., Oct. 15, 1880, and Herbert E., Feb. 
1, 1884. 

Mr. Baldwin, although a continuous resident on 
his father's farm since his first recollection, is the 
owner of a large tract of land in Crawford Coun- 
ty, Kan., to which he has decided to remove and 
develop it. He has always given his strict attention 
to his own concerns, never meddling with politics 
or desiring office. His land has beenchielly devoted 
to the raising of grain, in which he has been very 
successful, .and which has yielded him the larger 
part of his income. 



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?RANC II. LANGE, an extensive farmerand 



^1 stock-raiser of Ilensley Township, is a fair 

representative of the substantial (iernian 

element which may be found in the best section of 

Illinois, and which has assisted so materially in its 

development and progress. Our subject was born in 

Hanover, July 9, 1833, and is the son of Phillip 
4* 



and Mary Ann Lange, natives of the same Prov- 
ince. He attended school in his native town nn- 
til about seventeen years of age, and tlien con- 
cluded to seek his fortune in America. Accord- 
ingly he set sail from Bremen in August, 1830, and 
after a voyage of eighteen weeks lauded in New 
York City, a stranger in a strange land, without 
means, and nothing to recommend him but his good 
health and willing iiands. He did not tarry long 
in the Empire City, but proceeded to Cleveland, 
Ohio, where he soon obtained a situation as clerk 
in a clothing store. He proved faithful and efticient, 
and held iiis position nine years. The two years 
following he was engaged as clerk in a wholesale 
grocery store. In 1860 lie dc-cided to turn his 
attention to agricultural pursuits in the West. He 
was yet a poor man and unable to buj' a farm, so 
rented a tract of land in Ilensley Township, which 
he cultivated four years, and at the expiration of 
that time w.as enabled to purchase eighty acres, 
which is now included in his present farm. Of this 
thirty-five .acres had been broken and there was a 
small shanty. He had taken to himself a wife and 
iiel[imeet, and with a few repairs this structure was 
made inhabitable and they occupied it for a brief 
time. Our subject proceeded with the improve- 
ment and cultivation of his Land and was gre.atlj- 
prospered in his undertakings. The unbroken prai- 
rie of his first purchase has now been transformed 
into a fine farm, with a good set of buildings, fruit 
and shade trees, and all the conveniences and decor- 
ations which indicate the intelligent and progres- 
sive farmer of cultiv.ated tastes .and ample means. 
Mr. L. has added to his first purchase until he is 
now the owner of 500- acres in one body, which 
constitutes one of the finest farms in this part of 
the county and invariably attracts the C3'e of the 
passing traveler. His stock is of the best grades 
and well cared for, and the farm building's and ma- 
chiner3' arc kept in the best of repair. 

The first wife of our subject, to wiiom lie was 
married May .'>, 1800, \v.as Miss Elizabeth Leiden- 
deker, sister of Henry J. Leidendeker. of whom a 
sketch appears elsewhere in this work. This lad3- 
died at the home of lier husband iir Ilensley Town- 
ship, Sept. 20, 187 I. t)f this marriage there were six- 
children — Henry, Albert, Amelia, Edward, Mary 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



and ,lulia. On the 3d of January, 1879, Mr. L. 
was married to Miss Louisa Luclirmann, who was 
born in St. Louis, Mo., and is the daughter of John 
H. Luchrinann, a native of Westphalen, Prussia. 
Of tiiis union there have been born three children — 
George, Clarence and Oscar. The various mem- 
bers of the family are connected with the Lutheran 
Church. Our subject is Republican in politics, and 
widely and favorably known in this community as 
a man prompt to meet his obligations, and one 
whose word is as good as his bond. As will have 
been seen, his i)ossessions are the result of his own 
industry, and the estimation in which he is held by 
his fellow-citizens is due to his innate honesty of 
character and conscientious course in life, by which 
he iias always been enabled to look the whole world 
in the face. 




^^TNTMONY REINIIART, one of the most 
thorough farmers of Crittenden Township, 
commenced life in a modest manner with 
**'' a team and a few hundred dollars in cash. 

He is now the owner of 380 acres of valuable land, 
a fine farm residence and suitable out-buildings, 
with a goodly amount of choice stock and modern 
farm machinery. In addition to this, and probabl}' 
what he prizes most, he has a fine family of ten 
childi'en, and many other desirable things in life 
which have constituted him a good citizen, duly 
thankful for the prosperity' which has marked his 
footsteps and for the respect and esteem of his fel- 
low-men. His land when he took possession of it 
was much less valuable than at present and he has 
expended for drainage alone the sum of $4,000. It 
is now mainly devoted to stock-raising, in which 
department of agriculture Mr. Roinluut has secured 
an enviable reputation for the intelligence and suc- 
cess with which he has managed and the pros|)er(_>us 
condition to whicii lie has .'iitained. 

Mr. Rcinhart came to this part of the count}' in 
the spring of 1873. He was born in the town of 
Brenimelbaeh, Province of Als.ace, County Sultz, 
which then belonged to France, but was afterward 
ceded to (ierni.lnj', on the 21st of Fol)ruai'v, 1844. 
His jjarents were Nicholas and Cathoiinc (Poudler) 



Reinhart. Nicholas Reinhart was the son of a far- 
mer whose given name is not Iniown. His mother 
was Catherine (Oebelhaar) Reinhart. They were 
the parents of nine children, six boys and three 
girls. Catherine (Poudler) Reinhart is the mother 
of eleven children, seven living, as follows : Michael, 
Nicholas, Wendel, Martin, Joseph, Louis and An- 
thony, our subject, who was the youngest. Those 
deceased are John, George, Louis and Theresa. 
The grandparents of our subject on his mother's 
side were Michael and Magdelena (Bauer) Poudler, 
and they were the parents of twelve children, six of 
whom died in inf.incy. Magdelena, Catherine, Selma, 
Barbara, Theresa and Wendel grew to m.aturity, 
and of these the mother of our subject alone re- 
mains, and she at the age of eighty-eight 3'ears 
retains her mental vigor and strength and bids fair 
to survive many years. A large portion of this 
sketch was obtained from her. 

Three years after the birth of our subject his 
parents emigrated to the United States and pro- 
ceeding westward located in Peoria County, 111. 
Here Anthony Reinhart grew to manhood, attended 
the common schools, and assisted in the tilling 
of the soil. He was married in Peoria Count}', 
Sept. 26, 18U5, to ]\Iiss Mary, daughter of A. and 
Mary Vogel. Mrs. R. was born in Butler County, 
Pa., June 12, 1845. After his marriage onr sub- 
ject rented laud in Peoria County until the spring 
of 1873. In the meantime he had visited this 
county and jnirehascd 122 acres of land, to which 
he now removed his family, and which continued 
tlieir home until the spring of 1884. He then sold 
out to excellent advantage and took possession of 
his present liomestead. Here, witii his characteristic 
enterprise and industry, he has brought about fine 
improvements, and, surrounded by his family and 
friends is, now in middle life, eujoj'ing the fruits 
of his e.arly labors and the results of his wise and 
temperate judgment. The children of the house- 
hold are rectirded as folk)ws : Wendel J. v;as born 
Aug. C, 1866; Michael N., May 27, 1868; Rose B., 
Oct. 14, 1870; Anthony M., July 18, 1872; Louis, 
Oct. 13, 1874; Frank J., Feb. 15, 1877; Anna M., 
Aug. 14, 1879; Simon G.,Oct. 22, 1881 ; Catherine 
E.. March Ifl, 1884; Julia E., Dee. 26, 1886. 

Mr. Reinhart uniformly gives his support to 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



339 a 



Democratic principles, and has held the office of 
Highway Commissioner. For several years he has 
served as Justice of the Peace, .and is present in- 
cumbent, and in matters of religion is a devout 
Catholic. 

"S^OBERT PENMAN. Tlie subject of this 
ilHi^ biography-, a native of the Prairie State, 
iii (\\ first opened his eyes to the ligiit in Kendall 
^County, June "21, 1848. He is of excellent 
family, his father being of pure Scotch ancestry, 
born in Roxburyshire, Scotland, Oct. 12, 1812. 
When a young man about twentj^-four 3^ears of age 
he emigrated to the United States, ni.aking his first 
location near Ft. W.ij'ne, lud. After a residence 
there of two years he came into DuPage County, 
this State, where he remained another two ye.ars, 
and tlien toolv up his abode in Kendall County, 
where he entered 100 acres of land. To this he 
afterward added a like amount, and is still living 
upon the farm thus established and where he has 
Ijeen prospered in his efforts to build up a liome and 
secure a competency. 

The mother of our subject, who in her girlhood 
was Miss Jane Stephenson, was born in the North 
of Ireland, .nnd came to the United States with her 
parents, Isaac and Elizabeth (Davis) Stephenson, 
in 1844 or 1845. They are both deceased. She 
married Mr. Penman in Kendall County, 111., and 
departed this life on the old homestead, in July, 
1854, leaving three children. Of these two are yet 
living — Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob McClosky, 
and Robert of our sketch. After the death of his 
first wife Thomas Penman was married to Miss Cor- 
delia "Williams, and they became the parents of 
three children — Mary Ann, Perry and Julia. 

After the death of his mother our subject re- 
mained an inmate of his father's house and received 
a conimon-schocjl education. He resided in his na- 
tive county until twenty-five years old, and then, in 
1873, came to this county and located on a tract of 
land consisting of 1G2 acres, which he had pur- 
chased in 186'.). It was then an uncultivated prai- 
rie, but is now ainong the finest land in this town- 
ship, improved with a good set of farm buildings 
and devoted chicfiy to the raising of stock and 



grain. Everything about the premises indicates 
the industry and enterprise of the proprietor. 

The marriage of Robert Penman and Miss Emma 
J. Waite took pl.ace on the 29th of January, 1880, 
at the home of the bride's parents in Kendall Coun- 
ty, this State. Mrs. P. is the daughter of Abraham 
and Caroline (Austin) Waite, who are still living 
and residents of Yorkville, 111. Mrs. P. was born 
near that town, Jan. 29, 1854, and was married be- 
neath the same roof where her birth took place. 
Our subject and his wife have one child only, a 
son, Thomas Abraham. They are sincere believers 
in the Christian religion, and Mrs. Penman is con- 
nected with the Baptist Church. Mr. Penman is 
Democratic in politics and is now serving his fourth 
term as Assessor; he is also Road Commissioner. 
He h.as been School Director for a period of seven 
years, and enjoys in a marked degree the esteem 
and confidence of his fellow-citizens. 

Among the galaxy of portraits of Champaign 
County none are more worthy of a place than that 
of Robert Penman, and we are pleased to present it 
in this connection, together with that of his estima- 
ble wife. 



RANK L. VAN VLECK, of the firm of V.an 
leek (fe Bro., is an extensive dealer in 




grain and farm implements at Philo, and in 
1887 became an active partner with his brother, 
C. II. Van Meek, a sketch of whom appears else- 
where in this Ai.i5i-.M. Since that time they have 
operated together successfully-, shipping annuallj' 
from 200,000 to 30.0,000 bushels of grain, and ex- 
tending their operations to all important points 
East and West. Mr. ^'an V., besides his profitable 
business in the village of Philo, owns a good farm, 
a part of which is in the limits. 

Our suliject is a native of Brownsville, Monroe 
Co., N. v., and was born June 15, 1835. He re- 
ceived a fair education in the public schools, and 
after reaching manhood was employed for some 
time in the American Hotel at Jersey City, as 
clerk, where he gained a good insight into business 
methods. He came West while unmarried, and 
located in Joliet, wiierc he became connected with 
the Rock Island lijiilway Company .as locomotive 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



fireman. From there he went to the Michigan 
Central and was emplo3"ed as an engineer for five 
years. After the close of the late war he ran a train 
on the Memphis ct Louisville Railroad for about 
six years. In 1870 he took up liis residence at 
Philo, and in company with .1. II. Moore, wliom he 
succeeded in the hardware business, operated until 
1872. He then sold out to Mr. Ennis, and re- 
turned to the Michigan Central Railroad, running a 
train from Joliet to Lake, Ind., for about five years, 
then, much to the regret of the company whose 
trusted employe he had been so long, he returned 
to Rhilo and engaged with his brother in their pres- 
ent business. 

Our subject was married, .Tan. 29, 18C9, at 
Bloom, Cook Co., 111., to Miss Sarah J. McCoj', 
who was born and reared in that county, and is the 
daughter of .John and fSabra McC<)3\ The former 
died when Mrs. Van V. was about twelve years old, 
in 1854, having been a victim of cholera. Mrs. Mc- 
Coy survived her husband for a period of twenty- 
eight j'cars, and departed this life in 1882, aged 
eighty-four. The parental family consisted of 
twelve children, of whom the wife of our subject 
was the eleventh. Of the seven sons and five daugh- 
ters, two of the former were killed in California, 
one by .accident and one murdered for his money. 
Mrs. Van ^'. was reared and educated in Aurora, 111., 
and remained witii her parents until her marriage. 
She became the mother of three children, one of 
whom, Charles M., is deceased. Belle and Bertie 
are at home with their parents. 

Our subject and his wife are members of the 
Metiiodist Episcoj):!! Church at Philo, and politi- 
cally Mr. Van V. is an uncouiproinisiug Democrat. 
He has iield the various odices of liis township and 
village, and was a member of the Board of Super- 
visors in 187(!. 



KNRY T. SADORUS. The 400-acre farm 
occupying the greater part of section 7, in 
Pesotum Townshi]), has been built up 
mainly bj^ liieenergy and industry of the 
gentleman whose name stands at tiie liead of this 
sketch, and who has arrived at the .age of sixty-four 




r 



jears. His life has been one full of interesting ex- 
periences and his make-up that whicli has gathered 
knowledge from what he has observed in life and in- 
struction from its various ph.ases. 

Our subject is a native of Rush Count3^ Ind., 
where he was born in 1823, and was tlie seventh 
child of Henry and Mary (Titus) Sadorus, natives 
of Pennsylvania. In 1849, when twenty-six years 
of age, he started out from his home on a long 
journey to the Pacific Coast, going overland with 
mule-teams, one of his companions being Richard 
Oglesby, now Governor of Illinois, and about his 
own age. After arriving in the Golden State they 
entered the mines at Downieville, where Mr. Sado- 
rus was very profitably employed for twelve 
months, and accumulated a goodly package of the 
yeUow ore. 

At the expiration of this time our subject re- 
turned to his old home in Illinois, where he re- 
mained just long enough to gatlier together a large 
herd of cattle, with which he started in the spring 
of 1854, and drove through to Butte County, Cal., 
the trip consuming a period of four months. He 
sold his anim.ils at an immense profit, and then took 
up the business of butchering and stock dealing, 
which he followed for two or three years, and tiieu, 
on account of the scarcity of cattle, proceeded to 
New Orleans and, accompanied b}' fifteen men, made 
a trip into Texas to replenish his herd. In the 
central part of the Lone Star State he purchased 
649 head of cattle, which he started to drive 
through to California, .as on the first trip. On his 
w.ay up the Arkansas River tiie Indians stampeded 
the drove one night and succeeded in getting away 
with 249 head, involving a loss of more than ^17,- 
000 to Mr. Sadoi'us. tiie cattle being worth about 
$70 per head in California. The remainder of the 
herd was safely landed in Butte County, where our 
subject remained four years following, butcliering 
as before, and gathering in a handsome little for- 
tune. 

From California Mr. Sadorus came eastward as 
far as Humboldt County, Nev., where he contiiuied 
butchering .ind also cng.aged in mining until 1803. 
Ho tlion wandered through the mining districts 
generally from Idalio to Montana. s]>ending two 
years in prospecting antl digging. Then he and 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



341 



four companions concluded to return to the States. 
Tlie}' drifted down tlie Missouri River to St. Josepli, 
where the3' toolv passage for Illinois by rail. Mr. S. 
was alreadj' the owner of a quarter section of land 
in Sadorus Township, and upon this he now settled 
and began the more quiet pursuit of farm life in 
the Prairie State. He added to his first purchase 
and in due time built up the splendid homestead 
which is now the admiration of both the surround- 
ing community and the passer-bj-. 

The lady who for the last twenty years pre- 
sided over the household affairs of our subject, and 
who was the honored mother of his children, was 
formerl}' Miss Sarah Fields, a native of this State, 
but reared in Fountain County, Ind. Of this mar- 
riage there were born five children, of whom the 
eldest, a son, .John, died in early childhood. The 
surviving are living at home, and bear the names 
respectively of Jessie M., Melissa, Aldula and Jor- 
dan. The faithful an<l affectionate wife and mother 
departed this life on the ISthof June, 1885, and the 
daughters have since been the household compan- 
ions of their father. 

Mr. Sadorus devotes much of his time to the 
breeding of fine cattle, his favorites being the Short- 
horns, and he feeds all the grain he raises. He has 
been too much absorbed in his farm interests and the 
welfare of his family to give much time to politics, 
but dutifully casts his vote with the Democrats. 
As may be supposed he entertains very little regard 
for the American Indian, and relates many instances 
illustrating the barbarity of the untrained sav- 
age. In 18.5C, during the trip down the Humboldt 
in company with James Bryden, of Monticello, 
they came to the home of the Holliday fainil}', who 
had been engaged in farming and grazing. This 
family had been warned of the i)roximity of the 
enemy, but resolved to fight for their home and its 
surroundings. AVhen Mr. Sadorus and his parly ar- 
rived at the place they found a newly made grave 
to mark the place where the house had stood, and 
beneath the sod were laid the bodies of six of the 
family by a party of men who were then engaged in 
a running fight with the Indians, who had exhumed 
the bodies after their first burial to secure their 
clothing. Mrs. Holliday alone escaped the general 
massacre, but was left for dead, having been shot 
^» 



seven times and then scalped. She was picked up 
by the first party, who had buried the others, and 
taken to Dogtown, a small supply station, where she 
eventually recovered. The party which followed 
the Indians captured their entire camp and put the 
savages to death. Among the trophies secured was 
the scalp of Mrs. Holliday, vvhich they returned to 
her in due time. This was but one of the nian^' 
acts of cruelty bj' the Indians of which Mr. .S. was 
a witness duriniihis life in the West. 



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••®fSK53iS»<-'Wv^ 



JATRICK FLYNN, a fair representative of 
) the farming comnuinity of Philo Town- 
ship, is the proprietor of 200 acres lying 
on sections 20 and 28, the residence being 
on the former. The farm is s^'Stematically ar- 
ranged, with all necessary conveniences for the 
raising of grain and stock, and with substantial 
and commodious buildings. It came into the pos- 
session of our subject by degrees, he having first 
purchased forty acres in 1862, to which he subse- 
quentlj' added as his means accumulated. For a 
period of twenty-five 3'ears or over, he has been 
industriously engaged in its improvement and cul- 
tivation, and ma}' look upon the result with p.ar- 
donable pride. Most of it was uncultivated prairie 
at the beginning, which he has now converted into 
a farm which will bear comparison with any in the 
county. 

Mr. Fl3'nn was born in Ireland in 1834, and 
when about twenty years olil set out alone for the 
United States, landing in New York City in April, 
1854. Thence he soon afterward proceeded to 
Chicago, and then to La Salle and Springfield, en- 
gaging in the latter place with the Wabash Rail- 
road Company, whose road was then known as the 
Great Western. He remained with this company 
for manj' years, and eujo3ed in a marked degree 
the confidence and esteem of his employers. He 
worked with them faithfully, the only time lost be- 
ing when he was laid up with a crippled foot, a 
part of which he lost b}' being run over on the 19th 
of September, 185(1. 

Mr. Flynn was marrie<l, in I'hilo Township, J ul}- 






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342 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



3, 1859, to Miss Mary Ryan, who, like her hus- 
band, was born in Tipperary County, Ireland, and 
when fourteen years of age, came, unaccompanied 
by any member of her family, to the United States. 
Her mother died in Ireland in about 1.S74; the fa- 
ther is yet living in his native Erin. Mr. and Mrs. 
Flynn became the parents of ten children, five now 
deceased. Those surviving are, Margaret; .John, 
who m.Trried Miss Eliza Johnson; Mary J.; Ho- 
nora, who married George O'Buru, and Thomas. 
Our suljject and his wife are loyal adherents of the 
Catholic faith of their fathers, and politicall3' Mr. 
Flynn is a stanch Democrat. 



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GEORGE A. FISHER, a prominent 3^oung 
farmer of Condit Township, is pleasantly 
located on section 6, where he makes a 
specialty of the breeding of fine stock. He keeps 
about seventy-five head of cattle, among them 
twelve thoroughbreds and the balance high grades. 
His homestead is neatly arranged, the buildings 
kept in good repair, and on every hand is indi- 
cated the industry and enterprise of the proprietor. 
Mr. Fisher is a native of this county, born in Ma- 
homet Township, Aug. 24, 1858. His father, 
Robert Fisher, was born in Madison County, Ohio, 
Aug. 22, 1829, and was the son of James W. Fisher, 
a native of Ohio, whence he removed to the Prairie 
State in the year 1848, and located in this county 
in the days of its first settlement. (See sketch of 
William C. Fisher elsewhere in this work.) 

Robert Fisher, the father of our subject, remained 
a resident of his native county until 1 848, and 
then came to Illinois with his parents. They at 
once located in Mahomet Township, where Rob- 
ert was married, and remained on the homestead 
until the death of his father, which took place one 
year afterward. In 1860 he removed to New- 
comb Township, and located on section 21. Be- 
fore the death of his father the two had purchased 
the whole of section 6, in Condit Township, with 
the exception of forty acres of timber, and had 
entered a quarter section from the Government on 
section 1 of Mahomet Township; he also liought 



i 



a quarter section of another party. There had 
been but few improvements made previous to his 
removal here in 1800. Rantonl, ten miles distant, 
was the nearest railroad station at the time Mr. 
Fisher was one of the prime movers in the build- 
ing of the Narrow Gauge Railroad from Le Roj', 
111., to Lebanon. Ind., and had the stotion located 
on his land, on section 30 of Brown Township, the 
village being named in his lioiioi-. He continued 
on his homestead on section 21, of Newcomb 
Township, until the spring of 1884, then removed 
to Hubbell, Thayer Co., Neb., where he and his 
sons together purchased large tracts of land, which 
thej' are now improving and also engaged in gen- 
eral merchandising. 

The maiden name of the mother of our su])ject 
was Sarah A. Ham. She was born in Virginia, and 
was the daughter of Bartholomew Ham, of whom 
a sketch appears elsewhere in this Ai.r.iM. By her 
marriage with Robert Fisher, she became the 
mother of seven children, whose home training she 
carefully' looked after, and to whom she set an ex- 
ample of patience and goodness well worthy of 
their imitation. 

The suljject of this history was the third child 
born to his parents, and spent his earl^' years after 
the manner of most farmers' boys, assisting in the 
lighter labors of the farm, and attending the dis- 
trict school. After reaching manhood he was mar- 
ried, and settled in Fisher Village, having deter- 
mined to try some other occupation than farming 
for a time at least. He accordingly engaged in 
the mercantile business and manufacture of brick 
and tile, and after three j'cars' e.\perience was sat- 
isfied to return to the farm, where he has since re- 
mained. He has been successful in his agricultural 
operati(jns, which have been chiefly devoted to 
stock-raising, and exhibits some of the finest speci- 
mens of thoroughbred animals to be found in this 
section. ' 

The wife of our subject, before her marriage, 
was lMi.ss Ellic IMcClelland, a native of Franklin 
Township, Licking Co., Ohio, and the daughter of 
Joshua R. McClelland, of Pennsylvania, of whom 
a sketch will be found on another page in this 
work. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have become the par- 
ents of two bright children, who are the light of 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



343 



the household, :iiiil wlioni they iiaincd Loicn \'. 
and Kt)l)t'rt Funi'st. Mr. FLslier lakes an intelli- 
gent interest in eiirrent events and unifornilj casts 
his vote with the Republican |)arty. 



4 



¥~ ALTER REESE, of Heusley Township, is a 
native of Washington Couuty, Ohio, and 
the son of George Reese, of Hazel Valley, 
Pa. His grandfather, JStephen Reese, a native of 
Wales, came to America with his parents when a 
small child. The family located in Pennsylvania, 
where the great-grandparents of our subject spent 
the last j'ears of their life. Their sou, Stephen, 
was reared, married and lived in his native State 
until about 181S, when he removed to Ohio and 
located in Washington County, where he died six 
years later during the cholera epidemic of 1822. 

George Reese, the father of our subject, grew to 
inanliood in his native State, where he learned the 
trade of a carpenter but afterward followed his 
father to Ohio. His first work in Ohio was to 
assist in the building of a keel-boat. After this 
he removed to W.ashington County, and purchased 
a farm near Newport. This he cultivated with the 
aid of hired help while also carrj'ing on his carpen- 
ter business, in which he became quite famous, and 
was finally engaged solely as a contractor. He died 
in Washington Couuty, Ohio, in al)out 1870. The 
m«)ther of our subject, who before her marriage was 
Miss Margaret Kerr, was born in Westmoreland 
County, Pa., Aug. 22, 1800, and lived there until 
eighteen years of age. She then went to Ohio 
with the famil3' of her father, Charles Kerr. The 
latter was a native of Pennsylvania and of German 
parentage and descent. Mrs. Margaret Reese de- 
parted this life on the old homestead in Ohio in 
about 1885, after having been the faithful and 
affectionate companion of her liusband for a period 
of over fifty years. 

The parental household included ten cliildrcii, (jf 
whom the subject of this sketch was the eldest. He 
was reared on his father's farm, and when seventeen 
years of age became emi)lo}'ed in a nursery at 
Newport. After seven or eight years thus occupied 
-^« , — 



he removed to Lawrence County, Ohio, where he 

rented a farm and lived until 18.tG. He then came 
to Illinois, worked out one season, and then took 
a piece of laud for another party. In 1861 he lo- 
cated on the place which he now owns and occu- 
pies. It was wild land when he took possession, 
but he has brought it to a good state of cultivation, 
erected a shapelj' and convenient set of frame 
buildings, jJlanted fruit and shade trees, and marked 
off the different fields with hedge fences. It now 
bears fair comparison with the thrifty homesteads 
for which this section is noted. 

The marriage of Walter Reese and Miss Julia 
Gorrell took place in July, 1847. Mrs. R. is a na- 
tive of T3-ler County, W. Va., and the daughter of 
Levi and Charitj' (Shinn) Gorrell. Of this union 
there were born seven children ; Joseph B. was the 
Assessor of Heusley Township four years; Eliza be- 
came the wife of William Chambers, now deceased, 
and lives in Danville, Iowa; Dora, Condors C, 
Grant and Anna, are at home; Trella R. married 
James R. Shivvers, and lives in Winfield, Kan. Mr. 
and Mrs. Reese are members in good standing of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically he 
is a straight Republican. 

"JY/ACOB II. JUDY, a prosperous farmer of 
Newcomb Township, first opened his eyes to 
the light in Greene County, Ohio, Sept. 8, 
1821. He is the son of John and Christina 
(Ilittle) Judy, the former a native of Virginia, the 
latter of Ohio, and both of German ancestry. They 
located in Greene County, Ohio, soon after their 
marriage, whence they emigrated in the fall of 
1825, to Sangamon County, 111., being among the 
pioneer settlers of that region. They made tlie 
journey in wagons, driving their cattle before them. 
After settling the family and gathering the provis- 
ions for the winter, the elder Judy, in cimipany with 
(ieorge and Jonas Ilittle, started North on an ex- 
ploring expedition, going first to Pekin, and then 
to Peoria. The former ])lace at that time was a 
haudet of three cabins, and I'eoria, known as Kt. 
Clark, was then composed of twelve cabins. The 



« 



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344 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



f 



t 



father of our subject had brought with him ¥->00 in 
gold. 

The two men made a claim in Ilittle Township, 
and then returned to Sangamon County for their 
teams and provisions, leaving their families until 
the next trip. Returning to Ilittle Township they 
put up three cabins, and in February, 182G, moved 
their families into their new quarters. Here Mr. 
Judy established a comfortable home, which he oc- 
cupied with his family until the death of himself 
and his excellent wife. The mother died in 1845, 
and the father in 18G1. The household circle 
included eight children, four sons and four daugh- 
ters. 

The subject of this histor}' was the eldest son and 
second child of his parents, and was a little over 
four years of age when they brought him to Illi- 
nois. He remained under the parental roof until 
twenty-one years old, and then served an appren- 
ticeship at the carpenter's trade which, however, he 
practically abandoned to take up the more congenial 
occupation of farming. For the greater part of 
fifty-six 3-ears following he made his home in 
Tazewell County, this State, with the exception of 
four years spent in Atlanta, 111., on account of the 
illness of his wife, and during which time he fol- 
lowed his trade. He sold iiis farm in Tazewell 
County and came to Champaign County in the 
spring of 1881, locating in Newcomb Township, on 
section 11. Here he has one of the finest farms in 
the entire county. It comprises 240 acres of choice 
land, with a beautiful dwelling, a good barn and 
all other necessary farm buildings. He also owns 
eighty acres in Brown Township. The residence 
grounds are laid out with great taste, and much 
care has been exercised in the general appearance of 
the homestead, which evinces on all sides the cul- 
tivated tastes and prosperity of its proprietor. 

The marriage of Jacob H. Judy and Miss Lu- 
cinda Clarno was celebrated ou the lOth of May, 
1'845, in Tazewell County. This lady was the 
daughter of William and Sarali (Whitman) Clarno, 
and was born in Ohio, whence she removed with her 
parents when a young child to Tazewell County, 
111. Of her marriage willi our subject tiiere were 
born four ciiildren, of whom the record is as fol- 
Jo^vs: Thaddous died when four yea*-s old ; John 



died in Tazewell County, of consumption, aged 
thirty-two years; George married Miss Edith Alls- 
bro<»k, and is a merchant in Arniington,' 111. ; Hester 
became the wife of Jolui Steller, and resides in 
Tazewell County. Mrs. Lucinda Judj' departed 
this life at Atlanta. 111., in about 1853. 

The second wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married in Tazewell County, Nov. 11, 1850, was 
Miss Alice Blaii-, who was born near Detroit, Mich., 
of New England parentage. She is the daughter of 
John and F^lizabeth (Clark) Blair, and a cousin of 
ex-Senator Blair of Michigan. Of tliis marri.age 
there have been born six children, who are recorded 
Jis follows: Lillie died when four years old; Lot 
married Miss Addie Phillips, and is a dealer in 
horses at Dorchester, Neb.; Edward marrieil Miss 
Libby Nesbit, and is a resident of Newcomb 
Township; Loren is a practicing physician; Emma 
is attending the State Normal Universit}' at Nor- 
mal, 111.; Olive died 3'ouug. Mr. and Mrs. Judy 
are members of the Christian Church, and our sub- 
ject politically is a firm Republican. 



-^7 ,T, '^ 



=^EORGE F. GEI(4ER, a substantial represent- 
ive of the hardware trade of Mahomet, 
lame to this locality in the spring of 1 870. 
During the earl3' part of his life he was engaged in 
farming, frt)m which he retired in 1882 to esUvblish 
himself in his present business. He is a native of 
German}-, and was born April 23, 1834. His par- 
ents were George J. and Catherine Geiger, natives 
of the same countr3% where they passed their entire 
lives, and where their remains were laid to rest. 

Our subject was the second of a famil}' of four 
children. He received a High School education in 
his native town, where he remained until he was 
twenty-two j'ears of age. He then came b}' him- 
self to the United States, and after reaching the 
shores of the New World proceeded directly to Illi- 
nois, locating in Sangamon County, and engaging 
as a farm lab(jrer. Three years later he rented a tract 
of land wliicli he cultivated on his own .account. 
He remained four years in .Sangamon County, 
whence he removed to Logan County, and after 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



345 



farming there two years on rented land, purchased 
eighty acres which he cultivated and occuiiicd for 
four years. He then sold out, and in 1870 pur- 
chased a farm in JIahomet Township, this couutj", 
which he conducted for a period of twelve years. 
At the expiration of this time he placed it in the 
hands of a responsible tenant and established iiim- 
self in the hardware trade at Mahomet, of which he 
has since been a resident. He is considered by all 
as a stanch and reliable citizen, and one contrib- 
uting his share toward the business interests of the 
communit}'. 

Mr. Geiger was married in Marion Count\% 111., 
in December, 1859, to Miss Mary Simmons, who 
was born in Missouri in 183G. Of this union there 
are two children — Katie M., the wife of Irving Ris- 
ing, of [Mahomet, and Uosa A., at home with her 
parents. Mr. G. for six years was Supervisor of 
Mahomet Township and for several years served as 
Road Commissioner. Politically he is Republican, 
socially, an Odd Fellow, and religiously, a member 
of the Reform Church. His wife is a member in 
good standing of the Baptist Church. 



4 



P^ FRANCIS M. WATTS, who is pursuing the 
\ even tenor of his wa\' as the leading mer- 
chant of the village of Ivesdale, in Sadorus 

Township, established in business there in the spring 
of 1881, and has built uj) a good trade in general 
merchandise, having among his patrons the best 
people of his community. He first appeared upon 
the stage of action in Perry County, Ohio, Nov. 13, 
1844, and was the second in a familj' of seven chil- 
dren born to Charles and Elizabeth (Tracy) Watts, 
the father a native of Ohio, and the mother of 
Maryland. Thej- followed fanning in a modest 
manner in the Buckeye State, and Francis M. re- 
mained a member of the parental household until 
the outbreak of the late Rebellion. 

When a little over nineteen years of age our sub- 
ject enlisted, Feb. 18, 18G4, as a soldier of the I'n- 
ion Army, becoming a member of Co. G, 7Gth Ohio 
Vol. Inf., which was assigned to the 1st brigade in 
the 1st divisi(m of the loth Army Corps, under 
command of Capt. Stewart, and proceeded to the 
4» 



South, where the troops entered upon the contin- 
uous struggle which succeeded from that time un- 
til the fall of Atlanta. Young Watts, with his com- 
rades, jt)ined in the march with Sherman to Savan- 
nah, where he remained during the winter on 
provost dut3'. In the spring his regiment moved 
out and followed the line of Sherman's march to 
Columbia, S. C, where our subject served in a sim- 
ilar capacity during the siege of that citj'. From 
there thev proceeded to Bentonville and engaged 
in the last fight of the Union troops with Gen. Joe 
Johns*)!!, during which he surrendered, and upon 
which closely followed the final capitulatioi! of the 
rebels generally. Mr. Watts, with his coinma!id, 
pi'oceeded to Washington and participated in the 
gr.and review, after which his regiment was trans- 
ferred b3' rail to Louisville, Ky., where they re- 
mained until the 12th of July, 1865, when they 
received their honorable discharge and were mus- 
tered out. 

Our subject duri!!g his seventeen m(i!iths of 
arn!y life came out without receiving a scratch, a!id 
returning to his home in the Buckej'e State, I'e- 
maiued there until the fall of 1868. He then came 
to this State, locating first in Piatt County, where 
he followed farming on rented land until 1874; 
afterward he pi!rchased eight}' acres, and soon by 
a series of circumstances was induced to change his 
location and occupation. Coming to Ivesdale, this 
count}', he learned telegraphy, and was agent on the 
Wabash road for a period of eight years. From 
that jjosition he drifted into mercantile business, 
which he followed in Ivesdale two yeai's, and then 
selling out, went to Kansas, with the design of lo- 
cating there and following the same vocation. 
Failing to find anytl!i!ig desirable he returned as 
far east as Indiai!a, and engaged in the grocery 
ti'ade at Kokomo. A j'ear later he sold out there 
ai!d ieturi!ed to Ivesdale, whei'c he has si!ice re- 
mained. He carries a stock of groceries and the 
lighter articles required about the farm and house- 
hold, a!!d b}' his cori'ect business methods has built 
u|) a fioi!rishing trade. Most of his time has been 
spei!t strictly atte!!di!!g to his own affairs, as he fii!ds 
this the easiest i!ieU!od of getting on. Although 
I'easonably a!ixioi!S that the Republican party 
should have the managen!ei!t of National affairs. 



*=•■ 



4 



u 



hk 346 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



■••-i^ 



and those of importance nearer home, he takes no 
further part in it- deliberation than to cast his vote 
at the general election. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was married 
Jan. 28, 187C, was formerly Miss Angeline B., eld- 
est child of Robert and Catherine Redmond, na- 
tives of Ohio. Mrs. Watts was born near Indian- 
apolis, Ind., in 1855, and there spent the greater 
part of her childhood and j'outh. Of her union with 
our subject there were born two sons — Charles B. 
and Francis Joseph. The former died during their 
trip to the West. Mr. and Mrs. Watts are members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Chnrch, and enjoy the 
association of a large circle of friends. 







B. FEEMAN. The snug homestead of this 
gentleman lies on section 21, in Brown 
Townshii), on the road leading to the city 
of Mahomet and to Center School-House. He 
has followed out the theory of Horace Greeley in 
possessing himself of a medium-sized farm well 
cultivated. Each acre is made available either for 
grain or pasturage, and all are neatly enclosed 
with good fences. The farm buildings, unpre- 
tentious in style, perhaps, are suited to all the 
recjuircments of the small famil3' of our subject, 
where they live peaceable and contented lives in 
the midst of comfort, and respected by their 
friends and neighbors. 

The parents of our subject, Benjamin L. and 
Frances (Leitnacker) Feemaii, were natives of Fair- 
field County, Ohio, where they established a home 
after their marriage and where they still reside. 
They had a family of four sons and four daughters, 
of whom Henry B. of our sketch was the third 
child. He also was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, 
Aug. 8, 1845, and remained with his parents on 
the farm, receiving a common-school education 
and learning to plow and sow until the outbreak of 
the late Civil War. Then, although but sixteen 
years of .age, he resolved to enter the Union ranks, 
and enlisted in Co. M, 12th Ohio Vol. Cav., serv- 
ing two years and three months. With his com- 
rades he encountered the enemy at Mt. Sterling, 
Ky., where he was captured by the rebels, but after 



a few hours made his escape by eluding the guards 
and taking " leg bail." He rejoined his regiment 
at Mt. Sterling, with which he remained until the 
expiration of his term of service. 

Returning to his old home in Fairfield, Ohio, our 
subject worked for his father two j'ears, and in 
1867 came to Shelby ville, this State, and for the 
year following engaged in farming on rented land. 
He then returned to Fairfield County, Ohin, and 
purchasing a threshing-machine occupied himself 
with this until in the spring of 1872, when he again 
came to Illinois and rented a farm in Champaign 
Township, this county, two years. At the expira- 
tion of this time he rented the Ball farm in Brown 
Township, which he operated for a year, and in 
the meantime purchased the land which he now 
owns and occupies. This he took possession of in 
the spring of 1874. He has expended about $()00 
in tile, and each ye.ar adds some new improvement 
enhancing the value of his property. 

The marriage of Mr. Feeman took place in his 
native county in the Buckeye State, Jan. 16, 1872, 
when Miss Maggie II., daughter of David and Pris- 
cilla (Wells) Ewing, became his wife. The parents 
of Mrs. F. were natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania 
respectively, and after their marriage located in 
Fairfield, Ohio, where they reared two children, the 
wife of our subject being the second. Mrs. Fee- 
man is a native of the same county as her husband, 
born June 13, 1848, and like him was reared in the 
Buclieye State. She was given the advantages of 
its free schools in early life, is a worthy and intelli- 
gent lady, and belongs to the Protestant Methodist 
Church. Their two children — Harlan L. and Henry 
E. — are still at home with their parents. Mr. Fee- 
nan votes with the Republican party, and socially 
belongs to Van Wert Post No. 300, G. A. R., in 
Fisher. 



\T] AMF;S H. LOTT, who is engaged in morclian. 
dising in Mahomet, has been a resident of 
the Prairie State since a child four years 
of age. He is a native of Steuben County, 
N. y. . and was Ixirn June li), 1842. He received 
a limited education, and his mother died when lie 
was twelve years old, and school privileges at that 



1 / 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



■•►- 

349 



time were few and far between, tfis parents were 
Henry and Elizabeth (Arnwinc) J^ott. tiic father a 
native of New Jersey and the uiotiicr uf reniis^'l- 
vaiiia. After living in Steuben Count}', N. V., a 
few years they came to Illinois, locating in Kanka- 
kee County, where the mother died in 1854. Henry 
Lott afterward made his home with his children, 
his death occurring in 188.") at the residence of his 
son, in Mahomet. 

The ten children uf the [)arental household con- 
sisted of seven sons and three daughters, of whom 
our subject was the eighth child. He commenced 
the duties of life at an early age, and engaged in 
farm work until after the outbreak of the late wai'. 
He then enlisted in Co. A, 28th Iowa Vol. Inf., 
and served three years and eight days, suffering 
bravely with his comrades the hardships and difli- 
culties of camp life and the march until August, 
1805, after the close of the war, when he received 
his honorable discharge and was mustered out at 
Savannah, Ga. He participated in the siege and 
capture of Mcksburg, and was present at many 
liard fought battles, including those of Winchester 
and Cedar Creek, besides various minor engage- 
ments and skirmishes, from all of which he escaped 
injury. 

After his retirement from arm^- life Mr. Lott 
until 1872 carried on farming in Newconib Town- 
ship, whence he removed that year to Mahomet, 
and in January, 187;5, established himself in the 
dry-goods trade, which he has conducted since 
that time. Two years later his stock and store 
were destroyed by fire, which involved nearly all 
his earthly possessions. In April of the following 
year, however, he started again upon a small capi- 
tal, and since that time has met with success, en- 
joying a good trade, and being able to put up a 
convenient and commodious store building. 

The marriage of James II. Lott and Miss Saraii 
J. llinton took place in Newcomb Township on the 
21th of June, hSCD. Mrs. L. is the daughter of 
I'leanion and Nancy (Anderson) llinton, residents 
of Newci)mb Township, where the father died in 
about 1883. Mrs. II. is still living, and a resident 
of Newcomb Township. Mrs. Lott was born in 
Clinton Count}-, Ind., May 2.j, 18')1, and l)y her 
marriage with our subject became the mother of 



Ave children, only three of whom .are living — Min- 
nie O., Maud A., :iMd l.illic L. Nancie and Ltira 
A. are deceased. 

Mr. Lott is a gentleman highly esteemed in the 
community, being genial, courteous and liosi)ital)!c, 
and giving evidence of his birth and breeding as a 
gentleman in the highest sense of the word. He 
has served his township as School Director and 
member of the N'illage Hoard. He is connected 
witii the Blue Lodge, in Mahomet, and Champaign 
Chapter, Champaign. Politically he is independent, 
aiming to vote for the men best rinalified for t)IIice. 
Mrs. JyOtt is connected with the Methodist Ki)isco- 
pal Ciiurcli. 



#>#- 



UANK OFFENSTEIN owns a good farm 
■ which is especially adapted to corn-raising, 
and which lies on .section 211, in .Sadorus 
Township. His buildings, although by no means 
pretentious, are comfortable, and aiiswei- fully the 
modest requirements of the proprietor, wlio knows 
how every penny of his pro|)eity was accumulated, 
and who has learned to take good care of the results 
of his industry and i)erseverance. The early liome 
of our subject was on the other side of the Atlantic, 
in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, vvhcie he was born 
.Ian. 18, 1842, and spent twelve years of his earliest 
childhood in the valley of the Rhine. His parents 
were riiilip and Margaret E. (Rodra.aker) OITen- 
stein, also natives of the Fatherland. The former 
was a brickmaker by trade. 

In 18.")4 I'liilip Otfenstein, not .satisfied with his 
condition and prospects in his native country, re- 
solved to emigrate to the llnited States. Setting 
s.iil ficini Havre, France, after a tedious voyage of 
six weeks, they arrived on American slxires in the 
month of November. The two eldest (laught<,'rs, 
not wishing to come at that tinu', lemaiued with 
their relatives on the other side, but afterward 
joined the faniih- here. After following the river 
up to Illinois, the father of our subject engaged in 
brii'kui.aking in St. Cl.air Comity, where the family 
took up their first lesiik'nce, and where they re- 
mained until IsCiS. Phe father then, in eom[)any 



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350 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



with his son, our sul)jec-t, came into Champaign 
County, where Franli Offeustein i)iirchasecl 1 GO acres 
of slightly inipioveil land in Sadorus Township, on 
section 2'J. Soon afterward they were joined by 
the balance of the family, and here our subject has 
lived since that time, his father and mother remain- 
ing with him until they were called hence. 

In the spring of 1«(;7, the marriage of Frank 
(Jffenstcin and Miss Katrina Kuutz was celebrated 
at the home of the bride's parents in Belleville, 111. 
Mrs. O. is the daughter of Adam and Katrina (Lam- 
bertas) Kuntz, who were natives of Germany, but 
their daughter was born in St. Clair Count}', 111. 
The result of this union is ten children, who were 
named respectively as follows: Rudolph, aiillie M. 
and Philip (deceased), Frank William, John Fred- 
erick, Anna Catharine, Ida Mary, Eliza Margarettc, 
Theodore Henry and Emma F^redericka. The sur- 
viving eight are all at home with their parents, the 
eldest being about nineteen years of age. 

j\Ir. Offeustein devotes the greater part of his 
time to the production of corn, for which his farm 
seems best fitted. Since becoming a naturalized 
citizen he has voted with the Republican party, but 
further than this takes no active part in politics. 
He has served his township as School Director, and 
with his estimable wife is a member in good stand- 
ing of tlie Lutheran Church. A lithograi)liic view 
of Mr. Uffenstein's residence is shown on another 
page of this work. 

^MOS lUJUUNE, of Tolono Townsliip, lias 
been a resident of this count}' since the 
si)ring of 1805. He first opened his eyes 
to the light in Franklin County, Ind., cm 
the '.Ith of .January, 1840. His father, Nathan 
Bourne, a native of B;irnstable County, Mass., was 
born May 10, 1794, and during his early manho<^>d 
followed the trade of a carpenter. After reaching 
his niajoritj' he started for the West. His route led 
him through the State of Pennsylvania, where he 
made the acquaintance of Miss Sarah Ross, which 
friendship ripened into .'1 dee])er feeling, and they 
were married there. After this event they located 




on a farm in Franklin County, Ind., where they 
passed the remainder of their lives. The death of 
Nathan Bourne occurred July 27, 1803. The 
mother was born May "29, 180G, and survived her 
husband twenty-two years, her death taking place 
on the 19th of Noveml)er, 188'). Their liabits of 
frugality and iiidustiy had been am[ily rewarded, 
and at his death the father of our subject was the 
owner of 200 acres of valuable land, with good im- 
inovements. The five children born to the i)arental 
household were: Emeline, who married Henry 
Shultz, and lives in Missiouri ; Luc}-, the wife of 
George Shultz, a resident of Franklin Countj', Ind.; 
Amos, of our sketch; Nathan, of Fr.inklin County, 
Ind., and Almira, the wife of Patrick Gill, also of 
Franklin County.' 

Amos Bourne was reared on his father's farm and 
received a coramou-school education. After ar- 
riving at years of manhood he was married, Fel). 
21, 1801, to JMiss Maria Shultz, the daughter of 
.lohn and Catherine Shultz. Mrs. B. was born in 
Franklin County, Ind., Sept. 9, 1841. Of this mar- 
riage there were Ijorn nine children. One little 
daughtei' at the age of two years was taken from 
the home circle by death on the 22d of February, 
1872. Those living are Lillian L., the wife of Will- 
iam Hayes, of Connorsville, Iiul.; Ulysses James; 
M;iry R., the wife of William Rose; George S., 
F'lora C., Nathan L., Roena \'iolet and John II. 
The ]_)arents and two children are members in good 
standing of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. R., po- 
litically, is a straight Republican. He has always 
been interested in the moral and intellectual wel- 
fare of his communit}', and has ollici;ited as a nieni- 
ber of the School Board several terms. 

Our subject owned a farm of eighty-one acres in 
iiis native count}', which he tille.d until 18(;4, wlu'n 
he sold out, and the following j'car came to Illinois, 
becoming a resident of Tolono Towushiii on the 3d 
of April, 18G5. He had previously i)urchased 
eighty acres of laud which constitutes a part of his 
present homestead, and to whicli he added until he 
now has a valuable farm of 280 acres under a state 
of good cultivation. In 188G he erected a fine two- 
story dwelling, and has a good barn and all neces- 
sary buildings for the storing of grain and the siiel- 
ter of stock. The homestead in all its appoint- 

1 ■► 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



351 



-* 



ments is one of the most attractive spots in the 
landsc<ape of Tolono Township, aiul is liiuliiy crod- 
iUible to the imliislrv :iiul foiutlioiight of its i)ro- 
prietor. A view uf the place is shown in this con- 
nection. 

* K5«^H^^Vff«^ J. 

iN^ ATTIIKW ,1. HOE, deceased, who w:is well 
I \\\ and faviinilil.v known in I'csdtnm Town- 
j IS ship, was born in liath C'onnl}-, Ky., April 
* !i, 182U. He was second of tiie five chil- 

dren of Stephen and Rebecca (.lohnsun) Hoe, the 
former a carpenter by trade, but who spent much 
of his time in the more congenial ocenpation of 
farming. He owned a line homestead in Bath 
Connty, including 2i)0 acres of land with good im- 
provements, and remained a resident of his native 
State until liis decease. 

Jlatthew Hoe, in 1855, desiring to sec something 
of the world outside of his native State, came north 
into Menard County, 111., where he, purchased fort}' 
acres of land, and was engaged in its cultivation 
until the outbreak of the late war. Then, leaving 
his family in the care of David F. Hopkins on an 
adjoining farm, he entered the Union service, en- 
listing in Co. K, 100th 111. Vol. Inf. He partici- 
pated with liis comrades in many imijortant battles, 
including those of Vicksburg, I'iue Bluff and Little 
Rock, besides various minor engagements. As a 
soldier he performed his duties faithfully, having 
had alread}' some exi)erience in the Mexican War. 
Although encountering many hairbreadth escapes 
he came out without i scratcii, but suffered consid- 
erably in health, in fact this was the linal cause of 
his death, which took place on the 5th of January, 
18K(i. 

The marriage of Matthew J. Roe and Mrs. i^ucy 
(Bailey) Hopkins was celebrated at the home of the 
bride in tlie fall of 1850. Mrs. Roe was the widow 
of J. M. Hopkins, a native of Bath County, Ky., 
and who only lived two years after his marriage. 
Of this union there was born (»ne cliild, David 
Francis, who married Miss Emil}' .1. Propst, and is 
a resident of Douglas County, III. 'I'o Air. and 
Mrs. Roe there were born tw<i children, of whom 
one, Caleb C, died when eight years of age; the 
surviving son, William Walker, born in 1853, was 



married to Miss Rosalie Cooper, on the 10th of 
May, 1882. The first six months they lived with 
his parents, and then moved into I'esotum, where 
they continued three years, and until the fall before 
the death of Mr. Roe, William being engaged in 
the grain business. He is now the chief support 
and adviser of his widowed mother, and possesses 
in a marked degree the enterprise and good judg- 
ment of his fatlier. The young people are the par- 
ents of two children — Alba M. and Klwaync C. 

After retiring from the armj' Mr. Roe i)uri-liased 
eighty acres of land in Pesotuni Townshi|i, this 
count}', and was very successful, being pros|)ered 
from the start. He made good improvements, and 
in due time added to his landed area until he be- 
came the owner of 300 .icrcs. During the latter 
years of his life he gave his attention principally to 
siock-raising. Mr. Hoe, early in life, before the or- 
ganization of tlie Republican party, was an old-line 
Whig. Later he endorsed Repulilir.in princi|)les, 
and supported them by his voice and vote. He 
never connected himself with any church organiza- 
tion. Mrs. Roe, fornierl}' a member of the Chris- 
tian Church, in 1858 withdrew and identilicd herself 
with the United 15rethren. As the widow of a vet- 
eran she draws a pension from the ( ■(_ivernnient. 

'^f/OIIN J. ZKHBK, of Brown Townshi|>, came 
to Champaign County in 18i;.'i, from I>erks 
Count}', Pa., anil settled in what is now 
Fast Bend Townshiii, whente he removed 
to Brown Township in 1800, and has since resided 
there. He has a good farm, embracing IGO acres 
of improved land on section 21, eqnip[)ed witli .all 
neccessary out-buildings for comfortable living and 
for farm purposes. He is in all respects conduct- 
ing himself as an honest man and a good citizen, 
cultivating the soil, raising good crops which oc- 
cupy a creditable pl.-ice on the market, and as he 
has opportunity, contributing his share toward the 
welfare of his community. 

Tlie parents of our subject, .lohn W. and l';ii/.;i- 

beth (Arnold) Zerbe, natives of Pennsylvania, 

after becoming husband and wife settled down to 

housekeeping and farming in Berks County, where 

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352 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



they lived until 1.S77. That year they joined their 
son In lllinui.s and took up their abode in Sidney 
Township, where the father died in 1879; tiie 
mother still survives, ni.ikiiig iier lion)e in Berks 
County, Pa. Of the ehildren l)orn to this worthy 
couple John .1. was the sixth, his birth taking place 
Sept. ;io, l.s:57, in Berks County, Pa. He remained 
a mcml)er of his father's household until twenty- 
six 3'ears of .age, in tlie meantime being employed 
as clerk in a store and .as a teacher in the district 
schools, following the latter for seventeen winters 
in successi<jn. Aside from this the greater part of 
his life has l)een devoted to agricultural pursuits. 
Mr. Zerbe was married, in Newcomb Township, 
this count3', (m the 1st of December, 1870, the 
la<ly of his choice being Miss Maggie Mitchell, 
a native of Harrison County, Ohio. Mrs. Z. is the 
daughter of John and Nancy (Edgar) Mitchell, 
and was born May 1), 1845. The six children of 
this household are named as follows: Minnie M., 
John F., Charles (4., Lillian B., (Jeorgc \V. and 
G rover C. The uanje of the last child satistacto- 
ril.v, indicates the politics of Mr. Zerbe. He has 
been honored with the various offices of his town- 
ship, liaving served as Assessor, Clerk, Justice of 
the Peace and School Trustee. Both our subject 
and his wife arc members in good standing of the 
Protestant Jlethodist Church, and rank among the 
representative people of one of the most thrifty 
communities in the State. 



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ylLLIAM K. CLAlvIv, a prominent and 
highly respected citizen of Ludlow, has 
been successfully engaged as a grain dealer 
since the s|)ring of 1881. lie bears the reputation 
of a high-minded Christian gentleman, honorable 
and u|)riglit in his business transactions, and a val- 
ued member of tlie relined society of his commun- 
ity. Mr. C. comes of an e.xccllent family, :uid was 
born in Harrison County, Ohio, March '.), 1822. 
His father, John Clark, of ^'irginia, emigrated to 
the Buckeye State wlien a young man and was 
among tlie earliest pioneers of H.arrison County. 
He [lurchased a tract of land, which he occupied 



and cultivated for a few years with success, and 
later removed to Coshocton County, afterward be- 
con)ing also a resident of Knox and Champaign 
Counties, in the latter of which he spent the last 
years <jf his life. 

William H. Clark was the youngest of his moth- 
er's children, and during his youth and boyhood 
pursued his early studies in the pioneer schools 
conducted in the primitive log cabin, mostly on the 
subscription plan. He remained a member of the 
parental household until twenty-two years old, then 
settled on a piece of land which his father had 
given him. Five years later he rented his farm 
and removed to Miami County in the western i)art 
of the State where, with a partner, he eng.aged in 
mercantile business at Casstown. A year of this 
sulliced, and he returned to Urbana. where he lived 
seven years and engaged in merchandising. He then 
sold out and purchased a farm near Cable, in Cham- 
paign County, Ohio, where he operated as a grain 
dealer and followed farming. In September, 1868, 
he came to this county and purchased a tract of 
land on section 14, in Ludlow Township. Seven 
years later he removed to the village and com- 
inenccd dealing in coal and flour, to which he after- 
ward added lumber, and has continued thus em- 
ployed until the present time. His grain transac- 
tions began in 1880, and have been conducted suc- 
cessfully since that time. 

Mr. Clark, in 1844, was united in marriage with 
Miss Sophia Baldwin, at the home of the bride's 
parents, in W.ayne Township, Champaign Co., 
Ohio, the wedding taking place on the lltii of 
April. Mrs. Clark vvas born in Logan County, 
L)hio, in the same year as her husband, 1822, in 
the month of December. Thej^ have four children 
living and located as follows: Minnie Iiecame the 
wife of G. W. Payne, a resident of Sullivan, 111.; 
Ida :iiid Alta are twins; the former married John 
Jackson, a resident of Ford County; Alta became 
Mrs. William Hamilton, and settled with her hus- 
band near Wellington, in this State; Nettie mar- 
ried E. A. Ekstrand, a prosperous merchant i)f Lud- 
low. 

Our suliject and wife became members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church early in life, of whicii 
he was Trustee in Ohio, and has tilled the same po- 



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CITAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



353 



^' 1 



sition here. Politically he supports the princiiiles 
of the Repuljlicaii party. lie was one of the first 
subscribers for the Urbana Cit!?.Pii ami Gaxctti', 
""wliieii was established in 1 .S4;5, and has tai<en the 
paper contiuuously since that time. He was School 
Treasurer for a number of years, and has been one 
of the foremost men both in social and business 
circles, always encouraging the marcli <if progress 
and every enterprise tending to the welfare of his 
fellow-citizens. During the late war he, in 181)4, 
enlisted in Co. F, l.'Mth Oliio Militia, and w.ts com- 
missioned Second Lieutenant, serving until Se|)- 
tember. 

JAMES ALEXANDER HOSSACK. This 
representative of a prominent family of this 
county, is pleasantlj- located in Champaign 
Township, where he occupies a fine home- 
stead with his sisters, Mrs. S. H. McLellan, Mar- 
garet M. and Jemima M. IlossacI^. The Ilossack 
family was originality from Scandinavia, but after- 
ward removed to the north const of Scotland, 
where several generations were born and jjassed 
away. The great-grandfather of our subject, 
Saunders Hossack, reraove<l to Gouroek on the 
Clyde, which, however, now knt)ws the family no 
more, its various members since then having scat- 
tered over England, Scotland and America. The 
onlj^ Hossack of this branch of the family in the 
West, is James A., of Champaign, of whom we 
write. He is the only son and second child of the 
late Capt. Alexander and Susan (MacCunn) Ilos- 
s.ack, of Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland, in which 
city he was born in 1845. The other members of 
the family are Susan Campliell, Margaina Milne 
and .lemima MacCunn Hoss.ack. Gf these Susan 
Campbell w\as married to Hugh McLellan, of 
Brookl3'n, N. V., and of that union there is one 
surviving child, Mar^' Clutha. 

Alexander Hossack, the father of our subject, 
was the eldest son of James and Margaret (Milne) 
Hossfick, of (lOurock, who were the parents of four 
daughters and three sons, of whom Alexander was 
the fourth cliihl. Of this large family l)ut one re- 
mains, Rev. John Ilossack, of Handswortii, I5ir- 
mingham, England, lie is an old man of about 



seventy years, and has no family. Dr. James 
Hossack, the thir<l son, was li)St at sea on his way 
to China in about the year 1 .s.").1 ; he was never 
married. The subject of this history is the only 
grandson wiio lieais the paternal name. Capt. 
Alexander, the .sailor, died in 18 18. He had made 
many voyages to the East Indies and China, but 
in the latter years of his life most of his sea jour- 
neyings were to and from America. Upon two of 
these voyages his wife accon)panied him, with their 
eldest child upon the first, and their two eldest 
children up<jn the second. The vessel, the "New 
York Packet," was owne<l inincipall}- by members 
of the family. Tiiis adventurf)us wife and mother 
was the daughter of John MacCunn, of (Jourock, 
who with his brothers, James and William, were 
owners of stock in the first steamer that jjlied the 
waters of the Clyde. The "New York Packet" 
belonged principally to the late John MacCunn, of 
Greenock, son of the above and brother of Mrs. 
Hossack. Ilis shi|>s were to be seen on all waters, 
and when Tennyson became popular as a poet, 
were called .after his heroes or heroines, namely, 
King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Guinevicve. etc. About 
a j'ear previous to the death of Capt. Hossack he 
retired from tlie sea, and went into business as a 
ship plumber, which promised to be profitable, ow- 
ing to his long connection with the ship-owners, 
and no doubt would have been but for iiis early 
death, which occurred in Greenock when he was 
in the thirty-second year of his age. 

I'pon the death of her husband, the mother of 
our subject determin(Hl to devote her life to the 
care of her four children, the eldest of whom w;is 
then five years and a lialf old, while liu' youngest 
was but five months. How faithfuUj- she fulfiileil 
her trust only her family can testify. Kor four 
years after her husband's death, Mrs. Hossack I'e- 
mained in (irecuock, then, thinking that a change 
might be beneficial for her children, she, in 1852, 
removed to Dunoon, Argyleshire, where the fam- 
ily lived for several years. In 1857 she had the 
misfortune to lose a great part of her money, be- 
ing a stockholder in the Western Bank of Scotland, 
which became financially embari'assed, and on ac- 
count of this calamity she resolved to emigrate to 
America, having a favorite sister, Mrs. Robert 



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354 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Thallon, in Biookl^yn, N. Y. She arriveil tlu-re 
with her little faniilj' in November, I808, this be- 
ing her third and final visit to this country, where 
she remained the Ijalance of her life. Althoiiuh of 
frail constitution, and a great sufferer physically, 
her self-sacrificing interest in her children's behalf, 
enabled her to endure much, while her resolution 
of character was remarkaldy illustrated. Jt>hc im- 
mediately placed her children in the public schools, 
where her son James remained until he was four- 
teen years of age. He was then taken into the 
oHicc of his uncle, the late Robert Thallon, who 
was one of the founders of the New York Produce 
Exchange, and one of its most honored members. 
The office was located in Hanover Square, and 
here .lames Ilossack remained for nearly three 
years, gaining a good insight into general business 
metiiods. Then, bj' the advice of his uncle, he 
entered the packing-bouse of Rutherford & Adams, 
on Twenty-seventh street, in New York City, to 
learn their business. This not being to his taste, 
however, a few years later he returned to his 
former ofKce, which vv.as now in possession of 
Charles W. Lord, who had succeeded Mr. Thalk)n in 
the business, when the latter went to Europe. 

Wiiile in Mr. Lord's office, our subject met with 
a great affliction in the death of his tender and 
affectionate mother, who had lived just long enough 
to hear that peace was declared in the country 
whose interests had become hers, and whose destiny 
she had regarded with an affection no less than one 
of its own children. The last public meeting which 
she attended was ujjon the occasion of the eulogy 
delivered by Dr. Richard Storrs upon the martyred 
Lincoln. The de.nth (jf this estimable lady oc- 
curred on the Dth of .June, 1 865. when she w.as in 
the fifty-second year of hBr age, and her remaitis 
were laid to rest by her sorrowing family in Green- 
wood Cemetery. 

James A. Hossack then decided to seek his 
fortunes in the gre.it West. He Iiad inherited a 
strong love for the sea, and felt obliged to fly from 
the temptation that daily assailed him while he 
was in sight of it, in order to keep the promise 
which he iiad m.ade his mother tiiat he would never 
be a sailor. Accordingly in tiic fail nf that year 
he came to Illinois, and in due time purchased 200 



.acres of wild prairie, n|>on which there w.as not a 
single tree and scarcely a stone. This land, re- 
deemed from its original condition, now consti- 
tutes the homestead of our subject, a l)eautiful 
farm, well drained, wooded and tilled. It is 
scarcely necessary to SJiy that its present condition 
h.as been brought about by 3'ears of industry and 
excellent business management. Mr. Hossack also 
turned his attention to stock-raising, and in all re- 
spects h.as been uniformly successful. Politically 
he is a Republican, but .at the Last presidential elec- 
tion considered himself justified in casting his vote 
for Grover Cleveland. Mr. Hossack has never 
married, his domestic .affairs being presided over 
by his sister, Miss Margaret Hoss.ack. 

Religiously the family maj- be properly called 
Presbyterian. The grandfather, James Hoss.ack, 
in his native Scotland walked every Sund.ay a dis- 
tance of three miles from (^ourock to Greenock to 
attend the United Presbyterian Church in St. 
George's Square, and continued these journeyings 
until he was over eight}' j'cars of .age. The Cham- 
paign County branch of the family worship with 
the Congregationalists at Champaign, jiresided over 
by the Rev. W. G. Pierce. 



i 



■^AMES LUMLEY, whose early lK)me w.as in 
Yorkshire, England, where he was born in 
1824, came to the United St.atcs in 184G, and 
to this State in 1857. He is now a resident 
of Sadorus, where he carries on a trade in .agricult- 
ural implements and also conducts a butcher-shop, 
supplj'ing the best grades of meat to the citizens 
of the vill.age, and first-class farming implements 
to the agriculturists in the surrounding townships. 
His straightforward business methods and his relia- 
bility' iis a man and a citizen, have secured him the 
confidence of large numbers of friends and patrons. 
Our subject is the eldest child of a family of 
seven born to Charles and Catherine (Gates) Lum- 
ley, who were natives of England. When he was 
nine j'ears of age, his parents changed their location, 
going from the northern to the western part of 
Yorkshire, where the boy engaged in a wool-comb- 
ing factory, and foUowed this occupation for a 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



355 



f~ 



period of twelve years, in the meantime also Icni-n- 
ing the butcher's trade, at whicli he fiiiployccl liim- 
self when business was dull in tlio other. In IS til, 
wiien twenty-two years of age, he decided to make 
a change, and seeing no pros|)ect of advancement 
in the land of his birth, resolved to emigrate to 
America, and try the experiment of living under 
another system of government. Accordingly he 
set sail from Liverpool on the 2Sth of Fel)ruary, 
and after a tedious voyage of forty-one days ar- 
rived in Boston, Mass. He iiad already been mar- 
ried, in August of the previous year, to Miss Har- 
riet, daughter of William Firth, and also a native 
of Yorkshire, England. 

Three months after his arrival in this country, 
Mr. L. sent for his wife. She joined him near 
Lowell, at a place called Ballard \'ale, where they 
lived for about a j'ear, and thence removed to West 
Chelmsford, in Middlesex County', where our sub- 
ject followed wool-combing for a time and then 
worked in the regular factory, until his earnings 
enabled him to buj' a small house and lot. Desir- 
ing, however, to go into' business for himself, he 
soon afterward sold his little property, and invested 
in a butcher's outfit, setting up business and meet- 
ing with fair success. About this time his atten- 
tion w.as .attracted by the glowing accounts of the 
West, in regard to the desirability of a homestead 
on the prairies of Illinois, and in IH,57 he disposed 
of ills interests in the Bay .State and came to this 
county, purchasing a quarter section of railroad 
land in Sadorus Township. He afterward sold back 
eighty .acres of this to the railroad and occnined 
his time in improving the balance, afterward .add- 
ing to it forty acres, and now owns a fine farm of 
I'iO acres, with good buildings, and all other mod- 
ern appliances. 

In 1852 Mr. Lumley met with a sad affliction in 
the death of his wife, Harriet, who left him with 
two children — Mary and Joseph. They are still 
living, Mary being the wife of Samuel (ioodnight, 
who is (engaged in farming in the southern |)art of 
tiio State. Joseph is unmarried, and is a clerk iji 
Kansas. In 1853 our subject was married to Mi.ss 
Hannaii O'Le.ary, a native of Ireland, who h;id 
emigrated to the United States about a year pie- 
vious to her marriage with Mr. Lumley. Of this 
4* 



union there have been born four cliildren : The 
eldest son, James, married Mi.ss Sarah Martin, of 
this county, and carried on farming in Chnutnuqua 
County, Kan., but is at i)rescnt living in Colorado. 
Alice, the wife of William Martin, lives with her 
husliand on a farm near West Cliff, Col.; Kllen 
married Ander N. Tabler, and they occupy the 
farm of our sidjject in Sadorus Township; Amiic 
is the wife of David M. \\'illi:uns, a farmer of Col- 
fax Township. 

In, the spring of 1809, Air. Lumley having spent 
a good many years in persistent labor on the farm, 
established his present business in the viUage of 
Sadoi-us. For this purpose he had purchased prop- 
erty and put up buildings, while still retaining his 
residence in the country, until the spring of 18S."). 
He then purchased a home in the village, to which 
he moved, and now gives his entire attention to 
his town trade, his farm in the meanwhile being- 
carried on by his son-in-l.aw, Ander N. Tabler. 

After becoming a naturalized citizen, and ac- 
quainting himself with the different theories re- 
garding American government, Mr. Lumley de- 
cided that his tastes .and sympathies inclined to 
Republican principles. He cast his first presidential 
vote for John C. Fremont, and since that time has 
been a stanch adherent of the Republican party. 
From the start he distinguished himself as a capa- 
ble business man and conscientious citizen, and was 
earlj' selected for the minor offices of his township, 
serving as Road Commissioner and Justice of the 
Peace, and gaining the good-will of his fellow- 
townsmen by encour.aging the various enterprises 
which were .set on foot, and h.ad for their object 
the general welfare of the community. 



^^m FLLARS, Postmaster at Philo, became a 
I IV resident of the town in 1871. He at once 
J Is established himself in business .as a general 
J merchant, in which he lias been fairly pros- 

])ei-ous, and has secured the confidence ami patron- 
age of the best people of this localit3'. He located 
in C^hampaign County in 1850, making his home for 
several j^ears in Sadorus Township, where his fa- 




a 356 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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ther, William EUars, was one of the pioneer settlers 
and is yet living. 

Our subject w.as born in IMa/lison County, Ohio, 
Aug. 22, 1841), and was onlj- one year old when 
his parents came to the West. They settled on a 
tract of land whicli had onl^^ been iwrtially cultji- 
vatod, and our subject spent his childhood and 
youth after the manner of most farmers' boys, pur- 
suing his studies in the district schools and assist- 
ing in the labors .around the homestead. When 
twenty-four years of age he was married at the 
home of the bride's parents in Sadorus Township, 
Sept. 10, 1S73, to Miss Ella, the only daughter of 
G. W. Hesse, now deceased. Mr. II. was a native 
of Switzerland County, Ind.,and located at an early 
day in Douglas County, this State, whence he after- 
ward removed to Sadorus Township, this county, 
in 1803. He followed farming, and was married 
to Miss E. J. Dodson, who was born in Indiana, 
and is now living with her children in Philo Vil- 
lage. 

Mrs. EUars was born in Ohio County, Ind., July 
2.'5, 1858. She was but a year old when her par- 
ents removed to Douglas County, this State, and 
came witii them later to this count}', where she re- 
ceived iior education and remained with her par- 
ents until her marriage. Of her union with our 
subject there have been l)()rn four children- 
Maude, Leila, Cora and Ralph. Mr. Ellars received 
liis ciimmi.ssion as Postmaster in September, 1885. 
He is Democratic in polities, and a representative 
citizen of a thriving communitv. 



J]OHN A. SIMPSON. Tiie subject of this 
I history, a resident of Hensley Township, is 
a native of Fayette Count}', Ind., becoming 
/ a resident of Champaign County, 111., when 
a lad twelve years old, and with the exception of 
the years wiiicli he gave in assisting to preserve 
the Union, he has been a resident here since that 
time. His birth took pl.ace on the 1st of August, 
181(1, and liis parents were Henry II. and Melinda 
(Lemmon) Simpson, the former born in Ohio, in 
May, 180!), and tiie latter in Harrison County, Ky., 
March IG, 1813. The grandfatlier of our subject, 



Thomas Simpson, a native of New England, emi- 
grated to Ohio when a young man, after his mar- 
riage, where he lived until 1813, then, feeling per- 
haps, as did Daniel Boone, that there were too many 
people gathering around him he pushed further 
westward into Indiana while it was yet a Territory. 
He selected Fayette County as his location, and 
had for his neighbors mostly only Indians, who 
were jealous of the encroachments of the whites 
and became very hostile to the settlers. 

Thomas Simpson, in company with some of his 
brother pioneers, erected a blockhouse, in which 
they with their families took refuge. Mr. S. tiien 
cleared a farm from the wilderness, upon which he 
remained until the close of his life. There .also he 
and his womanly and courageous heJ])meet reared 
an interesting family of children, among whom w.as 
their son Henry, the father of our subject. He 
grew to manhood amid the primitive scenes of life 
in a new settlement infested by savages and wild 
anira.als, and was there married and continued to 
live until 1858. In the spring of that year he came 
to this county and purchased a tract of land on sec- 
tion 3i, in what is now Hensley Township. He 
lived, however, but a few months afterward, his 
de.ath occurring on the 25th of October following. 
His family remained on the land, improving and 
cultiv.ating it for three years afterward, then sold 
out and purch.ased that which constitutes their 
present homestead on section 17. The mother is 
still living and in the enjoyment of good health. 

The maternal grandfatlier of our subject, Rol)ert 
Lemmon, followed farming all his life, mostly in 
Harrison County, Ky., where his death occurred in 
March, 1814. The mother of our subject w.as but 
a year old when her father died, and remained with 
her mother in Kentucky until 1828. The family 
then removed to Indiana, wliere the daughter was 
married to Henry Simpson. The parental house- 
hold included eiglit children, namely, Thomas, Sa- 
rah, .lames, Mary, Margaret, Robert, John and Ida. 

After the death of his father our subject re- 
mained with his mother until 1803. He was then 
seventeen years of .age, and in May of that year, 
the late Civil War being in progress, he enlisted in 
Co. P, 135th III. Vol. Inf., witii the three-months' 
men. After serving seven months he was honored 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



A 



359 



witli his ilischarge, but in ISill ro-i'iilistufl in Co. 
A, 1.54th 111. ^'ol. Inf., remaining in thu service un- 
til the close of tiie w.ar. He then returned to his 
mother in Ilensley Township, where lie remained 
until 1869. In the spring of that year he crossed 
the Mississippi, and going into Labette County, 
Kan., spent one year, after which he returned to 
Chanijiaign County, and there lived until 1H73. 
Going back to Kansas he remained there six years, 
after which he concluded there w.as no better local- 
ity in the West than Chamjiaign County, and finall}' 
settled down contented!}' here and resumed farm- 
ing on the old homestead, where ho has since been 
successfully engaged. 

In September, lS8t3, Mr. Simpson was united in 
marriage with Miss Ida May Church, daughter of 
(Tcorge and Elizabctli Church, and born in Ma- 
homet Township in 1.S09. Mr. S. uniformly votes 
the Republican ticket, and is full}' entitled to be 
cla.ssed among the honest men and good citizens of 
hi.s community. 



''^f^^\.-'\iajZ!2/(S^^ 



*/^Ngy^Zr^f»v* 'W%^ 



J I ESSE MEHARRY, Supervisor of Philo Town- 
ship, and wiiose portrait is shown in this con- 
nection, is widely and favorably' known 
throughout Champaign County .as one of 
the most extensive land-owners and successful 
farmers in Southern Illinois. His fine farm is beau- 
tifully located on section 20, near the W. & St. P. 
R. R., which passes south of his residence. His 
landed possessions in the township of Philo embrace 
in one body 1,040 acres, which have been brought 
to the higliest state of cultivation and arc supplied 
with commodious and substantial farm luiildings. 
Besides this Mr. M. owns 427 acres in McLean 
County, 111., and 275 acres in Tolono Township, 
this county. The farm is finely laid out and well 
stocked with the best grades of cattle and horses. 
Of the former he makes a specialty, keeping a large 
number of cows and raising numbers of calves each 
j'ear. The business of the farm is conducted in the 
most admirable manner, with method and system, 
and indicates on ever}' hand the intolligcnee and 
enterprise of its proprietor. 

Mr. Meiiai-ry located in I'hiin Township in 18(;r», 
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and since that time has made it his permanent 
home. lie visited the State when a child with his 
father, who entered land in Crittenden Townshi|), 
in 18.0;"). Our subject w.as born in Coal Creek 
Township, Montgomery Co., lud., Oct. 9, 183.'). 
and is the son of Thomas and Unity (I'atton) Me- 
harry, natives of Ohio, and the grandson of Alex- 
ander and .Tane (Francis) Meliarry, who were of 
Scottish i)arcntagc but Irish birth, and emigrated 
from their native country to the United States in 
the Colonial d.ays. 

The family was originally driven from Scotland 
to Ireland during the persecution of the Protest- 
ants in the reign of l^ueen Mary. The grandpar- 
ents of our subject were married in Ireliind in the 
spring of 1794,' anfl in May following embarked on 
a sailing-vessel for the United States. After a 
voyage of three weeks they landed in New York 
City, whence they proceeded to Philadelphia, ami 
later to New London, Cheshire Co., Pa. The year 
following they removed to Connersville, Fayette 
Co., Pa., and afterward took up their residence in 
Adams County, Ohio, where the grandfather w.as 
accidentally killed by a falling tree on the 21st of 
June, 1813. The bereaved widow was left with a 
family of seven sons and one daughter, who grew to 
maturity, and she lived to see them married and 
settled in life. Her death occurred in 1842, when 
she was well stricken in years. It may be properly 
stated that when her husband met his death he was 
riding home from camp-meeting in the middle of 
the day ; there was not a cloud in the sky, and the 
tree which killed him fell without warning, his 
death being instantaneous. He was a man of much 
energy and force of character, pcjsscssed of sound 
judgment, and was successful as a business man and 
fanner. He was honest and upright in his trans- 
actions, and was a leader among his brother pio- 
neers. He improved a good farm of 200 acres, 
from the proceeds of which each of liis sons ob- 
tained a good start in life. 

The father of our subject was reared in Adams 
County, Ohio, but was afterward married in Hrown 
County, in December, 1827. His wife, who was 
formerly Miss Unity Patlon, was of English and 
Welsh descent, and was liorn in Rrown County, 
Ohio, Aug. U). 1802. Soon after marri.agc the 



t. 



' ^ 360 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



^- 



young people removed to Indiana, locating first in 
Fountain Count3-, and from there moved to Mont- 
goraer}' County, wliere he purchased a tract of land 
which remained his home until his death, which oc- 
curred Jan. 29, 1874. In 1853-55 he came to Illi- 
nois and entered a large tract of land in IMcLean. 
.Shelbj' and Champaign Counties, which after a few 
years became very valuable. He had at one time 
been the owner of 4,000 acres, the larger part of 
which was divided up among his children before he 
passed awaj'. The mother is yet living on the old 
homestead, with her son Isaac N., but spends a great 
part of her time visiting with her children. She is 
now eighty-five years old, aud is still bright and in- 
telligent and can relate in an interesting manner 
many of the incidents of her earl}- life. 

The subject of our sketch during his childhood 
and youth attended the schools of his native coun- 
ty, and completed his studies at the college in 
Greencastle, Ind. He came to Illinois with his 
father in 1855, but did not permanently locate here 
until 18(J5. He was united in marriage with Miss 
Addie A. Francis, Feb. 27, 1873. Mrs. M. is the 
daughter of Abraham and Mary A. (Davison) Fran- 
cis, natives respectively of Ireland and Brown 
County, Ohio. Her maternal grandparents were 
William and Jane (Love) Francis. They owned 
land in Ohio, but in their old age made their home 
with their daughter, Mrs. Hugh IMeharry, in Mont- 
gomery County, Ind., where they passed their de- 
clining years and whei-e their remains were laid to 
rest. The parents of Mrs. Meharry soon after their 
marriage located in Will County, 111., in the pioneer 
days, in 1 835, and erected one of the first log cab- 
ins in that vicinity, but the Indians soon after- 
ward became so troublesome that they were com- 
pelled to return to Indiana temporaril3\ After a 
month's sojourn they again took possession of their 
land in Will County. This humble dwelling re- 
mained their home until it was replaced l)j' a better 
one, and during the latter years of their life they 
inhabited a substantial modern frame house. 

Mrs. Meharry was the ninth child of a family of 
eleven, and was born in New Lennox Township, 
Will County, Sept. 12, 1851. .She w.is there reared 
and educated, completing her studies at Joliet, and 
afterward returned home and assisted her mother in 



i 



the household duties until her marriage. Our sub- 
ject and his wife are active members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, with which they have been 
connected for several years. Mr. Meharry is the 
financial center of the church in his township, as 
well as the various other enterprises which have 
tended to its devehjpment and pr(jgress. 

Mr. M. served as Supervisor of his township for 
five years consecutively from 18G9 to 1874, and in 
the recent election was placed in the same ottice 
once more. His energy and ability have always dis- 
tinguished him as a citizen among his fellow-citizens, 
whose confidence and esteem he enjoys in a marked 
degree. Since the organization of the Republican 
partj' he has been a warm supporter of its princi- 
ples, casting his first presidential vote for Fremont, 
and being a loyal adherent of his part}' since. In 
his various undertakings financiallj' and in his po- 
sition socially, Mrs. Jleharry has been a cordial 
sympathizer aud companion, and has proved herself 
well worth}^ to be the wife of a man possessing his 
substantial traits of character and the ([ualities 
which have made him an honest man and a good 
-citizen. 



AVID RICE is proprietor of one of the 
best regulated stock farms in Sadorus 
Township. His estate includes 400 acres 
of land in the home farm and 160 a mile 
north, on section 14. The handsome and com- 
modious residence, and the fine barn and out-build- 
ings, together with the neat fences, well-fed ani- 
mals, and valuable farm machinery, stand as silent 
witnesses of the character of their owner. The 
fields and pens contain South Down sheep, with 
Shropshire and Short-horn cattle, while within the 
stable ma}- be found some fine specimens of Nor- 
man horses, in the breeding of which our subject 
has been engaged for the last four3'ears. 

When Mr. Rice came to this State with liis par- 
ents in 1854, they located at first in Doughis 
County, whence they removed to this county in 
the fall following. The father purchased 1 60 acres 
of land on section 26, in Sadorus Townsiiip, and 
David remained there until after his marriage, four 
years later. He then brought his bride to the 
>► 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



361 



,t 



homestead, where they lived two j'ears, at the ex- 
piration of which time our subject took possession 
of a tract of land on section IG, which he had pur- 
chased, and where stood a modest dwelling, which 
remained the shelter of himself and famil}- for four 
j'ears afterward. In the meantime, his parents 
had passed away, and he purchased the interest of 
the other heirs in the old place, which he has occu- 
pied since that time, and enlarged by purchasing 
land adjoining. On this farm still stands the first 
frame barn built in the county', and which is re- 
garded b}' the people of that section and the passer- 
by as a monument of a generation past and gone. 

The parents of Mrs. Rice, who was formerly Miss 
Sarah Ilaynes, were Elijah C. and Matilda Ha^'nes, 
natives respectively of Ohio and Arkansas. The 
children of Mr. and Mrs. Rice, two daughters, 
Eleanor M. and Carrie M., are both living and 
married. The former is the wife of Frank T. 
Hutchinson, who omis eighty acres of land on sec- 
tion 14, in Sadorus Township; they have two chil- 
dren — Nora M., and David. Carrie married Cas- 
sius M. Craig, a physician of Tolono. Mrs. Rjce 
has been connected with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church since 1870, and is a lady of rare good 
qualities and kindness of heart. Our subject, 
although a true blue Re|)ublican, has sturdily de- 
clined to become an odice-holder, maintiuuing that 
he could serve his party fully as well in a more un- 
obtrusive manner. 



JR. MOORE. The subject of the following 
biography is the leading dry -goods and boot- 
and-shoe merchant of the town of I'hilo, 
where he has built uii a good trade, and in 
connection with this operates a farm of eighty acres 
on section 27, in I'hilo Township. He established 
his present business in the village in 1870, first 
dealing in general merchandise, which later w.as 
merged into the specialties which he now ('arries. 

Mr. M. became a resident of this locality in the 
fall of 1 869, and established the pioneer tinshop of 
Pliilo Tfiwnship. Later, discovering that a differ- 
ent kind of business would pay better, he estab- 
^ ' lished a general store, and purchased his farm in 



1878. He is a native of Muncie, Ind., and was 
born Nov. 1, 1839. When four years of age his 
parents removed to Warren County, that State, 
where he was reared and educated. His father. 
l^evi ftloore, a farmer by occupation, was horn in 
Scioto Count}', Ohio, wiierc he remained until 
seventeen years of age, then removed to Delaware 
County, Ind., where in due time lie was mar- 
ried to Miss Louisa Wilson, a native of that State, 
and of Irish descent. The Moore family were 
originally from Scotland. After their marriage 
Levi Moore and his bride located on a farm in 
Delaware County, Ind., where their first child, our 
subject, was born. Afterward they removed into 
Warren Count}', Ind., where they still live, aged 
respectively seventj' and sixty-six j'ears. 

Young Moore remained under the parental roof 
until reaching manhood, in the meantime having 
learned the trade of a tinner. He then established 
himself in Williamsport, Ind.. where he remained 
for a short time, then came to Illinois and located 
in Philo. He was married. May 10, 1865, in War- 
ren Count}', Ind., to Miss Amelia Minear, who was 
born in that county. Oct. 10, 184.5, and was the 
daughter of George and Mary (Preble) Minear. 
Jlr. M. was a farmer and stock-raiser, and at the 
time of his death occupied the office of Sheriff. He 
was Republican in politics and was prominent in 
tiie local affairs of that section. The mother died 
when the wife of our subject was only eight years 
of age. She remained with her father and received 
a common-school education. Of her marriage with 
Mr. Mooi'e there have been born four children, 
two of whom, Daisy and an infant, are deceji,sed. 
Cf>ra married Fred C. Hess, who is a druggist and 
groceryman at Philo, and Mary is at homo with her 
parents. Mrs. M. is connected with the Presby- 
terian Church. 

During the late war Mr. Moore, although not of 
age, proffered his services as a soldier, but was re- 
jected on account of his youth. Later he tried 
once more, and finally liecamc a member of Co. E, 
86th Ind. Vol. Inf., which was assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland. He was in the fight at 
Stone River and in all the battles of that campaign 
flown to Atlanta and .lonesboro. He received a 
lU'sli woiiiul from a sliell in the cheek, the marks of 



i' 



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362 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



H 



which he will carry as an honorable scar to his 
grave. After serving thirty-one months he was 
compelled to resign on account of ill-liealth. He 
entered as a private and was promoted at different 
times until he reached the rank of First Lieutenant. 
After returning from the army Mr. i\I. resumed 
his farming and mercliandising, and soon became 
one of the prominent citizens of Philo, enjoying 
the respect and confidence of his townsmen. He is 
Republican politicall3% and takes a genuine interest 
in the welfare and prosi)erity of his community. 



j^^ TEFHEN C. ABBOTT. Among the self- 
^^^ made men whose ljiogra))liy will form an 
(fl/\U) interesting page in tlie history of Cham- 
paign Countj', and will be read with satis- 
faction by liis descendants, is the gentleman whose 
name stands at the head of tliis sketch. He began 
life a poor boy, and by the exercise of liis native 
talents and resolution of character, has arisen to a 
prominent position in society, and also forms an 
important factor in the business and agricultural 
interests of this section. He at inesent occupies 
the office of Supervisor of Mahomet Township, to 
which he was elected in 1887. He became a resi- 
dent of this county in 1853, and there are few en- 
terprises tending to its development and prosperit}' 
which he has not encouraged and contributed to 
by his means and influence. 

Mr. Abbott was born in Rockaway, N. J., May 
25, 1825, and is the son of Abijah and Elizabeth* 
(Conger) Abbott, the former a native of Connect- 
icut, and tiie latter of New Jersey. After mar- 
riage they settled in Rockaway, tlie latter State, 
where they spent tlie greater part of their lives, but 
linally removed westward to Illinois, .and spent 
their last days in Mahomet, this county. The par- 
ental household included eleven cln'ldren, seven 
sons and four daughters, of wlioni our subject was 
the fourth in order of birth. He received a lim- 
ited education, and remained under the iiome roof 
until sev(uiteen years of .age, when he wjis a|)pren- 
ticed to learn tiie blacksmith's trade in iiis native 
town. After serving four years he went to Boston, 
Mass., where he worked as a "jour" one ye:ir, and 



thence to Providence, R. I. From there, in the 
spring of 184H, he proceeded westward and fol- 
lowed his trade in different cities, among which 
was New Orleans, La., where we find him in 1849, 
and from which he journeyed in the latter part of 
that year to Independence, Mo. 

The California gold excitement at tliat |)eriod 
was attracting many young men toward the Pacific 
slope, and young Abbott also becoming infected 
with the fever, started across the plains with hun- 
dreds of others to seek his fortune among the 
mines. He spent three years in California engaged 
jointly in mining, trading and teaming, with fair 
success. At the expiration of this time, longing 
for a sight of the old homestead and the friends of 
his youth, he returned to New Jersey. His natural 
energj', however, allowed him to remain there l)nt 
a short time, when he started for the West once 
more, and reached this county in the latter part of 
1853. Here he invested his money in real estate, 
and since tliat time his interests have been closely 
connected witli those of the people of this State 
and county. He was remarkably successful in bis 
fai-ming and business transactions, and opened up 
several fine farms in the vicinity of Mal\oinet. 
After a few years he removed into the village, 
where he has since made liis home, and where, for 
a period of several j'ears, he w.as engaged in mer- 
cantile pursuits. 

Soon after the outl)reak of the late war, Mr. Ab- 
bott, laying .aside his private and jiersonal inter- 
ests, enlisted as a soldier in tiie I'liion army, be- 
coming a member of Co. II, r25tli 111. Vol. Inf., in 
which he served until Januaiy, 1865. With his 
comrades, he endured bravely and faithfully all 
the vicissitudes of war, the wearisome marches, the 
hard fare, and the di.scomforts often of sleeping 
without shelter, and was present at many impor- 
tant battles. At Peach-Tree Creek, near Atlanta, 
he w.as wounded in the right hip liy a minie ball, 
after which he was unable to do further service, 
and even after returning home was obliged to use 
crutches for several years. For this lie now re- 
ceives a pension. 

After his return from the arni^' Mr. Abliott re- 
sumed his farming and business |>ursuits in and 
around .Mohamet, .and in 1873 received the appoint- 



■*►-■ 



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■» ■ <' 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



363 



ment of Postmaster, which he held until after the 
change of ailniiiiislration ami until .lime, 1885. 
He is still busily uiui)l(>y(.'tl keeping wnloli over his 
various interests, although practically retired from 
active labor. 

The marriage of Stephen C. Abbott and Miss 
Mary E. Uea was celebrated at the home of the 
bride's parents in Mahomet Township, on the 21st 
of February'. 1854. Mrs. Abbott is the daughter 
of .John J. and .Sarah T. (Henderson) Rea, \vhi> 
were both natives of Kentucky. She was born in 
Lewis County, that State, Feb. 20, 18:38, and of 
her union with our subject there are three children : 
Byron D. married Miss Mattie Bolingcr, and re- 
sides at Maaomet; Laura is the wife of H. J. 
Moorehouse; Abijah married Pearl Coweu. 

Mr. Abl)ott has held the office of Notary' Public 
sixteen years, School Treasurer eleven, and ^'illag•e 
Treasurer seven years. Politically he uniformly 
casts his vote with the Republican party. He be- 
came a member of the Presbyterian Church when 
seventeen years of age, with which denomination 
he has since been connected. Mrs. Abbott is a 
member of the Baptist Church. The}* occupy a 
comfortable and handsome home in Mahomet, and 
enjoy the association and friendship of the most 
cultured people of Mahomet Township. 



EWIS LAYMAN. On the northeast quarter 
of .section 21, in Condit Township, lies one 
of the neatest farms in this county, which 
its present projirietor, the subject of our sketch, 
transformed from a tract of wild prairie into its 
present valuable condition and made it a pleasant 
si)ot which invariably attracts the eye of the passer- 
by. Mr. Layman located upon his land in 1870, at 
the time of starting out in life for himself, and 
just after he had been united with his chosen part- 
ner and helpmeet, who has remained his faithful 
and affectionate companion since that time. Since 
the establishment of this household the numlier 
of its members has been increa.sed by the birth of 
live bright children, namely, (ieorge; Rieff^' was 
born Aug. 8, 1874, and died .Scjjt. 18, 188r); Fred, 
Bertie and Frank. The elder of these have as- 




sisted their parents in building up the home and 

beautifying it and there is presented the picture of 
a happy famil}', enjoying the society of each other 
and the respect of their neighbors and many friends. 
Mr. L. has been fairly successful in his farming and 
business operations and has been enabled to sur- 
round himself and fanuly with all the necessaries of 
life and many of its lu.xuries. His course as a citi- 
zen and business man has been worthy of imitation, 
as he has been straightforward in his dealings and 
accumulated his capital by the esercise of his own 
industry. 

The subject of this history was born in Mason 
County, this State, April 2, 1850. His father, 
Henry Layman, a native of Shenandoah County, 
Va., grew to manhood in his native State and 
learned the cabinet-marker's trade, at which he 
worked in Virginia, Ohio and Indiana. He renu)ved 
from the latter State to Illinois in the spring of 
1845, and purchasing a farm in Mason County 
turned his attention to .igricultural pursuits. After 
a residence there of about twenty years he sold out 
his interests and, in 18(j5, purchased another farm 
in Logan County, above five miles from the town 
limits of Lincoln, where he spent the remainder of 
his days, his decease occurring in 1868. The 
mother of our subject before her marriage w.as 
Miss Elizabeth Kretsinger, also a native of the Old 
Dominion. 

Of the nine children comprising the parental 
household our subject was next to the youngest, 
and was fifteen years old when his parents became 
residents of Logan County. He continued under 
the home roof until his marriage, in the meantime 
receiving excellent home training and a common- 
school education. He then marked out his plans 
for the future, which he has persistently followed 
with success. Mr. L. attached himself to the 
Methodist Episcopal Church at an early age and is 
a devoted Christian. 

Politically Mr. L. was a Republican, but is a 
stanch advocate of prohibition, and in the last 
presidential campaign gave his support to St. John. 
The wife of our subject, to whom he was married 
in September, 1870, was formerly Miss Sarah C. 
Penny, a native of Sangamon County, 111., and 
daughter of William (iraham and Eleanor (Duff) 



4 



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364 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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Penny. The parents of Mrs. L. were natives of 
Oliio and Kentucky, whence they afterward re- 
moved to Sangamon County, 111. Both are now 
dead. Mrs. L.'s father died in the service of his 
country at Little Rock, Ark. 

^?]NJAMIN F. THOMAS. The gentleman 
whose name heads this biography owns and 
occupies a comfortable farm on section S), in 
Mahomet Township, of which he took pos- 
session in the spring of 18«4. He commenced life 
in a modest way and accumulated his first capital 
as a farm laborer in Condit Township. He is a na- 
tive of Chautauqua County, N. Y., born Feb. 8, 
1834, and is the .son of Leander and Paulina (Kil- 
bon) Thomas, both natives of Worcester County, 
Mass. They were married in their native county, 
where they settled for a time, afterward removing 
to the Empire State, and from there t(j Wanen 
County, Ohio, where they spent the remainder of 
their lives. The father of our subject was a tanner 
by trade, which occupation he followed many years. 
The parental household included four sons and 
four daughters, of whom our subject was the third 
child and son. He was quite young when his 
parents removed to Ohio, and was reared as a far- 
mer. After coining to Illinois and during the 
})rogress of the late war, he enlisted as a Union 
soldier in Co. II, 71st III. \i>\. Inf., in which he 
served three months, but afterward returned to 
Champaign County. In 1S(;'> he removed to Scott 
Township, where he engaged in farming for a i)eriod 
of five and one-half years, then purchased a farm 
in Colfax Township, which he operated until 1882. 
During that year he went to Califoi'nia, and for 
two years afterward engageil in fanning on the 
Pacific slope. At the ex[)iration of this time he 
returned to tliis county and purchased 180 acres in 
Mahomet Township, wheie he has since resided. 
He lias brought his land to a tine state of iniltiva- 
lion, has erected a handsome modern dwelling, and 
is now the owner of 2t;;!i acres, most of which is 
under a good state of cultivation. 

The marriage of Henjamin Thonia.s and Mi.ss 
.Mary Cresap, was celebrated in C'b'ii'ipaign, 111., 







Aug. 14, 1866. Mrs. Thomas is the daughter of 
Daniel and Margaret (Humes) Cresap, and the sis- 
ter of Benj.'imin Franklin Cresap, of whom a sketch 
appears el.sewhere in this volume. She was born in 
Pickaway County, Ohio, May 27, 1833, was reared 
by her parents, and received a good education in 
the common schools. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have 
three children — Charles D., AVilliam A. and IJeuja- 
min F., Jr. 

Our subject has held most of the minor ottices of 
his t((wnship and in politics is a straight Republican. 
Socially he is a member of Kph. Scott Post No. 
464, G. A. R. Mrs. Thomas is a devoted member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

-t»-HH-<sij|(:j:*^:^jit-KH-«- 

UGII J. ROBINSON. The important events 
in the history of this gentleman, necessarily 
made brief in a work of tiiis kind, arc 
recorded as follows: He was first intro- 
duced to life and its responsibilities in the North of 
Ireland on the 28th of March, 1833, and was the 
seventh child of Robert and Maria (Jackson) Rob- 
inson, the former a first cousin of Gen. Andrew 
.Jackson, who named his son, our subject, after the 
uncle of Andrew, namely Hugh Jackson. 

Mr. Robinson spent l)ut four years in his native 
country, at the expiration of which time his father, 
in the hope of Ijettering his condition and giving 
to his children greater advantages in life, set sail 
for America and after landing, proceeded to Dutch- 
ess County, N. Y., of which they remained resi- 
dents for twelve years following. The mother died 
in Irelanil when Hugh was about four years old. 
Young Hugh, witli his brothers and sisters, was 
reared to favniing i)ursuits and removed witli the 
family into Fond du Lac County, Wis., in 1849. 
There the elder Koliinson purchased 1 (!() acres of 
wild land and |)roceeded, with his brother pioneers, 
who, by tiie wa}', were located at long distances 
from each other, to cultivate the soil and l)uild up 
a comfortable homestead. The pious labors of the 
father were cut short by his death tiu'ee years 
later, an<l the children, remaining on the new 
farm, worked as best they could in keeping to- 
gether, providing for their wants and learning to 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 







till the soil and raise jji-oducts necessary for their 
sustenance. Seeing that he conld 1)0 reasonably 
well spared, our subject, in the October following 
his father's death, came to Illinois and located at 
Urbana, where he commenced working on the Illi- 
nois Central Railroad, which was tiien in process of 
construction. His duties consisted in getting out 
ties and in other ways preparing for the reception 
of the rolling stock. 

In the spiing following, desiring to change his 
location, our subject went into the town of Bour- 
bon, Douglas Countj', where he assisted in building 
a mill and in lilling a contract for 250,000 ties for 
the Illinois Central and Wabash Railroads, He then 
put G.oOO cords of wood on the tr.ack for the Illi- 
nois Central, and was tlius engaged until 185>^, in 
the meantime having l)eeu enabled to l.iy up a 
snug sum of mone}'. He chose .is the safest invest- 
ment foi' his suri)lus cash lUO acres of unimproved 
land lying on the north half of section 33, in Sado- 
rus Township, upon which he expended his en- 
ergies until the fall of 1800. He had now prepared 
it for the reception of his family, and with pardon- 
able i)ride introduced them to it and made them 
comfortable in the house which had been erected 
under his careful supervision. The home thus 
esUiltlished he ni>w occupies, liaving added to it 
enough to constitute a half section, every aci'c of 
which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. 
His possessions are the result of his own industr3' 
and the good judgment which has led to a wise in- 
vestment of funds. 

The first m.arri.age of Mr. Robinson took place in 
October, 1850, his chosen wife being Miss Jane, 
daughter of Dr. Jacob Thrasher, of Geauga County, 
Ohio. The three childrcni born of this union are 
Robert, CuUen and Mattie, all living. Robert 
married Miss Lillie Kellar, a native of Ohio, and 
occui)ies a farm half a mile north of the home- 
stead; Mattie, the wife of William R. Miller, lives 
on a farm with iier husband about three miles 
south of Sadorus; Cullen is unmarried and remains 
under the parental roof, while at the same time, 
with an eye to business and perhaps domestic ties 
of his own in the future, he is carrying on a farm 
of his own, consisting of 100 acres in the southeast 
part of section 33. The wife and mother departed 



this life on the homestead in the summer of 1875. 
Our subject was ne.xt married to Miss Jennie 
Hutchison, who was born in Erie County, N. Y., 
and is the daughter of Capt. Scott Hutchison, of 
Callioun Count3', Midi. The one child of this 
marriage was a son, John W., who died wlieii four 
and one-half years old. 

Politically Mr. Robinson has been a lifelong 
Douglas Democrat. His ability' as a business man, 
and reliable qualities as a citizen, long ago obtained 
the recognition of his townsmen, who have kept 
him in the position of Supervisor for a period of 
twelve years. He has made it his duty to observe 
what was going on around him, keeping full pace 
witli important events, and seeing !is much of the 
United States as his time and means would permit. 
He has traveled from East to West, from Niagara 
Falls to New Orleans, and through Kansas, Ne- 
braska and Iowa. He viewed the strange sights at 
the Exposition in the Crescent City in 1885, and his 
greatest pleasure has been in crossing rivers and 
territories, and becoming acquainted with the hab- 
its of different nationalities as represented in vari- 
ous cities of the United States. He possesses an 
intelligent mind, and reaps his highest satisfaction 
from the advantages of to-day as compared with 
those of forty years ago. 



-r>>- 



#>#- 



\V?=^^OAII M. COYNER. Among the extensive 
ll jj fanners and stock-raisers of Hensley Town- 
/ll/XLi ship, the name of this gentleman is widely 
and favorably known as one of the most energetic 
and intelligent mcml)ersof the agricultural element. 
He owns a valuable and extensive tract of land on 
section 10, upon which he settled in 1869, and 
which he has brought to a fine state of cultivation. 
The farm residence, grounds and ont-buildings are 
all indicative of the cultivated tastes and ample 
means of the ijroprietor, and the homestead in all 
its appointments constitutes one of the ple.asantest 
spots in the landscape of this county. The high- 
grade .Short-horn cattle raised upon this farm will 
bear favorable comparison with any in tiic Missis- 
sippi Valley, and the Norman horses, principally 



i 



-I 



i > 366 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



*■' 



roadsters, arc models of symmetry and beauty. Our 
subject has also made a specialty of Poland-China 
hogs, and has seventy-five registered Merino sheep. 
Mr. Coyner is a native of Ross County, Ohio, 
and was born in Concord Township, Aug. 1-2, 1844. 
His father, David Coyner, a native of Hardy Coun- 
ty, Va., was born in April. 1812. His grandfather, 
John Coyner, a native of Pennsylvania, removed 
to the Old Dominion in early manhood, and there 
married Miss Laswell, who was of ^Scottish paren- 
tage. After marriage they removed to Ohio and 
were among the earliest settlers of Ross County, 
locating there in 1814. John Coyner purchased a 
tract of timber land in Concord Township, where he 
improved a farm and spent the remainder of his 
days. His son David, the father of our subject, was 
but four years old when his parents removed from 
Virginia to Ohio. He grew to manhood in the 
Buckeye State, and married Miss Sarah Mallow, 
who was a native of Ross County, and the daugh- 
ter of Adam and Sarah Mallow. Adam Mallow 
was a Virginian by birth and removed to Ohio at 
an early day, where he was captured by the Indians 
and kept in captivity seven years. At the expira- 
tion of this time a treaty of peace was made and 
the prisoners were liberated. Adam Mallow was 
then permitted to return home, and spent the last 
years of his life in Ross County, Ohio. In the mean- 
time he purchased a tract of land which was par- 
tially improved and upon which he worked for 
several years. He then sold out and returned to 
the old homestead in Ross County, Ohio, which his 
grandfather had improved. This farm now includes 
nearly 600 acres of land, and is considered one of 
the most valuable in Ross County. 

The parental household of our subject included 
twelve children, of whom eight grew to mature 
years. He is the fourth in age of those living, and 
occupied himself in farming i)ursuits until the out- 
break of the late war. He then enlisted as a Union 
soldier in August, 1802, becoming a member of 
Co. K, 89th Ohio Vol. Inf., in which he served un- 
til peace was declared. He was present at the bat- 
tles of Charleston, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga and 
Mission Ridge, and joined Shmnian's army in its 
march from Atlanta In the ncm. lie p;irli<MpaUMl in 
' .■til the battles from Chattanoomi to Atlanta, includ- 



r 



ing the siege and capture of the latter city. Return- 
ing from the sea coast he marched with his regi- 
ment up through the Carolinas to Richnumd, and 
from there to Washington, where he participated 
in the final grand review, and received his honor- 
able discharge in June, 1865. He then returned to 
his father's house and remained with his parents un- 
til 1869, in which year he became a resident of 
Hensley Township. His father, in 1855, had i)ur- 
ch.ased a quarter section of land, and upon a part 
of this our subject went to work to imj)rove and 
cultivate it. He kept bachelor's hall for a few 
years, then returned to Ohio, remaining there four 
years. In 1875 he started again for the West, and 
located on the farm which he now owns and oc- 
cupies. 

Our suliject was married, Sept. 22, 1874, to Miss 
Ollie R. Hanawalt, who was born in Ross County, 
Ohio, Aug. 19, 1854, and is the daughter of 
Christopher and Elizabeth (Speaks) Hanawalt, na- 
tives respectively of Ohio and Germany. Mr. and 
Mrs. Coyner have four children — Maude F., Grace 
E., M.ary C. and David Floyd. Mr. C. is Repub- 
lican in politics and exercises a marked influence 
among his fellow-citizens. His line tastes are 
evinced by the work of his own hands, as he pos- 
sesses more than ordinary ability as an artist, the 
walls of his house being decorated with line draw- 
ings, of animals principally, executed by his own 
hand. 



.-^s*^ 



^1)^- 



<^»s- 




\***^. AVID FRY, a highly respected farmer of 
Condit Township, was born near Hooks- 
town, Beaver Co., Pa., Aug. 5, 1828. His 
father, William Fry, a native of Reading, 
Pa., was of (ierman i)arentage, and followed the 
pursuit of agriculture during the latter years of 
ills life. When a young man he was eng.aged on 
the river, tlat-boating. After his marriage he set- 
tled with his j'oung wife in Beaver County, Pa., 
and furnicil on rented Iniul. In 1840 he purchased 
a f:irni, which he occupied lor a period of about 
thirty-two years, then sold out, and coming to this 
State settled in Peoria County, where lie resided 
about twenty years. He liien located in the city of 



-^-m^ 



i 




■■ .-.^ ^.^^^lw. >..v.-j--'.t^v; -/..-.,--, ■.- -,-r-y jvv.'/-.".>-i 



Residence OF Samuel Grove , Sec. 10., Philo Township. 



II I nii^^ii'ir 




te»sfe«fci^t.*i;.^ii4a!iaase8aiia^ 



Residence of Thomas Lyons , Sec. 17 , Tolono Township. 




Residence ofStephen Doty, Sec. 8 .GFeiTTENOEN Township. 



t. 



,t 



CHAMPAION COUNTY. 



369 



V 



Champaign, where he spent the latter part of his 
life. The mother of our subject before her mar- 
riage was ISIiss Sarah JleKinney, born near Pits- 
burg, Ohio, and of .Scotch-Irish ancestry. Sbe de- 
parted this life in Peoria in about 1882. 

The parental family consisted of nine children, 
of whom David of our sl^etch was the eldest. 
He was reared on the farm and received such 
schooling as was afforded in those days. In De- 
cember, 1853, he started with his father's family 
for Illinois, the journej' being made via the Ohio, 
Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Peoria. He con- 
tinued a resident of that place until after his mar- 
riage, then purchased a farm in Logan Township, 
Peoria County, which he occupied a few years, then 
sold out and purchased land in Bloomficld, 111., 
which he occupied and cultivated one year. In 
the meantime he had purchased the tract of land 
in Condit Township, this countj', which is now in- 
cluded in his present farm. Of this only a few- 
acres were broken, and he took up his residence in 
Piatt County for a time before taking possession 
of this. He came into Condit Township for per- 
manent settlement in March, 18G0, and after fif- 
teen years of industi-y, has transformed the wild 
prairie into a desirable homestead, erected a good 
set of buildings, and planted fruit, shade and or- 
namental trees. His land is well drained with tile, 
and is in all respects one of the model farms of that 
locality. 

The marriage of our subject took place on the 
3d of June, 1854, the lady of his choice being Miss 
Ann Fleming, a native of County Kerry, Ireland, 
and the daughter of James and Mary (.Straten) 
Flemiiig. Her father was a farmer by occupation, 
a native of the same county and descemled from 
the .Scots. He spent iiis entire life in liis native 
Ireland. Mrs. Fry came to the United States when 
about twenty-live years of age. Of her marriage 
with our suljject there were born four children, 
only one of wiioni is living, a daugiiler, Isabella, 
who came to their home on the Kitli of December, 
1857. She remained with her parents until her 
marriage on Christmas Day, 1883, to Edwin Hutch- 
ison. Mr. Hutchison was born in Sangamon 
County, 111., Ai)ril l!l, lH(il,and is the son of John 
and Sarah Hutchison, natives of Peunsylvania. 



The other children of our[subject were. May, who 
w.as born June 15. 1856, and died Sept. 10, 1857; 
Henrietta, born Feb. [), I860, went out forever 
from the parental household on New Year's Day, 
1865; Anna, born March 7, 1867, died Sept. 22, 
1883. Mr. and Mrs. Fry take pride in the fact 
that they hav(! two l)right 'grandchildren — David 
and Anna Myrtle. The family are all members of 
the Presbyterian Church, and our subject, politi- 
cally, casts his vote in support of the Republican 
party. 

^^ ' ^c^ ' ^^ 

«p=i ANFORD W. MOORE, one of the public- 
^^^ spirited farmers of Chamiiaign County, 
(l|\/\j) owns and occupies a fine farm located on 
section 30, in Crittenden Township, a view 
of which is shown in this work. He took posses- 
sion of this in 1868, and since that time has built 
up a reputation as an intelligent and skillful agri- 
culturist, and one of the enterprising business men 
who have contributed their quota to the general 
welfare and i)rosi)erit3' of the community. His 
farm of 240 acres is all neatly enclosed with good 
fences, and the family residence, together with the 
barn and other out-buildings, bears comiiarJMiu wilh 
anything of the kind in this locality. 

Mr. Moore since becoming a resident here has 
identified himself with the interests of his townshii), 
serving as Road Ctmimissioner, and in other re- 
spects taking a genuine interest in whatever is de- 
signed to add to iis welfare and progress. Politi- 
cally he is Republican, and religiously is connected 
with the Society of Friends. His family ctmsists 
of his excellent wife and nine children, llie latter 
named as follows: Marion L. ; Ruth R.. the wife of 
Charles Green, of Harvey County', Kan.; Charles 
P., \\'alter E., liertha E., Mattie Maj-, Josie Ij., 
Lucy K. and (leorge H. The mother of these 
children before her marriage, was Miss Louisa 
Thornhill, and she liecame the wife of our suliject 
on the 25th of November, 1 .S52. Mrs. Moore was 
born in Clinton County, Ohio, March 1, 1836, and 
is the daughter of Uanietl and Ruth (.Inucs) 4'liorn- 
hiU. 

After their marriage, Mr. and Airs. Moore lo- 
cated on a farm in Ohio, and our subject afterward 



i 



t. 



.t 



370 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



became the owner of three farms in succession in 
Clinton County, Ohio. In 18G8 he made his first 
trip to the West, and selected liis future location 
on s(xaion 30, in Crittenden Township. Here he 
purchased 160 acres, and before the close of that 
year had removed his family and taken possession. 

Mr. Moore was born in Clinton County, Ohio, 
Nov. 1 , 1 830, and is the son of Jlacagah and Re- 
becca (Magee) Moore, the former a native of Ken- 
tucky, and the latter of Ireland. The parents soon 
after their marriage located on a farm in Clinton 
County, Ohio, where they both died the same year, 
IHjO, in middle life, tiic father aged fifty-four and 
the mother forty-eight. Of their thirteen children, 
three died in early childiiood, ten attained their 
majority, and seven are now living. 

Our subject remained a resident of his native 
State during his childhood and youth, and was ed- 
ucated in the common schools. Ills present pos- 
sessi<)ns are mainly the result of his own industry, 
and liolh as a citizen and liusincss man he is held 
in much esteem liy his fcllow-townsmeu. 



JOHN T. MOOKK. The subject of this his- 
tory represents the best element of his com- 
munity, being a gentleman possessed of 
more than ordinary ability and a manner 
kindly and reserved, one who invariably commands 
respect and is most highly esteemed by those who 
know him best. His life h.as been conducted upon 
the highest moral principles, and he is one of that 
limited number whose word is as good as their bond. 
Mr. Mooi-e owns and occupies a good farm on 
section 19, in Philo Township, which is well stocked 
and under a line state of cultivation. The farm 
buildings are constructed after the most approved 
manner and cver3'thing about the premises is well 
cared for, indicating at once the industry and en- 
terprise of the proprietor. The land was practi- 
cally in its original condition when our sul)ject 
took possession of it and the improvements which 
he h.as brought about are mostly the result of his 
own labor and forethought. In addition to other 
workliy surroundings, he enjoys the society of au 



accomplished wife and daughter, and the esteem 
and confidence of his neighbors and acquaintances. 

Mr. Moore is a native of Brown Count}-, Ohio, 
born JVIarch 7, 1843, and the sou of Henry \V. 
Moore, who was born in the same county as his 
son and was of .Scotch-Irish descent. lie w.as mar- 
ried in his native county to Miss Maria Davidson, 
whose lineage was similar to his own, and they lo- 
cated on a farm in Brown County, Ohio, where 
they lived until 1849. Then, with their three 
children they emigrated to Montgomery County, 
Ind., and moved ontci a farm belonging to his 
brother-in-law, Hugh Meharry, where they both 
died in 1852, the mother in April and the father in 
December. The}' were aged respectively thirtj'- 
eight and thirtj'-flve years. Mr. H. W. Moore had 
eighty acres of unimproved laud in Madison County, 
Ind., but owing to poor health of himself and wife 
preferred to be among friends and therefore lived 
upon the farm of his brother-in-law. 

Our subject remembers his mother as a lady of 
great loveliness of character, and both parents pos- 
sessed those traits which caused them to be re- 
spected and beloved wherever known. Both were 
active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and the father, politically, was a supporter of the 
Whig party. 

Of their four children John T. was the eldest; 
Mary E. became the wife of Isaac Meharry, now 
of Montgomery County, Ind.; M.aggie, who mar- 
ried Isaac Armstrong, died when twenty-one years 
old, in 1868, in Tippecanoe County, Ind., leaving 
two children; her son, Allen W., lives with his 
uncle, our subject; the daughter, Emma, is with her 
aunt, Mrs. Emma Campbell, of Lafayette, Ind. 
The youngest brother of our subject, Frank An- 
drew, died when nearly twenty-one years old. He 
was a promising young man. possessing more than 
ordinary abilit}', and was mourned by a large circle 
of friends. 

After the death of his parents Mr. Moore took up 
his abode with Samuel Meharry, now a retired far- 
mer of Lafayette, Ind., and one of the prominent 
and successful men of Tippecanoe County. He was 
treated by Mr. Meharry as one of his own family 
and endeavored to repay the kindness of his bene- 
factor by cheerful and dutiful obedience to his 



I 



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T 



t 



■•►^l-♦ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



371 



wishes. Mr. M. had no children of his own ami 
our sulijcct and his sister M.aggie, witli others, con- 
stituted his famil}'. He remained witli his foster 
parents until he reached his majority, and was then 
presented by Mr. Meharry with the farm which 
constitutes his present homestead. This consists of 
160 acres, and Mr. Moore by his attention to and 
care of it, has shown liis appreciation of the gener- 
ous gift. 

The marriage of John T. Moore and Miss Min- 
nie Myers took place in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, 
Oct. 7, 1866. Mrs. Moore is the daughter of James 
and Marie (Romig) Myers, the former a native of 
Ohio and the latter of Pennsylvania, in which lat- 
ter .State the grandparents of both families origin- 
ally lived. Mr. and Mrs. Myers after their mar- 
riage located on a farm ir. Tuscarawas County, 
where the}' resided until their death. They raised 
a large family of children who became useful and 
respected citizens. Of tliese, which included five 
sons and seven daugliters, Mrs. Moore was the 
youngest. She was carefully trained, received a 
common-school education, and remained with her 
parents until her marriage. Of her union with our 
subject there were born two children, of whom 
only one is living, Grace L., a bright and interest- 
ing girl of twelve years. Mr. Moore politically, is 
a warm supporter of Republican principles, and 
religiously, both he and Mrs. M. are connected 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he 
has been Steward. 



-W«4 






l^fi./^ 




i 



liRAHAM C. BROWN. The name of this 
highly resi)ected citizen is familiarly known 
throughout East IJend Township, of which 
he has been a resident since 1 869. He is 
a gentleman of more th.an ordinary ability, received 
a good education, and for several years followed 
the profession of a teacher in Woodford, McLean 
and Chami)aign Counties. He occu])icd himself 
teaching principally during the winter seasons, and 
being fond of agricultural pursuits engaged in 
farming during the summer. As a boy he was 
thoughtful beyond his years, and when fourteen 
years old became a member of the Church, in which 



he has labored faithfully since that time as Super- 
intendent and teacher in Sunday-schools and as a 
supply preacher. He was ordained as an Eldei- 
about 1873, and for long years h.ns exerted an in- 
fluence which will be felt after he has gone the way 
of all mankind. 

The subject of this history was born in what is 
now Kansas Township, A\'oodford Co., 111., Nov. 
13, 1839. His father, Uriah Brown, was a native 
of Tennessee, whence his grandfather, AVilliam 
Brown, removed to Illinois in the pioneer days, 
and locating in McLean County in 1826, spent the 
remainder of his life there. He was a preacher of 
the Gospel in the Church of Christ. He died June 
16, 1845. Fannie, his wife, had preceded him, 
having died Sept. 2, 1840. He reared a fine family, 
among the sons being Uriah, the father of our sub- 
ject, who was a young man when the removal was 
made from the South to Illinois. A few years Later 
he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Carlock, 
a native of his own State, who emigrated to Illi- 
nois with her brother when a young girl. Her par- 
ents came from Germany. Her father attained to 
the age of ninety years. Her mother died in 1802. 

After their marriage the parents of our subject 
crossed the Mississippi and located in Barry County, 
Mo., on a tract of land along the White River. 
There Uriah Brown put up a log house and inii)roved 
a few aci'es of land, when he was stricken down 
by the hand of the Destroyer. Of the four chil- 
dren thus made fatherless the eldest w;is a daughter 
in her teens. The mother remained in Missouri 
with her family two years, and wiis then taken into 
the home of her brother, Reuben Carlock, in Wood- 
ford County, 111. She supported her family by 
spinning and weaving, and kept her children to- 
gether until they were old enough to lake care of 
themselves. She trained them to habits of industry, 
and i)iinciples of virtue and honor, and still lives, 
the object of their respect and affection, having ar- 
rived .'it the advanced age of eighty-five years. 
.She united with the Christian Church in her youth, 
of which she has been a devoted ineml)er since that 
time, and after the death of her liusband still kept 
up the family altar and exerted over her childicn 
the inlluence of a, conscientious, ])ious motluT. 
The eldest d.-uighter, Minerva, became the wife of 



i 



'ik 372 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i^^h^ 



t' 



Joseph Moore, and lives in Montgomery Townsliip, 
Woodford Co., 111.; Amie, who married John Cru- 
sinbury, a farmer, and Kannie. Mrs. Daviil Hood, 
are residents of Buffalo Couut.y, Neb. 

Abraiiam C. Brown, of our sketch, ivas Itiit two 
years old when his parents located in Missouri, and 
eight years old wlien his mother returned tv Illinois. 
His earl}' education was conducted in the primitive 
log school-house. The family' lived in a house ad- 
joining that of his uncle, and when not in sch(^ol 
young Abraham assisted the latter on his farm. 
During the winter seasons he attended school, and 
choi)ped wood for his board nights and mornings. 
He remained with his uncle until fifteen years old, 
then went to live with his older sister, where he re- 
mained until his marriage. 

After this event our subject located upon a tract 
of land in Woodford Count}', which he rented two 
j'ears, and tinally, in 18GH, came to this co;:nty and 
purchased eighty acres which are now included in 
his present homestead. The land was wholly un- 
improved. He took possession of it in liSOU, and 
commenced the building of a house, into which he 
moved with his family as soon as enougli of it was 
completed so that they could be comfortable. The 
means with which he purchased his land were ob- 
tained by teaching, and as time passed on and he 
was successful in his farming operations, he added 
to his real estate, so that he now has 100 acres, all 
under a good state of cultivation and supplied with 
excellent frame buildings, including a tasteful resi- 
dence, a good barn and sheds for the shelter of 
stock. He has also planted numbers of choice 
fruit and shade trees, and the premises have a home- 
like air which is i)leasant to behold. 

Mr. Brown was married, Oct. 3, 1860, to Miss 
MahalaPliillips, who was born in Woodford County, 
111., Oct. 3, 1841. Her fatiier, James I'hillips, was 
one of the pioneers of Woodford Count}', to which 
he removed from Tennessee, locating in Montgom- 
ery Township in 1832, where he improved a farm 
and passed the remainder of his life, dying on the 
14th of June, 1881. The mother of Mrs. Brown 
was formerly Miss Jane Jones, also a native of 
Tennessee, who came to Illinois with her uncle and 
here met and inan-ied James Pliillips. She survived 
him five years, ilying in Uecember, 188(j. Mr. P. 




served as a soldier in the Black Hawk War. His 
father served in the War of 1812, during which 
time he died. The three children of Mr. and Mrs. 
Brown are Byron A., Arabella May and Alhi Dell. 
Our subject and his wife are connected with the 
Christian Church, and Mr. B., |)olitically, casts his 
inlluence in support of Democratic principles. 

SHOMA.S BABB. While traveling through 
Champaign County the biographical writers 
of this Alhu.m met with but few active 
business men who were natives of the county. State, 
or even of the United States. The vast niajorit}- 
of those who are to-day tilling the soil and raising 
stoOk or engaged in business or commercial enter- 
prises, or are members of any of the professions, 
were born, many without the borders of the State 
and niany across the Atlantic. Of the latter chiss 
scores upon scores have furnished the sinew of 
trade and agriculture, and have become most im- 
portant factors in the prosj)erity of the rapidly 
growing West. Of this class the subject of this his- 
tory is no unimportant illustration. 

When a youth of nineteen j'ears, which liad been 
spent in the place of his birth, Staffordshire, En- 
gland, Thomas Babb, who possessed the spirit 
of enterprise and ambition in a remarkable degree, 
had already begun to revolve in his mind the pos- 
sibilities which might lie for him in a new country, 
where many of his countrymen had ahead}' gone 
and become prosperous. It did not take him long 
to decide to follow their example, nor to put his re- 
solve into execution. He set sail from Liverpool 
in May, 1860, and after a voyage of fourteen days 
set foot upon the shores of the New World. After 
a very brief time spent in New York City he pro- 
ceeded to Licking County, Ohio, and was there 
variously engaged until October of the following 
year. He then started for Illinois overland, with a 
team and cow, landing in this county, where he 
rented a farm. With his team he was enabled to 
earn the munificent inct)me of ninety cents i)cr 
day, ou1< of which be hoarded his horses and him- 
self. 

Mr. Babb prospered, however, by the very might 



•^ t^m <• 



^ 



CFIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



373 






of his persistency, and the following sprinj^ practi- 
cally started in Imsiness for himself by renting a 
farm. He successfully operated this one year, and 
with the means which he had saved by the closest 
eeonoii)}', purchased forty acres of prairie land in 
Mahomet Township. Twenty acres were broken, 
this being the only effort at inii)rovcnient: there 
was neither fence nor building on the place. He 
had now a young wife to care for, and his first bus- 
iness was to prepare a habitation. He put up a 
small frame house, improved the balance of the 
land, and after two 3-ears sold out and bought lifty- 
seven acres in Hensley Township, which, at the 
time of purchase, was in much the same condition 
as was his late possession. There also he built 
another house, but a year later removed again to 
take possession of eighty acres which he had pur- 
chased in Condit Township. This latter property he 
occupied two years, then disposed of it and pur- 
chased another eighty -acre tr.act of wild land in the 
same township, w'*hich he improved and occupied 
for a period of twelve years. During that time he 
transformed the land into a good farm, which he 
rented, and going into Rantoul Township, pur- 
chased eight}' acres adjacent to the village of 
Thomasboro. 

Mr. Babb, at the expinitiou of this time, Ijad ob- 
tained quite an insight into the American method 
of doing business and had become thoroughly citi- 
zenized. Jn 1878 he commenced buying and ship- 
ping hogs, and tvvo years later began the opera- 
tions in grain which have since been attenc'ed with 
success. (Since commencing his transactions in this 
line. Thomasboro has become one of the best grain 
markets in this section, and Mr. Babb one of the 
most popular business men in Champaign County. 
He has continued his live stock operations in connec- 
tion with his grain business, and has confined him- 
self strictly to upright and honorable methods of 
dealing. He has from time to time added to his 
farm pro|)erty, and is now the owner of {;8() acres, 
comjjrising some of the finest land in Rantoul and 
Condit Townships. 

The l)irth of our subject occurred on the ir)th of 
December, 1841, in the town of (Jreatwitch, Staf- 
fordshire, England. His parents, Jeffrey and Catii- 
erine (Deville) Babb, were natives of tiic same 



country. The lattcr's forefathers trace their de- 
scendants back to the time of William the Con- 
(pieror, with whom they crossed over from Nor- 
mandy to England. Jeffrey Babb spent his entire 
life in his native England, eng.aged in farming pur- 
suits, and died on the farm where he had lived many 
years, and where his father lived before him, and 
which had been the pro|)erty of his family for many 
ye.ars. After the death of her husband the mother 
came to America, in December, 1882, and is now 
living at the home of her son-in-law, Mr. Deakin, 
in Thomasboro. 

The parental household included eleven children, 
all of whom lived to become men and women. They 
were John, Elizabeth, Margaret, Thom.as of our 
sketch, Catherine, Jeffrey, Jane, Ann, William. Mnvy 
and Alice. Margaret is now the onl}^ one remaining 
in her native England. The homes of the others are 
variously located in this and adjoining .States. 
Thomas lived with his i)aicnts until eighteen years 
old, then commenced handling freight at a railroad 
station, being thus eng.aged until starting for Ihc 
United States. 

The marriage of Thomas Babb and i^iss Elcancu' 
rhilbrook took place in Licking County, Ohio, in 
October, 18(11. Mrs. Babb is a native of the Buck- 
e^'e State, born in Licking County, in 18;)7, and the 
daughter of Cyrus and Anna C. (Martin) rhil- 
brook, n.'itives respectively of Maine and Ohio. Of 
this union there are four children — .left'rey E., Lena 
A., Cyrus E. and Bertha A. Mr. Babb wa« reared 
in the Episcopalian faith, and although not at pres- 
ent a member of any religious denomination, still 
cherishes a profound respect for the religion of his 
parents. 



'i>*^»S>4g'0i^M*<-3- 



<^ 



f/OHN N. NOUTON has been a resident of 
this county since December, 185;'), at which 
time, accompanied by his young wife, he 
came .and rented land near the city of Cham- 
paign, which is now occupied by the grounds and 
buildings of the State I'niversity. He subsequently 
piiichascd sixty acres of raw prairie, which is now 
included in his present homestead and to which he 
afterward adiled 18(1. His estate embraces 2 10 
acres, under a high state of cultivation and supplied 



1 



f. 



i 



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4 



374 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



with a fine set of farm buildings. The land is well 
drained and entire!}' destitute of swamp giound. 
For tlie last fifteen years our subject has been 
mainly engaged in stock-raising. The farm lies on 
section 18 of Crittenden Township, and section 13 
of Pcsotum Township, and invariably attr.acts the 
attention of the passer-l)y on account of its general 
air of thrift and prosperity, the well-kept stock, 
the neat fences and buildings, and all the other 
evidences of enterprise and industry. A view of 
the residence and surroundings is shown in this work. 

Mr. Norton was born in Cortland Count}', N. Y., 
May 20, 1833, and is the son of Harvey Norton, a 
native of Connecticut. His mother, who was for- 
merly Miss Sallie Merry, was a native of the Empire 
State, and resided with her parents on a farm until 
her marriage. By her union witli Ilarve}' Norton 
she became the mother of five children, one of 
whom died in infancy. Those living are, Stephen; 
Cyrena, now Mrs. Spencer; Catherine, Mrs. Merry; 
and John N. of our sketch. All reside in Cham- 
paign County. Tiie motherof our subject departed 
this life at her home in Spafford, N. Y., in 1839. 
Harve}' Norton was afterward married to Jliss Bet- 
sey Haiglit, in Ohio, to which State he had removed 
after the death of his first wife. Tliere he was a 
resident of Geauga County until about 1864, when 
he came to this county with liis family. His sec- 
ond wife died soon after coming to Illinois, leaving 
one daughter, Laura, now the wife of Ed Payne, 
and a resident of Colorado. The father of our 
subject passed from the scenes of his earthly la- 
bors Feb. 14, 1880. He was a good man in the 
broadest .sense of the term, a devout member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and one who ob- 
served the duties of his profession. 

Our snliject was but six years of age when he 
was dei)rived of tiie affectionate care of his mother. 
The family were then separated, and for a period of 
twenty years the children never met all together at 
one time. This state of tilings afterward happii}' 
met with a change, as they now all live in one 
neighborhood. .Tolin N. of our sketch resided in 
the family of an uncle until the -jecimd marriage of 
his father, and then went to live with the latter in 
Ohio. Harvey Norton carried on a large daily 
farm in the Buckeye State, in the labor of which 



our subject assisted until he was twenty-two years 
of age. 

In the latter part of that year, on the IGth of 
.September, 185.5. Mr. Norton was united in marriage 
with Miss Esther Percival, a native of Geauga 
County, Ohio, and the daughter of Oliic}' and Lo- 
vina (Ford) Percival. .She was born in Geauga 
County. Ohio, June 28, 1834. Her father was a 
native of ^'ermollt, and her mother of Ohio, in 
which State both parents died. Mrs. Lovina Per- 
cival was the first child born in Troy Township, 
Ohio, and ate of the fii'st apples that grew in that 
township. 

After marriage our subject and his wife, .as we 
have said, became residents of Illinois and this 
county. Their union has been blest bj' the birth 
of three children, one of whom, named Harvey J., 
died at the age of eighteen years and six months, 
on the 17th of June, 1875. Those living are 
Stephen A. and Minnie M., both at home with their 
parents. Our subject is Democratic in politics and 
has served his township as Road Commissioner and 
School Trustee ; at present he is School Treasurer, 
which office he has held the past three j'cars. So- 
cially he is a member in good standing of Tolono 
Lodge No. 391, A. F. & A. M. 



■^ i * 



•S^i»?' 



JOHN ROACH, who is numbered among the 
old and highly respected residents of Crit- 
tenden Township, came with his parents to 
Illinois in the spring of 1864, and since that 
time has been a resident of tiie Prairie State. He 
is the son of John and Ann ((irimes) Ro.ach, and 
his birth took place in Greene County, Pa., on the 
22d of March, 1817. His childhood and youth 
were passed upon his father's farm, but after reach- 
ing manhood he engaged in the manufacture of 
lirick, and also learned the shoemaker's trade, which 
he followed for several years. His marriage took 
place before he liad quite reached his majority, on 
tlie 27lli of Feliruary, 1838. The maiden of his 
choice was Miss Rachel Pettit, who was a native of 
liis own county, born .Ian. 28, 1820, and the 
daughter of John and Mary (Warford) Pettit. 
Mr. R. and his bride first settled down in their 



I' 



t 



i 



pHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



•^ 



375 



native county, where they remained until 1864, 
then came to the West, locating first in I.a Salle 
Count}-, this State. After a resirlence there of four 
years, Mr. Roach purchased 100 acres of l.iud in 
Crittenden Townshii), this county, which he culti- 
vated for several years, and with his wife in the 
meantime reared a family- of ten children. The 
eldest daughter, Maria, is now the wife of Stephen 
Doty, a prosperous farmer of Crittenden Town- 
ship; Mary Ann married William Tershing, of 
Springfield, Ohio; the eldest son, George, died when 
twentj' jears old, and John died when twent^"- 
one 3'ears of age. The loss of these promis- 
ing sons at the must interesting period of their 
lives was a great atlliction to the parents. The next 
son, William, lives in La Salle County, 111., and 
David in Springfield, Ohio; Charit3Mnarried Charles 
West; Jennie is the wife of John V. Navity; Lj'dia 
was married to Fred Buckingham; Oscar, unmar- 
ried, lives in Springfield, Ohio, and Sallie, Mrs. 
George P. Bliss, in Sidnej' Township, this county. 
Mr. Roach is Democratic in politics, and with his 
excellent and worthy lad}', a member of the B.ap- 
tist Church, .as .are also several of their children. 



"JOSEPH KAMP, one of the pioneer farmers 
of Tolono Townshiii, owns IGO acres of land 
(m section 20, witi> a siiai)ely and convenient 
J residence and other good improvements. 
He became a resident of this county in the fall of 
1870, settling upon his present fai'ui, since which 
time he has given his entire attention to its im- 
provement and cultivation. He li.as been fairlj' 
prospered in his f.arming .and business trans.actions 
and occupies a good position in the comnumity as 
one of its worthy and reliable citizens. 

Our subject is a native of the Buckeye State, 
born in liutler Comity, June 10, 18.37. His father, 
Christian Kamp, whose birth occurred in ALssice, 
Gerifiany, in 1808, set sail from his native land for 
the United States when nineteen years of .age. 
After reaching American shores he proceeded first 
to Pennsylvania and afterward to Ohio. In the 
latter State he met Miss Magdalena Somers, and 
4* 



she became his wife. They remained residents of 
Ohio for several years, and in 18 18 started for 
the farther West. After reaching Illinois they lo- 
cated in Woodford County, where Mr. K. first 
rented a tract of land but subsequently purcha.sed 
eighty acres which he cultivated until ISoG, and 
then met with an accident, the breaking of his leg, 
which resulted in his death in about six weeks. 
Mrs. Kamp afterward m.arried Mr. Christian .Moser, 
.and is still a resident of Woodford County. 

The parental household included six sons and 
three daughters. Joseph of our sketch came with 
the f.araily to Illinois in 1848, .and grew to man- 
hood in the counties of Woodford .and McLean. 
He worked for several years as a farm laborei' and 
was in the emplo}' of one man for five years. He 
then commenced business on his own account by 
the cultivation of rented land in McLean County, 
where he remained until the fall of 1870. and then 
came to Champ.aign County. 

In 18r)9, our subject w.as m.arried in McLean 
County, 111., to Miss Fannie Stalder. who w.as a na- 
tive of Germany. She only remained the companion 
of her husband one short year, d3'ingthe following 
summer. In 18G1 Mr. Kamp w.as married to 
Miss Phcbe Stalder, a sister of his former wife, .and 
who died in 1802. The following year he was mar- 
ried to Miss Rosa Kohler. This Lady is a native of 
Switzerland, and became the mother of eight chil- 
dren. Two little daughters, Elizabeth and Mar}', 
died when about three years of .age; Christian died 
when nine years old. Those surviving are Susie, 
John, Peter, Lydta and Joseph. Mr. Kamp, i)oliti- 
cally, is a decided Republican. Religiously he is 
a believer in the doctrines of the (Jniish Church. A 
lithographic view of INIr. Kamp's residence is shown 
on another p.age. 



<S? 



GEORCiE KAHCHER. This gentleman, who 
is a worthy representative of the farming 
interests of Tolono Township, came in 1870, 
and purch.ascd KiO .acres of land on section 21. He 
cultivated this until 1880, and then removed to his 
present farm, on section 27. This includes 400 
i acres of choice land under a good state of cultiva- 



'* 



t 



i 



376 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



tion, which is enclosed with well kept fences aud 
supplied with liandsome and substantial buildings. 
The residence is one of the finest in the county. 
The land is chietij' devoted to grain-raising. Be- 
sides this property Mr. K. is alst) proprietor of a 
valnal)le stt)re building at Freeport, the rent from 
which jields him a handsome income. He is a man 
who has been uniformly successful in life, having 
accumulated a competeuc\' for his declining years, 
and by his upright business course, has gained the 
confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens. He 
is still comparatively young in years, with the pros- 
pect of a bright and prosperous future. 

Our subject is a native of this State, and was 
born in Freeport on the 11th of July, IS4"). He is 
the son of John and Solona Karcher, both natives 
of Alsace, France. ,John Karcher served five ye.ars 
in the French army, under Louis Phillip. The par- 
ents were married in 1S41, and soon afterward 
emigrated to Canada, where thej" remained for a 
time visiting relatives, then came to tiiis State and 
settled on a farm near Freeport, 111. The father of 
our subject was a fine representative of the indus- 
trious and enterprising French element, and at the 
time of his death in 1878, at the age of sixty-five 
years, left an estate valued at 1100,000. This prop- 
erty included two farms and three store buildings. 
He belonged to the Evangelical Association, and as 
a member of business and social circles his word 
was considered as good as his bond. The mother 
is still living, and a resilient of Freeport. Their 
famil}' consisted of four sons and one daughter: 
Jolm is farming near his native city, Freeport; 
George of our sketch was the second son; Louis is 
practicing law in Chicago, III. ; Henry is engaged in 
real-estate business at Pierre, Dak. ; Sarah is at 
home with her mother. 

ftlr. Karcher was reared under the parental roof 
and made his home with his father's family until he 
attained his majority, llctlien removed to a farm 
in Logan County, which he operated for three 
years. In the meantime he had been married, 
March 11, 18G9, in Logan County, to iMiss Jane 
Stewart, who is the daughter of Charles and Mary 
(Grillln) Stewart, and was born in Randon, Scot- 
land, Feb. 11, 1 .s.')0. Of liiis union there are three 
children — Salona, William II. aud .leniima. 



Mr. K. uniformly casts his vote with the Re- 
publican party, but has never desired olHce, hav- 
ing as much as he could attend to in carrying on 
properly the affairs of his farm and other business. 
He is not a member of any church but was con- 
verted in 1884 bj' a spirit from on high. His wife 
experienced the same conversion, the same year. 



<!—- 



:i-3r 



-4~ 



\i 



/ERRE GORMAN, who located on section 7, 
in Ra3-mond Township, in the spring of 
1877, is the proprietor of 320 acres of land, 
) and since the time of his coming here has 
cultivated the soil and been fairly successful in his 
fanning operations. His birth occurred in Queen's 
County. Ireland, in March, 1849, and his p.arents 
were John and Kate (iorman, the former of whom 
died at about middle age in his native Ireland. In 
1 SG.5 the mother with her three children set sail for 
the New World. Soon after landing in New York 
City she proceeded directly westward to Illinois, 
first taking up her abode in Grundj' County. There 
the two daughters were married and one still resides. 
The other removed to Iowa. In 1877 our subject 
with his motlier came to Champaign County, and 
located upon the land which is now included in his 
present farm. He first purchased 160 acres, and 
afterward .ioubled that amount, the whole of which 
constitutes a good farm under a fair state of culti- 
vation. The aged mother makes her home with 
her son, being now nearly seventy 3-ears old. Our 
subject politicall}' is a sUuich supporter of Demo- 
cratic principles, and in religious matters adheres 
to the Catholic faith in which he was reared. He 
has served as .School Director in his district. 

Mr. Gorman w.as married, in August, 1880, to 
Miss Mary, daughter of James and Margaret Fitz- 
gerald, and a native of Champaign County. t)f 
this union there are four children, all living at 
home, and named as follows: John, Margaret, Kate 
and Mar}'. • 

Mrs. Gorman's father was born in County Lim- 
erick. Ireland, in about 1837. He came to the 
United States when fifteen years old, and after so- 
journing with friends for a brief time in New York 



I 



, -tjf^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



377 




^ 



i 



City, proct'ciU'd to tlic home of his In'othcr John, 
in New Ilanipsliirc. The following year he caini' 
to this count}', and for several years afterward was 
in the eniplo}' of the Illinois Central Kailroad Coni- 
pan}', and resided at Spring Creek, Mattoon, ecc. 
Afterward he purchased 160 acres of land, which is 
well inijiroved, and furnished with a good set of 
farm buildings. He was married in this county to 
Miss Margaret Coyne, alsc) a native of Ireland, who 
came to America when a j'oung girl. They raised 
a familj' of ten children, of whom nine survive, as 
follows : Thomas, John, Mary, Jerre, Patrick, 
Willie, Maggie, Klnora and James. Mr. F. is 
Democratic in politics and Roman Catholic in re- 
ligion. 

■ifSt. AVID MAXWELL. The subject of this 
history, one of the most substantial and 
reliable residents of Crittenden Township, 
comes from excellent Scottish ancestry, 
and was himself liorn in the Port of Glasgow on 
the 25th of January, l.S4i). His parents, Jpseph 
and Mary (Russell) Jlaxwell, five years after the 
birth of their son emigrated from their native land 
to the United States, and soon after landing at New 
York Harbor proceeded to Boonton, N. J. The 
following year they decided to try their fortunes 
In the West, and coming to this State located on a 
farm in Peoria County, where they resided until 
1869. Thence they came into this county and took 
up a tract of land on section 7, in Crittenden 
Township. It was at that time unbroken prairie, 
but through the industry and enterprise of Joseph 
Maxwell in due time it was transformed into a 
good farm, enclosed with neat fences .-ind supi)lied 
with a comfortable residence and all other neces- 
sary buildings. 

Upon the homestead thus established, and which 
is now in po.ssession of our subject, Joseph Max- 
well lived until the 1st of Noveinljcr, 18S.5, then 
departed this life at the age of seventy-three years. 
His aged companion still survives, and resides 
with her son David, of our sketcli. She was born 
in 1807, and is coubeiiucntly now eigiit\' years old. 
The family of these excellent people inciudcil four 
children, all liorn in Scotland. One son .-ind a 
-^•— _ 



daughter died in Peoria County, 111., and the sur- 
viving brother of our subject, James Maxwell, is a 
resident of Marshall County, Kan. 

Mr. Maxvvell was a little lad six 3'ears old when 
his father's family located in Illinois. He was 
reared to manhood on the farm in Peoria County, 
and educated in the common schools. After com- 
ing to this county he remained with his parents and 
assisted in the improvement and cidtivation of the 
farm, and on the 23d of November, 1870, was mar- 
ried to Miss Asenath Merry. This lady was a na- 
tive of Montgomery County, N. Y., and the 
daughter of Benjamin and Sally Merry, also na- 
tives of the Empire State. She was born Sept. 22, 
1844, and came to Illinois with her parents when a 
young girl. They located in Douglas County, 
where thej* remained until 1868. when they located 
in this county. The father yet lives here; the 
mother died in New York State. Mrs. M. re- 
mained under the home roof until her marriage. 
She is now the mother of three children — Mary, 
Frank and Ella. 

Our subject politically is a member of the Re- 
pul)lican party ; he was reared in the doctrines of 
the Scotch Presbyterian Church, of which his hon- 
ored ])arents were active and devoted members. 



;^\ AMUEL GROVE. This gentleman is said 
to be the m(jst energetic man in Champaign 
County, busy, ambitious, and always hav- 
ing some project in view, in the execution 
of which he usuall}- succeeds. He is one of the 
largest land-owners of Philo Township, having a 
farm of 400 acres, all of which is finely cultivated 
and well adajjted to stock-raising, of wliicli lie li.as 
made a specialty, and in this, as in most of his otiier 
undertakings, has been very successful. 

Mr. Grove is a native of Cumberland County, 
Pa., and was born Dec. 17, 1838. He was reared 
and educated in his native town and remained at 
liome until after the outbreak of the late war, when 
he became a transportation master in the army, in 
which he was employed al)ont seventeen months. 
At the ex|iiratiou of this time, after a brief visit 
1 at his own home, he started for the West, .and 




^ 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



locating in Napeiville, 111., engaged as clerk in a 
store. This he abandoned after one year's trial, 
and then began to farm on shares, operating in this 
manner for five years folluiving. He then purchased 
land in Dii Page County, which he cultivated until 
1883, when he sold out and secured possession of 
his present home in this county. 

The marriage of Samuel Grove and Miss Amanda 
Erb took place in Chicago, 111., Dec. 21, 1865. Mrs. 
G. was born in Lancaster County, Pa., Aug. 10, 1847. 
She is the daughter of Joshua and Sarah (Yount) 
Erb, also natives of the Keystone State, but now 
residents of Naperville. Her father was a farmer 
of large means and a man of influence in his com- 
munity. Both tiie Grove and Erli families were 
of German descent, and possessed in a marked de- 
gree the reliable and substantial traits of their fore- 
fathers. Our subject and his wife became the par- 
ents of five children — Hattie A., Harrison, Elly, 
Evan and Ervin S. The father of our subject, 
Jacob Grove, whose ancesters were from Holland, 
died in Naperville, 111., in 1801. The mother, who 
in her maidenhood was Miss Mary Seitz, is now liv- 
ing with her second husband in Naperville. A 
lithographic view of Mr. (irovo's residence, with its 
surronndings, is shown on anotlier page of this 
volume. 




k 



IRAM L. DURFEY became a resident of 
Champaign County in 1861, and spent his 
first year on a rented farm near Parkville. 
The following year he was similarly occu- 
pied in Tolono Township, whence after a residence 
of four years, he came to Philo and purchased 
eighty .acres of land on section 18, where he pro- 
ceeded to lay the foundations of a permanent liome. 
This has remained his residence since that time, 
with tlie excei)tion of five years which he spent on 
a farm with his sons in Tolono Township. His land, 
when he took possession of it, was not far removed 
from Its original condition and he industriously set 
about its improvement and cultivation, meeting 
with !il)undant succe.ss. Tlie farm is finely laid off 
and conveniently arranged for tlie raising of grain 
and stock. Nothing is wasted, every acre being 



i 



made available, and everything about the premises 
is well cared for and kept in good order. 

Mr. Durfcy is a native of Licking County, Ohio, 
born in Hartford Township, Aug. 15,1820. His 
father, Daniel L Durfej', was a well-educated man, 
and for manj' years a te.acher in the Buckeye .state. 
He was a potter by trade, but at one time owned a 
small farm and operated a sawmill. He was born 
in Vermont, of New England parentage and En- 
glish and Scotcli descent. When twentj'-two years 
of age he removed to Licking Count}', Ohio, and 
there married Aliss Alc^' C. Rose, a native of Mas- 
sachusetts and of English descent. She became a 
resident of Licking County, Ohio, when a small girl. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. D. settled on 
a farm in Licking County, where the father passed 
the remainder of his life, dying April 27, 1872, at 
the age of seventy-nine years. The mother, who is 
now eight3'-seven years of age, is still living at 
Hartford, Ohio, and retains her mental faculties to 
a remarkable degree, as well as her health and 
strength. .She is still an .active member of the 
Congregational Church, which she attends regu- 
larly. 

Our subject was the eldest child and oul}- son of 
three children born to his parents, one of whom, 
Luc3", formerly the wife of Henry Smith, is now 
deceased. His sister, Adeline, Mrs. Cornell, is a 
resident of Lock, Knox Co., Ohio. Mr. Durfey re- 
mained a member of the parental household until 
twenty-four years of age, and the three years after 
his majority worked with his father in the sawmill. 
He was married, Nov. 1, 1843, .at the residence of 
the bride's parents in his native township, l)y the 
Rev. Mr. Brown, to Miss Lucina D. Smith. The 
p.arcnts of Mrs. D., Heman and Sarah (^Vinston) 
Smith, were natives of Connecticut and of New 
England parentage. iMr. Smith in early life w.os 
occupied as a clothier, but later engaged in milling, 
which he followed until his death, at the age of fifty 
years, in Delaware County, Ohio. His father. He- 
man Smith, .Sr., was lost at sea. It is supposed that 
his vessel was taken by pirates, iis it disappeared 
and was never afterward heard from. The mother 
of Mrs. Durfej' departed this life when forty years 
of age. She was a ladj' highly esteemed and re- 
spected liy all who knew her, and botli parcnls 
«> 



I 



~u 



J 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



379 



wiTO HK>ist wurtliy iiieinljers of society, training 
tliclr children to principles of teniper;inco ami 
inoralit3'. Of the nine children included in the 
honsehold circle, Mrs. Diirfey wiis the third in or- 
der of birth. She received a common-school edu- 
cation and remained at home until her marriage. 

B3' her union with our subject Mrs. IJurfey has 
become the mother of eight children, who arc 
recorded as follows: Julius T. married Miss Nancy 
V. Hamilton, and is a resident of Downs, Osborne 
Co.. Kan.; Edgar W. lives at home, and assists in 
operating the farm; Daniel I., Jr., married .Miss 
Mary A'anMeter, and is a farmer of Tolono Town- 
ship; Eva, formerly a teacher, is rusticating in Kan- 
sas: Emma 1'. became the wife of L. H. Wright, a 
farmer and mechanic, and resides in White Count}', 
Ind. ; Alice, Alonzo and Clarence are deceased. 
The parents and all the children are worth}' mem- 
bers of the I'resb^'teriau Church. Politicall}-, Mr. 
Durfey is one of the most radical Republicans of 
the county. 



f/AMES .STEVEN. tJnc of the ttnest resi- 
dences in Sadorus' Township is situated on 
the northwest corner of section 27, and is 
the property of the subject of this sketch. 
It is doubly valuable to Mr. S. as having been the 
house of his parents, which he remove<l from the 
home in I S80, and fitted u[) with modern improve- 
ments. It makes a solid and substantial structure, 
tiie frames of the houses of thirty-two years ago 
having lieen built of much heavier timber than 
those of the present. The grassy yard, shaded by 
trees, and the neat buildings in the rear, with the 
fields on either side, present a pleasant picture for 
the eye to contemplate. The well-fed cattle and 
fine horses belonging to the estate form no unim- 
portant part of its embellishments. Mr. .Steven, as 
a st(jck-raiser, ranks among the repfe.sentative men 
of his townshii), and closely sui)erintends the opera- 
tions of the farm, which IJenjaniin I'laiiklin main- 
tainc<l was the only method by wliich anything 
could be done properl}'. lie often said in plain 
words, '• If you wish .'inything done well, do it 
^ ' yourself." Mr. Steven, so far as lies in his power. 



h;is followed this ma.vim, being active and indus- 
trious, wliileat the .same time devoted to his family 
and alive to the interests of his community. 

James .Steven comes from excellent Scottish an- 
cestry, and was l)orn in Forfarshire, a maritime 
county of Scotland, havin<> east the North Sea and 
south tiie l''irtii of Taj'. lu tliis county were the 
celebrated liraes of Angus, a part of the (Jiampian 
Range, the \'ale of Siralhmore, and theSidlaw Hills, 
and the ricii plain akmg the Firth of Tay and the 
Sea. The [>arents of our subject, James and Chris- 
tina ((iray) Steven, were born among the Highlands 
in Scotland, where they were married and remained 
until 18.')4, when our subject was a young man of 
twentj'-one }'ears. They left one son, a sailor, in 
Scotland, but were accompanied by four other chil- 
dren. The elder Steven, after reaching American 
shores |)roceeded directly Westward to the rapidlj' 
growing State of IlliiHjis, and entered eighty acres 
in .Sadorus Township, this county, which, with the 
assistance of his son, was soon transformed into a 
fertile farm. Here both parents spent the balance 
of their lives, the death of the mother occurring 
about 1870, and that of her husband six years later. 
After the death of his parents James took posses- 
sion of the homestead which had been deeded to 
him by his father, an<l which he kept up in the same 
creditable manner as before. 

One of the most imjiortant events in the life of 
our subject took [jlace in the spring of 1804, when 
he was united in marriage with Miss Laura, the eld- 
est child of Josei)li and Earnestine (Kuliling) 
Goodman, who were natives of Germany. Our 
subject and his wife continued to occupy the home 
farm until 188.'). Ho had been remarkably prosper- 
ous in the meantime, and had purchased 2'.»0 acres, 
being now the owner of 370 acres of some of the 
tiuest land in Champaign County. His property is 
located on sections l.j, 10 and 22. 

One of the most attractive features connected 
with the home life of our subject is the presence of 
seven children, namely, Joseph W., Alexander, 
Walter, Robert, Anna, Maggie and Elsie. Will- 
iam, the first born, died in childhood. Mr. and 
Mrs. Steven may be ])ar(loncd for the feeling of 
pride .•iiid satisfaction with which they look upon 
their childrcii. The l:itter have been crirefully 



; 



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i 



4 



A. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



trained and well educated, and form no unimpor- 
tant part in the enjoyment and satisfaction of the 
parents' lives. The prospect is that in due time 
they will l)e numbered among the niost valued 
members f)f societ.y and bear the mantle of their 
honored parents in a manner creditable to them- 
selves and to those who have watclied their lives 
fiom tlic dawning to the present time. 






ylLLlAM L. BKADEN, who became a resi- 
dent of Ludlow Township in 18G6, and 
has firmly established himself in the confi- 
dence and esteem of his fellow-citizens, is a native 
of Decatur County, Ind., and was l)orn March 1, 
1844. He is the son of John H. Braden. whose 
parents emigrated from the North of Ireland in 
about 1790, soon after their marriage. Their 
(then) only child died while on the voyage, 
and its body was preserved to be buried on land. 
The last dollar which the parents possessed was re- 
quired to paj' the funeral expenses, leaving them 
penniless in a strange country. They made their 
way to Greensburg, Pa., where the fatlier suc- 
ceeded m obtaining employment and prospered, 
while a considerable family grew up around them. 
When Kentucky was being colonized the^' pusheil 
on and settled among the pioneers in the new State. 

Observing the many evils attendant upon the 
system of slavery as practiced there, they resolved 
to leave that locality, and accordingly removed to 
Indiana in 1S20, six months after the birth of their 
eleventh and youngest child, John II. They lo- 
cated in what is now Greensburg, and there John 
II. remained a member of the parental household 
until his marriage. This event took place Sept. 3, 
1840, the lady of his choice being Miss Louisa 
Ueeder, of Rush County, Ind. She was the 3'oungest 
child of her parents, who were of Welsh and Ger- 
man descent. Her grandfather, who emigrated from 
Wales, was murdered by the Indians about the be- 
gimiing of the present century, on what is now 
the site of Cincinnati, Ohin. 

Shortly after their marriage Mr. Braden and his 
young wife set up liousckecping in .a log cabin in the 
midst of a tract of tiiul)er land, eighty acres of 



which he had purchased, and iipo:i which no im- 
provements whatever had been jnade. Their first 
dwelling was constructed Ijy his own hands. Soon 
afterward lie liegan to clear and cultivate his land, 
and in due time the country around him slowly 
settled up. When the government of the township 
came under discussion Mr. B. distinguished him- 
self as a stanch Whig and a radical temperance ad- 
vocate. Their oldest child, Margaret J., now re- 
sides near Gilman, 111., and is the wife of Simeon 
Collier, who served as a soldier in the Union army 
during the late war. 

Our subject was the eldest son of his parents, 
and in his boyhood and youth was made fully ac- 
quainted with the experiences of life in a new 
country. In 1852 his father traded the farm, which 
now consists of 209 acres of improved land, for a 
more valuable homestead in the same vicinity. In 
1853 he exchanged tliis for a stock of general mer- 
chandise and a fine residence in the village of Mil- 
ford", Ind. Here his son enjoyed better facilities 
for schooling, and at thirteen years of age became 
serviceable in his father's store. In March, 18G4, 
when twenty years of age, he was stricken down 
with spotted fever, which left him witli a shattered, 
nervous system, from which misfortune he has 
never fully recovered. In the fall of that j'car his 
parents, with their family of six boys and two girls, 
removed to State Line City, between Indi.ana and 
Illinois, six miles east of Danville. They remained 
there, however, but a few months, coming tiience 
to this countj'. 

Notwithstanding his constant ill-health, unwill- 
ing to lie idki, our subject opened a general store 
in the vill.age of what was then Pera, but is now 
Ludlow, in partnership with Daniel Allhand. The 
latter-named gentleman, after disposing of his 
interests to K. .1. Braden, the brother of our sub- 
ject, died about 1S72. Our subject, l)y his 
straightforward method of doing business and 
promptness in 'ineetiug Ills obligations, in time 
built up a good trade and made many friends. 
In 18()7 he w.as elected Clerk and Collector of 
Ludlow Township, tiic duties of which he ful- 
filled with credit to liimself and satisfaction to all 
concerned. He served as School Treasurer for a 
period of eleven ^-ears, holding it until his business 



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I 



M 



t 



/' 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



381 



affairs, in 1880, induced liini to resign. He is at 
present enga<>ed in the grain trade with Wiliiani C. 
Holmes. The fatlier of our subject now resides in 
Milford, 111., and in conii)any with his two sons, 
Richard F. aud John H., Jr., is conducting a large 
dry-goods store at Watseka, Iroquois County, 
where they wijoy an extensive patronage. 

William L. Braden. on account of his sad atllic- 
tion, has never full}' developed the social side of 
his nature, but so far as he is able is an earnest 
worker in the temperance and other good causes, and 
is the encourager of all enterprises tending to the 
moral and intellectual welfare of his community. 
He is a consistent member of the Christian Church, 
in which he has filled the office of Clerk for four- 
teen years. He supports the principles of the Re- 
publican part}', but takes no active part in politics, 
l>referring his business to any political eniohinients. 

W. EVANS, who became a resident of 
Philo Township in 1858, upon first coming 
/I' -^ 1 into the county located in Urbana Town- 
ship, where he was part owner of eighty acres of land. 
This he sold in the year mentioned and purchased 
eighty acres of his present homestead, to which he 
afterward added forty ' acres, and has now a snug 
farm under a good state of cultivation, with con- 
venient and comfortable buildings and all the sur- 
roundings of a successful agriculturist. 

Mr. Evans is a native of Brown County, Oliio, 
and was born Nov. 4,1821. His father, Edward 
Evans, died before our subject was born, and the 
latter, when a child of two or three years, went to 
live with his grandfather, also named Edward Ev- 
ans, who carried on farming in Brown County. 
There he made his home until he started out in life 
on his own account. After reaching manhood lie 
was married in his native county. Jan. !(!, 1844, to 
Miss Charlotte Morrow, a native of Brown County, 
and born Feb. 23, 1825. Her father, James Mor- 
row, owned and occupied a farm in Bird Township, 
where he died of cholera, in 1 832. The mother, 
who was formerly Miss Lavina Drake, lived to the 
age of seventy-four ye.nrs, and died at the old home- 
stead in Brown Countv. Mrs. Evans remained 



under the parental roof until her marriage. By her 
union with our subject there have been born two 
children — Cornelia, the wife of Frank Wells, a suc- 
cessful farmer of I'hilo Township, and Lavina F., 
who died in infancy. 

After their marriage Mr. Evans aud his young 
wife located in Bracken County, Ky., where they 
lived three years, then returned to Brown County, 
Ohio, and thence, one year later, removed to 
Montgomery County, Ind. There our subject 
rented land about three years, at the expiration of 
which time they became residents of this county. 
jNIr. Evans is a first-cl.ass Democrat of the old type, 
and has been Township Supervisor and Road Com- 
missioner a number of terms. Both he and his wife 
are members of the Christian Church. 



^RANK B. VENNUM, a native of the Frai- 
.„,, rie .State, is one of the most enterprising 
/l^ """ business men in the town of Fisher, being 
now the banker of the community, and identified 
with its most important interests. His birth took 
place in Iroquois County, Oct. 12, 1853, at Milford, 
and his parents were Christopher C. and Mahala 
(Horn ) Vennum,both natives of Washington County, 
Pa., where they lived several years after their mar- 
riage, and whence they removed to this State about 
1833. The father was a farmer by occupation, aud 
pursued his calling until his decease, which occurred 
at Onarga, Iroquois County, in about 1868. The 
mother still survives, and is a resident of Fisher. 

Our subject was the third of three sons and two 
daughters comprising the parental household, and 
received a good education, first by attending the 
common schools aud afterward at the Grand Prairie 
Seminary in Onarga, where he took a three years' 
course and graduated in the English branches, 
.Afterward he leai-ned telegraphy, and operated the 
wires at different points for two years following, 
then, desiring a more active life, engaged first as a 
grain dealer at Belletlower for about one year, then 
took up merchandising in connection with the grain 
trade, and selling out five years later came to Fisher, 
and after a brief time occupied in merchandising 
as l)efori', in which lie was quite successful, aban- 



4' 



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i 



i 



L. 



382 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



(lonefl t,liis fur banking. In seeking :i safe deposit 
for iiis surplus ea.sh he considered that nothing 
would be safer than land, and accordingly has in- 
vested considerably in real estate, including 400 
acres in Champaign Count}' and some of the most 
valuable property in the village. 

The marriage of Mr. A'eniium took place in 
liellefluwer Township, McLean Count}-, Nov. 25, 
1877, the lady of his choice lieing Miss Sarah A. 
Marsh, who was born in Fulton County, this State, 
and is the daughter of L. B. and Abbie (Sherman) 
JIarsh, natives of New Y(jrk State. Mr. Marsh 
spent his last days in Fisher, dying at the home of 
his son-in-law in 188G. The mother still survives, 
and is a resident of Fisher. The additions to the 
household of our subject are a son and daughter. 
Earnest M. and ^'innie V. Mr. Vennuni votes for 
the support of Republican principles, and with his 
wife l)elongs to the Christian Church. 



^^=SS»=^ ' 




i 



(f^ENSON RICHMOND. This thrifty and 
prosperous farmer of Newcomb Townshi|) 
is pleasantly hjcated on section 2, where he 
[i^JJ has a good farm of 240 acres, and in the 
prosecution of his chosen calling has been eminently 
successful. lie is a native of Muskingum County, 
Ohio, born May 27, 1824. and the son of Joseph 
and Nancy (Her) RichnHiud, natives respectively 
of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The parents of 
our subject soon after their marri.-ige located near 
Zanesville, in Muskingum Count}, Ohio, whence, 
in the fall of 1 SoO, they came to this State, and 
were among the earliest settlers of Tazewell County. 
The spot which they selected as their location is 
now included in llittle Township. The winter fol- 
lowing will be remembered as one of great severity 
and of the deep snow. 

About the middle of F('l)ruary, Josepli Rich- 
mond, in company with SmuiucI .Iud\', and shod 
with snow-shoes, started for .Mackinaw \iilage, 
fifteen miles aw.ay. After a tedious journey they 
reached their destination in safety and loaded tiieiii- 
.selves with provisions to take home to their own 
J'aniilies and tlie few neighbors in their vicinity. 

M» • 



When within two and one-half miles of home Mr. 
Richmond became exhausted with cold and fatigue, 
and told his companion that he could go no further, 
urging the latter, however, to proceed without him. 
Mr. Judy, taking off his own cloak, wrapped it 
around his companion, who had sat down in the 
snow, and proceeded on his way for •assistance as 
rapidly as possible. He could not return, however, 
until nioriiing, and when his friends found him Mr. 
Richmond was frozen to death, sitting in the same 
position in which he had been left. Mrs. R. sur- 
vived her husband several years, dying in Tazewell 
County in the fall of 1833 or 1834. Their family 
consisted of four sons and three daughters, of 
whom Henson of our sketch was tlie fifth child. 

Our subject was i)ut sis years of age when his 
parents became residents of Illinois. He remained 
in Hittle Township until, on account of rheumatism, 
owing to the dampness of the soil, he was obliged 
to remove. Going to Mackinaw Village he en- 
gBged as a stock dealer, and continued there until 
the spring of 1878, and during fourteen years of 
that time was engaged in breaking prairie. In the 
spring of the year mentioned he came into New- 
comb Townshii). this county, and purchased a tract 
of land which is included in his present homestead. 
This now comprises 240 acres, finely cultivated, 
and Mr. R. also has 240 acres adjoining, which is 
operated by a tenant. 

The marriage of Henson Richmond and .Miss 
Harriet Judy, was celebrated in Tazewell County, 
111., May 23, 18,")0. :Mis. R. was born in Hittle 
Township, Tazewell County, and was a sister of 
Jacob Judy, whose biography appears in another 
p.art of this work. She became the mother of three 
children, and departed this life Jan. G, 18.5<). Two 
of her children died in infancy; the one surviving, 
a son, Scott, married Miss Laura Fondersmith, and 
is a resident of Newcomb Township. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married Aug. 2, 18r)8, in Clinton, 111., was Miss 
Elizabeth, daughter of .lames and Rebecca (Wal- 
ton) Franks, natives resi)eetively of \'irginia and 
i Kentucky, .\ftcr living in IJoone County, the lat- 
ter State, a n ber of years, they removed to Pekin, 

111., in the fall of 1 .s;>(;, and ten years later, to Mc- 
I Lean County, where the father died Dec. 31, 1872, 
■» 



i 



t 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



383 



and the mother Dec. 25, 1882. The lioiiseliold in- 
cluded eleven children, cij>ht daughters and three 
sons. Mrs. Kichmoud was the second child, and 
was born in lioone County, Ky., March 1.5, 1833. Of 
the six children born to Mr. and Mrs. R. only two 
survive. Homer and Ella, both residing at home. 
The others died in infancy. Our subject and his 
wife are members in good standing ot the Christian 
Church, and politically Mr. R. alHliales with the 
Republican party. 

•e-^sS «-> <? <j- ■;:j~i> 

J^OIIX ANDERSON. M.iny of the most 
thrifty and intelligent .agriculturists of this 
section of Illinois .were born and reared on 
' the other side of the Atlantic, and to Scan- 
dinavia especiallj' is Illinois largely indebted for 
some of her most enterprising and valued citizens. 
As a splendid example of what may be accom- 
plished by energ}' and determination, amid stran- 
gers in a strange land, and upon the soil of a new 
country, we point to Mr. Anderson, who is now a 
resident of Ludlow Township, and owns one of 
the finest farms in Champaign County. This is 
embellisiied with every comfort, and invariably at- 
tracts the eye of the passing traveler as a model 
country estate under the supervision of a proprie- 
tor more than urdinarilj^ intelligent and progres- 
sive. 

Mr. Anderson has been uniformly [)rosperous in 
liis business and farming operations, and is now in 
' possession of a valuable landed estate, located on 
section G, and embracing 360 acres of finely culti- 
vated land, which he improved from wild prairie, 
and which now yields in abundance the richest 
products of the Prairie .State. The family resi- 
dence is an elegant and commodious structure, fin- 
islied and furnished in modern style. The other 
farm buildings correspond fully with the dwelling. 
Mr. Anderson came to this county in the pioneer 
days, and after having a desperate struggle with 
the ills of life. He possessed, however, that lirm 
and undaunted spirit for which the pioneer ele- 
ment was so eminently distinguished, and which 
w.as so necessary to success, and settling down in 
the midst of others, wiio were stiiving, like liiiiiself. 



to establish a home upon an uncultivated soil, pro^, 
ceeded with courage to redeem the land from its 
original condition. Time has proved that he was 
equal to the task. Considering what his course 
has been since a resilient of this locality', and what 
he has been able to accomplish, the reader cannot 
help being desirous of becoming acquainted with 
his earl}' history. 

Mr. Anderson first opened his ej'es to the light 
in the Kingdom of Sweden, four miles from the 
city of Gothenberg, Oct. 14, 1816, on the farm 
owned and occupied by his father, and which con- 
tinued his home for the following twenty-five years. 
Then, with his newly wedded wife, he departed 
from the home roof, and located on a farm belong- 
ing to her father. This contained but twenty-five 
acres, ten of which were tillable, and the remainder 
devoted to pasture. He kept one horse and five 
cows, remaining upon the place until 18;j4, and 
then, desijairing of getting on in the world as he 
wished, set sail for this country, which promised to 
the hand of industry greater results than any he 
had realized in the country of his birth. The voy- 
age commenced on the 24th of June, .and he landed 
in the city of Boston on the 10th of August. His 
destination from the first had been the West, and 
he proceeded directly to Chicago, going thence, a 
week later, to La Salle, in this State. 

Our subject luad been obliged to borrow money 
to [).ay his passage to America, and on his arrival 
in La Salle was $139 in debt. For seven months 
afterward he worked on the farm for ^1 8 per month 
and boarded himself. Later he removed to Prince- 
ton, and worked by the day or month as he could 
obtain employment, and for more than two years 
applied all his spare earnings to ihe p.ayment of 
his indebtedness. Afterward he commenced to 
save his mone3% with the intention of buying land. 
After a residence in Princeton of one and a half 
years, he purchased forty acres of stump land four 
miles south of the city. He cleared a part of this, 
and prepared it for cultivation, but sold out in 
1 864 and came into this county. By this time his 
fortunes had mended considerably, and in 18(54 he 
purchased 160 acres of wild prairie, at *'J per acre, 
whie^h is now included in his present farm. This, 
at the linie of purcliase, was neither fenced norsup- 



•>^m-4^ 



V 



^^ 



'I* 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



■^ 



plied with a building. He first erected a shanty 
8x16 feet, into which the family moved and lived 
for a time until he was enabled to erect a more 
commodious structure. Prosperity now began to 
reward his efforts, and the seasons in their turn 
smiled upon his husbandry, and he realized from 
the jiroducts of the soil a handsome income. He 
then added to his real estate, and at one time was 
the possessor of 3G0 acres of Innd, all of which he 
improved from the wild prairie. 

In 1842 our subject was married, in his native 
country, to Miss Ann 15. Anderson, who was born 
near the birth|)lace of her husband in Sweden, Dec. 
5, 1811. They became tiie parents of six children 
before coming to the United States. The wife and 
n)other deiDarted this life Jan. 8, 1881, and her re- 
mains were laid to rest in the Swedish churchyard 
near Farmersville, Ford County, this State. The 
record of the children is as follows: Lottie died at 
Princeton when an interesting child of ten years 
old ; Anna, the wife of Henry Godey, lives in Chi- 
cago; August is farming in Ludlow Township; 
John B. remains on the homestead ; Hannah, Mrs. 
John W. Stillman, is a resident of Barton County, 
Mo.; Andrew died at La Salle, this State, when 
eight months old. 

The family attend the Lutheran Church, and 
politically our subject is a stanch supporter of the 
(ireeuback party. His sons arc wide-awake, ener- 
getic young men, who have inherited the reliable 
and substantial qualities of tlieir father, and bid 
fair to occupy the .same enviable position in the 
community, respected liy llicir fellow-citizens, and 
performing their pait as honest men and valued 
members of society. 



« IWLLIAM 11. KOBKRTS, one of the pioneer 
\/jJ// farmers of Tolono Township, came into 
WW Champaign County in the fall of 18G6. 
He is a n.ativc of this State, born Dec. 1, 18U). His 
father, John Roberts, a native of Maryland, was 
reared to manhood in his native State, and married 
Miss Shears. This lady, after becoming the mother 
of several children, died in Virgini.a. John Uob- 
c.ils was afterward nuiiiicil to Miss Delilah Jones, 



who was born in Tennessee. They afterward re- 
moved to Kentuck}', and in 1819 to this .State, being 
among the pioneers of Central Illinois. They lo- 
cated in Sangamon Count3% whence they afterward 
removed to M.acoupin County, and there spent the 
remainder of their days. John Roberts was a sol- 
dier in the Revolutionary War, and served four 
years, the first two under Gen. Marion and the last 
two under Gen. AV.ashington. He departed this 
life in 1831, and his wife, the mother of our sub- 
ject, in August, 1860. John Roberts was greatly 
prospered in his western venture, became the 
owner of a good farm, and also operated a grist- 
mill which yielded him a good income. The fam- 
ily consisted of seven children, of whom our sub- 
ject is the only one now living, so far as known. 

William II. Roberts grew to manhood in Ma- 
coupin County, and after leaving home was em- 
ployed in driving cattle for stockmen to the Alton 
and St. Louis markets. He also dealt in stock oc- 
casionally on his own account. He afterward pur- 
chased a farm in his native county, which he oper- 
ated successfully until becoming a resident of 
Champaign County. His homestead in Tolono 
Township includes 160 acres of valuable land ad- 
joining .Sadorus Milage, which is under a good 
state of cultivation and supplied with excellent 
buildings. All of this world's goods which he pos- 
sesses have been accumulated by his own industry, 
and he has lost considerable money in the manner 
in which man3' men have been ruined, by going se- 
curity for friends and having to pay the amount. 
He and his family occupy a comfortable farm resi- 
dence and are surrounded by the good things of 
life. Mr. Roberts, politically, is a stanch Demo- 
crat, but has never connected himself with any ri'- 
ligious denomination or secret societj'. 

Our subject was married, near Scottsville, in his 
native county, on the 14th of March, 1844, to Miss 
Sarah Bristow, who w.as born in Tennessee but re- 
moved when a small child with her parents to Ma- 
coupin County, 111., and were among the early set- 
tlers of that count3'. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts had a 
family of nine children. Of these John W. de- 
parted this life at Sadorus when twent^'-two years 
of age; James T. died when eighteen years old, and 
Charles at thirteen; Mary married Charles Atte- 



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t 




^«,_ ^3^ 



^^a^^cf 






WALNUT GROVE FARM, RESIDENCE OF W.A,C0NKEY,5EC.y, (R-I+-W), HOMER TP. 




ieaS^^Si!KiEsiS^^ii-3^rf^fi'^iS^i.~^^ 



5T0CKFARM OF J. K.THOMPSON , BREEDER OF SHORT HORN CATTLE , SEC. 3, PHI LO TP. 




^ 



RESIDENCE OF JOSEPH PIERCE , 5EC.17, HARVVOOD TP. 



^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



387 



licrry, became the mother of four children, and 
died in Mead County, Kan., in December, 188'»; 
Enieline married Fred (iriswold, of .Sadurus; Sena 
C. is the wife of K(bniind Jones; Dora J., Mrs. 
George C'onnet, is a resident of Kansas; William 
and Lucy Ella are at home. 



•-?!^<-^w^. 



<*?;*f-»«s?*s?-- 



J'OHN B. NEAL, an enterprising and success- 
ful young farmer of Philo Township, took 
possession of his present homestead of IGO 
acres on section 21, in the spring of 1883. He 
is the son of Richard Neal. of I'ennsjivania, and was 
born Jan. 3, 1847. His father, a carpenter bj' trade, 
removed to Montgomery County, Ohio, when a 
young man, and was there married to Miss Eliza 
Bunton. Richard Neal departed this life when his 
son, our subject, was but four years old. The lat- 
ter afterward went to live with ]Mr. Job MuUin. of 
Warren County, that .State, with whom he remained 
nine years. At the expiration of that time, the 
late Civil War being then in progress, although 
only fifteen years old, he enlisted as a Union sol- 
dier, becoming a member of the 87th Ohio In- 
fantry'. He was present in the fight at Harper's 
Fcny, where he was taken prisoner but at once pa- 
rolled. He soon afterward enlisted in Co. II., 84th 
Ohio Vol. Inf., and was at the battles of Winches- 
ter, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek and other engage- 
ments. He endured bravely with his comrades the 
vicissitudes of war, escaping without serious in- 
jury, having only received a slight wound at the 
battle of Winchester, and received an honorable 
discharge at the close in the summer of 18Go. 

After his return from the army Mr. Neal lived 
in Ohio one year, then came to Philo Township, 
this county, and began working out by the month. 
In 1869 he visited the Territory of Montana, where 
he worked two j-ears in the gold mines, for a part 
of which he received %5 per day. In 1871 he re- 
turned to Philo Township, and on Jan. 1'.), 187,5, was 
united in marriage with Miss Jennie Beiniett. Mrs. 
Neal was born and reared in Clinton County, Ohio, 
her birth taking i^laec .fune S, 18,00. She remained 
with her parents until l.sO'.i, then came to Illinois 
and lived with her sister, Mrs. Silver, of Sidney, 



until her marri.age. .She is the daughter of Thomas 
and Eli/.iilieth (Reck) IJennctt, who are still living, 
and residents of Clinton County, Ohio, where the 
father has followed his trade as a cabinet-maker 
successfully for m;iny years. Mr. and Mrs. Neal 
have four children — Florence, Herman, Estella and 
Norah. 

The farm of our suliject produces in abundance 
all the cro])s of the prairie State, the land being 
finely drained with 1,200 rods of tile. Mr. Neal 
is a thorough busines.s man and agriculturist, and 
the home of himself and family is a pleasant resort 
for the man3' friends whom they have gathered 
around them I)}' their genial, hospitable manner and 
uniform kindness of heart. Mr. Neal is held in 
high esteem by his fellow-citizens, has served as 
Road Commissioner two years, and politically is a 
stanch Republican, whose opinions are highly val- 
ued by the members of his party in this section. A 
lithographic view of j\Ir. Neal's handsdino residence 
is presented in this book. 



t 



JOHN LOCKE first opened his eyes to the 
light in the Province of Ontario, Canada, 
Sept. 'J, 1848. He is now a worthy and 
substantial resident of Philo Township, lo- 
cated on a tine farm on section 30. His father, 
William U. Locke, was born in Devonshiie, En- 
gland, and lircil to tarniing imrsuits. After ix'acli- 
ing manhood he was united in marriage with a lad}' 
of his own shire. Miss Hannah Joice. After the 
birth of several children they gathered together 
their household effects and their family and set sail 
for America, doing into the Province of Ontario, 
Canada, thej' located in Yarmouth County, where 
William Locke purchased several hundred acres of 

1 good land and resided several years. The mother 
died in the fall of 1874, wjiile from lioiuc on a visit. 

I The father and th<! remaining members of the family 
afterward came to Illinois, taking u|) their abode in 

j this county, in March, 1 8(11. William Locke pur- 

j chased land in I'hilo Township on section 3C), whose 
cultivation .•uid improvement he canied on until he 

I becaiiK' unlitted for active labor. After arriving 



<^ 



i 



\i> 388 



,t 



CFIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



at the age of fourscore years lie (lei)arte(l from the 
scenes of his earthly labors in .lime, 1.S75. 

John Locke, the subject of this sketch, was the 
youngest son in a family of nine children born to 
his j)arents. His education was conducted in the 
common sciiools, and he was never afterward sepa- 
rated from his father until the death of the latter. 
He was married, March U, 1874, at the home of 
the bride's parents in Philo Townsliii), to Miss Mary 
C, daughter of Cyrus Arnold, and a native of Ken- 
dall County, 111., born Jan. o, 1858. Of this mar- 
riage there have l)een born seven children, two of 
wiiom, Carrie and Rhoda, are deceased. Those sur- 
viving and at home arc Mabel. Julia, Edna, Claude 
A. and Clara Belle, 

Mr. and Mrs, Locke after thi'ir marriage settled 
u|)()n the farm which constitutes their present 
homestead, and a view of which is shown on an- 
other page. It is well stocked with fine grades of 
Durham cattle, thoroughbred horses and Poland- 
China swine. The landed area of our subject em- 
braces 400 acres, all of which is highly improved 
and 3'ields in abundance the clioicest products of 
the Prairie State, Mr, L. is yet a young man and 
has made good progress thus far, giving promise 
of becoming one of the most successful farmers of 
Champaign County. He is liepnl)lican in |)<)litics, 
and with his wife, a member in good standing of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



\f] C. UEEI), The finely arranged farm of 
this successful agriculturist and stuek-raiser 
is pleasantly located in IMiihi Township, on 
(j^jl/ section 1 (i. It came into his po.ssession in 
the spring of 1880, and includes 480 acres, which 
have been brought to a fine state of cultivation, 
l)cing (b-aincd with .'30,000 rods of tiling. The farm 
buildings and stock are of lirst-class description, and 
the fnniily residence, a view of which will be found 
on another pnge, will bear comparisoii with that of 
any in Champaign County. Our subject came to 
this vicinity from Wheeling, W, Va,, where he was 
born M.'iy ID, 1822. His father, .lohn Reed, w.as a 
N'irginian by birth, and the descendant of Irish an- 
cestors. He was married in liis native State to .Miss 



Louisa Caldwell, also a native of the old Dominion, 
the wedding taking place near Wheeling, where 
they afterward settled and lived until the 'oO's, 
when they came West with other members of the 
family and settled in the northwestern jiart of Peo- 
ria County. There tlie father died soon afterward, 
aged si.xty-two years; the mother survived until 
about 180.0, Both |)arents were active members of 
the Presbyterian Church, and highly esteemed 
wherever known. 

William Reed, the grandfather of our subject, a 
native of Count}' Armagh, Ireland, emigrated from 
his native land with his family and settled near 
Wheeling, \V, Va. His son Joim, the father of our 
subject, was the youngest child and tlie only one 
born in West Virginia. The maiden name of the 
grandmother was Miss Jane Jackson. Botli ?he and 
her husband died near Wheeling. The Reed family 
are connections of the C.aldwells, McCuboughs and 
Bogges, and the Caldwells were connected with the 
Calhonns, both by blood and marriage. Lewis 
Wetzel, the iu)ted Indian fighter, was also connected 
with these families, .all of whom figured prominently 
in the earl}' histor}' of Virginia. Many of them 
were of Scottish ancestry. 

The subject of this history possesses the marlied 
characteristics of a reliable and substantial race. 
He was the fourth of twelve children, and received 
his earl}' education in the primitive log school- 
house of the- early days. He was a bright and am- 
bitious boy, and engaged in merchandising when 
sixteen years of age. He also for some time was 
enii>loyed in transportation on the Ohio and Mis- 
sissippi Rivers, and for a period of eight years was 
occupied as a drover, handling annually over 1,000 
head of stock. He was at one time quite exten- 
sively engaged in the buying and shipping of 
horses, and was remarkably successful in his under- 
tidving. His first experience as an agriculturist 
dates from his arrival in this county, when he 
bought a tract of hind in Philo Township. He was 
a man greatly attached to his family, and in his re- 
tirement from farm life had in view the improve- 
ment of his wife's health and the better training of 
his children. 

In 1877 Mr, Keed look a Irip overland and inlo 
the region of the Rocky .MonnUiins with his (nivate 



r 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



389 



\ 



teams, and accompanied liy liis wife mikI two cliil- 
drcii. This trip practically coiiii)lctcd his loui <if 
the Western Continent, and lie jiosscsses a valuable 
fund of information gathered from his observa- 
tions during his journey from \'irginia to Illinois and 
thence to the farther West, lie was joined by others 
in this latter triji, which made a party of twenty- 
one persons. They carried their provisions and 
were equipped with the modern conveniences of 
camp life, including a physician and a blacksmith. 
Mr. Reed, in fact, has employed much of his lime — 
about six years — in traveling over the ditTerent 
States in the Union. 

Mr. Reed was married in his native county, on 
the IDth of May, 18G8, to Miss Mary 15. Hell, also a 
native of the Old Dominion. They have become 
the parents of five children — Charles W., Henry 
K. L., Mary B., John C, Jr., and James B. Mrs. 
Reed is a lady of culture and education, and num- 
bers among her frien<]s and acquaintances the best 
people of Philo Township. Both our subject and 
his wife are connected with the Presbyterian Church, 
and in politics Mr. Reed is a firm supporter of Re- 
l)ublican |)riuciples, although he has uniformly de- 
clined to become an oflice-holder. 

L^^^HOMAS E. CONDON represents the agri- 
cultural implement trade at Resotum, in 

'0^ connection with the lumlier business. He 
has been a resident of Champaign County since 
1865, coming here soon after his retirement from 
the army at the close of the war. He ranks among 
the citizens of Central Illinois, who have shajKnl its 
prosperity and assisted in establishing its reputa- 
tation as a desirable place of residence for Ixjth tlie 
farmer and artisan. 

Our subject's early ^ears were si)ent in Carroll 
County, Md., where his birth took |)lace Nov. 1;'), 
1835. He was the ninth child of Thomas and Al- 
vira (Barnes) Condon, natives of the same State, 
where thej' spent their entire lives, both dying in 
middle life, when their son Thomas, of our sketch, 
was but si.x years old. The older children kei)t the 
family together foi' four years, and were tiicn scpa- 

4 » 



rated, TlioniMs going to the home of his grandpar- 
ents, with whom he remained until nineteen ye;irs 
old. He then started out in the world for himself, 
casting his lot in Clay County, Ind., where he en- 
gaged first on a farm with an uncle, where he fol- 
lowed faiining until he could secure means to ful- 
fill the cherished hope of pursuing a course of study 
in the university at Creencastle. This he accom- 
plished to his satisfaction, in the meantime fitting 
himself for a teacher, and thereafter taught and 
farmed .alternately until 18.">7. 

In June of the latter year there occurred one of 
the most important events in the life of our sub- 
ject, namely, his marriage with Miss Sarah M., 
daughter of John and Rhoda (Holland) Dickerson. 
The parents of Mrs. C. were natives respectively of 
Peuns3ivania and North Carolina, and after their 
marriage located in Ohio before it had been ad- 
mitted into the Union as a State. There also Mr. 
Condon followed teaching and farming until after 
the outbreak of the late war. In 181)2 he enlisted 
in the 4tli Indiana Cavalry, under command of Col. 
Graj', now the Governor of that State. The first 
winter was spent by his battalion in Kentucky- in 
guarding the State, and in the spring they went to 
Murfreesboro, Tenn., by way of Nashville. There 
our subject, with his regiment, was placed under 
the command of Gen. Rosecrans, and not long after- 
ward participated in the memorable battle of Chick- 
amauga, after which they followed Wheeler, the 
raider, and for twenty-two days were seldom out 
of the saddle and never in camp. Upon this ex[»e- 
dition they were upon half rations for five days, 
and realized in a forcible degree the hardships and 
privations of war. 

After chasing Wheeler from the .State of Tennes- 
see, this regiment returned to Winchester, whence 
they were sent to Nashville and remounted soon 
afterward to relieve Burnside at Knoxville, where 
he v/as besieged b^' the rebel General, Longstreet. 
This portion of the Union army successfully raised 
the siege, but the entire winter was spent in contin- 
uous skirmishing with the enem^y. In the mean- 
time their Colonel had been killed, and Gen. Gray 
resigning, wius succeeded by Schuyler, and he in turn 
by Leslie. The following spring Longstreet w.as 
driven out ()f Ivasl Tennessee, and the 1th Indiana 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



f 



t 



was sent to another part of the !State to form the left 
wing of Shernmii's ccminiand, oiir subject being de- 
tailed to remain at Cliattanooga as Sergeant, where 
he spent his time until Sherman started out on his 
march to the sea. The 4th was then dismounted, 
:iiid sent by rail to Louisville, Ky., where they were 
again provided with steeds and sent on a raid through 
the Blue Grass regions, following the enemy and 
fighting as they went. They finally drove him out 
of Kentuckj-, and in tlie meantime Hood had been 
chased from Tennessee by Thomas. Their next 
destination was Mississippi, where they remained 
in Kast Port during the following winter. In the 
meantime the Tennessee Uiver, overflowing its 
banks, had swept the entire valley and created a 
malaria from which Mr. Condon, in common with 
many otlicrs, suffered greatly. He was finally sent 
to the hospital, and in a few brief months the war 
had jiractically closed. 

Mr. Condon remained under treatment at Jeffer- 
sonville, Ind., until .lune 1 1), 1865, when he was 
mustered out of service and returned to his home. 
He remained in Indiana until August following, 
and then coming to tiiis county located in Sidney, 
where he was occu|)ied in such labor as his health 
would permit. After two years and a half he leased 
eighty .acres of wild laiid, deciding to try the ex- 
periment of farming fur the restoration of his 
health. The result proveil satisfactory, and two 
years later IMr. C. purchased eighty acres in Crit- 
tenden Township, where he built a house and whicli 
he occupied for tiiirteen years. 

In liie meantime Mr. and Mrs. C.' became the 
parents of four children, and in the fall of 1884, 
Mr. Condon, desirous of giving them better ad- 
vantages of education, removed to tiie cit3' of 
Champaign, at the same time availing himself of a 
mueii needed rest from labor and business cares. 
Not long afterward, however, in company with 
A. M. Coffeen, he commenced dealing in coal, and 
the year following, in coiniection witii \V. V. Hardy, 
added the trade in agricultural implements. He 
and his partners operated together in Champaign 
until Keliruary, 1K.S7. when Mr. C. disposed of his 
interests in that city, and coming to Pesotum en- 
g.aged in the agricullur.al im])lement an<l lumlicr 
business, which he still continues. 

<■ 



The faithful wife and mother departed this life on 
the 23d of March, 1 88G. Since that time the daugh- 
ters have kept house for their father. Agnes is 
teaching school not far from the hotnestead : Mary 
L. became the wife of Jonathan Dubre, and died 
three years later, leaving one child, Artie L., now 
with liis father in Indiana; Agnes and Edna i)reside 
over the affairs of the houselu^ld. Mr. Condon has 
never been connected with any church organiza- 
tion. Socially he is a member of the G. A. R..and 
politically is liberal, although he usually votes with 
the Republican party. 



yfelhLlAM (;. CARSON. The name of this 
/ gentleman is favorably known throughout 
^^f^ Philo Township as a successful and pro- 
gressive farmer and stock-raiser. He is pleasantly 
located on section 33, where he owns 160 acres, 
and also has forty acres on section 34. His land 

j is well drained, enclosed with neat fencing, and 
supplied with all needful farm buildings, including 
a fine residence, a good barn, and ample conven- 
iences for the shelter of stock and giain. Our sub- 
ject has been a resident of Champaign County 

j since 1855, and purchased his land directh- from 
the Government. As may be supposed it was totally 
uncultivated at the time he took possession of it, and 
the contrast between now and then is as great as it is 
satisfactory. He began tilling the soil after the 
manner of the other earl}' settlers before the march 
of civilization and invention had given the lalior- 
saving machinery which the agriculturist of the 
present day enjoys in such a large measure. A har- 
vester in the fifties was a curiosity which the farmi'r 
would go several miles to look upon. 

Mr. Carson was born in Vermillion County, 
Ind., June 29, 1829. His father, Isswic Carson, a 
native of South Carolina, was of Southern parentage 
and Irish extraction. The famil}' remained in the 
.South until the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, 
in which various members of the family partici- 
pated, together with the Andrews family, of whom 
the motlier of onr subject was a daughter. Her 
father, J.'imcs Andrews, also served in tlie War of 

I 1812. The grandparents of both the Carson and 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



391 






■1 



Andrews families died in the Soutli. Is.-uic Carson 
became a resident of Vermillion County, Ind.. be- 
fore his marriage with Miss Maria Andrews. The 
father departed this life when his son, our subject, 
was but three months old, and the mother eight 
years and nine months later, so that our subject 
at nine years of age was left an orphan. lie then 
went to live with his grandfather, .lames Andrews, 
with whom he remained until sixteen, and then set 
out in life on his own account. 

Young Carson from this time was variously em- 
ployed until 1851, when twenty j'ears of .age. 
Then, in company with one Amos Curtis, a 3'oung 
man about his own age, he started across the plains 
to California. They visited Salt Lake City on their 
journey, and there met a Mr. Ilolliday. who was 
largel}' engaged in the transportation of merchan- 
dise from St. Louis to the Mormon capital. After 
reaching San Francisco young Carson and his 
friend decided upon proceeding to Australia, but 
owing to a delay in the sailing of the vessel they 
changed their minds and started up into the S.aera- 
niento Valley, where they were employed on a 
ranch at the generous stipend of $100 per month. 
At the expiration of this eng.agement our subject 
went into the mountains and began mining upon 
what is known as Mormon Island, on the American 
River. He was fairl}' successful in this venture, 
and after eighteen months thus employed, becom- 
ing anxious for a sight of the old home and the 
faces of his friends, he returned to Indiana. 

In the latter-named State he was married, Feb. 
2.3, 18.')4, to Miss Martha Bales. Mrs. C. w.as born 
and reared in Vermillion County, Ind. Her i)ar- 
onts were from ^'irg■inia, of Iiisii and (iernian de- 
scent. Iler father, Caleb Bales, removed to Ver- 
million County at an early |)eriud in the liistorv <jf 
that section, in 18IG, and was there occupied in 
farming until his death. He married Miss Kuiina 
Spangler. Tiie mother of Mrs. Carson is still liv- 
ing on the old h<miestead, two miles from Dana, 
with one of her sons. She is now .seventy-seven 
years of age, and remembers distinctly many t)f the 
interesting incidents connected with pioneer life. 
Mrs. Carson was reared and educated in her native 
County, remaining with lici' parents until lici' niai'- 
riajje. She has become the mother of ten children. 



of whom the record is as follows: .Josephine be- 
came tiie wife of Eugene Ford, who resides in 
Garnett, Anderson Co., Kan., engaged in the prac- 
tice of law; Caleb married Miss Mattie Congleton, 
and lives in Ashland, Boyd Co., Kan., where he is 
Postmaster of Ashland and a successful real-estate 
dealer; Ellen is in Kansas with her brother Caleb; 
Marc is the wife of D. P. Simms, a dentist of 
Schnj'ler, Neb. ; \'illa .and Frank are at home with 
their parents. Four died in infanc}^ 

Mr. Carson is a stanch Democrat, politically, and 
has held the minor offices of his township. He is 
duly respected as a citizen and business man. ami 
is contributing his quota toward the welfare and 
advancement of his community. 



■ ~w -^<Jl^J^a;»54@» 



./^^i/OTTW>.'".rt/«~ 



EDWARD DAVIS, a leading stock dealer of. 
Pliilo, became a resident of Champaign 
) Countj' in 185s, purchasing a farm and lo- 
cating in Crittenden Township. He occupied this, 
in the meantime carrying on its improvement and 
cultivation, for tun years afterward, after which he 
went to Chicago and for a period of six years was 
connected with the stockyards there. In 1874 he 
returned to I'hilo, of which he has since Iteen a resi- 
dent, owning valuable property in the village and 
land in the township. In the meantime he has also 
dealt rpiite extensively in cattle, liu3ing and ship- 
ping, and realizing a handsome income from his 
transactions in this line. 

Mr. Davis comes of excellent and substantial an- 
cestry, and w.as born in Wales in \H:V>. [lis father, 
Edward Davis, Sr., carried on farming in his native 
country and spent ids entire life in the land which 
gave him hirlli. The nintlicr, wh<i in her girlhood 
was Miss Anna Davis, also died in Wales in 1855. 
Oiu' subject receiveil a fair education in his native 
coinitiy, and early in life crossed the water to the 
I'nited States. He remained in New York State 
three years and then came direct to this county. 
Soon afterward he was married to Miss Caroline 
•Markle, Dec. 2. l.S(i7. Mrs. Davis was born in .lack- 
,son County, Mich., Oct. i:'., 1.S41, and is the daugh- 
ter of .1. .1. and DoreUia ( Aliiundingei) .Markle, 
who were natives of (itrniany, where the}' were 



<^ 



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^ 39-2 



4 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



married aud whence they came to the United States 
in about 1831. locating in Ann Arbor, Mich. From 
there they removed to Jackson County, where Mr. 
M. improved a farm. He afterward sold out aud 
removed near Cirass Lalie, Washtenaw County, 
where botli parents died, each being sevent3'-fivc 
years old. Mrs. Davis was reared to womanhood 
under her father's roof and received a good edui'a- 
tion. attending- scliool at Albion and Ann Arbor. 
After conjpleting her studies siie engaged in teach- 
ing, and was pursuing that occupation in Philo when 
she met our subject and afterward became his wife. 
Among lier pupils were man}' of the now inomincnt 
young men of this county who remember her as a 
.skillful instructor and a judicious counselor and 
friend. 

Mr and Mrs. Davis have become the parents of 
six children, of whom (rracie M. and an infant un- 
aiamed are deceased. Lizzie is attending college at 
Jacksonville, 111., and is a bright and promising girl; 
George E., Charles M. and Mary B. are attending 
school at Philo. Our subject and his wife are 
members in good standing of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Davis is Trustee. 
He also hdlds the same office in the sc'.iool district, 
and p()liti(\ally votes the Republican ticket. 

'j^ AMES M. CAMPBELL, a gentleman who is 
esteemed among the pioneers of Ilensley 
Town.ship, is pleasantly located on section 34, 
/ which was the home of his father liefore liim. 
It Cdmprises 200 acres of valuable land, with ex- 
cellent frame buildings and all other modern im- 
provements. Our subject has been a resident of 
Illinois since IS.ji;, and during the last thirty years, 
has w.atche<l with iulerost and .satisfaction the 
growth and development of the Prairie .State. He 
has distinguislied himself as an honest lUiiu and a 
good citizen, and has cDUtriliuted his full quota to- 
ward lirj)iging his townslii|)t() its present c(inditi(in, 
botii mondly and linancially. 

Our subject was the second child of Washington 
and I'^leanora (Lilley) Campl)ell, and was born in 
I Bird 'I'ownship, Bi'nwn Co., Ohio, Nov. 11, 1831. 
He w:is reared by his parents and [lursucd his pri- 



' mary studies in the common schooLs. When not in 
school he assiste<l his fathei' in the labors of the 
farm. He came with the family to Illinois and re- 
mained a member of the parental household until 
his marriage. He then purchased the old homestead, 
upon which he has since resided. 

The wife of our subject, fonuerly Miss .Sarah O. 
Cook, to whom he was married in 1KG3, was born 
in Urbana, Ohio, Oct. 28, 1844. After remaining 
his faithful and affectionate companion for a period 
of nearlj' forty years, she <leparted this life April 2, 
1884. Their five children were Lizzie J., Willi.-un, 
Minnie, Frank and Sarah. 

Mr. Campbell cast his first presidential vote for 
John C. Fremont, and has been a supporter of Re- 
publican principles since that time. As a farmer, 
business man and citizen, he is held in high esteem, 
and constitutes one of the valued factors of tlie 
social and business life in Ilensley Township. 

— ^-^^ ^ 




HOMAS F. McCRACKEN, who came to 

Ludlow Township in 1874, taking possession 
of a good farm on section 22, is numbered 
among its most substantial and relial)le citizens. 
The forefathers of our subject originated in the 
Land of tlie Thistle, probably as far back as the 
time when the Stewarts governed Scotland, and his 
paternal grandfather emigrated directl}' from that 
eonntr3'. which in addition to its romantic history 
produced some of the sturdiest people in the world, 
distinguished for their scorn of a mean action. After 
reaching America MctJuire McCracken located in 
Tennessee, whence he removed in about 182(5 to 
Illinois, settling with his family in Washington 
County. The country around him was practically 
unsettled and the present site of Chicago tenanted 
bj' a few emigrants who dwelt in structures which 
would now .scarcely be dignified by the name of 
houses. .Mr. McM. was .a hatter by trade, which oc- 
cupation he followed the greater |)art i>f his life. 

His son, Thomas McGuire McCracken, the father 
of our subject, was but a boy when the family 
made tlie journey overland from Tennessee. He was 
reared under the parental roof and assisted in the 
labors of the farm, receiving a limited education 



I 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



393 



t 



in the subscription schools. After reaching man- 
hood he was married, in Washington Count}', 111., 
to Miss Sarali Goodner, a native of St. Clair Coun- 
ty, this State. Her father, Benjamin Goodner, emi- 
grated from his native State of South Carolina to 
St. Clair County, 111., in the pioneer da3's. The 
young people located upon a farm seven miles from 
Nashville, the county seat of Washington County, 
which the}' occupied until 1852. Mr. McC. was a 
man of more than ordinary ability and took a 
prominent jiart in the affairs c)f his county. He 
served as Clerk for a term of four years, and was re- 
elected in 1851) and 1860. He did not live to serve 
out the latter term, departing this life in February, 
1861. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Washing- 
ton County, 111., April 2.5, 184(1. There were four 
eliildren in the family, which two years later was 
deprived of the affectionate care of the mother, who 
was taken from their midst bj' the hand- of the 
JJestroyer in 1848. The oiiiidrcn lemained with 
their fatlier until bis death, our subject then being 
fourteen years of age. His lirothcr, -lames W., lo- 
catgl in Alacon County, where he now lives. Will- 
iam L. and Henry are deceased. 

Mr. McCracken of this sketch received a good 
common-school education, and when twenty j'ears 
of age engaged as salesman in a tlouring-mill. Two 
years later he went to Pennsylvania for the pur- 
pose of selling patent rights, spending two years in 
that loe.alrty. Afterward he crossed the Mississippi 
and traveled over the State of Kansas a year, 
then returned to Nashville, Wasliington County, 
and engaged in the mill where he liad been before 
emph)yed. He was then occupied in farming un- 
til 1«74. In the springof that year he came to this 
county, firet farming on rented land in this and 
Ford County, and afterward wi irked by the day or 
month four 3'ears. He had now saved a little sum 
of money, and going southwest into the Indian 
Territory engaged in herding cattle one year. lie 
llien returned to Ciiampaigu County, and was em- 
ployed by B. J. Gififord as Superintendent of his 
farms, a position which he occupied for a period of 
seven j'ears. In 1 88(1, he found he had sudic- 
ient means to ))urcliase a farm, and took possession 
of his present liomestead. This now includes eight}' . 
^•— . 




acres of land under a good state of cultivation, 
with a good residence, barn, and all other buildings 
required for the carrying on of a farm after the 
most approved methods. 

While a resident of this county, Mr. McCracken 
was united in marriage with Miss Delia Wheatley, 
Jan. 5, 1 882. .Mrs. McC. is a native of Perry Coun- 
ty, this State, her birth taking place in ISGl. The 
household has been brigiitenod by ;;he birtii of two 
sons and a daughter — Gracie E., Litle and liay F. 
Our subject is Democratic in politics, but has little 
time to give to public affairs, his [irivate business 
engrossing most of his attention. 

ANIEL CONCANNON, who first opened 
his eyes to the liglit in Erin's Green Isle, 
County (Jalwaj', on the 22d of M.iich, 
183;!, is line of the substantial farniei's of 
Tolono Towusliip, this county, of wliicli he l)ec;une 
a resident in 1857. He is the proprietor of 240 
acres of clujice land, furnished with good buildings, 
and is industriously eng.aged in general farming. 

The parents of our subject were Frank and Cath- 
erine (Gilgan) Concannon. and the mother died in 
about 1837, leaving two ciiildren — our subject, 
who was onlj' about four years old, and a daugh- 
ter. Adelia, who is now deceased. Frank Concan- 
non died in Iieland in .'ibout 1 8(i;3, having survived 
Ids wife for a period of twentj'-six years. He was 
a farmer liy occii[>ation, and little Daniel, as soon 
.as old enough, commenced to assist in tilling tiie 
soil, and remained with his father until nineteen 
years of age. He then set sail for the I'nited 
States, and landed in New York Harboi' in April, 
1852. He first proceeded to Freehold, N. .1., where 
he engaged as .a farm laliorer :U -^S per niouMi for 
two J'ears. 

Our subject then decided to se6k his fortune in 
the (ireatWest. Coming to Chicago he entered 
the eniploj' of the Illinois Central Railroad Com- 
pany as baggage-master, and was thus employed 
foi' two J'ears. From there he went to Lt)di, Iro- 
(piois Co., III., still in the employ of the conipanj', 
by whom he was transferriMl in 1S57, to Tolono. 
After liial he served in the same capacity for the 

*^ — 9 



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394 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






I. C. R. R. aw\ the W.,.St. L. & P. R. R., folhiwin-- 
railroading for a ])friocl of twenty-two years. IJur- 
ing tiie last years thus oeoiipiecl, he received $90 
per month salary, and as he had lived economioally, 
soon found himself in jiossession of a snug sum of 
money savetl from his earnings. With this, in 
18G3, he purchased 120 acres of land in Tolono 
Township, and which ctmstitutcs a jiart of his pres- 
ent farm. lie doubled the amount of his real es- 
tate in 1882, and is now in the eiijo3'iuent of a fine 
property. His farming operations have been car- 
ried on skillfully and successfully, and he is rated 
among the intelligent and progressive agriculturists 
of this section. 

Our subject was married, at Tolono, on the 14th 
of December, 1857, to Miss Mary O'Neil. Mrs. 
Concannon was born in County Antrim, Ireland, 
and is the daughter of Patrick O'JS'eil, who is now 
deceased. Of this union there were born eight 
children — Frank D., Mary, Joseph T., James C. 
Hugh M., Henry P., George C. and John E. Our 
sul)ject is Republican in politics, and has taken a 
genuine interest in the affairs of his county and 
township. He served as Road Commissioner 
twelve years, and has been School Director almost 
from the time of taking up his residence here. 
Religiously he is a faithful adherent of the Roman 
Catholic Church. 

Vl/OIIN A. ^'OSS, manuf.'K'turer of tile and 
brick at Tlioniasboro, has l]cen identified 
witii the business interests of the county 
since 1874. He is wide-awake and full of 
energy, and from a modest beginning, in which he 
was dependent n|)on his own resources, has liullt 
up a g((od business, and contributed his full share 
toward the advancement of the industries of this 
section. He is a woi'lhy representative of the per- 
sistent (ierinan element which has figured so prom- 
inently in the settling up of this section, being a 
native of Mecklenburg, his birth taking jilacc Jan. 
10, 18.')5. His parents, Frederick and Soi)hia ^'oss, 
also n.itives of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg, 
were there married, and became the parents of 



nine children, <if whom only live are now living. 
The fatiier died there in 1871). The mother still 
resides there. A brother and sister of our subject 
came to America: George, a resident of Chicago, 
and Minnie, Mrs. Peters, who lives in Thomasboro. 

Mr. Voss commenced attending school when a 
child six years of age, continuing his studies until 
fourteen. He was afterward employed in his fa- 
ther's factory until 1873, being then eighteen years 
of age. He had been a thoughtful and ambitious 
youth, and w.as desirous of something better than 
the prospects held out to him in his native land, 
and he now determined to seek his fortune across 
the sea. After arriving upon American shores, he 
proceeded directly' westward, and at Chicago was 
employed for one season in a luml)er-}'ard. The 
spring following he went into De Witt County, 
where he worked on a farm by the month for five 
years. For two years afterward he was employed 
in a tile factory at Farmer Citj', whence he came 
to this county, and locating in Mahomet, was .ap- 
pointed Superintendent of the tile f.actory there. 
He had now gained a good insight into the busi- 
ness, understanding fully all its details, and at the 
expiration of two years entered into partnership 
with Capt. Howell, at Urbana, where they oper- 
.ited together two years. Our subject then with- 
drew, and coming to Thom.asboro purchased twelve 
acres of ground adj.icent to the town, and |)utting 
up suitable buildings and m.achiner}-, established 
his present business. He has been successful from 
the start, and gives employment to nine men. The 
plant consists of two dry houses, one 1 35x28 feet, 
the other 100x20 feet, with two floors in each. 
He also h.as two kilns, and his machinery' is after 
the most approved patterns. 

After opening the way for the establishment of 
a home and domestic ties, Mr. A'oss was married, 
on the 24th of February, 1881, to Miss Lena Linn- 
grien. Mrs. Voss was born in the city of Granse- 
beet, (Jermany, in 1858. where she lived until 1872. 
and then, acc<.>mpanied by her mother, sister ami 
brother, emigrated to the United States. They lo- 
cated in the city of Champaign, where Mrs. Voss 
remained with her mother's family until her mar- 
riage. Mr. and Mrs. Voss h.-ive three interesting 
3'oung daughters — Sophia, Minnie and Matilda. 



I 






I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



397 



Our siilijcct and liis family occui)}' a liaiidsoinc 
and coninnidioiis residence, whicli he erected in 
1883, from liriclc niamifactured at liis own yards. 
Tliis is finished and furnished in nindern stylo, and 
with its surroundings nialces a desirable and com- 
fortable home. Mr. Voss ;is a man and a citizen 
cnjoj's the thorough respect of all wiio know him, 
and is rated at his full value as one hf)lding an 
important position among the Im^iness interests of 
Champaign County. 



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ERRY J. GATES, a valued farm resident 
|! of Pesotum Township, was born in Gallia 
^ County, Ohio, .Inly 10. lS4i), and was the 
fifth child of David M. and Mah.ala B. 
(Armstrong) Gates. His father was born in the 
s.ame county in December, ISlC, and is still living. 
His mother was born in Lawrence County, Ohio, in 
1820, and died in 187-2. The father of our subject 
purchased land in this county in ISGl with the 
view of locating upon it, but upon reconsideration, 
concluded not to do so. Although a farmer he was 
well posted in business matters and spent much 
time in platting and making deeds to lands, .and 
was frequently appointed to positions of trust and 
responsibility, as such men were not as common in 
those days .as at the present, with its free schools 
and the manj' advantages with which our youth 
are snri-ounded. His superior knowledge and ex- 
cellent judgment were of incalculable value to those 
with whom he was associated in business, nor was he 
less successful .as a farmer and stock-grower, but in 
each displayed the intelligence and executive ability 
which stamps the business man wherever he is met. 
His stock farm consists of about 1,0(10 acres, and is 
located in Gallia County, Ohio. 

When our subject reached his majority he came 
to this county, locating in Crittenden Township, 
where he purchased 240 acres of land, which he 
operated for the following five years during the 
seasons of sowing and reaping, and teaching school 
during the fall and winter. 

Mr. G.ates sold his farm in Crittenden Township 
in the s[iring of 1.S7.') and settled upon his present 
homestead, which he h.ad purchased the previous 



fall. Here he has a beautiful farm of nearly' a half 
section, finely improved and well drained. Mr. 
Gates .after his removal here devoted the following 
four winters to teaching, and still takes a genuine 
interest in school matters. 

Our subject was married, Feb. 25, 187;'), to Miss 
Philena Nelson, llie daughter of Renham and Lydia 
(.Smith) Nelson, natives of \'irginia and Ohio, re- 
spectively. Her father was a man known far and 
wide for his large-hearted generosity. They were 
the parents of thirteen children, twelve of whom are 
still living. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. 
Gates, all at homo with their parents, are Clarence 
C, Leslie O., Scott and Orns. Mr. G. is now serv- 
ing his third term as Township Supervisor, and has 
frequently ofliciatod as Trustee and Town Clerk. 
Politically ho is a stanch Republican, holding to the 
principles of his parly with unwavering devotion. 
Mr. and Mrs. (iates have been members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church for many years, doing 
what they could for the Master's cause, and are 
held in high esteem by their friends and neighbors. 

As a fitting accompaniment to the foregoing 
sketch, nothing could l)e more appropriate than the 
portrait of ^Ir. (4ates, and we .accordingly present 
it in this connection. It will be looked upon with 
pleasure by all who know him, and will certainly 
enhance the value of the Ai.iti'.M to those who pos- 
.«ess it. 

OHN M. SPENCER, deceased. Among the 
early pioneers t)f Illinois who have p.assed to 
" that bourne from which no traveler re- 
J turns," none are more deserving of having 
their names perpetuated in history than this excel- 
lent and worthy gentleman, who is held in kindly re- 
membrance by all who knew him. His birth took 
place in Allegany County, N. Y., on the .ith of 
September, 1827, and his parents were Asa A. and 
Betsy (Doty) Spencer, natives of New York. In 
1837 the family removed to Troy, Ohio, whore 
John M. received his education and served an ap- 
prenticeship at the blacksmith's trade, which he fol- 
lowed for about ten years in his native county. In 
the meantime ho had been married, Nov. 28, 185J, 



i 



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^^ 



398 



CHAMl»AIGN COUNTY. 



-A 



to Miss Cyrena Merry, a native of New York, and 
born April 28. 1 8-2il. 

Four years later, in ISTjy, having saved a sum of 
money, Mr. Spencer, accompanied by his wife, came 
to Illinois, and located in this county, purchasing 
460 acres of land on sections 1 7 and 20, in Critten- 
den Township. He brought with him from Ohio 
twenty head of milch cows, and for several 3-ears 
afterward engaged in the manufacture of cheese. 
His land, at the time he took possession of It, was 
unbroken prairie. He at once set about its improve- 
ment and cultivation, and in due time it was trans- 
formed into a fine farm, enclosed with neat fencing 
and furnished with a shapelj' and substantial set of 
buildings. Year .after year he toiled and sowed, 
and while laj'ing the foundation for a permanent 
and valuable homestead, also established himself in 
the confidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens- 
His later years were principally devoted to the 
feeding of cattle, from which he derived, annually, 
a handsome income. 

Mr. Spencer was a man alvva3-s prompt to meet 
his obligations, and was straightforward and up- 
right in his dealings with his fellow-man. He had 
become converted and united with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in 1857, and ever afterward was 
one of the most faithful laborers in the vineyard, 
and contributed liberally and cheerfully to the 
building up of the cause of Christ as he had oppor- 
tunity, both in the Sunday-school and in the world 
outside. In the earlj' daj's he frequently swam the 
Embarrass River to .attend church. He believed 
that the children who were imbued with religious 
ideas would more certainly find the fold tlian those 
whose early impressions were Lacking in this re- 
spect. 

Politically our subject was an uncompromising 
Republican, and could alw.ays be relied upon for his 
loyalty to his p<irty .and the interests of the princi- 
ples in which he sincerely believed. Although 
never desiring olllce, he served as Supervisor of his 
township, and his opinions were alwji3's regarded as 
those of a man well balanced and liable to be 
founded upt>n reason instead of caprice or senti- 
ment. During the last eight years of his life he 
; 1 was afflicted with paralysis. He was finally re- 
\ Y lieved from earthl}- nllliction on tlie 22d of Septeni- 
•► ■ <• — 



ber, 188,5. He left a valuable estiite, the accumu- 
lation of years of industry, and a record of a good 
life replete with kindly acts. 

Of the marriage of Mr. Spencer there were born 
two sons only, .lames C, whose birth took place in 
Troy, Ohio, July 28, 1858, and Sheridan, born in 
Champaign County, April 3, 1805. They both re- 
side on the homestead with their mother, and carry 
on the operations of the farm with excellent judg- 
ment and forethought. The}- arc model young 
men in all respects, members in good standing of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and like tlieir fa- 
ther, Republican in politics. 

This brief sketch and the .accompanying portrait 
will serve .as a means of perpetuating the memory 
of one of the most esteemed and worth3- citizens of 
Champaign Count\'. 

-> 4«l^ ^- 



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"¥;OHN CRAWFORD, a dealer in general mer- 
chandise in the vill.age of Pesotum, is a na- 
tive of Ohio, born in Carroll Countj-, Jan. 5, 
1853, and is the son of Lemuel and Sarah 
(Henderson) Crawford, who are also natives of the 
same count}'. They moved from Ohio to McLean 
County, this .State, in 18G5, settling near McLean 
Station, where the father carried on farming, which 
had been his occupation in Ohio. He remained on 
the farm in McLean for about seven years, then, 
coming into this county bought 120 acres of wild 
land, which he at once set about to cultivate and 
improve, making it a beautiful and attractive 
homestead, where he still resides, carrying on gen- 
eral farming. 

Our subject was twelve years of age when his 
parents removed from Ohio to Illinois. He re- 
mained under the parental roof, assisting to carry- 
on the farm, until reaching his m.ajority, then 
started for himself, following agriculture for about 
nine j'ears, after which, he, in companj' with Edwin 
Davis, opened a tile factory at Pesotum, under the 
firm name of Davis & Crawfonl. They operated 
this business for two years, then sold out and 
bought the store of general merchandise in the vil- 
lage formerly owned b}' .S. M. Harvey, which they 
have managed successfully since thai time. The 



I' 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



399 



lirm i.s ulsn (.'xtonsivuly engaged in l)iiyingan(l ship- 
ping grain, and has the entire control of tiu' coal 
trade. Mr. Crawford is making for himself an cn- 
vi.able repnt.ation for bnsiness integrity, and can 
reasonably look forw.iid to the future with hoi)es of 
entire success. 

Miss Anna Nelson, daughter of William and 
Sarah (Weigner) !Selson. natives of Virginia, cap- 
tivated the he.art of .John Crawford wlien he was a 
young man, and they were united in marriage Feb. 
25, 1876. They have become the parents of three 
children, two of whom are living, Harry L. and El- 
mer C, both at home. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford are 
members of the Pesotum Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Politically the sentiments of our subject 
.are Democratic, but when at the polls he chooses to 
be governed by his own judgment rather th.in that 
of anj' party. He has been Town Collector for a 
period of five years, but is not an aspirant for office. 
Mr. and Mrs. Crawfc^rd are highly respected in so- 
ciety, and are filling their little niche in life with 
credit, while they eujo.y the esteem of all who know 
them. 



OLR'ER DECK, an.ativeof the Buckeye State, 
is now one of the most valued residents of 
Condit Township, where he owns a fine farm 
on section 18. He has been industriously eng.aged 
in the cultivation and improvement of this land 
since the spring of 1802, and besides building up 
for himself a re[)utation <as a skilled agriculturist, 
has distinguished himself as a straightforward busi- 
ness man and valuable member of the communitj'. 
His birth took place on the 14th of May, 1830, six 
miles north of Columbus, in Kranklin County', 
Ohio. His father, John Deck, .Ir., was born in 
Peunsjdvania, and his grandfather, John Deck, Sr., 
was either a native of Germany or of Pennsylvania, 
born of German parents. It is known, however, 
that his early life was passed in the Keystone State, 
whence he removed to Virginia with his family in 
about 1801. He located on a farm which he had 
purchased near Winchester, and there engaged in 
agriculture and the rearing of an interesting fam- 
ily, and spent the remainder of his life. 

John Deck, Jr., the father of our subject, w.as a 



lad of eiglit ye.ars when his parents migrated to the 
Old Dominion. There he grew lonuinhood, learn- 
ing the trad(' of .'i miller, and afterward went into 
Fairfield County, Ohio. He purciiascd a mill one 
mile from Dublin in that county, which he oper- 
ated until is;^s. aliout which time the death of his 
wife occurred. After this bereavement he sold 
out .and removed to I'nion County. i)urchasing a 
farm in Mill Creek Township, which he conducted 
until the fall of isr)8. He then sold out there and 
removed .across the Mississippi into the territory of 
Kansas, locating in Miami County during the earlj' 
settlement of that section. The journey w.as made 
with teams, and the father of our subject w.as ac- 
companied by his fjimily, which included five chil- 
dren. It proved to be his last removiil, his death 
occurring in Kansas in 187(). The mother of our 
subject before her marriage was Miss Eliza 
Wheeler, who was of German parentage. 

The parent.al family consisted of eight children, 
and when the mother died Oliver was a lad eight 
years old. He remained with his father until reach- 
ing manhood, receiving an education in the dis- 
trict school, and assisting in the labors of the farm. 
When twent}' j'ears old he started out on his own 
account, and was variously employed for the year 
following, at the expiration of vvhich time he en- 
gaged in a sawmill in Union County, where he re- 
mained the greater part of five years. In the 
meantime he took a trip East, and spent one win- 
ter in Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Deck was united in marriage with Miss 
Sophia A. Goodsell, in .September, 18-')7. Mrs. 
Deck is a native of Oswego County, N. V. The.y 
have two bright daughters — Id.a P. and Kittle A. 
The former is the wife of S. Honner Sale, and lives 
in Fisher; Kittle married Frank E. Putnam, a 
fanner of East Bend Township. Our subject and 
his wife with* their daughters are members in good 
standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. 
Deck politically, was Democratic until the inimina- 
tion of Abraham Lincoln as President, when He l)e- 
gan to vote the Repul>iican ticket, and is now a 
Prohibitionist. 

After iiis marriage Mr. Deck located with his 
l)ride in Watkins, Union County, and engaged in 
the manuf.actnre of pearl.ash, which proved an uu- 



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^^ 



400 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



profitaljle undertaking, b}' which he lost nearly all 
his savings. In 18o9 he went into Missouri and 
located on a piece of land in Cniiiden County, 
where he occupied himself at farming until early in 
18G1. He then recrossed the Father of Waters, 
and coming into this county operated on rented 
land in Newconib Townsiiip two years, with suc- 
cess, and then inirchased his present liomestead. 
Its condition at tiiat time was widely different from 
the present, as but a few acres had been broken 
and there were no improvements. Mr. Deck has 
erected a substantial set of frame buildings, planted 
an orchard, and in various other ways improved 
and embellished his homestead so that it is a pleas- 
ure to the eye, besides forming a comfortable resi- 
dence for his family and a cheerful resort for his 
friends. He is held in great respect as a citizen 
and business man, and has contributed materially 
to the advancement and welfare of the community. 



Vf/OHN N. AXTELL, a leading representative 
of the lumber interests of Fisher, was born 
in Washington County, Pa., Nov. 24, 1823, 
and is the son of Charles and Elizabeth 
(V'ennum) Axtell, also natives of the Keystone 
■State. They were reared and married in their na- 
tive State, settling there, in Wasliington County, 
where they lived until 18:33, and then removing to 
Iroquois County, III., established a permanent 
liome in Milford Township, where they spent the 
remainder of their lives. 

The parental hou.sehold consisted of four sons 
and five dauglitcrs, John N. of our sketch l)eing 
the second child. He was ten years old when the 
removal was made to this State, and remained with 
his parents until reaoliing his majority, acquiring a 
common-school education and a thorough knowl- 
edge of farm pursuits. Upon starting out for him- 
self he spent his first five years in Fayette and 
Bremer Counties, Iowa, and then, returning to the 
homestead in Iroquois County', 111., took up his 
abt)de liiere until the spring of 1880. In the mean- 
time, among other things, he engaged in the lumber 
trade, and at the date mentioned came into this 
county and eslal)lish('d his present business at 



Fisher. He lias, however, never abandoned his taste 
for agriculture, and purchased 220 acres of land in 
Iroquois Count3', which is operated Ijy a tenant. 
At Fisher he has a pleasant home within the village 
limits, where lie has fully identified himself with the 
interests of liis fellow-citizens, and is held by them 
in the highest respect, both for his qualities as a 
citizen and his ability as a business man. 

Mr. Axtel! made the acquaintance of Miss Martha 
Ray, of Vermilion County, which ripened into 
mutual affection and they became husl)and and 
wife. This lady only survived her marriage one 
j'ear, dying in ^'ermilion County. The second 
marriage of Mr. Axtell look place Nov. 7, 1854, in 
Iroquois County, when lie was united with Jliss 
Margaret Strain. Of this union tiicre were born 
two children — Orien I. and C^harles W., both mar- 
ried and residents of Nebraslca. The mother of 
these children died in Iroquois Count^'. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married in the village of Fisher, Sept. 4, 1881, was 
formerly Mrs. Sabrina (Thrasher) Warreuburg, 
daughter of Benjamin and Millancy (Cobern) 
Thrasher, and widow of .lohn Warrenbnrg. Mrs. 
Axtell was born in Geauga County, Ohio, Dec. 24, 
1845. She has been three times married; her first 
husband was Oliver York, by whom she had one 
daughter, Eva, now the wife of Harvey B. Piatt, 
a dentist in Fisher. By her second marri.age she 
became the mother of one child, Otis, now a resi- 
dent of Fisher. Mr. Axtell uniformly casts his 
vote with the Republican party, and socially be- 
longs to Fisher Lodge No. 74, I. O. O. F. 



';i OIIN CROUCH, .li!., a- higlily respected 
farmer of Condit Townshij), owns a good 
, homestead on section 2!l. He is a native of 
(^^1/ Illinois, where his birth took ])laco Feb. 1^ 
1854. His father, John Crouch, Sr., was a product 
of the Buckeye State, born Dec. 23, 1824. He was 
reared on a farm near Chillicotlie, and after reach- 
ing manhood was united in marriage with Miss Le- 
venia McNctt in the year 1 843, who was born in 
Virginia July 4, 1827. After their marriage the 
young people settled in Madison County, Ohio, 



."^ iiJ-4*- 



I' 



i 



i- 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



401 



1 



where llu'v lived until tlie fall i)f 1851, and then 
started overland fur Illinois. Their outfit eousisted 
of two horses and a wagon, and their destina- 
tion was Piatt County, where the elder Crouch 
rented land which he cultivated for ten years fol- 
lowing-. In the fall of that year he came to this 
county and purchased land in that part of New- 
comli Township which li.is since heen included in 
Condit Township, which he improved and lived 
u|>(iu until resting from his earthly labors, Nov. 6, 
1 S7 1 . 

The father of our subject, as a pioneer citizen, was 
one eminently worthy and useful to his community, 
and his neighbors and old friends unitedly bear 
testimony to his sterling worth and integrit}'. 
ITpon first locating in Piatt County deer and other 
wild anim.als were abundant. There was no mar- 
ket for produce within thirty miles of their earl}^ 
home, and the children of the family obtained a 
limited education by giving long distances through 
the forests and studying their lessons in rude log 
cabins. The system of education in those days 
W!is widely different from that of the present, which 
the sterner duties of life completed and gave them 
a practical insight into business methods which 
served them fully as well in those days as does the 
ornamental instruction imparted to the pupils of 
this later period. Amid those primitive scenes were 
developed in the character of those children the 
qualities which constituted them worthy citizens 
and valued members of their communit}'. 

The nine little ones who came to that household 
in the early lives of the parents are all now living, 
and recorded as follows: Samuel is a resident of 
Jasper County, Mo.; Mary E. became the wife of 
Abram Frazier, a farmer of Condit Township; Clin- 
ton lives in Boone County, Iowa; John, of our 
sketch, was the fifth child; vScott is living in Ma- 
homet, and (Jeorge \V. in Hoone County, Iowa ; Rich- 
ard. Andrew and Levina II. are in Condit Township. 
By a second marriage of the father there was born 
a daughter, Lavina K. 

Mr. Crouch of this sketch was a lad of six years 
when his parents became residents of Newcomb, 
now Condit Township. When not in school he 
.assisted his father and brothers on the farm, and re- 
mained a member of the household until the death 



f 



of both parents. Afterward he became a resident | 
of Mahomet for a year, and then returned .and pur- 
chased a farm adjoining the old homestead, where . 
he has since remained. He was married, Nov. 7, [' 
1877, to Miss Stella II. French, a native of .lohns- 
town. Licking Co., Ohio, and daughter of Truman , 
and Rachel M. French. Mr. and Mrs. C. are wor- 
th3' members of the Presbyterian Church, and num- 
ber among their friends and associates the best peo- 
ple of the community. 




THOMAS E. JEFFERSON, senior member 
of the firm of Jefferson & Ekstrand, general 
merchants at Ludlow, may be trul}' termed 
a self-made man and one who has generously iden- 
tified himself with the public enterprises of his 
adopted city. His birthplace was in Essex County, 
Del., and the date thereof Feb. 9, 1844. His father, 
John W. Jefferson, a native of the same State, de- 
scended from excellent English ancestry, which 
upon coming to the United States, located first in 
Virginia. 

John W. Jefferson, during the earlier years of 
his life, was engaged in mercantile business in the 
State of Delaware, where he remained until 1852. 
In the spring of that same year he emigrated to 
this State, locating in Belleville, St. Clair County. 
On account of failing health he only remained 
there one year, returning then to his native State, 
where he died one year later. The mother of our 
subject before her marriage was Miss Mary A. Mor- 
ris, also a native of Delaware. She became the 
mother of three children, and departed this life in 
184G, when her son, our subject, was a child two 
years of age. One of the sons, William J., during 
the late war served .is a Union soldier in Co. A, 
8tli 111. Vol. Inf., and was killed at the battle of Ft. 
Donelson; Ann E. became the wife of G. F. Eaton, 
and lives in Brookston, Ind.; Thomas E. of our 
sketch was the youngest child. 

Our subject was but ten years old when the death 
of his father completed his orphaned condition, and 
he W.1S taken into the home of William ( i iluiorc, 
in Monroe County, this State, lie lived with Mr. 







i 



402 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



0. five years, and then going to Decatur in Macon 
County, was employed on a farm near that city 
until 18GI. Soon after the first call for troops to 
put down the Rebellion, he enlisted among the first 
volunteers in Co. A, 21st 111. Vol. Inf., under com- 
mand of (then Col.) U. 8. Grant. During a service 
of tliree years, he experienced all the hardships, 
dangers and privations of a soldier's life, and en- 
gaged in the battles of Frederickstown, Mo., Perry- 
ville, Ky., Stone River and Chickamauga, besides 
encountering the enemy in various other places. 
At the expiration of his term of service, on the 5th 
of July, 1864, he received his honorable discharge, 
and was mustered out. 

Soon afterward Mr. Jefferson located in Nash- 
ville, Tenn., and engaged in the sale of confection- 
ery one year. He then returned to Decatur, and 
resolved to perfect himself as a book-keeper and 
in the general methods of doing business. He at- 
tended public school one year, then entered the 
Commercial College at Decatur, from which he 
graduated in 1867. He afterward taught book- 
keeping in the same school one year, spent the next 
year at Belleville, St. Clair County, and the two 
years following traveled as salesman for a St. Louis 
grocery house. Two years later he went to Bloom- 
ington and engaged as clerk in a dry-goods house. 
After a ^-ear thus occupied he went southwest into 
the Indian Territor}-, after receiving the appoint- 
ment of Assistant United States Deputj- ^Marshal, 
and remained a resident of tliat section of country 
until 1877. In the spring uf that 3'car he returned 
to Indiana and engaged in mercantile pursuits until 
1880, which year he spent at Sheldon, Iroquois 
County, and in February, 18.S1, came to Ludlow, 
and in company with his half-brother, James W., 
engaged in merchandising until 188;i. He then 
Sold out, and the firm of Jefferson ife Kkstrand was 
formed, the two genlleuicn operating together since 
tliat time. 

Mr. Jefferson has pcrforuK'd the duties of a good 
citizen. Socially he belongs to Pera Lodge No. 
574, A. F. ife A. M., and Mt. Olivet Conimandery 
No. 38, of I'axton. He is also a member of the 

1. O. (). F., with which he became connected in 
IJurrows, Ind., and in l.,udlow is connected witii 
J)V Witt Lodge No. 307, I. O. G. T. He belongs ) 



to Ord Post No. 372, G. A. R. Religiously he is 
prominently connected with the Methodist Kpisco- 
pal Church, to the support of which he contributes 
liberally and cheerfullj- as his means justify'. Po- 
litically he is a stanch Republican. 



-♦»--H»+ 



<*ttt>* 



-K-t--e»- 




TEPHEN ENGLISH came into Crittenden 
Township, this county, in 1856, during 
the period of its early settlement. He is a 
native of the Buckeye State, born in Fay- 
ette County, Jan. 23, 1833, and the son of James 
and Marinda (Mountjoy) English, both natives tif 
Virginia, whence they removed to Fayette County, 
Ohio, in the pioneer days. Thej- opened up a farm 
in the wilderness, and became the parents of ten 
children, who were reared on the homestead in 
Fayette County, where the father died in 1844. 
These children were: Thomas, now deceased; 
Joseph; George and James, deceased; William D.; 
Stephen; Elizabeth, the wife of George Hewlin; 
Sarah, Mrs. Charles Adams; Nancy and Mary J., 
both deceased. Four brothers of our subject, 
Thomas, George, William D. and James were vol- 
unteers in the Union army during the late Civil 
War, George and James dying in the service. 
After the death of her first husband the mother was 
married to Eli Boulden, and lived to tiie age of 
over ninety years, departing this life at her home 
iu Northern Ohio, in 1885. 

Stepiien English was reared on tiie parental 
homestead in Fayette County, Ohio, remaining 
there until twenty years of age. Then, desirous of 
seeing something of tiie world, he journeyed west- 
ward into Indiana, and was there employed :is a 
farm laborer until 1.S56. He then pushed over the 
line into Illinois, arriving in tliis county' on the 
16th of May. Here he was employed on a farm 
two years, and then returned to Indiana, nnd on 
the 4th of March, 1858, was united in marriage 
with Miss Nanc3' Bocock, whose acquaintance he 
liad made during his former sojourn in tliat State. 
Mrs. E. was also born in Faj-ettc County, Ohio 
and the danghtcr of Lewis Hocock, a native of the 
same State. 

Immediately after his marriage our subject, ac- 



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i 



I 



L. 



m 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



403 



cuiiipanied b\' his luido, retiivncd to tliis comity, 
and settling in Crittenden Townsiiip, followed 
farming on rented land until I8O1'. He then pur- 
chased 120 acres on section 2, which he improved 
and cultivated until the spring of 1872. Soon 
afterward he removed to Bates County, JVIo., where 
he followed agricultural pursuits nearly four 
j'ears, and then retraced his steps to this count}', 
arriving hero on the 7th of November, 1880. He 
this time decided that he could find no better lo- 
cation and accordingly took up his abode perma- 
nentl}'. He now ranks among the prosperous and 
respected citizens of Crittenden Township, where 
he has served as Assessor and Collect u', and in 
other ways has identified himself with the interests 
of iiis coiiiinunity. He and his estimable wife have 
become the parents of nine children — William, 
Charles, Aiuie E., Frank. Morton, Burt, Edward 
\V.. Harvey and Ida B. Jlr. E. became connected 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1860, and 
has since been one of its most wt)rthy and consist- 
ent memljers. Politicall}' he is a solid Republican. 

eOLlfMBUS WALKER CONGLETON, de- 
ceased, was wideh' and favorably known 
throughout Crittenden Township for his 

social and genial disposition as a neighbor and friend, 
and for his straightforward methods as a business 
man and citizen. He was highly esteemed by a 
large circle of friends and ac(piaiiitances, and at 
the time of departing from the scenes of his earthly 
labors was sincerely mourned by scores who had 
learned the worth of his character and his relia- 
bility. 

Mr. Congleton was a native of Kentucky, his 
birth taking place in Bath County on the 2.">d of 
.lanuarv, 1827. He grew t<) manhood in his u.ative 
.State, and was reared to farming piirsuiis, while at 
the same time he imbil)ed those principles of honor 
and virtue which became the basis of his aftci- life. 
When twenty-two ^ears of age he was m.'irrieil, 
Feb. 28, 18.|'.i, to Miss Margaret E. Sharp, who was 
a native of his own State, ;ind liorii Nov. 2.'i. I 82'.t. 
TJiey resided liist in Bath, and afterward in Mont- 



gomery and Nicholas Comities, from which latter 
place they removed in the spring of ISCG, to Illi- 
nois. They first took up their abode in Christian 
County, but in the fall removed to Sangamon 
Count}- and friun there, in the spring of 18G!), to 
Crittenden Township, in this county, where Mr. 
C. purchased eighty acres of land. This was lo- 
cated on section 28, and was but slightly improved. 

Mr. Congleton for several years following worked 
industriousl}' upon his little farm, building fences 
and putting up the necessary structures for the 
storing of grain, the shelter of stock, and the family 
residence. He was successful in his labors as an 
agriculturist, and .as time passed ou and his means 
accumulated, added to his possessions until he be- 
came the owner of 240 acres, which, under his 
wise manipulation became very valuable. The lit- 
tle household in due time included several children, 
four of whom died in childhood and four lived to 
survive the mother. The latter, while visiting at 
her old home in Kentucky, departed this life on the 
i;3tli of October, 1872, and was buried among her 
kinsfolk. The children of our subject who survive 
arc, Frank P.; Sarah, the wife of John L. Love; 
Martha, Mrs. C. W. Carson, and William C. The 
second marriage of Mr. Congleton took place on 
the 1st of October, 1874. The lad}' to whom he 
was united was Miss Mary E. Reddick, who was 
born in Kentucky, Oc^t. 10, 1840. Of this union 
there were two children, both now deceased. The 
mother died at the old home Sept. .'i, 1877. 

The subject of this sketch died at his home in 
Crittenden Township on the 6th of July, 1880. 
Soon after attaining his majority he became a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church, and was a cheer- 
ful and liberal giver to the cause of ,C'l""ist. He 
maintained a warm interest in the welfare and 
prosperity of his community and was the encour- 
ager by his voice and means of every enterprise 
calculated for its iniual and intellectual growth. 
Although u'warm supporter of the Democratic 
party, he always treated with courtesy those who 
differed witii hiiu, iiolding the right that every man 
was entitled to his honest o])inioii. He served his 
townshii) as Supervisor .several terms, and from 
time to time was entrusted witli tlie variuii> minor 
ollices. He was ever uiodest and unobtrusive iu 



•►■-4*- 



I 



• ^m <• 



404 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



demeanoi", and possessed thai uniform kindness of 
heart which made him a ready listener to the tale 
of affliction and distress, wliile no one in need was 
turned empty-handed from his door. 

Frank Pierce Congleton, son of tlie above, was 
born in Nicholas County, Ky., Nov. 3, 1852, where 
he was reareil and received a common-school edu- 
cation. He resided in his native State during his 
boyhood da^'s, and in 18GG came with his parents 
to Illinois and Champaign County. He remained 
a member of the parental household and assisted in 
the work of the farm ULtil the death of his father, 
when he was appointed administrator of the estate, 
and since its division li.as become owner of the 
homestead and sixty acres of land. 

Mr. Congleton was married, Feb. 21, 1883, to 
Miss Anna M. Davis, who was born in Lawrence 
County, Ohio, in 1854, and is the daughter of John 
J. and Catherine Davis, natives of Wales and Penn- 
sylvania respectively. Of this marriage there are 
two children — Carl Newton and John Walker. Mr. 
C. is Democratic in politics, and a worthy member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has served 
as School Trustee, and has inherited in a marked 
degree those principles which made his father so 
well beloved as a citizen and so honored as a mem- 
ber of the community. 



^'VAA- «\<jifi£/©^^^ ■< 



«.^-S!/2'jrj'»v' -vv^- 



ellAHLES ELLS, a worthy and prominent 
resident of Champaign Township, first 
o[)encd his eyes to light in New England, 
being a native of Blandford, Hampden Co., Mass., 
and was born on the iJOth of March, 1819. He is 
the son of Joseph Ells, a native of Stonington, 
Conn. The first representative of the family in 
America was Maj. Samuel Ells, an English officer of 
Cromwell's army, who came to this country in the 
seventeenth century and settled in Connecticut. 
There were preachers in each of the six succeeding 
generations, who faitlifully and intelligently ex- 
pounded the doctrines of the Congregational 
Church in New England. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject was a 
fai-mer by occupation, ;ind his s(m Joseph, the f.a- 
thei- of our subject, also followed that calling. 



after his marriage, in Hampden Count}', Mass., be- 
ing located near Blandford, where he resided until 
1835. In that year he emigrated to Ohio, locating 
near Norwalk, where he purchased a home and 
dealt in stock in a small way, and where he spent 
the remainder of his life. The mother of our sub- 
ject before her marriage was Miss Elizabeth War- 
ner, who was born in Connecticut, and died there 
in 1822. The parental family consisted of nine 
children. 

The subject of this history was but three years 
old when he was deprived by death of the tender 
and aflfectionate care of his mother. He then be- 
came the especial charge of his elder sisters, and 
remained under his father's roof until he was six- 
teen years old, when, going to AVindsor, Conn., he 
commenced working on a farm in summer and at- 
tended school during the winter. Two years later 
he removed with his father to Norwalk, Ohio, 
where he lived two years, then, going to the city of 
Dayton, he eng.aged as clerk for his cousin in a 
book-store. After one 3'ear he commenced in the 
book business on his own account, in which he was 
occupied for six years following, in Dayton, and 
then, adding pianos and other musical instruments - 
to his stock, continued in this branch of tra<le until 
1864. He then came to Illinois, and deciding to 
change his occupation purchased the farm which he 
now owns and occupies, and has since devoted his 
attention to agricultural pursuits. 

The marriage of Charles Ells and Miss Mary 
Stanage was celebrated on the 24th of November, 
1859. Mrs. E. was born in West Liberty, Ohio, 
and is the daughter of James and .Sarah Stanage, 
the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Vir- 
ginia. Of this union there have been born two 
children : Carrie May, the wife of Irving ILjdges, 
lives in Diller, Neb; Harry is a resident of Cham- 
paign Count}', this State. Mr. and Mrs. L. are 
pfominent members of the Presbyterian Church, to 
the support of which they contribute liberally and 
cheerfuU}', and our subject is in all respects the 
friend and encourager of every enterprise calculated 
to increase the intelligence and welfare of society 
at large. During his earl}' life he was a Whig, po- 
litically, hut since the abandonment of the old 
party by the organization of the Republican he has 

'■ •^--m 




Residence of Jos. Kamp, Sec. ^o ^TolonoTownship 




Res. OF J.N. Nor TON, Sec. 18, Cf?iTTENDENTowNSHip. 




'•^ ■■'*■*' ^'^■-'■' 



Res.of John B. Neal, Sec. 21 , Philo Township. 



f 



■^•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



407 



t 



cheerfully endorsed the principles of ihe hitter, with 
which he iinifornily casts his vote. 

The ht)niestca(l of Mr. Ells joins the city limits of 
Champaign, is finely' located on section 1 3, and one 
of the most desirable farms in this county. The 
residence is a commodious and tasteful frame build- 
ing, situated on a rise of ground, and commands a 
fine view of the surrounding country. Mr. E. has 
given much time and attention to the beautifying 
of his home, and in all its appointments it indicates 
the care and sujiervision of the intelligent and pro- 
gressive modern fanijer, who still has time from his 
manual labors to devote to the improvement of his 
mind and the cultivation of naturally fine tastes. 







AVID G. FISHER, one of the most exten- 
sive farmers and land-owners of Tolono 
Township, is the proprietor of a fine es- 
tate on section 10, where he located in 
liS()tS. He is a native of the Prairie State, born in 
Fulton County, Dec. oO, llsSi), and the son of Fied- 
erick and Sarah (Fonts) Fisher. The former was 
born in North Carolina and the latter in Clark 
County, Ind., and was the daughter of Jacob and 
Mary Fonts. When Frederick Usher was five 
years old. his father, Frederick, Sr.,and his mother, 
Barbara, removed witii their famil}' from North 
Carolina to Indiana, where tiiey reared their chil- 
dren and lived to see most of them married and 
settled in life. David G., of oursketcli, was reared 
to manhood in Illinois, and assisted his father on 
the farm, in tlie meantime receiving careful paren- 
tal training, and the instruction afforded by the 
district schools. 

In 1832 Frederick Fisher removed from Indiana 
to Illinois, settling near Canton in Fulton Countv, 
and was among the earliest pioneers of that section, 
this being prior to the Black Hawk War. He re- 
mained a resident of Fulton County for over fcirty 
years, and departed this life on the .'jth of .luly, 
1876. He had been very successful through life, 
and left a fortune of $30,000, which was divided 
among his children. Me was a man of great force 
of chaiactcr, in formei' years a Whig, but after- 
ward a cordial sup|)orter of Kepublican piinciples. 
He was strongly opposed to slavery, and fearless in 



the expression of his views upon this subject. 
Early in life he became a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, but later united with the Chris- 
tian Church, and contributed liberally and cheer- 
fully to the support of the (Jospel. He enjoyed to 
a remarkable degree the confidence of his fellow- 
citizens, and was entrusted with the local olHces. 
The wife and mother survived her husband for a 
period of nearly eleven years, and died at her home 
in Fulton County, Feb. 17, 1887. 

The parental family included twelve chihlren, 
and all grew to become men and wt)nien with the 
exception of one daughter, who died when fourteen 
years of age. Those livingare, Jacob, John, Henry ; 
Cynthia, Mrs. Copple; Mary; Sarah, the wife of 
Marion Kimberlin; David G., of our sketch; Clara, 
the wife of John P'ord ; Isabelle, Mrs. Jacob Fouts; 
F^lizabeth, Mrs. John Carter, and Ellen, the wife 
of Thomas Beets. 

Our subject remained under the (larental roof 
during his childhood and youth, and received a 
common-school education. He was married on the 
21st of May, 1 8(53, to Miss Mary Ellis, who was 
born in Fulton County, March !). 181;'). Mrs. 
Fisher is the daughter of Isaac and Nancy Ellis, 
who were among the early jMoneeis of Fulton 
County, where they located in 1832. Our subject 
continued farming in Fulton County two years 
after his niarri.agc, and then, on account of failing 
health, abandoned active labor, and removing t(» 
Canton, engaged in the livery business. In 18(18 
he purchased section 10, in Tolono Township, and 
taking up his abode there, commenced its iniprove- 
inent and cultivation. It was but little removed 
from its original cimdition when it came into his 
jxisscssion, but he in the course of time transformed 
j it into a valuable and productive farm. He after- 
[ ward sold a portion of the land, but is still the 
! owner of 400 acres, whicli is thoroughly drained 
with 2,200 rods of tile. He has one of the finest 
residences in the county, which was erected in I88(), 
and all necessary out-buildings for the storing of 
grain and the shelter of stock, having of late j'ears 
given much iittention tn the breeding of fine horses 
and cattle. 

'i'he household ciicle of our suliject and wife was 
completed by the birth of live children, of whom 



»► ■ ^- 



^' 



» ► ■<»■ 



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,t 



408 



l» 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



two little ones, Kate luid Robert, died in infancy. 
Those snrvivinii' are Ilattie, Krcd uiid Ppail. Mr. 
Fislier polilicMJly i.s a snpportcr of Ropublifau 
princli)Ies, Ijut lias steadily declined to Ijeconie an 
oflice-holdcr, iiis |)rivMlc bnsiness absorbing all his 
lime and attention. lie takes an interest in the 
j welfare and prosperity of liis townsliip and connty. 
however, and contribnles of his means and infln- 
ence to every enteri)rise lending to its advance- 
ment, socially, morally and intellectnally. 



y;I],LIAM F. CLENNON, a native of (irun- 
dy Connty, tiiis .State, is now ple.a.sanlly 
located on section 4, in Crittenden Town- 
ship, on a tine farm of wliicii lie took possession in 
liSTlS. His homestead comprises lilO acres of choice 
land, whicli he has broiiglit to a good state of cidti- 
vation, and which is snpplicd with all conveniences 
necessary for the snccessful cnltivation of the soil. 
The birth of onr snbject took place on the 4th of 
.luly, IH.")!, and consequently for a period of over 
thirty years he lias joined in a double celeliration, 
of his own birth and tliat of American Independ- 
ence. 

Onr sul>ject's parents, Martin and iMary (Flynu) 
Clennon, were natives of Ireland, the father born in 
(Queens Connty and the mother in County Cavan. 
Kefore marriage they (jmigratcd to the I'nited 
States, iind first located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where 
they became acquainted and were afterward wed- 
ded. They 11 rst took nj) their residence in Indiana, 
where they lived until 184'.), then came to Illinois 
and s|)ent one year at Peru, in La Salle County, 
where they still reside on a farm. Martin Clennon 
has been very successful as a business man and 
farmer since coming to the United States, and is 
the owner of an entire section of land whicii is finely 
improved and valuable. On the farm in (irundy 
Cyunty, the little household was completed l)y the 
birth of the following children: Lawrence, M:irlin, 
Andrew, Patrick, Katie, Mar}' (now tlie wife of 
William Moran)and Susan. 

Our sul)ject. with his brothers and sisters, at- 
, tended the (common scho<)l during his childhood 
ami completed his studies in the Christian Broth- 



ers' School of Peru. After this he returned to tiie 
farm and .assisted in its labors and duties until his 
marriage, on the ;')th of March, IJSTis. Mrs. C, 
who was formerly Miss Adelia .Moran, was born in 
Michigan, and is tiie daughter of William and Sa- 
rah Moran. natives of Ireland and C^iinada respect- 
ively. The young people after their marriage set- 
tled n[)on the land which constitutes their present 
homestead, and which the enterprise and indnstiy 
of its propiietor has transformed into one of 
the most attr.active spots in Crittenden Township. 
The five children of the household are Mar^' A., 
Martin .1., P'rancis, Sarah and Agatha. The par- 
ents and children are members and regular attend- 
ants of tlie Roman Catiiolic Church, and i)olitically 
Mr. Clennon uniformly votes the Democratic ticket. 
He is highly respected in his commnnity for his en- 
terprise as a farmer and his reliability as a business 
man, and is now .serving his second term as Town- 
shii) Collector. 




ENRY NELSON resides on section 28, 
Pesotum Township. His life has been 
fraught with many dilliculties, lint through 
all he has preserved the even tenor of his 
way and presents the life of a (piiet and unobtrusive 
citizen, fullilling his duties m:infully and enjoying 
the esteem and confidence of all who know him. 

Mr. Nelson is a native of Pendleton County, W. 
Va., and born .March 1, 1811. He was the second 
child of Benjamin and Delphia (Arbaugh) Nelson, 
both natives of tireenbrier County, W. Va., the 
father born in 1781, and the mother in 171(2. They 
remained in their native State after their marriage 
until 1822, and then removed to Lawrence Connty, 
Ohio, where Benjamin Nelson i)urcliased a quarter 
section of land in .Symmes Township. For a period 
of nineteen years he endured the hardships of pio- 
neer life, ami in due time became the proprietor of 
400 acres of land. The household circle included 
fourteen children, thirteen o'f whom grew to 
mature years, married, and rai.sed fandlies of their 
own. In 1S41 the father of our subject sold his 
farm in Lawrence County, and removed to a [loinl 



r- 



1 • , 

r 



t 



t 



-4^ 



I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



409 



near Amlorsou, Mailison County, where lie i)iii'- 
cliased 2.S() acres of improved land, which he oc- 
cupied until his death, in 1,S4(J. The mother died 
in 1877. 

The sulijcct of this biography remained a mem- 
ber of the parental household until his marriage, on 
the !)th of February, 1832. The maiden of his 
choice was Miss Polly fSmith, of Gallia County, Ohio, 
and the young people after their marriage located 
on a farm adjoining that of the father of our sub- 
ject, and which consisted of eight3' acres. This 
amount Henry soon doubled by purchase, and re- 
mained in i)ossession of it for a jieriod of twenty 
years, when he sold to a Mr. Armstrong who had 
purchased the farm of his father twenty years be- 
fore, at the time of the removal of tlie latter to 
Indiana. 

AViien Henry Xelson sold his propert}' in (Jhio he 
followed his father to Indiana and located about 
ten miles north of Anderson, upon a farm partly 
improved and embracing 317 acres. Five years 
later he disposed of this also and decided to be- 
come a resident of this county'. Here he first pur- 
chased eighty acres on section 28, in Pesotum 
Township, where the family residence now stands. 
He is now the possessor of a half section, thoroughly 
drained and well stocked, and furnished with all the 
appliances of a first-class country homestead. 

The wife of onr subject, the second child of 
John and Eve (Proce) Smith, was born in (iallia 
Countj', Ohio, in 1814. Her father was a native 
of (ireenbrier County, W. Va., and her mother was 
probably from Pennsylvania. The four children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have all passed away. 
Their son Joseph Washington, who was born 
March 20, 18.34, married Miss Isabella MuMear, of 
Madison County, Ind., and coming West in 1837, 
located on a faini which his father had purchased for 
him in Douglas Cnunty, 111. His marriage took 
place in ]8.to and there was born one cliild. His 
death was caused by an accident, vvhicii took 
place at his father's homestead in this county while 
he vvas in Pesotum Townshi|) t)n business. He had 
his gun witii him, and after starling on his home- 
ward jnurncy this was accidentally discharged, both 
loads cutting across the Ixnvels and going through 
the thick part i if the thigh. He died from the effects 

4t 



of this seven days later, Dec. 22, 18,')8, after great 
suffering. Their little son Denham, when but two 
months old died by his mother's side in the night, 
having seemingly been in |)erfect health up to that 
time. The daughter, Klsie, died of scarlet fever 
when eight years of .age; the youngest child yielded 
up his breath before he had been given a name. 

While remarkably fortunate in many respects, 
Mr. Nelson has experienced adversity' and been 
quite a sufferer from accidents. While in Ohio, in 
a playful scuHle with a friend his shoulder was 
broken, and on the 2d of January, 1801, while in 
Indiana on business, a horse fell upon him and 
broke his thigh. After recovering from this he re- 
turned to his home in Illinois, and one dark night 
in 1867, fell from the church ste|)s at Nelson Chapel, 
breaking his thigh a second time. In 187>< our sub- 
ject was visited with another aflliction in the loss 
of his wife, to whom he was greatly attached, her 
death taking jilace in the spring of that year. Since 
that time his grandson and wife have had charge of 
the domestic affairs. This latter gentleman, Morris 
Cook Nelson, was married in 1877, to Miss Ella 
Snyder, of Champaign County, who was born in 
Coshocton County, Ohio, and is the third child of 
Jacob and Elizabeth (Higgle) Snj'der, also na- 
tives of the Buckeye State. To Mr. and Mrs. Nel- 
son there have been born five children, four now 
living, and at home with their parents ami grand- 
father. They are named respectively Joseph W., 
Willard C, Elmer U. and Jacob R. Edna P. died 
when an infant of seven months. 

Mr. Nelson is in the enjoyment of excellent 
health, and surruiiiided by his grandchildren and 
great-grand-childreu, is enjoying, as he deserves, 
the sunset time of life, comforted with a good con- 
science and the knowledge that he has fulfilled his 
part in the great human drama to the best of his 
ability, always ready to speak a kindly word or 
perform a kindly act whenever opportunity afforded. 
He is highly esteemed by all. He |)ossesses in a re- 
markalile degree his mental facilities, his memory 
being singularly acute, enabling him to readily re- 
call the scenes of his 3'outli and early manhood, with 
the tales of which he often regales both young and 
old. He relates an incident of I'S.'lii, when the re- 
markable immigration of s(piirrels almost entirely 

— ♦ 






t. 



410 



T 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



■«► 



,t 



destroyed the crops of the farmers in that region. 
During their passage over the fields Mr. Nelson and 
his neighbors killed over "2,700 of these little 
animals bv actual count. 



-*- 



i~ 



,^\ IIUISTOPHER BURLINGAME, one of the 
|lf honored pioneers of Philo Township, after 

^^i?'' a life of industry, is spending his declining 
years in the village of Philo. He is a native of 
Marietta, Ohio, born April 18. 1803. His father,- 
also named Clu'istopher, became a resident of Ma- 
rietta in the fall of 1790, two years before that 
portion of the count)' was opened for settlement. 
He took shelter for live 3-ears following in a block- 
house on account of the depredations of the In- 
dians, who were a constant source of terror and an- 
no3'ance to the pioneers. 

The iiarents of our subject were married in 
Massachusetts, of which the mother was a native, 
but Christopher Burlingarae, Sr., was born and 
reared in Rhode Island. He was a descendant of 
excellent English ancestry, and possessed in a marked 
degree their reliable an<l substantial traits of char- 
acter. Our subject's parents, after the birth of two 
diildren, removed from Rutland, JNIass., via Pitts- 
burgh, down the Ohio River on a flatboat. settling 
at Marietta, when there were onl}- a few block- 
houses at the mouth of the Mnskingnm River. 
Their next two children were born in the old fort 
where thej', with several other families, gathered 
together for jjrotection from the Indians. 

The mother of our subject before her marriage 
was Miss .Susanna Putnam, a daughter of Gen. 
Rufus Putnam, of Revolutionary fame. The Gen- 
eral and his family also removed to Marietta in 
17!)0, where the sturdy old soldier acted as a kind 
of protector for the little colony at the fort. He 
was also appointed General Surveyor of the then 
Northwest Territory', receiving his commission di- 
rect from President (Jeorge Washington. Gen. 
Putnam died at Marietta in 1824. 

The father of our subject was a hatter by trade 
and made the first article of this description west 
of the AUegiiany Mountains. He was a man fif 
great energy and industry, and the beaver hats of 

4 ' 



that period were the product of his skill and inven-^ 
tion. In addition to the proceeds of his trade, he 
became owner of 108 acres of land, but pursued 
his manufa(;ture of hats, in eomiection with farm- 
ing, as long as he was able to engage in active labor. 
His life measured the span of fourscore 3'ears and 
eight, his death occurring in .July, 1841. The 
mother had died the j'ear previously', aged seventy- 
two. They reared a family of eleven children, 
five sons and six daughters, all of whom, with one 
exception, lived to maturity. Our subject is the 
second living: Edwin is a resident of Delavan, 111., 
and is over ninety j-ears of age; Rufus P. is living 
in Calliope, Iowa, and is eightj'-two 3'ears old. 

The childhood and youth of Mr. B. of our 
sketch were passed under the parental roof, alter- 
natelj' as a farm laborer and in assisting his father 
at his trade. He received his education in the 
primitive schools of that day, and upon reaching 
manhood w^as married at Marion, Ohio, on the 15th 
of November, 1826, to Miss Elizabeth R. Bartlett. 
Mrs. B. was a native of New York City, born Sept. 
20, 1802, and removed to Jlavienta witli her parents 
when a child. Both died in Marietta, the father 
in 1822, of an epidemic fever, and the mother in 
about 1840. Mrs. Elizabeth R. Burlingame de- 
parted this life in Champaign in 1870, aged seventy- 
four years. Our subject and his wife became the 
parents of seven children: Ann M. became the 
wife of William Newman, a farmer of Zanesville, 
Ohio; Sarah B. married Jonathan Hutchinson, who 
died April 23, 1887; 3Irs. II. is now a resident of 
Champaign; Edwin married .Miss .Jennie White- 
house, and resides at Duluth, Minn., where he is a 
member of the Board of Trade ; Charles L., a lo- 
comotive engineer, married Miss Eliza Barker, and 
resides in Green Bay, Wis.; Eliza J., Mrs. Thomas 
Wight, is a resilient of Chicago, her husband being 
on the Board of Trade there; Luther was married, 
and died at Marietta, Ohio; William W. met with 
an accidental death when three years of age by fall- 
ing backward into a kettle of boiling water. 

Mr. Burlingame after his marriage resided four 
years at Marietta, Ohio, then reuKjved to Zanes- 
ville, in the same State, where he remained a resi- 
dent until 1850. That year he emigrated to Illi- 
nois, and locating upon a farm in Champaign 'lV>wn- 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



411 



sliip, operated as an agTiculturist for several years. 
Ill 187(!, after the death of his wife, lie returned to 
Zanesville, Ohio, and lived there two years. In 
KS7S he eanie back to this eoiinty, and on the l.'ith 
of Januaiy was married to Mrs. ]<".liza A. (Heath) 
Francisco, who was born in Franklin Countj', Xt., 
Aug. 29. IS17. The present wife of our sul>ject is 
the daughter of Samuel 1>. and Susan (S|)aftoril) 
Heath, natives of Connecticut, and of New En- 
gland ancestry and i)arentage. They were married 
at Middlcbury, Vt., where the father operated as a 
miller for many years, but afterward removed to 
Whitehall, N. Y., where he died when sixt^'-six 
years of age. He was an active local politician 
and served in the War of 1812. lie was a stanch 
Whig and a man of decided views. His wife, the 
mother of Mrs. B., died in middle life in New 
Haven, Yt. She was a lady of excellent Christian 
character and greatly esteemed b}' all who knew 
her. The parental household included eleven chil- 
dren, of whom ;\Irs. B. was the fourth. She was 
reared and educated in Vermont, and was married 
to Mr. Francisco in Augusta, Mich. 

Mr. and Mrs. B. are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in Philo, to the sup[)ort of which 
the^- contribute lilierally and cheerfully. Our sub- 
ject was one of the chief organizers of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church at Cliamiiaign. Politicall}' he 
is a warm supporter of Republican luinciples, and 
as a man and citizen, has contributed his full share 
toward sustaining the reiiutation and well-being of 
his township. Airs. B. is a lady of superior attain- 
ments, and is universal]}^ respected wherever known. 



JnOIIN M. MATTHEWS. The first settler of 
I Tolono Township was Isaac Miller, the sec- 
I ond C. M. Hamilton, and the third the sub- 
' ject of this biography. The two former de- 
jiarted from the scenes of their earthly labors some 
years since, and Mr. Matthews is now the oldest 
settler in the township. He has been a resident of 
Champaign County since February, 1854, and dur- 
ing a period of over thirty years has gathered 
around iiim liosts of friends. His birth occurred 
in Montgomeiy County, Ind., April 8, 18^0, and 



since coming here he has lived on his present farm. 

His father, William Matthews, was burn in Ann- 
strong Count}', Pa., where he grew to manhood and 
learned the trade of a ship carpenter. For his wife, 
among the maidens of Armstrong County he chose 
Miss Jane Guthrie, who was also a native of that 
county. So',>n after marriage they proceeded to 
Montgomery County, Ind., and settled among tiie 
earl}' pioneers of that region, where William Mat- 
thews followed farming until 1854. The jiarents 
of our subject then came to Illinois with their 
family, and located on section 21), in Tt>lono Town- 
ship. At that time there were only nine families 
in this locality, who lived amidst the timber in the 
southwestern part of the township. On the north, 
the nearest settlement was where the city (»f llrbana 
now stands. Both parents died the following 3'ear. 
Of the seven children comprising the parental 
household, three onlj' are now living, namely, Sarah, 
Mib. McKeIvy, of this townslii[); Nancy, Mrs. 
Alen, of OIney, III., and .lolin 1\I. of our sketch. 

Mr. Matthews grew to manhood in his native 
State and assisted his father in tilling the soil. He 
removed with the family to Illinois, and broke the 
land uprdi which were raised the first crops in To- 
lono Township. He has all his life been engaged 
in farming pursuits, and is now tiu; owner of 347 
acres of land, which he has brought to a high state 
of cultivation. Of late years he has devoted con- 
siderable attention to the breeding of fine stock. 
The homestead comprises a convenient and substan- 
tial set of farm buildings, and everything about 
the premises is kept in good shape, indicating in a 
marked manner the intelligence and enterprise of 
the proprietor. Mr. Matthews, both as a citizen 
and business man, is highl}' esteemed in the com- 
munity which has known him long and well. He 
is a believer. in the Christian religion, and w;is for 
some years a member of the Christian Church at 
Tolono. The society disbanded some time ago. 
His children are connected with the Mctlioilist 
Church. 

Our subject after coming to this State was united 
in m.'irriage with Mi.ss Lo\ isa Ann Monroe, on the 
3d of January, 18,'j(i. Mrs. M. was liorii in Scioto 
County. Ohio, anil was Ihe d.iiighter of Joseph and 
Nanc}' (Snyder) Monroe, natives respectively of 



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412 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1 r 

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Alleghany County, Md., and Scioto County, Ohio. 
Joseph Monroe was born in October, 1^10, and his 
wife the .otli of ?"ebruary, 1811. Roth are now de- 
ceased. They were the parents of nine children, 
named as follows: William J., Lovisa A., Charles 
B., Lydia M., Nancy, Martha J., Sarah A. and 
Eliza A. (twins), and George W., only four of 
whom are living: William .1., Lydia M., Eliza A. 
and George W. 

By her union with our sul)ject Mrs. Matthews 
became the mother of eight children. Slie fulfilled 
all life'.s duties in a faithful and praiseworthy man- 
ner, and after a consistent Christian life closed her 
eyes to the scenes of earth on the 2 1st of January, 
1 SS7. The last struggle continued but a few hours, 
as she was stricken down with paralj'sis and soon 
passed from this world to the higher life beyond. 
She had also been afflicted with dropsy for many 
years. Her remains are interred in Craw Cemetery 
in Colfax Township. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, living, 
ai'e Nancy Jane, Amanda (Mrs. Gilbert Smith), 
John W., Samantha, Albertha May and Joseph A. 
(twins), and Addie L. One died in inf.incy un- 
named. They have been carefully trained and well 
educated, and prove a source of comfort to their 
father in his declining years. Mr. Matthews sup- 
ports the principles of the Democratic party, and 
has served as Road Commissioner of Tolono Town- 
ship. 

fj^y^ . ANN LOUISA FEIIRIS. The home- 
stead of this highly respected lady is lo- 
cated in East Bend Township, on section 1, 
of wliich her late husband, Lsaiah Ferris 
took possession in the spring of al)out 1850. He 
afterward sold the farm;to his brother, and Mrs. F. 
bought it back. Mr. Ferris departed this life Jan. 
27, 1873. lie was a native of .Hamilton County 
Ohio, and located in East Bend Township shortly 
after coming to this State. The subject of this his- 
tory was born near Covington, Ky., Aug. 4, 1828_ 
Her father was Daniel Rohbins, of Kentucky, and 
her paternal grandfather was a native of Maryland, 
wlio became a sailor and was lost at sea wlicn his 
son Daniel was a young boy. The latter was reared 




to manhood in his native State, and married Miss 
Elizabeth Vickers. In 18:}r> they removed to Illi- 
nois, the journey being made overland with wag- 
ons and a carriage. They located near the i)resent 
city of De Witt, among the pioneer settlers of that 
region, and Mr. Rol)bins was the first man to en- 
gage in general merchandise there. His goods were 
transported from Chicago by farmers who carried 
their grain there to market, and whom he liirod to 
bring his merchandise on their way back. 

Whenever Mr. Robbins had occasion to visit tlie 
then insignificant little town of Chicago he made the 
journey on horseback, traveling tlu'ough a district 
infested by wolves and Indians, and all sorts of 
game, including turkeys and deer. It was no un- 
common thing for a member of the family to go 
out and shoot a deer before In-eakfast. Mr. Hob- 
bins and his brother put up the first house near the 
present site of the city of De Witt, before the or- 
ganizati()n of De Witt County. After this Mr. 
Robbins was elected County Judge, in whicli posi- 
tion he served eight or twelve years. Later in life 
he retired to the city of Clinton, where his death 
took place in about 1872. The mother of Mrs. Fer- 
ris died in Kentucky in 1834. The jjarental house- 
hold included eight children, all of wliom lived to 
maturity. Mrs. F. was but six years old when her 
mother died, and a year later her fatiier came to 
Illinois. He afterward married Miss Rebecca Day, 
who still survives. 

Mrs. F. made her home with her father until hor 
first marriage, Oct. 1 8, 1848, to Henry Rudolph. 
The latter was a native of Logan County, 111., and 
the son of I'cter Rudolph, who was born in South- 
ern Illinois and became a resident of Logan County 
at an early period in its history. Heiuy Rudolph 
was a carpenter by tnule, wliicii he followed in De 
Witt County until 18;")8, then removed to Living- 
ston County, Mo., and purchased a small farm where 
he followed agricidtural pursuits. He then returned 
to Logan County, where he lived a year, and in the 
spring of 1802 came to this county and rented a 
farm in East Ben<l Township. 

The Civil \\'ar being then in progress, with no 
prospect of an immediate settlement of the dilli- 
culty l)etwcen the North and South, Mi'. Kndoli)h, 
iu the fall of that year, laid aside his personal iu- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



413 -k' 



■1 



terests and enlisted as a soldier of the Union in Co. 
F, 12ritlilll. \oL Inf. He ]Miticipated in many <>f 
the hard-foiight battles of the war, and in tin- en- 
gageuient at Kennesaw AFountain, .lune 27, 18G4, 
was instantly killed by a ball from the enemy. Of 
his marriage there were born six sons and two 
daughters: Miranda .lane is deceased ; Charles F. 
is a resident of Meade Couuty, Kan. ; Francis \'. 
resides on the homestead with his mother; Kansas 
F. is farming in Bourbon County, Kan; Fremont is 
a resident of Syracuse, Kan.; William lives in IJent 
County, Col., and Henry, a teacher, makes his home 
with his mother. Mr. Rudolph was a consistent 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Mrs. Rudolph was married to Isaiah Ferris on 
the 0th of July, 18C5. Since the death of her hus- 
band she has m.anaged her farming and business 
affairs with excellent judgment, and is a lady 
greatlj' respected for her excellent traits of charac- 
ter. As a mother she has been devoted to the in- 
terests of her children, rearing them wisely and 
giving them the benefits of a good education. Siie 
united with the Methodist Episcopal Cliureii in 
lS61,and h.as been the encourager and supporter of 
ever^' enterprise tending to the intellectual and 
moral welfare of the community. 

^, IMON P. PERCIVAL, one of tiie honored 
pioneers of this county and Champaign 
Township, came to this locality in the 
s|)ring of 1<S.t2, and in tiie years that fol- 
lowed has thoroughly identified himself with the 
interests of his adopted county. He commenced 
in life with l)ut little capit.al save his native resolu- 
tion and industry, and presents a fine illustration of 
the self-made man who has arisen from a huml)le 
position to the front ranks among his fellow-(^itizcns 
and in the industrial and agricultural community'. 
His fine hf)mestead. located on section 24, is a 
model farm in all respects. The residence is finel}' 
l(K!ated, and the barns and other out-buildings are 
admirably .adapted to the needs of the extensive 
st<jck and grain raiser. 

Mr. I'ercival was l)orn in Hrownington, Orleans 
Co., Vt., Jan. 20, IHIM. His father, Orin Porcival, 




a native of Hampshire County, Mass., was there 
reared on his father's farm, and after arriving at 
years of manhood married Miss Lauey Burroughs, a 
native of I'laintield, Mass. After their marriage the 
young couple located in \'erniont, being among the 
earliest settlei's of Orleans County. The father of 
our subject purchased a tract of land, which he 
cultivated until 1H24. Then, desiring to see some- 
thing of the West, he emigrated with his family to 
Ohio, and being pleased with the appearance of the 
country, bought a farm in (ieauga County, and es- 
tablished a permanent homestead, where he spent 
the remainder of his life. Simon Burroughs, the 
maternal grandfather of our subject, emigrated from 
Massachusetts to Ohio in ISO;?, making the entire 
journey with ox-teams. He was among the earliest 
settlers of Geauga County, where he cleared a farm 
fnmi the wilderness, and occupied it until his death. 

Simon P. Percival was a lad of six years when 
his i)arents removed from the Green Mountain 
St.ite to Ohio. He grew to manhood on his father's 
farm in Geauga County', and received a fair educa- 
tion in the pioneer schools. He remained under 
the home roof until twenty-five years old, and 
afterw.ard, for some years, made his home w'ith his 
brother-in-law in Parkman Township. He was of .i 
speculative turn of mind, .and while engaged in 
farm work dealt considei-ably in horses and cattle. 
In 18.00 he came to Illinois and engaged in farming 
in Cass County. 

On the 9th of April, that 3'ear, Mr. Percival was 
united in marriage with Miss Catherine C. Bcals. 
Mrs. P. was born in Geauga County, t)hio, Aug. 14, 
182.'5. and was the daughter of Alvanl Beals, who 
was born in Cummington, M.ass. Her paternal 
grandfather w.as Peter Beals, also a native of the 
Bay State. Her inaternal grandfather, .Tedediaii 
Beard, also a native of Massachusetts, w.as one of 
the earliest settlers of Geauga County. Ohi(), going 
there soon after it was admitted into the I'nion as a 
.State. For many j'ears afterward Pittsburgh was 
the nearest milling point and depot for su|)plies, 
and Mr. Beard used to make the journey on horse- 
back, following anlndi;in trail. Peter Beals settled 
in (ieauga County in .•il)out 1812, and built the 
first hotel in (lie tuwn of Burton, which he con- 
ducted for some Lime. His son, Alvard, was fourteen 



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4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



years of age when lie removed with his parents to 
Ohio, and was married in Geauga County to Miss 
Charlotte Beard. He purchased land and cleared 
a farm four miles from Burton. In the winter of 
1842-43 he sold out, and removed with his wife to 
Illinois. They located in what was afterward 
Beardstown, where Mr. B. purchased a farm and 
established a permanent homestead, where he passed 
the last years of his life. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Percival spent 
one year in Cass County, where our subject farmed 
on rented land. In the spring of 1852 he came to 
Champaign County, and purchased forty acres in 
Urbana Township, on section 19. Upon this was 
the first log house which had l)een built in this 
township, and which was utilized as the first hotel. 
It was subsequently taken down and removed to 
the land which Mr. Percival had purchased. This 
he occupied with his family for a period of ten 
years. He was prospered in his farming operations 
and in due time added to his real estate, erecting, 
in 18()2, the more modern fi'ame dwelling which is 
now the family residence. Upon coming to this 
State Mr. Percival was the possessor of $400 in 
cash and eight3' acres of land in Michigan, for which 
he had traded a second-hand wagon. He is now 
the owner of 700 acres of choice land, besides 
valuable personal property and bank stock. The 
seven children of our subject and his wife are 
Charles A.. Alvard, Curtis, Otis, Orin, .Joseph and 
Abraham. Mr. Percival is Republican in [tolitics 
and has for many years been prominent among the 
affairs of his township and county. 



^ EK VAN WEGEN, an enterprising young 

(^ farmer of Champaign Township, is a native 

^jSn. of Orange County, N. Y., where he was 



born on tlie .'5d of June, iS.OH. He became a resi- 
dent, of the Prairie Stale in 1807, and is now pleas- 
antly located ui)on a finely improved farm, on 
which is erected a good set of frame buildings, 
and wliich in all respects indicates the supervision 
of the modern and progressive agriculturist. Mr. 
V. takes a just i>ride in his homestead and has 
Y spent about $1,000 in tile alone, with wliich the 



>► ■ ^ 



land is thoroughly drained, and is now cajjable of 
producing the finest crops in this section of the 
State. 

The father of our subject, James Van Wegen bj' 
name, also a native of the Empire State, was born 
in Orange County on the 3d of ,Tune, 1 827. It is 
supposed that the grandfather of our subject, Phil- 
lip Van Wegen, was also a native of New York 
State, in which the great-grandfather, a native of 
Germany, settled at an early da3% where he spent 
the remainder of his life. The ancestors of onr 
subject were farmers for several generations b.ack. 
Phillip Xan Wegen owned a farm in Orange County, 
N. Y., six miles from Port Jarvis. where he spent 
the latter jiart of his life, but died at the home of 
his son in about 187G. His wife, before her mar- 
riage, was Miss Clarissa Skinner, of Orange County, 
Their son James, the father of our subject, was 
reared on the farm in Orange Countj% and after 
arriving at years of manhood, was united in mar- 
riage with Miss May E. Wells, on the 29th of June, 
18.50. Mrs. V. was born in Sullivan County, N. Y., 
March IG. 1827. Her father, William Wells, was 
also a native of the Emjjire State, where he spent 
his entire life, dying in Sullivan County in 1862. 
The mother, who before her marriage was Miss 
Elizabeth Skinner, was also born in Orange County, 
and was the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth 
Skinner, natives of New York State. 

After their marriage the parents of our subject 
lived on the old homestead in Orange County four 
years, then removed to Sullivan County, to the 
farm belonging to the mother of Mrs. Wells, where 
they resided until May, 1807. Thence thcj' re- 
moved westward to this State, and Mr. V. for some 
years operated on rcntod land, then ]iurchased a 
farm in Tolono Township. They made their home 
there until 18.s;'., when, on account of failing health 
he sold out, and removing to Kansas, jHirchased 
property in Urury, Sumner County, where he put 
up a store building and cngMgod in general mer- 
chandise, which he carried on until his death in 
January, 188(i. Mrs. V. now lives with her siyi, 
our subject. 

Lee Van Wegen was a lad of twelve years when 
he came into this county with his parents. Here 
his education was coiii|)leted, and lie made his home 



4 



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CFIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



411 






willi his pureiits until lie w;is tuoiit\--t wo ycMi's Of 
age. He w.as then manieil ami foniiiicuced life for 
himself on a rented farm, which he occupied for 
five years following. In the meantime he purchased 
two eighty-acre tracts uf land in Tolono Township, 
which, in l.SSo, he traded for the farm he now 
owns and oecuiues. This he has br()Ught to a good 
state of cultivation and it is supplied with a good 
set <jf frame l)uil(lings. He is yet a young man, l)ul 
his energy and industrj" hid fair tu pave his way 
to pnwperity and a handsome competency. 

The marriage of our sulijeet with Jliss Kllen 
Hammer took place in Tolono Township (jii the 
27th of February, 187".). Mrs. V. was born in 
Scott Township, this county, April 30, 18i>i), and 
is the daughter of .Tohn and Maiy (Harper) Ham- 
mer, both natives of Ohio, who came to this vicin- 
ity and hx'ated in Scott Township in the pioneer 
days. Mr. Hammer there purchased a tract of 
wild prairie land, from which lie opened up a fine 
farm, which he occupied until his death, in 1874. 
The mother had died two years previously, in 
1872. Mr. and Mrs. \'an Wegen have two chil- 
dren — Nellie and Kttie. in politics our subject is 
Democratic, and a cordial supporter of the present 
administration. In local affairs he is independent. 

JIOSEPH II. WELLES, a resident of C'(un- 
jiromise Tp., for over twenty j^ears, and 
whose portrait is shown in this connection, 
in seeking a location for his peimanent home, 
selected a sjjot many leagues from his birthplace, 
the latter being Glastonbury, Conn., and the date 
thereof Oct. 10, 1818. His parents, .losej)!! and 
Lucy (House) Welles, natives of the same State, 
removed from New England to Ohio in 1835, lo- 
cating near the spot which is now occupied by a 
large portion of the city of Columbus. The father 
engaged in fainiing, and the parents made their 
home there during their lifetime, the mother pass- 
ing to her final rest in 1.^14. and .loseph Welles, 
eight years later, in 1852. The latter was a cousin 
of (iideon Welles, late Secretary of the Navy. 
The parental family included fouitccn childicn. 
eleven of whom grew to adu'.t j'ears, and live of 
^•..^ 



these still surviNc, viz., Delia W., Mis. Weaver; 
Lucy W.. .Mrs. .Maynard; Clarissa W.. Mrs. Butler; 
Samuel, and .losejih H. of our sketch. 

The subject of this history, during his boyhood 
and youth, s|>ent his time after the manner of most 
farmers' boys, until the spring of 18:15. when he 
was nearly seventeen years of age. Then. |)ro- 
ceeding to New York City, he became clerk for 
his brother Edwin, who was engaged in the grocer}' 
trade. After two and one-half years, his parents 
in the meantime having removed to Ohio, he joined 
them there, and in 1848 was united in marri.age 
with Miss Sarah A. Jones. Jlrs. Welles was born 
in the town of Unity, Waldo Co., Me.. March 8, 
1830, and is the daughter of Thomas and Nancy 
A. (Ames) Jones, who removed from Maine to 
Ohio in 1844. Mr. Welles, having inherited fifty 
acres of land from his father's estate, located upon 
this after his marriage, remaining there until 18G3. 
In the fall of that year he came to this State, and 
lived in Ta/.ewell Countj' two years, whence he re- 
moved to C'hampaign County, locating upon his 
l>resent homestead. This originally consisted of 
320 acres, half of which he afterward sold, and has 
now 160. The thorough and proper cultivation of 
this employs most of his time. At the time of pur- 
chase, not a foot of his land had been broken, and 
it may easily be imagined how faithfiilly and in- 
dustriously he h.as labored to perfect it as the [irop- 
erty of the nuKlern and iirogre.ssive farmer. 

The nuaniage of .Mr. and Mrs. Welles resulted in 
the birth of nine children, who are recorded as 
follows: Lucy is the wife of C. C. White, of (iif- 
ford, 111. ; Fannie died when seventeen years old ; 
Samuel resides near Penfield; Ilattie, the wife of 
.Mahlon K. Taylor, lives in Columbus, Ohio; Lidie 
is at home with her [larents; Mary B. married 
Charles W. Ellis, and they live in Gifford; Maria 
W., with her husband, .Io.se|)h Mcllenry, is a resi- 
dent of Brazil, lud.; Tlnunas 15. and Winthrop 
are at home. 

Mr. Welles politically alliliates with the Repub- 
lican party, fif which he has been a nicinber since 
its organization, in 185(). He has been a man 
prominent in his eommunil^', and one whose opin- 
ions are held in respect. He served as Town Clerk 
for several years, and, with his wife, is a believer 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






in the Clulstian relijiion, altlioiigh not iflcntified 
with any C'hiiieh denomination. 

The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Welles were 
Amos and Marj^ .Tones. The former was bora in 
Massachusetts in l7Cl,an(l was of Scotch ancestry. 
Directly after the Revolution he migrated with a 
family named Coster, with whom he was related, 
to Unity. Me. Ilis wife, Mar}' Pattee, was the 
oldest daughter of Ebenezer Pattee, of the State of 
Maine. Her parents were of Irish descent. Her 
father built the first mill in tlie village of Unity. 
Amos .Tones served as a soldier in the Revolution- 
ary War, and received an honorable wound, on ac- 
count of which he afterwai-d drew a pension from 
the Government. He died April 20, 1842; his 
wife .Tune 8, l.s;5K, .aged so von ty- two. Mrs. Welles' 
mother's parents, .Tohn and Nancy Ames, also na- 
tives of Maine, spent their entire lives near the 
place of their liirth. A brother and sister of Mrs. 
Welles are living in Ivansas. Thomas .Tones and 
his second wife died in Piatt County, this State. 
The mother of Mrs. Welles died in her native State 
of Maine. 

1^^ IDNKY KI-:TCIIUM, retired farmer and 
^^^ stock-raiser, is now occupying a pleasant 
111// )j) and tasteful residence in the villaji-e of 
Fisher, where he owns valuable property, 
besides a fine farm of 320 acres in Condit Town- 
ship and 170 .acres in Marshall Count}', this State. 
His land is nearly all improved, and the farm fur- 
nished with suitable buildings and the latest im- 
proved machinery. Mr. Kotchum may bo fairly 
ranked among the representative men of this county, 
who by his energy and enterprise has contributed 
materially to its growth and prosperity. His birth 
occurred in Bucyrus, Crawford Co., Ohio, Dec. 3, 
1844, his parents remaining in the Buckeye State 
seven ye.ars afterward, when they dTsposed of their 
property there and removed to Illinois. They 
were Kddie and Harriet (Smith) Ketchum, the for- 
mer born near Auburn, N. Y., in 1 802, and the 
latter a native of Pennsylvania. After marriage 
they settled in Crawford County, Ohio, among the 
pioneers of that region, where Mr. K. carried on 
Y farming until his removal to the Prairie St:ite, in 



18.52. The father for several years afterward car- 
ried on agriculture in Marshall County, and finally 
retired to the residence of his son, Kliphalet, in 
Ford County, 111., where he departed this life in 
October, 1884. The mother is still living, and a 
resident of this county. 

The parental family comprised six sons and four 
daughters, the eldest of whom died when quite 
young. The record of the survivors is as follows: 
Daniel married Miss Mary C. McVicker, and resides 
in Henry, 111.: Nancy, the wife of John Combs, 
is living on a farm near Bushnell, this State: 
Eliphalet married Miss Amanda Hiltabrand, and 
is a resident of Ford County: Ichabod married 
Miss Aurilla Doud, and lives near Rantoul; S'mith 
married Miss Martha Clement, and lives throe 
miles northwest of Elmwood, this State, where he 
is minister of the Bajjtist Congregation; Spencer 
married Miss I'^lccta Atwood. and is farming in 
Marshall County, 111.; Harrietts, became the wife 
of C. W. Peck,afarmerof Condit Township, where 
also resides Martha E., now Mrs. H. J. Stansell; 
Sidney of this sketch was the youngest son. 

Our subject was bred to farming pursuits, which 
he has been contented to follow thus far in life. He 
is yet in his prime, but was obliged to ab.andon act- 
ive labor on account of ill-health. Although hav- 
ing the general supervision of his land, it is chiefly 
operated by a tenant, and frcmi the proceeds INIr. K. 
realizes a handsome income annually. In politics he 
is a stanch Democrat. 



^ ^S-i^ — ^ 



A/p5i>ALEM HENSLEY. a highly respected 
^^^ farmer of the township which bears his 
KL/^) "•'^'"<^' ''* *'"' o""er of 240 acres of valua- 
ble land, finely improved and thoroughly 
drained, located on section 20. He is a representa- 
tive citizen in all respects, and a practicid illustra- 
tion of what may be accomplished l>y industry, en- 
ergy, and the exercise of wise judgment. Our sub- 
ject is a native of Brown County, Ohio, and was 
born Dec. 10, 183(1. He is the son of Archibald 
P. Hensley, who was liorn in Kentucky in 180G. 
The mother of the latter w:is left a widow when 
Archibald was quite small, l)ut remaineil with her 



4" 



1- 



>► JT^ 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



A- 



419 



t'niiiily iiiOliiii. aiicl he there yie\v to iii.-iiiIhmmI. lie 
was reared on a farm until seventeen years (ihl. then 
became an apprentice to iearii the tanner's trade, at 
which he served some years, but only worked as a 
"jour" a short time. Soon after lieconiin<i' master 
of his trade lie purchased a tract of land near Hi|)- 
ley. Hrown Co., Ohio, where he established a tan- 
nery and conducted this in connection with farm- 
ing until 1S.').5. In that year he sold out, and com- 
ing West to Illinois laid his plans for the establish- 
ment of a future home. The journey hither was 
made via the Ohio an<l Wabiish Rivers to Cov- 
ington, Ind., and thence to Champaign overland. 
He had visited this section the fall previous and 
purchased a tract of land in what is now Hens- 
ley Township. Tiiis laud was little removed 
from its original condition. The family remained 
in Champaign a few weeks while the father cut 
lumber at Urbana and removed it to his embryo 
farm, where he erected a frame house and com- 
nieuced the improvement of his land, following 
this up until his death, which occurred Aug. 1, 
ISTt;. 

The mother of our subject before her inarrisige 
was Miss Wealthy T. Shaw, also a native of Brown 
Count}', Ohio, w-lio came West with lier family. 
She is still living and makes her home with her 
children. Archibald Hensley was the first Super- 
visor of the township, and became a man of influ- 
ence, holding the various offices of trust within the 
gift of his townsmen. He was Assistant Super- 
visor when this was a part of Champaign Town- 
ship. He united with the I\Iethodist Episcopal 
Church in early life in Ohio, and was a cheerful 
and liber.al contriliutor to the cuise of education 
and morality. 

The subject of this history was the fifth child 
and third son of his parents. He received his early 
education in the district school, and upon Ijccoming 
of suitable age assisted his father on the farm. He 
was eiglitcen years old when he came to Illinois, on 
which journey- he was accompanied by his brother. 
Their outfit consisted of one pair of oxen, a span 
of horses and two wagons. They left the oxen in 
Cincinnati, as they had become unlit for further 
service, and finished their journey with their 
horses alone, After the p.arents joined them oui' 



subject took up his aliode with them, remainiug un- 
til his marriage. About this time he purchased 
eighty acres of land which constitutes a part of his 
present farm. The wife of uur subject before her 
marriage was Miss Rebecca A. Howard, and the 
wedding occurred in January, ISlSl. Mrs. H. was 
l)orn in lirown County, ()hi(j, and is the daughter 
of Cam[)bell and Angeline (Korsytlie) Howanl,al.so 
natives of the Buckeye .State. Our subject's fam- 
ily included seven children, namely : Weltha Ange- 
line, who married Curtis Paul, and died .Ian. !l, 1 88(), 
leaving two children — May and Florence; the lat- 
ter died .Inly 28, 1886 ; Howard, Frank, William C, 
Charles Marion, Alfred Salem and Mary Kliza- 
beth. Our subject is Republican in politics, and 
both he and his wife are prominently connected 
with the MetlKidist Episcoi)al Church. 

The Howard family settled in Brown County, 
Ohio, at an early day, taking up their abode in 
Fnion Township while it was yet a wildei-ness. 
There the father cleared a farm and established a 
comfortable homestead, which he occupied until 
his death. In early manhood he vv.as a member of 
the Whig party, but after tlie organization of the 
Republicans cordially endorsed their principles, 
and afterward cast his vote in support of them. 
Both parents were members of the Methodist Kpis- 
cop.al Church. 



-i3 



3-Y— Y- 



T" 



4=£>- 



^\\ HARLKS TARKKR. Among those who as- 
(l[ I-, sisted in redeeming the prairie from its origi- 
^^^' nal condition and fitting it for the introduc- 
tion of the rich crops indigenous to the soil of 
Illinois, the subject of this sketch took a pi'ominent 
|>art. He came West in March, 18(iG, and after a 
brief residence in Woodford and Livingston Coun- 
ties, this State, purch.ased the land which he h.is 
now transforme<l into one of the finest farms in 
Ludlow Township and which endiraces 100 acres of 
section 4, and eighty aci-es adjoining in Ford 
County. The fields are outlined by beautiful hedge 
fences and most of them include forty acres, a part 
devoted to pasturage and the balance to grain-rais- 
ing. As a farmer Mr. I'arker has been methodica 
in liis oper.ations .'ind unil'orudy successful, while as ^' 



f 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



r^ 



a business nicii lie is prompt to meet his obligations, 
his wonl being considered as good as his Ijond. 

Our subject is a native of tlie wealthy and popu- 
lous State of Ohio, his birth taking place in Tate 
Township, Clermont County, Feb. i;5, 1836. His 
ancestors were English and located in New Jersey, 
whence his grandfather, Isaac Parker, in 1.S47 emi- 
grated to Ohio, locating in Hamilton County. Cin- 
cinnati, the (^ueen City of the West, was then but 
a small village, and it is said that Isaac Parker was 
offered a tract of seventy acres now included in 
the city limits iu exchange for a horse, but declined, 
considering that he wt)uld be no gainer bj' the bar- 
gain. He resided in Hamilton County but a short 
time, then going into Clermont County, cleared a 
farm from the wilderness and established a com- 
fortable homestead, which he occupied until his 
death. There also he reared a fine family of chil- 
dren, among whom was Isaac Parker, the father of 
our subject. 

When but a youth of eighteen years old the lat- 
ter had located with his parents amid the wilds of 
Clermont Count}-, Ohio, where not long afterward 
he married, and purchased the farm in Tate Town- 
ship, upon which he settled in 1830, and which his 
father-in-law, Robert Burnett, opened up in 1803. 
This i)roperty still remains in possession of the 
family. In those daj-s there was no market for 
produce in the whole State, and Isaac Parker was 
obliged to carry his corn to a distillery and have it 
made into whisky, which, with bacon and other 
produce, he ti'ansported on a ttatboat down the 
river and sold at the plantations or in different 
towns, lie occupied the farm upon which he first 
settled until his death, which took pl.ice in Decem- 
ber, 18,s(;, when he was eighty -six 3'ears old. His 
wife, who was formerly Mrs. Hannah Burnett, was 
born in New Jersey, and was of Welsh jiarentage 
and ancestry. 

The children of this worthy i)air received care- 
ful home training and such education as the district 
schools of those days afforded. Charles, of our 
sketch, later entered Clermont Academj-, where he 
fitteil himself for college, by a three years' course. 
When nineteen years old he became a student of 
Farmer College, in Hamilton County, where he at- 
tended three years, and completed his educatitin, 



after coining to Illinois, in Eureka College, in 
Woodford Count}'. After graduating he accepted 
a position as book-keeper with the firm of Burnett 
& Abrahams, merchants in Bowie County, Tex. 
After the outbreak of the Rebellion he returned to 
Ohio, taught school in the winter, and worked on a 
farm the balance of the year until ISfin, the year 
of his arrival in this State. 

The marriage of Charles Parker and Miss Louisa 
Marion took place in Tazewell County, March 18, 
187;'). They have one child, a son, Jeau Chester, 
born Jan. 12, 1885. The parents of Mrs. Parker 
were Calvin and Elizabeth (Hughes) Marion. The 
paternal grandfather, Elijah .Marion, a native of 
Massachusetts, emigrated to Ohio in about 1805, 
and located in Franklin County soon after its or- 
ganization. The f.arm which he cleared from the 
wilderness is now included in the city of Columbus, 
where he died when eighty -six years of age. 

Calvin Marion was three 3'ears of age when his 
parents removed from Massachusetts to Ohio, where 
he was reared to manhood and whence, in 1832, 
after his marri.age, he emigrated c>verland to Illi- 
nois, locating first in Tazewell County. The laud 
which he entered was finally included indrovclaud 
Township. Peoria, then Ft. Clark, was the nearest 
depot for supplies. He sometimes transported his 
wheat with teams to Chicago, which was 170 miles 
distant. Both parents are living, and occupy the 
old homestead in Tazewell County, the father being 
eighty-five years old and the mother eight }'ears 
younger. 

Mrs. Parker is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, having joined when eighteen j'cars 
old. In politics Mr. I'arker is a stanch supporter 
of the Democratic party. All his family iiave 
alw.ays been Democrats since the organization of 
the party. 

. •w i. ' — fSKJ^' ' i w » 

i)lIOMAS LYONS, of Toloiio Township, lo- 
cated on section 17 iu 1873. Were he has 
V^^J/ 200 acres of highly cultivated land, and one 
of the finest residences in the county, a view of 
which is to be seen on another page. Me is well 
known .as one of the most successful and skillful 
farmers of this locality, who luis secured a beauti- 




•^m 



I 



•^f^^ 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



421 - L 



fill home and a competency through his own un- 
.•lided efforts. Mr. Lj'oiis is a native of "Erin's 
(irecu Isle,"' and was born in C<junt3' Kerry, in 
December, 182!). He is the son of llmothy and 
Julia (Kane) J^yons, and early in life was taujiht 
those habits of industry and economy which have 
been the secret of his success. 

Our subject, in 1855, in company with his father, 
set sail fur the I'nited States. From New York 
City they proceeded to Chester County, I'm., where 
they remained until 1859, the mother ha\ ing joined 
her husband and son the year after their arrival 
here. At the expiration of this time the parents 
came to Illinois and settled in Sangamon County, 
where the father died in 18t)l, and his remains 
were laid to rest in Oak Ridge. Cemetery in Spring- 
field. The mother afterward joined her son in 
Champaign County, and departed this life at her 
home in Tolono Township. She was buried in 
Champaign CenietiMy. Of their family there are 
now oidy two children living — Thomas, of our 
sketch, and his brother Michael, a resident of Col- 
fax Township. 

Our subject spent his earl}' years in his native 
county, and when nineteen years of age sought the 
great cit^' of London. England, where for a time 
he secured employment as a general laborer. Af- 
ter emigrating to this country he remained with 
his i)arents in Penns>iv;inia four j-ears. working for 
one man during the entire time. After coming 



Clifford, who became his wife in Loudon, England, 
in 1853. She was a n.ative vf his own county in 
Ireland, and they became the [)arents of nine chil- 
dren, of whom the record is as follows: Julia be- 
came the wife of Col. George Butler, of Indianap- 
olis, Ind., and died there in 1883; she is buried in 
Crown Hill Cemetery. Mary married John Lof- 
t;:s, and is living in Urbana; Jeremiah is deeea.sed, 
and his remains are interred in Oak Ridge Ceme- 
tery ; Ellen is keeping house for her brother in 
Urbana ; John F. is engaged in the grocery trade 
in the latter-named place ; Thomas E. is a partner 
in the grocery trade at Urbana ; William, deceased, 
is buried in Oak Ridge Cemeter}-; Daniel W. is 
also engaged in the grocery trade with his brothers, 
John and Thomas, and the firm is well known as 
Lyons Brothers; one child died in inftinoy, and is 
also buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery. 

Mr. Lyons, politically, usually affiliates with the 
Democratic part}', although not b}' any means a 
partisan, but in 18G0 cast his presidential vote for 
Abraham Lincoln. Religiously he adheres to the 
Catholic faith of his fathers, and attends religious 
services at Tolono. 



-v^W ,«<2£12/©-^* 



f^»'^@/?n!7»\~\n/^^ 




ORNELIUS DYER, a highly esteemed farm 

resilient of Ilensley Township, is a native of 
' Bloomingburg, Fa^'ette Co., Ohio, and was 



west to Sangamon County he was employed by j born Sept. 21, 1841. His father, Hugh C. Dyer, 



I 



one man seven years, beginning with ¥10 |)er 
month, which was increased to 4i20. In due lime, 
bj' careful management and tite exercise of close 
eciinomj', he found himself pt>s.sessed of i!'500, with 
which he purchased a team and other necessary 
farm implements, and commenced as an agricultur- 
ist on his own hook. For seven years he carried 
on a farm in De Witt Count}-, whence he removed 
to Champaign County in 1873. lie has been most 
prosperous in his undertakings, and considering the 
fact that he had but twenty-five cents in his pocket 
when landing upon American shores, his career has 
been truly remarkable. 

The faithful and devoleil eompanion of iiiir sub- 
ject, who has followed him lliruugh .'ill his wander- 
ings, and rejoiced in his successes, was Miss Li/.zie 
•4* 



and his grandfather, Isaac Dyer, were both natives 
of \'irginia, whence the latter removed late in life 
anrl spent his last days in Fayette County, Ohio. 
His son Hugh, the father of our subject, was reared 
to maiilmod in the Olil Dominion, and was there 
first married. After his wife's death he went to 
Ohio and purchased a partially cleared tract of land 
in Fayette County. He had learned the traile of a 
carpenter and miller in Virginia, Init after becoming 
a resident of the Buckeye State devoted the princi- 
pal part of his time to farming. He passed tiie re- 
mainder of his life in Fayette County, and died in 
about 185'J. The mother of our subject before her 
m.irriage was Miss Mary \. Aliernathy, of \'irginia, 
and by her union with Hugh Dyer >lie became the 
mother of twelve children. 



' ±J¥ <' 



di 422 



•► A ^« 



^ ' 

1 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Cornelius Dyer, of our sketch, was the seventh 
cliild of the family, and spent his childhood and 
youth on the farm, in tiie meantime pursuing his 
studies in the public schools; later his education 
was advanced by attendance at Audubon Univer- 
sity. After leaving school he engaged as clerk in 
a boot-and-shoe store at Bloomingburg, Ohio, until 
the outbreak of the war. He tiien pniffereil his 
services as a soldier in the Union army under the 
first call for troops, becoming a member of Co. F, 
21st Ohio \'ol. Inf.. for tlie three months' service. 
At the expiration of his term of enlistment he re- 
turned home and purciiased a lialf interest in the 
store where he had been employed, and engaged in 
business in Ohio until January, 1862. He then de- 
cided to seek the Prairie .State, and coming into 
this county engaged in teaching. The war still 
being in progress, he enlisted again in ISGo, in Co- 
H, 71st III. Vol. Inf.. for 100 days. He served his 
time once more, and then returning home resumed 
teaching one year, afterward returning to Ohio, and 
was occupied as clerk until 180(1. In the spring of 
that 3-ear he returned to Champaign County, and 
the following summer herded cattle on the open 
prairie. 

In the fall of th;it year .\Ir. Oyer was married, 
and returning with Ills bride to Ohio, resumed 
clerking two years, and then came back to Illinois 
and locating in Ashmore, Coles County', engaged in 
the furniture trade until 1.^70. He then sold out 
and engaged in the grocery business until fall. In 
1871 he returned to this county and established a 
general store at Fisher, wliicli was the iirst institu- 
tion of the kind there. After two years he removed 
his goods to Fooslaud, where he erected a store 
building and continued in bu.--iness seven years. He 
was greatly pr<jspered in this venture, and in due 
time put up four dwellings and accumulated other 
property of value in town. He rcnuiiue<l there 
until the spring of 1.S8M when he deci<led to change 
his occupation, ;ind selling his interest in Fooslaud 
removed to the farm wliich he now owns and occu- 
pie>. This consists of 180 acres of linely cultivated 
land, all enclosed and improved and su|iplied with 
a good set of fr;imr l)uildings. His farm opci-;itious 
have been conducted in a skillful manner, the stock 
aud faun machinery are of the best class, and ev- i 



erj'thing about the premises indicates the industrj- 
and enterprise of the pro|)rietor. While in Foos- 
land Mr. Dyer dealt extensively in grain and prod- 
uce, and in that line his good judgment served him 
•as faithfull^v as in all his other undertakings. 

The marriage of Cornelius Dyer and Miss Fliza- 
beth .S. Waugh was celebrated in the Sucker State, 
Aug. 21), 18()(i. Mrs. Dyer was born in Ross Coun- 
ty, Ohio, and is the daughter of Richard aud Re- 
becca (Coyner) Vv'augh (see sketch.) Our subject 
and his wife are members in good standing of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, aud politically' Mr. D. 
is a stanch adherent of the Repul)lican i)arty. 

S^, ICHARD WAUGH. of Mahomet Townslii|), 
l^if is the proprietor of a good homestead lying 
A \\\ on section 1 4. tiie land under a good state of 
icultivation, and the farm buildings possess- 
ing all the modern improvements for the shelter of 
stock and storage of grain. Our subject is the sou 
of Lemon and Rachel (Holland) Waugh, the for- 
mer a native of Connecticut and the latter of Mary- 
land. Soon after their marriage they emigrated to 
Ross County, Ohio, where Lemon Waugh engaged 
in farming, and where bt^th parents resided until 
their death. Their live children included three 
Ijoys and two girls, of whom our subject was the 
youngest. 

Richard Waugh was l)oru in Ross County, (Jhio, 
Feb. 4, 1810, and remained a resident of his native 
place initil 1h4S», when he was thirty-three years of 
age. He had in the meantime been married aud 
become the father of four children. He now con- 
cluded to seek his fortunes in the Prairie .State, 
and accordingly, coming to this county, located in 
Hensley Townslii|i and followed farming until 1881. 
He then sold out and purchased 107 acres of land 
in Mahomet Township, where he now Jives. He 
owns 120 acres, and has from j'ear to year added 
improvements here aud there so that his home is a 
model of comfort and an attractive spot for the 
eye to rest upon. ' 

The marriage of Ricliani Waugh .'ind .Miss Re- 
becca Coyner, w;is celebrate<l in l{oss County, 
Ohio, Mav 21, 1840, Mrs. Waugh is the daughter 



•^ 



t 



t. 



.t 






CHAMPAIGN COINTY. 



423 



of John and Ilitiinali (Lewell) Coyner, the former 
a native of l'e!niS3lvania and the latter of \'uginia. 
After their niarria;j;e tliey settled in Augusta Coun- 
ty, W. A'a., whence tliey afterward removed to 
Ross County, Ohio, and were among the pioneer set- 
tlers of that region. They there opened up a farm 
and established a comfortable homestead, upon 
which they sjjent the remainder of their lives, dy- 
ing at a ri|)e old age, surrounded by their children 
and a large circle of friends. Their family con- 
sisted of ten daughters and three sons, of whom 
Rebecca, the wife of our subject, was the youngest. 
. .She was born in Ross County, Ohio, .Tune S, 1823. 
Her union with our subject was blest b}' the birth 
of four children — lulia A., David C, Elizabeth .S. 
and John A. .lulia is the wife of Alfred D.yer, and 
resides in Pittsburgh. Pa.; David enlisted in the 
ami}' during the late war at the age of nineteen 
years, and died in the hospital at Nashville, Tenn., 
April 5, 1H().!. after a long period of illness; his re- 
mains were laid U) rest in the Soldiers' Cemetery 
near that city; Elizabeth is the wife of Cornelius 
D^'er, of Ilensley Township; John A. married Miss 
Emma Feltham. :uid resides in Cliampaign. Mr. 
Waugji politically is a straight Repniilican. and has 
served as Justice of the Peace and School Treasurer 
in his township. Both he and his excellent wife 
are niemliers in good sUuiding of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

JOHN T. BEIER owns 1.17 .acres of good 
land on .section 20, East Bend Townshi]), 
which he transformed from wild prairie into 
fertile fields, which now produce some of 
the best crops in the Prairie State. He was born 
in the Kingdom of Prussia, March 2o. l)S;iU, and is 
the son of Henry and Minnie Beier, natives of the 
same country, who emigrated to the United .States 
with their four children in 1857, and became res- 
idents of nine Mound Township, McLean Co., 
ill. The father of our subject engaged in farming, 
until his years of active labor were passed, and de- 
parted this life in January, 1887, at the advanced 
.age of eighly-f(jur. The wife and mother died in 
1878. Of their live children, one died in I'russia; 



i-#- 



Frederick is a resident of Chenoa, 111.; Charles and 
August are farming in Blue Mound Townsliii); 
John, the subject of this sketch, is the oldest of the 
family. 

Mr. Beier was eighteen years old when he came 
with his parents to America. He resided with them 
in McLean County, 111., until 18G2, and then, the 
Civil War being in progress, enlisted as a Union 
soldier in Co. H, 94th 111. ^'ol. Inf. His regiment 
was assigned to the department of the Gulf, and he 
participated in some of the most important battles 
of the war, including the siege and capture of 
N'icksburg. He was also with the Red River ex- 
pedition, and present at the principal engagements 
of that campaign, including Ft. Morgan and Span- 
ish Fort. He followed the fortunes of his com- 
rades on the march and in the held, enduring with 
patience and cour.age the hardships and privations 
incident to a soldier's life, and at the clo.se of the 
war received his honorable rlischarge at (ialveston, 
Tex., in August, 18(;.'). He then retmned to his 
home in JNIcLcan County, where he resumed farm- 
ing and lived until 1808. That year he came to 
East Bend Township, in this county, an<l purchased 
120 acres of uncultivated land. He was successful 
in its improvement, and put up a good set of frame 
buildings. He afterward sold a part of his land 
but still h.as suflicient left to meet all necessary 
w^ants, and provide for his comfort and that of his 
family. 

Mr. Beier was married in IHOS, to Miss Mary S. 
Swain, a native of Bavaria, and the five children 
born to them are Laura, I<la, Amelia, (ieorge and 
Mary. Mr. Beier votes the Re|)ublican ticket, and 
with his worthy wife is a member in good standing 
of the Lutheran Church. 



^^-i 



-^-^s^ 



'AMES HOWARD, a native of New Jersey, 
>gan County, 111., in 1851, and 
L'ounty in 1873. He is now the 
It 150 acres of gotxl land in 
Brown Township, on section 31, on which the town 
of Ilowiird (named in his honor) is situated, at the 
crossing of the Wabash and Illinois Central Rail- 
roads. His land is well cultivated, and his farm 




-►-•- 



i 



('J424_ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i^ 



t 



buildings eouveuient and substantial. He lias de- 
voted tlie greater part of his life to agricultural 
pursuits, and is' t-onducting the various departments 
of his farm in a successful and intelligent manner. 
The parents of our subject were David and 
Sarah (Morgan) Howard. He was born on the 
other side of the Atlantic, in Wales, his wife in New 
Jerse3'. They first settled in JSusse.x County, N. J., 
and from there, in 1836, cTnigrated to Warren 
County, Ohio, where the mother died in 1840. Da- 
vid Howard afterward removed to Union County, 
Ind., where his death occurred in 1844. The par- 
ental family consisted of four sons and two daugh- 
ters, and James of our sivetch was the fifth child. 
He was born in Sussex County, N. .1., March 2, 
1828. He removetl with the family- of his father 
first to Ohio and then to Indiana, and after tlio 
death of the head of the household became a mem- 
ber of the family' of his lirothcr in Butler County, 
Ohio. Two years later he returned to Warren 
County, and afterward lived in different places in 
Ohio until 1851, when he took up his residence in 
Sangamon County, 111., but shortly afterward went 
to Logan County, and thence to Tazewell Countj-, 
where for a period of seventeen years he was a resi- 
dent of Boy|i)gton Township. In 1873 he removed 
to Brown Townsiiip, this ciiunty, of which he has 
since been a resident. 

While a resident of Logan County, this State, 
Mr. Howard was united in marriage, Feb. 2(;, 185(), 
with Miss Sarah Ware, of l)e Witt County, 111. 
Mrs. Howard was born June 2'.t, 182,7, in Amherst 
County, Va., and wjis the daugliter of Atnk^iv-and 
Cynthia A. (BurforlvJ Ware. She l)ecamc the mother 
of eight children, and died at tiie home of lier hus- 
band in Brown Township, May .'51, lis7i). The sons 
and daughters of onv subject are recorded as fol- 
lows: David A. married Miss Mary M. dibbwns, 
and is farming in Brown Township; .lohn K. mar- 
ried Miss Susan IJlair. and is a resident of Wichita, 
Kan.; Marion marricil Miss Anna (iibbons, and is 
operating a farm in Last Bend Townshi[); C.assius 
P. is at JKjme; .lames A. is residing at Ft. Meade, 
]):\\i.. where he is Postmaster, also partner and local 
man.'iger of the store at the l*ost; .losej)!! died when 
I'igliteen years of age, on the 2',ltli of September, 
' JiS.S."i; Marth.a L. and Cynthia A. remain on tiie 



home farm with their father. Martha w;\sap|)ointed 
Postmistress of Howard in June, 188.5, and still 
holds that position. The deceased wife and mother 
was a lady greatly respected for her womanly vir- 
tues and kindness of heart. She was a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church for a period of 
thirty years and adorned the profession in her 
daily life, both at liomc and in the outside world. 
Mr. Howard is also connected with the Methodist 
Church; he is a Prohibitionist. 



\i/ K\l FURST. Among the active and snc- 
I (©) cessfnl farm residents of Philo Township, 
/^'--^\ the subject of the following sketch is enti- 
tled to more than a passing notice. He owns and 
occu[)ies a linely imi)roved farm of 1 (!0 acres, of 
which he took .possession in 1 870, and which he 
purchased of (;. W. Riley, now deceased. Previous 
to this he had operated it for a [(eriod of thirteen 
years on shares. He became its proprietor in 1 883, 
since which time he has been laboring industriously 
for its improvement and cultivation, and has spent 
much time and money in effecting its thyrongh 
drainage. 

Mr. Furst is a native of Cumberland County, 
Pa., and was born Aug. 1, l.s41. He is the son of 
John Furst, who was born in Dol|)hin County, and 
was of (ierman ancestry and parentage. He was 
reared in his native county, and is now living in 
Champaign. He was formerly a successful farmer 
and highly respected citizen. The mother of our 
sulijcct before her marriage was Miss Sabina Poor- 
man, who was the descendant of an excellent En- 
glisii family and, like her husband, a native of 
Pennsylvania. They located in Cundjerland Coun- 
ty, that State, where they resided initil |s,')7, and 
then removed with their family to Clarke County-, 
Ohio. From there, in the fall of 18(;j, they came 
to Champaign County, of wliicli they are now resi- 
dents, both being well advanced in years. 

Levi Furst was the secoml child of his parents. 
By a former marriage Mrs. F. had become the 
mother of two ciiildren, the name of her first hus- 
band being Christian Lil)er. Levi remained under 
the pareulal roof until twenty years of age, and 






-m 




Residence Of E.W. Parker, Sec. 10 , Ph i lo Township. 



.»»^<<i«ifai'«a-<.»t.><M.a 










Residence OF S .W. Moo re, Sec. 30 .Crittenden Township. 



•.^^-jj^^^n"- 



../t-i JVf»-. 



■«iS!CjrA:=i'A*.S.,....Jft!{s,''* 




Residence or W-. Dawley, Sec. 3 , Scott Township. 



-^1 



^v 



t 



-4•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



427 



I 



was married in Clarke Count}', Ohio, Oct. 27. 18G1, 
to Miss Christina Sinitii. Mrs. F. was born in tiie 
hittor-nanicd county. May 22, 1842, and was there 
reared and educated in the i)uhlic schools. She is 
the dauirhtcr of Peter and Jane (Maxon) Smith, 
the former of whom died in Clarke County, Ohio, 
Nov. 23, 188.'). T+ic mother is yet living there in 
the town of New Carlisle, and is seventy-four years 
of age. Our subject and his wife became the par- 
ents of eleven chiUlren, of whom Florence and 
(Icorge are deceased. Sabina .1. became the wife 
of Elisha M. Woolever, a farmer of Sidney Town- 
ship; Elzina, Christian, William, Lizzie, John, Pe- 
ter, Jessie and Charles are at home. Mr. and Mrs. 
Furst have been residents of Ciiampaign County 
since 1865. They are consistent members of the 
Christian Church of this vicinity, of which Mr. F. 
has been Deacon since 1873. Politically he affiliates 
with the Democratic party. 

^ .#3^ ^ 



/A,., J. 1\EED owns and occupies a good farm 
@'OI of IGO acres in Philo Township, which is 
located on section 2a, and of which he took 
possession on the 22d of October, 18G8. 
It was then an unbroken stretch of prairie, but after 
years of industrious labor our subject has converted 
it into one of the most attractive farms in his 
locality, lie has brought the land to a tine state of 
cultivation, and it is now provided with a sub- 
stantial and convenient residence, agood barn, and 
all other conveniences for the shelter of stock and 
the storing of grain. A lithographic view of the 
place is shown on another page. The land is 
drained by 90(t rods of tile, and yields in abund- 
ance the rich products of the Prairie State. As a 
farmer and business man Mr. Heed occupies a po- 
sition in the front ranks among his fellow-citizens, 
and is esteemed not only for his straightforward 
business metiiods but for his e.Kcellent qualities as a 
neighbor, friend and citizen. 

Our subject was born in Chester County, l'a„ 
Aug. t, 1824, and resided in his native c(junty un- 
til twenty-eight years of age. lie is the fourth son 
of Hugh and Catherin(> ((iordon) Iteed, wiio were 
born, married and died in Chester County. The 
4» 




father was engaged the greater part of his life in 
farming pursuits and was uniformly successful as 
an agriculturist and a business man. He departed 
this life .Fune 14, 1873, when seventy-five yeai's of 
age. lie |)ossessed a fair education, took an active 
interest in general politics, and was au adherent of 
the Democratic party. The mother died April 19. 
1841, aged fortj'-five years. Botii parents were 
reared in the (Quaker faith, to wiiich they remained 
loyal during their lifetime. Tiii' maternal grand- 
father served creditably as a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary War. The grandmother of our subject, 
Anna Reed, at the time of the Revolutionary War 
was fifteen years old, and lived till after the War of 
the Rebellion, dying at the advanced age of one 
hundred and five years, having retained her mental 
and physical vigor until the last.. 

After reaching manhood our subject was mar- 
ried, in his native county, Oct. 15, 1852, to Miss 
Mary A. Miller. Mrs. Reed is a native of the 
same county as her husband, born in Brandywine 
Township, Feb. 27, 1829, and the daughter of 
Jacob W. and Ann G. (Batton) Miller, both na- 
tives of Pennsylvania. Her father was a shoemaker 
by trade, and for a number of }'ears carried on 
business for himself as a dealer in shoes. He de- 
parted this life May 22, 18G2, when fifty-nine years 
of age, having been born Nov. 13, 1803. The 
mother was born Aug. 5, 1808. She removed to 
Illinois and died in La Salle County, Nov. 22, 
185G. Of the live children which completed the 
Iniuseiiold circle Mrs. Reed was the eldest. Tiiree 
otiuM's are still living, and all married. 

Mr. and Mrs. Reed became the i):ucnts of nine 
children, two of whom were lemoved fimu the home 
circle to a Inigliter world, Anna in infancy anil 
Charles at tiie age of twenty-four years; Fannie l)e- 
came tlie wife of H. F. Young, a master mechanic 
in tin; railroad shops at Cairo, 111.; Laura M., the 
wife of William O'Neal, resides in lili.-in.i with her 
husband, who is a fireman of the I., B. & W. R. R. ; 
(i. F., unmarried, is farming on his own account in 
Raymond Township; Harry T. is a resident of Colo- 
rado; Edwin A. remains at home and .assists in con- 
ducting the farm; Ella and Ashcr arc also at home. 

()ur snbjeel ;ui(l his wife after theii' mari'iage. 
united Iheir efforts in securing a (lermaueiil home. 



i 



t 



.t 



^ ^ 428 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




They first located on a farm in Kendall County, 
this State, when there vvoiv more wolve.-*, deer and [ 
other wild animals tlian (leople aronnd tiiem. Four 
years laliM- tliey removed to l.a Salle County, again 
taking up a tract of iniljrokcii prairie, whicli our 
subject improvoil and cultivated for a period of 
si.xteen years. In 18G.S lie disposed of his interests i 
there and located on his present iiomestead. While 
industriously engaged in tilling tlie soil he has also 
labored to make liis home attractive by the erection 
of tasteful Ijifllilings and tlic [ilauting of choice 
trees and >iirubbcry. At tlie same time he has es- 
tablished himself in tiie conlidence and esteem of 
his fellow-citizens and has held tlie various town- 
ship otiices, including those of Assessor and Col- 
lector. 

Politically Mr. Reed is a (irst-class Rei»ublicau, 
and religiously, with his excellent wife, is an active 
member of the .Methodist Episcopal Church. Of 
this he is now Class-Leader, Steward and Trustee, 
and from the time of coming into the county, has 
been active in the establishment and maintenance 
of Sunday-schools, acting as Su|)ciiMtendcnt for 
many years, and in other resi)ects giving much time 
and attention to the furtherance of the cause of 
religion. 

■^OHN O. DARMER, who has been a resident 
I of Champaign County since ISGl). is one of 
the self-made men who have distinguished 
themselves as good citizens and useful mem- 
bers of society, assisting materially in the building 
up of this section of country. Our subject was 
born in Shelby County, Ind., March 28, 1«40. His 
father, Hcnedict M. Darmer, was a native of Mary- 
land, and his grandfather, .John C, was born in 
Germany. The great-grandfather of our subject 
w.as a sailor, and took his son John C. wdth him 
when ciuitc young. riicy were captured and .sold 
,to the Turks, and nothing was heard from the 
great-grandfather afterward. 

John C. Darmer escaped from bondage after 
he had grown to manhood, and coming to America, 
' K'ated in Maryland. He there married a lady of 
American birth but German ancestry, and reniov- 



r 



ing west to Indiana was among the earliest pio- 
neers of Shelby County, where he im|)roved a farm 
and passed the remainder of his days. Among the 
members of his household was IJenedict M., the fa- 
ther of our subject, who grew to manhood in his 
native State of Maryland, an<l accoin|)anied his fa- 
ther to Indiana. Prior to this removal he had been 
married, and after locating in Indiana purchased a 
tract of laud, upon which he made Some improve- 
ments and tlien sold out. lie repeated this sever.al 
times, buying and selling land iu Indiana until 
1843. In that year he removed to Iowa and set- 
tled near Muscatine. After three years he returned 
to Shelby County, Ind., and lived there until 1853. 
Thence he removed to Illinois and located iu 
Christian County, where he died the following ye.ar 
of cholera. The mother of our subject before her 
marriage was JMiss Harriet W. Cook, a native of 
Hamilton County, Ohio, and the daughter of Cor- 
nelius Cook, a pioneer of Hamilton County, of 
(iermau ancestry, and a native of Virginia. 

The subject of this history was the second of 
nine children. He w.as but thirteen years of age 
when his parents removed to Cluistian County, 111., 
where he grew to manhood on the farm, and ob- 
tained a limited education in the subscription 
schools. His father died when he was but fourteen, 
and at an early age he commenced working out 
by the month. When nineteen years old he 
assumed the management of the home farm, upon 
which he remained until 18(j'.», tlie year of his ar- 
rival in this county. His first purchase here was 
forty acres in Sadorus Townsliip, which he occu- 
pied two j'ears, then sold out and purchased huid 
in Colfax Township. This tr.aet lie also held only 
two years and removed thence to Crittenden 
Township, after wliich he rented land for one year 
following and then purchased and sold sigain. He 
then moved to Macon County and rented land one 
year. In 187(') lie returned to Colfax Township 
and bought a farm, remaining there five years, when 
he solA and moved to Tolono Township, remain- 
ing one year. In 1882 he came to Cham|)aign 
Township and |)urchased the place he now owns 
and occupies. His homestead consists of 180 acres 
of choice land, which he has brought to a good stale 
of cultivation, and erected a large barn and ct>rn- 



■^t:^ 



f 



t 



•►-•-^•- 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



429 i i 




cribs, lii'sides iiinkiiiij :i huge adililioii to Uie dwell- 
ing, lie lia.s ;!()0 hlaek walnut trees in bearing 
condition, whit'li are quite a cnriositv in this sec- 
tion of country. 

Tlie marriage of Mr. Oarniir and Miss ,\nn lii)b- 
ertson took i)lace in lsi;2. -Mrs. 1). was born in 
Tennes.sec, and is the daughter of Charles and 
Dolly II. Robertson, natives of Tennessee. Our 
subject's family consists of five children — William 
J)., Charles O.. Oeorge A., Alinnie K. and John K. 
Mr. Uarmer and his family are regular attendants 
of the Cumberland l'resb3'terian Clnircb, with 
which he has been connected many years, lie is 
higiily esteemed in his community as a citizen and 
business man, and has set an example of resolution 
and perseverance under difficulties wliich the 
young men t)f to-day would be wise in following. 

AMUEL FURNISH. This highly respected 
resident of Condit Township became a 
citizen of Illinois in 18G3, locating first in 
jMarshali County, whence he removed two 
years later to Peoria and resided there for a period 
of nine years, when he came to Champaign County. 
In 1872 he purchased the land which he now owns 
and occupies, and since that time has been indus- 
triously engaged in its improvement and cultiva- 
tion. He I'anks among the intelligent and success- 
ful farmers of this section, and is in possession of 
a comfortable residence, with all needful substantial 
farm buildings arcjund it. While engaged in the 
cultivation of the soil he has also kept pace with 
passing events, and possesses an excellent fund of 
general information obtained from extensive read- 
ing and an observant eye u|ion what has lieen going 
on around him. 

Our subject is a native of Carroll County. Ky., 
his birth taking place July 17, 181(i. His father, 
John Furnish, was a native of Virginia. The pa- 
ternal grandparents of our subject were natives of 
Virginia, wlience tiicy emigrated to the Blue Grass 
region during the early settlement of the State, 
when Indians and wild animals roame<l through the 
f<jrests almost undisturbed l)y man. Amid these 
primitive scenes John Furni.-h was reared to nian- 



hood and fitted for the stern duties of the life wliich 
la}" before him in a new country. \\'lien (irst start- 
ing out for liimself he piirchaseil a tract of timlier 
land seven miles from the emiiryo town of Carroll- 
ton, a portion of which he cleared an<l Uier. sold. 
He repeated this experiment several times, buying 
wild land, then clearing a part and selling at an ad- 
vanced price. In this way he accumulated means 
to establish a comforUible home and secure a com- 
petency. Tiie last years of his life were spent 
about seven miles from CarroIlton,tind he died in 
liS.'jo. The mother of our subject before her mar- 
riage was Miss Lucrctia Cofer. n native of Ken- 
tucky. 

The household circle was completed by the l)lrth 
of twelve children, of whom eleven grew to ma- 
turity. Our subject with the other sons assisted 
his father in clearing the farm and tilling the soil 
until twent3'-five years of age, and then started out 
for himself. Proceeding northward into Indiana he 
purchased a tract of timber land in Switzerland 
Count}', where he put up a log house and com- 
menced clearing the farm. Soon afterward he took 
unto himself a wife and helpmeet in the person of 
Miss Elizabeth Atkinson, a native of that count}', 
who remained his companion for a period of about 
twenty-one years, and departed this life in Peoria 
County in 18G8. Of this marriage there were born 
seven children, of whom only two are now living, 
viz., Sylvester and Mar}'. 

Our subject was married the second time in Oc- 
tober, 1809, to Mrs. Jane Collins, who was born in 
New York State, Oct. 20, 1 8;i,i. Her parents were 
llem-y and Sarah (Taylor) Martin, natives of Can- 
ada, where they were reared and mari'ied, and whence 
they removed to New York State. From there 
they came to Illinois in 18;{9, and settled among 
the early pioneers of Peoria County. Mr. Alartin 
purchiised a claim in what is now Benton Township, 
entering tlie land from the Government. .Soon 
afterward he was seized with fatal illne.<s and died 
before making any improvements. The nn)lher, 
who was left with eight children, entered the land 
and reared her family there. She lived to see them 
comfortably settled in life, and departed from the 
scenes of lu'i- (■•ullii\ labors in 188;"), at the home of 
one of her children in Cambridge, Henry County, 

.^ 



■^ 



I 



t. 



■*► 



ik 430 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



this State. Her father was Daniel Ta3'lor. The 
present wife of our suljje(;;t was first married in 
Peoria County to John Collins, a native of Ohio. 
During the late war he eulisted in the Union army 
anil (liofl in the service when thirty-four 3'ears of 
age. Of licr luiiou with Mr. Collins there were 
horn four chiidren, of whom three are living — 
William, Taylor and Eliza. Uy her union with our 
subject there have been lioru two children — Laura 
and Emma. 

INIr. Finnish is a member iu good standing of the 
Methodist Episeoi)al Church, and iu all respects is 
fulfilling the obligations of a gooil eiti/eii. He 
takes a genuine interest in the welfare of his com- 
miinitv, both morally and intellectually, and is the 
encour.ager and supporter of whatever will be for 
its best interests. 



->5S^«-^i> 



>C5«^-»>^»tf^ 




t 



IIAULES M. (JROVES. Tliis gentleman, 
a resident of Ivesdale, and a native of the 
IJuekeye State, came to Illinois when a 
young man, soon after his marriage, arriving here 
in the spring of ISdO. He lirst located in Piatt 
County, where he i)urehased eight3- acres, began 
improving it. and soon .afteiward doubled the 
amount of his real estate by the ])urchase of an- 
other eight}- acres in Champaign County .adjoin- 
ing. He subsequently- added fort\- acres more to 
this and occuiiied it until ItSTl. He then sold out 
and returned to Ohio on a visit, but with the in- 
tention of iiually locating in the West, and engag- 
ing in some other liusiness more suited to his cir- 
cumstances. His wife was then in poor health, 
which was augmented b^' her grief at the loss of 
their two children, .loiui II. K. and Cora, who died 
of diphtlieria, within nine days of each other, the 
son lieing thirteen vears of age and the daughter 
four. Since then two more children have lieen born 
to Mr. and Mrs. (J roves, both sons, named Frank 
and Harry, wlu) are still at home withtiieir parents. 
The birth of our subject took place in Hancock 
County, Ohio, Aug. 14, is;!!), and he was the 
second child born to .lohn and lOiizalieth (Clark) 
Groves, the former a native of I'ennsylvania and 
the latter of Ohio. John Groves wa.s born April 



11, 1800, and became a resident of Ohio twelve 
years later. He w:vs reared on a farm, and followed 
agricultural pursuits until too old to labor. In 1 s,S4 
he came to Illinois to make his home with his son, 
our subject, with whom he now resides, a well pi'e- 
served old man, and able to read without spectacles. 
His recollections of the early days in Ohio are still 
quite clear and distinct, and he relates manj' an in- 
teresting incident, connected with the times, before 
the face of the country had been disturbed by 
canal or railroad. 

The tarly life of the subject of this sketch was 
passed on his father's farm in Ohio, and he re- 
mained under the parental roof until his marriage, 
in 185.5, when he was twenty-five j-ears of age. 
The wife of our subject was formerly' Miss Lucinda 
Shively. She was born in Ohio in 1832. and was 
the fifth child of Henry and Margaret ( McCarty) 
Shively, natives of Penusjdvania. The subsequent 
life of Mr. and Mrs. Groves we have already indi- 
cated up to 1872. 

Upon the return of Mr. Gr6ves to Illinois, at the 
date above mentioned, he engaged in the agricult- 
ural implement trade, at Cerro Gordo, in Piatt 
County, where he remained three years, and then, 
selling out, came to Ivesdale and established him- 
self in tlie same line of business, adding hardware 
and builders' supplies. His correct business meth- 
ods and square business dealings have secured him 
a first-class patronage, and he in all respects ranks 
among the reitresentative men of .Sadorns Town- 
ship. He has frequeutl}- served as Town Clerk, and 
attiliates witli the Rei)iil)lic;ui party. 



ij'^/M'HliRON F. .lOllDAN, a prominent farmer 
and land -owner of Tolono Township, is the 
proprietor of 400 acres on section IC, of 
which he took possession in the siiring of 18G0. 
He is a skillful agriculturist and thorough business 
man, and is regarded as one of the important fac- 
tors of an intelligent and prosperous community. 
He is a native of the wealthy and poi)ulous State of 
Ohio, where his liirth took place in Cuyahoga 
County, July 23, 1833. His father, William Jor- 
»► 



f 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



431 






dan, was a native of the Empire State, where he 
grew to manhood on a farm and was married to 
Miss Mary Usher, whose parents were natives of 
Connecticut. 

After their marriage William Jordan and his 
young wife emigrated to Oliio and settled upon a 
timber tract. The forest stood around them in its 
native wildness, hut Mr. Jordan proceeded to clear 
the land, and in due time had established a com- 
fortable home for his family. They experienced 
all the hardships and difficulties of settlement in a 
new country, but po.sses.sed the true pioneer spirit 
which never gave way to discouragement, but pro- 
vided a way through every emergency. After 
building a record of most worthy lives, tiie parents 
passed to their linal rest in about 184.5. To this 
humble home tiuis established in the wilderness 
there came thirteen children, as follows: John \V. ; 
Jane, now the wife of Sidney Lawrence; Hezekiah 
H. ; William; Myron, who died in 1879; Theron 
F., of oiu' sketch; Mar}', who married Samuel 



named as follows: Illinois, Theodore N., Mary, 
Helen, (Jeorge T. and Agnes. Politically Mr. Jor- 
dan is an unconii)roniising Republican, and has 
served as a member of the School Board in Tolono 
Township for a number of years. He has noted 
with .--atisfaction the progress and development of 
his adopted county, and has been an important f.ac- 
lor in bringing about its present prosperity. 



vAMKS BEVER, when tn-enty-eight years of 
age, began the year 1875 by taking up his 
resilience in Brown Township, where lie has 
since remained. He is pleasantly located on 
section ^io, wiicrc lie has 100 acres of tillalile land, 
with a good house and conveuieiit f:irin buildings. 
Although not the hero of any thrilling adventures 
he has filled iiis niche in life worthily as a (leacea- 
ble and law-nbiding citizen, contributing his (piota 
to the agricultui:il interests of iiis township, and 



Brown; Benson: Cynthia; Allen; Lucy; Newton, '.encouraging the enterprises calculated to l)e of 






who died when four years old, and .lames. 

Mr. Jnnhiii of our sketch resided with his father's 
family in Ohio until l.sGO. Then, accompanied by 
his brother Benson, he came to Illinois, and they 
joined their brother Myron, who was then a resi- 
dent of this count}'. Theron F. and Benson pur- 
chased 1 GO acres of land, which comprised the north- 
east (piarter of section lU, of which tliey took i)os- 
session in 1S(;5. .Since that time our subject h.as 
been a resident of this county, adding to his landed 
interests as time jmssed on .and his means .'iccuinu- 
lated. He has been prospered in his farming o|)er- 
ations and secured a coni|)etency for his old age. 

The marriage of Theron F. .lordan and Miss El- 
len Barnum was celebrated at the home of tiie 
britle in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, on the 12th of 
January, 1H(!4. Mrs. J. is a native of that county, 
born Sept. 2(;, 1841, and the daughter of George 
T. and Phebe (Brown) Barnum, who estalilished a 
home in the Buckeye State in the i)ioneer days. 
George T. Barnum was born iu Vergennes, Vt.. and 
his wife, Phebe, in Rhode Island. 

Our subject and wifi- became the |)areiits of 
seven children, who, v.ith the exception of a sou. 
Therein F., who died iu infancy, are all living and 
4» 



benefit to his community. 

Our suliject is tlie son of Samuel .-ind Eli/a (Cur- 
tis) Bever, the former a native of Adams County, 
Ohio, and the latter of Fountain County, Ind. 
After marriage they located in the hitter county, 
of which they remained residents for a period of 
twelve years, and thence they came to McLean 
County, this State, settling near .Shirley. Aftei- 
ward they removed to Tazewell County, where the 
death of tlie mother occurred in 188;"!. The father 
still survives. Their family of eleven children 
consisted of four buys ami seven girls, of whom 
our subject was the fourth in order of birth. His 
n.'itive place was Fountain County, Ind., wlierc his 
liirtli occnni'd Nov. !), 184C. He was about 
tliree years of age when his parents came to Mc- 
Lean County. He remained witii them during their 
residence in Tazewell County until tweuty-tiiree 
years of age, and after 'heir removal from there 
continued in charge of the farm for live years fol- 
lowing, after which he took up his residence in this 
county. 

Mr. Bever was niaiiieil In Tazewell County, Oct. 

."!, I8G!), to Miss .lulia A. Pearson, .also a native of 

Fountain County, Ind., born April 22, isjo, and 

•► 






h 



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-t:3-2 



C'11AM^A1U^■ COLiSTY. 



-t 



the (I.iiisiliter of Joseph anfl Ann E. (Livengood) 
Pearson. Of this union there were born six chil- 
dren: Clarence M. ilied when about two years of 
age. Those surviving are Olive E., Florence A., 
Walter E., Iva E. and Eunice E. Mr. Bever casts 
his vote with the Democratic party, and has held 
the various minor offices of Brown Townsliip. In 
all respects he is discharging his duties as an honest 
man and a good citizen. 



f 



'->^f:^;i^^^^^r^^^-^ 



(g^s^ TEPHEN DOTY, of Crittenden Township, 
^^^ has been a resident of Cham|)aign County 
Ifl^^Jl since February, 1S()8, when he look jiosses- 
sion of a part of his present homestead. 
Tliis lies on section 8, and now includes 180 acres 
of choice land, under a good state of cultivation 
and supplied with shapely and substantial build- 
ings. He first opened his eyes to the light in 
Greene Countj-, Pn.,on the 7th of September, 1834, 
in the home of his. parents, Lewis and jS'ancj' 
(.Sibert) Doty. The former was a native of New 
Jersey, and the latter was born in the same county 
as her son, our subject. The family resided on a farm 
in (ircene Count}', Pa., the gretiter pari of llieir 
lives, and still occupy their original homestead, the 
father being eight^'-two years old and the mother 
sevent3'-seven. The household included ten chil- 
dren, all of whom attained to man and womanhood, 
and are recorded as follows: Rachel, the eldest 
daughter, is at home with her parents; Hannah be- 
came tile wife of John Kilgore; Stephen is our sub- 
ject; l^'terand Thomas are deceased; Wilson, Isaac, 
Francis and Jacob, live in Pennsylvania; Joseph 
lives in Tolono Township, this county. 

Ste|)hen Doty started for the West in 18.").'), soon 
after becoming of age. After reaching this State 
he engaged as a laborei' on a farm in La Salle 
County, where he remained until 18.t8. He then 
returned to Pennsylvania, and was united in mar- 
riage with Miss !JLaria Roche, a native of his own 
county, and born Nov. 1. I8;58. She was the 
daughter of John and Rachel Roche, natives of 
Oreene County, Pa. After their marriage Mr. D. and 
his bride settled down in (Jreene Count}', where 
they lived two years, but our subject not being 



satisfied with his prospects in that locality once 
more started f<jr the West, accompanied b\' his 
wife. He again sought his old haunt-s in La .Salle 
County, where he had made many pleasant acquaint- 
ances, and renting a tract of land, followed farming 
until the fall of 18(;8. He then came to this 
cf)unty and purchased eighty-one acres of unim- 
proved land, which is now included in his present 
homestead. He has been uniformly successful in 
his undertakings, and is valued as a .skillful farmer 
and straightforward business man. 

Of the six children liorn to Mr. and Mrs. Doty, 
three were snatched from the home circle in their 
childhood by the hand of the Destroyer. Eliza- 
beth remained wilh her parents until reaching 
womanhood, and was then married to Mr. T. C. 
Relherford, of Moultrie County, 111.; Charles T. 
and Dais}' remain with their parents. Our subject 
and his wife are earnest Christian people, the for- 
mer being a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and Mrs. D. attending the Baptist Church, 
of which she liecame a member over thirty years 
ago. Politically Mr. Doty is an uncompromising 
Democrat, and has served fifteen years as School 
Director. 

A lithogra|)liic view of the residence :ind sur- 
roundings of .Mr. Doty is shown on iinollier p.oge 
of this Work. 



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■^OIIN THRASH. Pleasantly located on sec- 
tion 2^ in I'liilo Township, is ;i finely im- 
proved farm of i'20 acres, whicli invarial)ly 
attr.acts the attention of the passing traveler 
through that locality as the home of a i)rosperous 
and progressive farmer and intelligent citizen and 
business man. Thi- snug homestead is the prop, 
erty of the gentlcm;in whose name stands mI tiie 
head of this sketcii. It is finely l;iid out, and en- 
closed wilh well-kept fences, and the residence an<l 
other buildings are tasteful and substantial in their 
character. 

Mr. Thrash took possession of the above de- 
scribed place in the spring of 1S71, coming to 
this county from Ohio. He is a native of the 
Buckeye State, bora in Bloom Township, Fairlield 



i 



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riTAMPAlGN COUNTY. 



4 



f 



County, Jan. 22, l><o!t. liis c-hil(lli<toil and youth 
were passed under the home roof, anil lie remained 
a resident of his native count}' until coniiui;- to tiiis 
vieinity. His father, Michael Tinash, who was 
born in Baltimore County, Md.. was of (iernian- 
Irisli parentage. The fatlier of the latter was a 
stanch defender of American libert.v and put his 
theories -into practice bj' serving as a soldier in the 
Revolutionary War upon the side of the Cohinists. 
In fact he practically gave up his life to this cause, 
as he contracted a disease in the army which was the 
cause of his de.ath not long afterward. His son 
Michael, the father of our subject, w.as then a young 
boy of six or seven years. The mother followed 
her husband to the silent land a few years later, 
leaving the orphan boy without other means of 
support than that of his own hands. 

Mieiiael Thrash learned tlie trade of a laiincr, at 
which he worked, however, but a short time, when 
he left his native State, and going into Franklin 
County, Ohio, bought a farm, whicli lie solil tiie fol- 
lowing j'ear,'and then moved into Fairfield County 
and purchased a tr.act of timber land in Bloom 
Townsliip. He cleared tlie land and brought it to 
a tillable condition and established a comfortable 
home in the wilderness, where he spent the remain- 
der of his days. He departed tiiis life in 1SG;3, 
after having arrived at the advanced age of ninety 
years. He was first married in Franklin County, 
Ohio, to Miss Cramer, who became the mother of 
three children, all now deceased. Mrs. T. died in 
middle life in Fairfield Count}'. Michael Thrash 
contracted u second marriage in that county, with 
Miss Rebecca Rush, who was born in I'eiuisyl- 
vania, whence she removed when a young woman 
to Ohio with her parents. The latter, .Jacob and 
Elizabeth (Cramer) Rush, were natives of Berks 
County, Pa., of Ciermah descent, and died in Fair- 
field County, Ohio. The mother of our subject after 
arriving at the age of eighty years also diinl in the 
latter-named county, in I HMO. Michael Thr.'ish 
serv('(l through the War of 1S12. 

John Thi'iish was the fourth of his parents' si.\ 
chihben, four sons and two daughters, of whom 
only one daughter is now living, Mrs. Caroline 
Zalin, a resident of l.ithopolis, Fairfield Co., Ohio. 
The surviving brother is Levi, a successful Hiick- 



eye farmer. The childhood and youth of our sub- 
ject were passed on the family homestead until he 
was twenty-one years of age. He was married in 
his native township to Miss Matilda Knepper, who 
was born in Pickaway County, Ohio. Aug. !), 183!). 
Her parents were Joseph and Hannah (Knoyer) 
Knepi)er. who were born, reared and married in 
Ohio, and were of Dutch parentage. After their 
marriage thej' located in I'ickaway County, Ohio, 
where the mother died in middle life. The father 
afterward removed to Jay County, Ind.. where he 
died at the age of seventy years. Mrs. Thrash re- 
mained with her father until a short time before 
her marriage. Of her union with our subject there 
have been born seven children, five living; Emma, 
who married A. J. I'ettigrew, a farmer of Wayne 
County, 111., and Perry. William. Lydi:i and John 
ri. at home. Two died in infancy. 

Our subject and his wife remained for a time 
after their marriage in Fairfield County. Ohio, 
where he cultivated a tract of land. In the fall i>f 
1.S73 he came to this State, and purchased his pres- 
ent farm in Philo Township, upon which he located 
the following spring. Politically he is a reliable 
Democrat, and religiously is, with his highly re- 
spected lady, a |)rominent memlicr of llic United 
Brethren Church. 



>r-i.J#:|£^££i£C^ 



^\ ^>."r-rv 



"ji/OSEPH COVIN(tTON is pleasantly located 
I on section .'53, in East Bend Township, where 
] he settled in \X7r). He owns eighty acres of 
/ good l.'ind, wliiili he h:is successfully culti- 
vated since taking jjossession ()f it. He was born 
near Lincoln, in Logan County, this State, Jan. 1 .'^, 
1844, .and is the son of .lames B. Covington, whose 
birth took place in Wales, June 20, I7'.»0. The fji- 
thor of our subject emigrated to America when a 
yiuing man and located lU'ar La Fayette, Ind., in the 
Ijioneer days. He was a weaver by li'ade and fol- 
lowed his occupation in Indiana until his remov.al 
to this State, in 1.S2."). After crossing over the 
he settled in Eminence Township. Logan Count 
while it was still a pait of Fayette County, and w 
one of the early pioneers of tli:it section liefore the 
land had been surveyeil. He entered a limber 



nie 
y, 
as 



1 



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4- 



u 434 



CHAISIPAIGN COUNTY. 



claim, and in couimon with other settlers, supi^Osed 
that the prairie land was useless. He accordingl}' 
cleared the gromid suflicientlj' for a (hvellino: and 
put in the crops for a few ^-ears. His death oc- 
curred on the 23d of Maich, 1852. 

Tiie first wife of .lames B. Covington was Miss 
Mary Murphy, who died in 1842. He was then 
married to Mrs. Mari" Reese, who was of German 
parentage, and was brought from the old country 
when twelve j'ears old to Pennsylvania, where she 
was married, and came to Illinois with her first hus- 
band during the earl}- days, settling in Kminence 
Township, Logan Count}'. Indians and wild beasts 
were plenty at that time, and like many of their 
neighbors, thej' settled amidst the timber in prefer- 
ence to the prairie, and cleared the forest in order 
to cultivate the laud. The journej' from Pennsyl- 
vania had been made with a team of hor.ses. Soon 
after tiieir arrival one of the horses got loose and 
returned to Pennsylvania, leaving them with only 
one to asssist in the plowing of the ground and the 
cultivation of the crops. The plow was home-made, 
constructed from a hickory limb. The onl}' build- 
ing where the great citj' of Chicago now stands was 
a fort in which the thiulj' scattered settlers fre- 
quently sought refuge from the Indians. St. Louis, 
across the Mississippi, was the nearest trading point. 
Of the second marriage of James IJ. Covington 
there were born two children, and the father de- 
parted this life in 18.52, when his son Joseph, of our 
sketch, was a lad of eight years old. He remained 
with his mother until thirteen, then went to live 
with a Methodist preacher, with whom he remained 
five years and until the breaking out of the late 
war. Although then but a youth of eighteen he 
enlisted in the lOGth Illinois Infantry and served 
until the close. He was in many of the important 
battles, but came out without a scratcn. 

After being mustered out of service our subject 
returned to Logan County. III., and commenced 
the study -of medicine with John .M. Garner, in 
Lincoln, and two years later entered the Homeo- 
pathic College at Cleveland, Ohio, taking the full 
course. He commenced the practice of medicine 
in Lawndale, Logan Count}', which he followed, 
however, but six mouths, being obliged to abandon 
the profession on account of failing health. After- 



ward he taught school through the winters and 
worked on a farm during the summer for several 
years. His time, until IHT.'i, was variously em- 
ployed. In the spving of that year he came to this 
county and purchased a farm which he now owns 
and occu[)ies. 

The marriage of .lose[>li Covington and Miss 
Henrietta Garner took place near Lincoln. Logan 
County, Sept. 2G, 1S07. Mrs. K. was born in 
Richmond, Mo., Jan. 3, 1848, and is the daughter 
of Dr. .lohn M. (Tarner, a native of Tennessee, who 
located in Uichmond. Mo., after his marriage, 
where he engaged in the practice of his profession. 
He was a Union man during the war, and the first 
to enlist from Carroll County, Mo. He served 
three years, most of the time .is a staff officer. In 
1864 he came to this State and located in Lincoln, 
but afterward returned to Missouri, and is now a 
resident of (ireene County. The mother of Mrs. 
C. before her marriage was Miss Eleanor Hayes, of 
Missouri. Our subject and his wife have six chil- 
dren — May, Lena B., Eleanor. Edith. John and 
Walter. 

Mr. and Mrs. C. are members in goi>d standing 
of the Christian Church, and our subject, politi- 
cally, casts his vote with the Republican party. 
His experience in life has been one full of interest- 
ing and thrilling incidents, and .as one of the hon- 
ored pioneers he is accorded that respect which is 
due all those who assisted in the development an<l 
building up of one of the richest sections in the 
Prairie State. 

(IT ON. EMERY C. BART1I()1A)\V. of Ma- 
^)Jl hornet Township, is the son of Rev. Benja- 
' min and Mary (Heller) Bartholow, the for- 
mer a native of Maryland and the latter of 
Ohio. After marri.age the parents of our sidiject 
located in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where they 
lived until 1854, then canie to this .State and lo- 
cated in the city of Bloomington. They remained 
there for a short period ; being a minister he had no 
established home until 1874, when he removed to 
Urbana, where the mother ilied .^larch 20, 18H^4; 
the father Julv 15, 1885, in Philo. Rev. Bartholow 



•^(-^ 



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' ► ir <^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



48^ 



was a niiiiistiT of tlio Mctlioilisl C'hiircli, in which 
he labored as preacher and |)astor fur a pei'iod of 
forty years. The parental household comprised 
three chil<ircn — Emory C, of our siiotcii; Dr. J. 
M., who is a resident of I'hilo. and .Inhn II., of 
Mansfield, III. 

The subject of this sketch wa.s born in Uiiriciis- 
ville, Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, Dec. 31, 1844. He 
came to Bloomington with his parents, and attended 
the common schools until fourteen ye.ars of age. 
His studies were continued in Marsliall College in 
Clark County, 111., and completed in Wesleyan Uni- 
versity. Hlooinington, where he prepared himself 
for teaching. After the breaking out of the war, 
however, he enlisted in Co. (i. !)4th Ul. \o\. Inf., 
from which, after eighteen months, he was trans- 
ferred to the 37th Regiment, where he w.is promo- 
ted Sergeant, and served one year in that regiment. 
He was in the army two and one-half years and, 
with the exception of a serious sunstroke, escaped 
injur^y. After the expiration of his term of enlist- 
nionthe went to Chicago, and continued his studies 
in Rush Medical College one year, after which he 
practiced in Mahomet for several years, then re- 
turned to college and graduated in 1M71. 

Mr. Barlholow l)ecanie a resident of Mahomet 
in February, 18G7, where he has lived, with the ex- 
ception of one year, since that date. In 1884 he 
purchased a stock of drugs and has carried on the 
store successfully since that time, lie was married 
.at Le Roy. 111., May 'J. 18(;7. to Miss Mary O. 
Moorehouse, who was a native of Batavia, N. Y., 
and born July 5, 1843. They became the parents 
of five children, of whom one is deceased. Those 
surviving are Edgar L., Lena IJ., Kellie and Cyrus 
D. Frank died when five years old, on the 25th 
of March, 1881. The first wife of our subject died 
at Mahomet, Jan. 14, 188G, and he was again mar- 
ried, Dec. 15, 1886. at Le Roy, 111., to Mrs. Eliza 
(Smith) G.ay, daughter of R. S. Smith, and widow 
of Daniel Gay, who died in 1882. Mrs. IJartholow 
vvas born at Warsaw, N. Y.. in 1852, and was the 
daughter of R. S. and Eliza A. Smith. 

Dr. Bartholow, in 187C, was elected to the Thir- 
lieth General Assembly of the State, where he 
served two terins. He has been Pvesident of the 
Village Board two terms, olliciated as Magistrate 



and School Trustee, and is now a meml)cr of the 
Village Board. .Socially he belongs to Eph. Scott 
Tost No. 4G4, G. A. R. With his excellent and 
.accomplished wife lie is a memlier in good stan<l- 
ing of the Methoilist Church. Toliticallj- he is a 
straight Republican. 



►.» »\/^~ 



yj;ILEY DAVIS. The subject of the fol- 
lowing histor}' bears no unimportant part 
^^^ among the business and agricultural inter- 
ests of Champaign County. He owns and occupies 
a fine farm on section 22, in Mahomet Township, 
of which he took possession in 1 849. Since that time 
he has been industriously' employed in its improve- 
ment and cultivation, and has m.ade of it one of the 
most attractive spots in the landscape of Cham- 
paign County. The famih' residence is a handsome 
and substantial structure, finely located. The barns 
and other out-buildings are conveniently arranged 
for the shelter of stock and the storage of grain, 
and the farm machinery and other appliances are 
of first-cl.ass descriiJtioii. The homestead includes 
740 acres, all improved, and under a good state of 
cultivation. Mr. Davis of late years has given 
much attention to the breeding of fine stock, and 
keeps about 150 he.id of cattle, a fiock of sheep, 
and a number of fine horses. His grain and stock 
operations probably aggregate more than those of 
any other man in this locality. 

Mr. Davis is a native of Ohio, born in New.ark. 
Licking County, on the 5th of May, 1819. He is 
the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth (Roberts) Da- 
vis, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the 
latter of N'irginia. IJoth became residents of the 
Buckcj'e State early in life, and were married in 
Newark, where the}' permanently' located and where 
the mother died in 184G. After the death of his 
wife Z.achariah Davis came to Illinois, and located 
ill Champaign County at an early period in its 
history. After farming here a number of years he 
removed to Vermilion County, and died at Dan- 
ville about 1872. The parental household included 
eight children, six sons and tw(j daughters, of whom 
four only survive — James, Wile}', Eliza and Will- 
iam. Zachariah, the youngest, died in 1827; .Mar- 



i 



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a 436 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-A 



garet became the wife of William Robinson, and 
died at Danville in 1882. 

The subject of our sketch spent the first thirtj' 
years of his life in his native county in the Buckeye 
State, where after reaching j'ears of manhood, he 
carried on farininjr and was quite extensively en- 
gaged in the sliippingof stock. He w.as married at 
Dayton, Ohio, Feb. 18, 1847, to Miss Mary J., 
daughter of Elijah and JIargaret (Koogler) Slider, 
both natives of Ohio. Mrs. Davis was born at 
Daj'ton, .Tunc 28, 1821. Our subject and his wife 
have no children. He is a stanch supporter of the 
Republican party, a member of Mahomet Lodge 
No. 220, F. & A. M., and with his wife is pronii- 
nentlj' connected with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Mr. Davis has taken a genuine interest in the 
development and welfare of his adopted county, 
and has been connected with many of its most 
worthy enterprises. He is held in the highest re- 
spect, not only for his rare business talents, which 
have enabled him to accumulate a handsome prop- 
erty, but for his goodness of heart and genial dis- 
position, which have led him to perform a thousand 
acts of kindness unknown to the outside world, but 
held in gr.ateful remembrance by the objects of 
his sympathy and generosity. 



r*HOMAS .J. SCOTT, a retired farmer, and ex- 
.Sherift' of Champaign County, is wideh' and 
favorably known throughout this section, as 
a man possessing strong and excellent points of 
character, which have constituted him a most re- 
liable, enterprising and valuable citizen. He comes 
from an excellent family, being the son of Hon. 
Fielding L. and Julia A. (Herriott) Scott, mention 
of whom is made in the sketch of .Tudge F. L. 
Scott, deceased, which will be found elsewhere in 
this Ai.niM. The marriage of the parents was 
blest 1)V the birth of ten children, of whom our 
subject was the sixth. 

Thomas J. .Scott was boi'n vn the old Scott home- 
stead in Mahomet Township, Nov. 20, 18:i8. He 
received careful home training from his worth3' 
parents, and ])ursued iiis [)rimary studies in the 




common schools. He remained under the home 
roof until twenty-three years of age, and then, as 
the Civil Wai' was in progress, proffered his serv- 
ices as a I'uion soldier, and enlisted in Co. I, 2.5th 
HI. \'ol. Inf. He entered the army as a private, 
and was promoted First Sergeant. At the battle 
of Chickamauga he received thirteen bullet wounds 
in different parts of his body, and wasconve3'ed to 
the hospital at Nashville. A week Later his father, 
who had hurried to the Sontli with the expectation 
of carrj'ing his boily lioine to be buried, brought 
him home alive, and he recovered, contrary to the 
expectation of all his friends. He remained at home 
under a physician's care from the fall of 1863 to 
18G4, when he was ordered back to his regiment, 
though still on crutches. After reaching Nashville 
again he was attacked with varioloid, and confined 
in the pest-h<juse five weeks. He applied for trans- 
portation to the North, but as his name could not 
be found in the list, he was sent to the front, and 
three days later g.angrene set in his heel, and he 
then succeeded in getting a furlough. At the 
above-named battle, Mr. Scott was also captured 
b}' the rebels, but soon exchanged. He was mus- 
tered out of service at Springfield. HI., after serv- 
ing nearlj- three years. He considers that he is 
justly entitled to the pension which he now receives 
from the Government. 

In the fall of 18G6 Mr. Scott was elected Sheriff 
of Champaign Ct>unty, and at the expiration of his 
term of two jears, returned to Mahomet, where he 
engaged in farming and has since lived, with the 
exception of two years spent in Colfax Township. 
In 187(J he removed into the village, where he has 
a good residence and pleasant home. Besides his 
village property he is tlie owner of 400 acres of 
land in Mahomet Townshii), Imlf of which is in 
timber. 

Mr. Scott was married, in Mahomet Township, 
Jan. 24, 18(54, to Miss Sarah Rea, a native of Ken- 
tucky, and the daughter of J. J. Rea. Of this 
union there were born twin girls — .Sarah anil Kate. 
The former is the wife of S. J. Purnell, and resides 
in Champaign City. Kate married William ( iancy. 
and lives on a farm in Newcomb Township. Mrs. 
Sarah .Scott departed this life Feb. 18, 18(!.'i,at her 
home in Mahomet Township. Our subject was 






•*¥^-m^^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



437 



iniii'i'ifcd Ur' secoiiil time, in I.uikIuii, Oliio, Oct. 10, 
18GG, to Miss Mary E. Davidson. Tiiis lady is a 
native of Madison County, Ohio, horn Oct. 12, 
1842. Their fi\c children are Daisy, Anna, Fred, 
Vera and Paul. Politically Mr. Scott is a stanch 
Prohibitionist. Socially he belongs to Eph. Scott 
Post No. 464, G. A. U., and religionslj', is con- 
nected with the Missionary Baptist Church. Mrs. 
Scott is a member of the Methodist Chiu'ch. 






'^tr^s^ 



i 



likM ^^'^^^ Dl'NLAP, proprietor of the well- 
I ill known Evergreen Home Farm in Cham- 
I iB paign Township, is one of the early pio- 
* neers of this and Coolc County, and is 

pleasantly located on section 36, Champaign Town- 
ship, of which he took possession in liSoij. At the 
time of its purchase by our subject the farm was 
wild land, which he has now brought to a fine state 
of cultivation, enclosed it with good fences, and 
erected upon it a substantial and convenient set of 
frame buildings. 

Mr. Dunlap is a native of Otsego County, X. Y., 
and was born Dec. I'J, 1816. Mis father, William 
J. Dunlap, was a native of Montgomery County, 
N. Y., and the son of John Diuilap, whose father, 
a native of Ireland and of Scotch ancestry, emi- 
grated to America when a young man. John Dun- 
lap was reared to farming pursuits and spent tiie 
greater part of his life in Cherry- X'alley, N. Y., of 
which State he was one of the earliest pioneers and 
served in the War of 1812. During lliat struggle 
his family, in common witli many others in that 
secti(;n of country, suffered greatly from the dep- 
redations of Indians and for a long [icriod lived in 
fear of their lives. Amid these thrilling scenes 
William J. Dunlap, the father of our subject, was 
reared to principles of honest}' and the courage re- 
quired by the men of those limes to successfully 
cope with the dilllculties that surrounded them. 
Young Dunlap followed farming during the earlier 
years of his life, some of th(! time kept hotel and 
also operated a (louring-mill. In 1836 he emigrated 
to the Prairie State, and wjis one of the earliest 
pioneers of I^a Salle Count}'. After a brief resi- 
dence there he removed to Cook County, of which 

-^* 



he renuiined a resident until 1857. Thence he came 
to Champaign County, soon afterward retiring from 
the active labors of life, his decease occurring in 
Champaign Township. 

The mother of our subject, who before her mar- 
riage was Miss Margaret Lane, was a native of 
Cherry Valley, N. Y. Of her marriage with Will- 
iam J. Dunlap there were born ten children, all of 
whom lived to liecome men and women. Of these, 
Menzo was the fifth child. He was fifteen years 
old when his parents became residents of Lewis 
Count}-, N. Y., where they lived two years, and 
thence removed to Jefferson County, spending two 
years there also. In 1836 the parents with their 
eight children started with four horses and two 
wagons for Illinois, making the entire journey over- 
land, and being seven weeks on the road. The 
father purchased a farm in La Salle County, where 
they lived a brief time, then took up their abode on 
a tract of wild land in Cook County. Their loca- 
tion was fifteen miles from Chicago, then a humble 
hamlet. Here our subject in due time purchased 
forty acres of Government laud, upon which he 
built a frame house, and placed the whole under a 
good state of cultivation. He occupied this until 
1856, then selling out came to this county and pur- 
chased the tract of land which he now owns and 
which he has converted into a valuable farm. It 
was at that time a wild, uncidtivated prairie, no 
|)art of which had been turned by the plowshare. 
Mr. Dunlap, after years of industry, has placed it 
under a good state of cultivation and erected all 
needful farm buildings. Ui)on apartof hisoriginal 
|)urchase now stands the flourishing town of Savoy. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Isabella 
Pierce took place in Du Page C<junty, this State, 
the day before Christmas, 1841. Mrs. D. was a na- 
tive of Oswego County, N. Y., and was born April 
3, 1825. Her parents were Smith D. and I'olly 
(Dunlap) Pierce, both natives of the Empire State. 
The father, now eighty years of nge, makes his 
home in Belmont, Iowa. Of the children born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap, nine in ininil)cr, seven are 
now living: Isabclle became the wife of Jackson 
Burt, and is a resident of Crbana, 111.; .M:»ggie 
m.'iiricil WilloMghby Condil, ami lives in Scott 
County. Kan.; Burleigh is pr.-ictiiing law in De 



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f. 



V 438 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-A- 



Smet, Dak.; J. Hainmil married Miss Ella Coon, 
and lives at Savoy ; Mary, Mrs. J. C. Jordan, is a 
resident of Champaign Townsliip; R. Livingston 
married Miss Lettie Jutkins and tiiey live on the 
home farm; Lillian, the wife of J. C. Cline, lives in 
Monticello, Minn. The mother of these children 
departed this life at her home in Champaign Town- 
ship on the 13th of May, 1880. 

Mr. Dunlap, who was formerly Democratic in 
politics, has since the organization of the Repub- 
lican party identified himself with it, and uniformly 
cists his vote in support of its principles. He has 
been a stirring business man and a skillful farmer, 
keeping full pace with the march of progress in the 
great and rapidly developed West. In 1886 he 
added a new feature to his fanning operations, in 
the shape of a steam engine and other necessary 
apparatus for the manufacture of apple jelly .and 
pure cider vinegar. This he carries on in partner- 
ship with his son, R. Livingston. 




/,.., BRAM FR AZIER, a native of Knox County, 

LjI Ohi»), for the past fifteen years has been 



operating a good farm on section 20, in 
P* Coiidit Township. His birth took place on 

the '.)tli of June, 1841. His father, Jacob Frazier, 
of Mrginia, was the son of Juhn Frazier, who de- 
scended from Scottish ancestr3'. The first repre- 
sentatives of the family in this country located 
first in Virginia, and the grandfather served as a 
sohlier in the War of 1812. At the close of the 
struggle and upon returning to civil life he visited 
the State of Ohio, and being greatly pleased with 
the outlook in that section concluded to settle 
there. 

It took him three years to wind up his affairs in 
Virginia so that he could effect his removal, and 
when this was done he selected Coshocton County 
as his place of abode. He was among the earliest 
pioneers there, and Uiking up a tract of Govern- 
ment land occupied it until 1811, when he removed 
to Kno.v County. He had been crippled by an 
ulcer for some time, and spent a large part of his 
propert}' in socking relief. .'Vftcr settling in Knox 
County he had a limb amputated and not being 
4' 



able to perform verj' active labor employed his 
time in the manufacture of shoes and shingles. 
His death took place in 1804. In early manhood 
he had married ^^liss Rachel Cosner, a native of 
Maryland, and the daughter of Philip Cosner. 

Of a family of twelve, Abram of our sketch is 
the onlj' representative in this county. He spent 
his youth and childhood in attendance at the dis- 
trict schools and in assisting to perform the lighter 
labors of the farm. He came to this county when 
a young man twenty-five years of age, and two 
years afterward was united in marriage, Oct. 15, 
1868, with Miss Mar3' E. Crouch. Mrs. F. w.as born 
in Madison Count}-, Ohio, and is the daughter of 
John and Laveua (McNett) Crouch, a sketch of 
whom appears on another page in this volume. 
Our subject^ with his wife, in 1870 located on the 
old Crouch homestead, which the}' have since occu- 
pied. Their four children are Eleanor A., Delia P., 
Clinton G. and Kittle N. 

Mr. F'razier enlisted in the service on the 20th 
of April, 1861, at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, in the 4th 
Infantry, and served till the 1st of September, the 
same j'ear; he re-enlisted Sept. 20, 1861, in the 
20th Ohio Infantry, serving until Jan. 1, 1864, and 
re-enlisted the same daj' in the same regiment, and 
served until the war closed in 1865. 



R. CALVIN E. PARKER. Among the 
successful young business men of Cham- 
paign County, there are none possessing 
greater enterprise and energy than the 
subject of this histor}-, who is now engaged .as a 
banker and dealer in real estate at Pliilo. He has 
been thus occupied since 1883, and his operations 
extend over a wide stretch of territory', embracing 
lands in Kansas, and a large amount of real estate 
in Illinois. He was the pioneer banker of Philo, 
and since his establishment here in connection with 
this enterprise, has met with uniform success. 

Dr. Parker was born in Worcester, Mass., Sept. 
7, 1850. The histor}- of his i)arcnts will be found 
in the sketch of K. \V. Parker, published elsewhere 
in this volume. He was but a boy when his fa- 
ther emigrated from the IJay .State tu Illinois and 
_ ..^ 




i 



t 



^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



439 



located at Philo, where the son grew to n)aiihoofl, 
ill the meantime pursuing his primar}- studies in 
the public- schools and graduating at Champaign 
University- in the class of 1872. Me was afterward 
engaged as a teacher in the public schools of this 
county, and at the same time employed his leisure 
hours in the study of medicine, under the instruc- 
tion of Dr. Howard, of Champaign. Afterward he 
went to St. Louis and took two courses of lectures 
at the Medical College tliere. In 1877, after grad- 
uating, he returned to Philo, and entered upon the 
practice of his profession. In connection with his 
jiractice he also conducted a drug-store, but after 
a time abandoned both, finding that he could reap 
more bene6t in another branch of business. His 
banking operations have been conducted with good 
judgment, and his upright methods have secured 
for him the confidence of his fellow-citizens and 
patrons. 

The marriage of iJr. Calvin E. Parker and Miss 
^Martha E. Raker was celebrated on the 3d of Julj", 

1873, in Philo Township. Mrs. Parker was born 
in Bellefontaine, Ohio, Sept. 1, 1851, and is the 
daughter of Reuben and Susan (Kimbrough) Baker, 
who came to this county and located in Philo 
Township on a farm, where the father died in about 

1874. The mother, now about fifty-six years of 
age, is a resident of Champaign. Mrs. Parker was 
educated in the public schools, and was sixteen 
years of age when she came with her parents to 
this county. Dr. Parker has been Townsliii) Su- 
pervisor for three years, and is also Treasurer. He 
was appointed Postmaster in 187U. Politically he 
endorses the principles of the Republican party. 



#"# 



--'t— 



Wi 



>;ILL1A.M 11. AELISON, well known .as one 
of the worthiest farmers of East Hend 
Township, is a native of the Old Dominion, 
born in Loudoun Cour.ty on the 23d of February. 
1837. His father, Wilfred Allison, was born in 
Fairfax Count}', ^"a., in April, 1790, and his grand- 
father, John Allison, is supposed to have been a 
native of the same comity, where he owned a planta- 
tion and spent his entire life. Wilfred Allison 
served for a number of years as overseer on a large 



plantation belonging to a nephew of (ieorge Wash- 
ington. After marriage he removed from Fairfax 
to Loudoun County, where he lived until 1839, 
when, accompanied b}' his wife and six children, he 
started overland with wagons for the 3'oung and 
rapidly growing State of Ohio. He settled upon a 
tr.act of partially cleared land in (ioshen Township, 
Champaign County, which he had purchased, and 
making further improvements by clearing the bal- 
ance of the timber and thoroughly cultivating the 
soil, established a good homestead, where he passed 
the remainder of his days. 

The mother of our subject before her marriage 
was Miss Susan Littletcju, who was born near Lees- 
burg, Va., and was the daughter of .lohn Littleton, 
a native of the same State. In the family of Wil- 
fred Allison there were ten children. Of these 
seven grew to man and womanhood : Mary, Mrs. 
Stewart, died in Mechanicsburg, Ohio; Mrs. Ann (). 
Roberts is a resident of Urbana, that State; Mrs. 
Martha Frankenberger lives in ISIechauicsburg, 
Ohio; Charles C. died at Wichita, Kan.; William II. 
is the subject of our sketch; Edwin M. is a resident 
of Brown Township, this county ; IMrs. Kate Gibson 
lives in Oregon. 

The subject of this sketch was but two years old 
when his parents made the removal to Ohio. Dur- 
ing his boyhood and youth he attended the Clover 
Run district school and completed his studies in 
the public school at Urbana. He commenced teach- 
ing in Champaign County, Ohio, when nineteen 
years of age, which he followed for. three winters. 
Soon afterward, in 1857, he came to this State, and 
locating in De Witt County, followed teaching 
during the winter and farmed in summer for a 
period of nearly thirteen years. In l.S(;',( he came 
to this county and settled in Brown Township, pur- 
ch.'ising a farm on section 35, which he occupied 
until 1881, then sold out and purchased his present 
homestead. This includes 100 acres of land, with 
a good set of frame buildings, and everything 
necessary for its proper cultivation and improve- 
ment. 

Mr. Allison was married on the 8th of Decem- 
ber, 18G1, to Miss Mary E. Karr. She was born in 
Dc Witt County, 111., March 10, 1844, and is the 
daughter of John Karr, forinerlv of Ohio, and who 







-it-*- 



•Ht-^^ 



440 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



came to Illinois and located in De Witt County 
during its early settlement, in 1840. He improved 
a farm in Wapella Township, and spent the last 
years of his life there. The mother of Mrs. Allison, 
who before her marriage was Miss Mary Morgan, 
was born in Uiiio, then went to Kentucky, and re- 
moved to Illinois in her girlhood. The parents are 
now residents of McLean County, this State. The 
five children of our subject and wife are Lolo L., 
Eva, Mary E.. Carrie and Minnie Myrtle. The 
family name was formerly spelled AUiston, but the 
father of our subject dropped the "t" during the 
latter 3'ears of his life. 

Mr. Allison is a gentleman of good education, 
with a thorough knowledge of law, in the practice 
of which he has been engaged of late years, doing 
a large business in the country districts. He was 
formerly Justice of the Peace and Clerk of Brown 
Township. He has served as Supervisor at East 
Bend for three terms and has held various other 
local offices. He is a stanch supporter of Repub- 
lican principles. 



-s>- 



•^dC'-i-^r*^- 



t 



^OHN H. FUNSTON, a successful farmer of 
Xewcomb Township, is pleasantly located on 
a fine farm on section 1 4, of which he took pos- 
session in 1 857. This consists of 400 acres of 
land, most of which is im|)roved, and a convenient 
and substantial set of farm l)uildings. Mr. E. is in all 
respects a repi>esentative citizen and progressive 
farmer, and is properly classed among the first citi- 
zens of his community. Upon first coming to this 
locality he occupied a cabin 12x14 feet, which was 
the only structure on the farm. One and one-half 
years later he put up a more convenient dwelling, 
to which he has since added, and furnished with 
modern conveniences. Upon one occasion, while 
occupying their cabin home, they entertained twen- 
ty-four visitors, a part of whom would partake of 
refreshments at the table within and then lio out- 
side to make room for others. 

The subject of this history is the son of Tlionias 
and Nancy (Hul)l)ard) Funston, the father of Irisii 
and (lerman descent. After their marriage the}' 
located in Ross County, Ohio, where, after a period 

4» 



of twelve years the father died in the house which 
the family first occupied. With the exception of 
the time spent in the army during the War of 181 2, 
Thomas Funston was engaged in farming pursuits. 
and was never forty-five miles away from his home. 
His death occurred in 18.58. Afterward, the mother, 
with her family, came to Champaign County, where 
she resided until her death, which occurred in 
18{)2, in Newcomb Township. 

Of the eleven children which constituted the pa- 
rental family, seven daughters and four sons, our 
subject was the second son and sixth child. He 
was born in Ross County, Ohio, Feb. 9, 1828, and 
remained with the family until twenty-two years 
old. After completing his limited education he 
learned the car|)enter's trade and worked as a 
"jour" one year in Ross Connt_y. In 18,51 he 
came to Illinois, first locating in Monticello, Piatt 
Count}', where he worked at his trade until in 
March, 1857. That year he became a resident of 
Champaign County, locating in Newcomb Town- 
ship, upon the farm which he still occupies. He 
added to his original purchase as time passed on 
and his means accumulated, and for a period of 
over twenty years pursued uninterruptedly the cul- 
tivation and improvement of his property. 

The marriage of .John 11. Funston and Miss 
Elizabeth E. Bailey took place in Piatt County, 
111., Nov. 18, 1852. Mrs. F. is the daughter of 
John and Mary (Hubbard) Bailey, natives respect- 
ively of Ireland and Ohio. After marriage they 
located in Madison County, (Jhio, whence they re- 
moved to Piatt County, this Suite, about 18;J4. In 
1879 they crossed the Mississippi into Iowa, where 
the mother died in March, 1885. Mr. Bailey is 
still living, and is now sevent3'-nine years old. The 
thirteen children which comprised the parenUil 
family (unbraced eight. daughters and five sons. Of 
these Mrs. F. of our sketch was the eldest. She 
was born in Madison Count}', Ohio, Nov. 20, 1832, 
and by her union with our subject became the 
mother also of thirteen children. Of these the 
record is as follows: Thomas A. died when one 
year old; Eliza J. l).ecame the wife of J. F. Trotter, 
and is a resident of Newcomb Township; Margaret 
A. died when thirteen months old; Mary A. is the 
wife of Henry J. Ilintou, of Newcomb Tt)wnship; 



■*» _ i ^» 



t 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Ul 



Nancy I., Mrs. W. \V. Downs, lives in Newcomb 
Township; ,Iohu W. and Cieorge Wiley arc at home; 
Cora is Mrs. Mark Hazen, of Newcomb Township; 
Fannie died when a little over tliree \'ears of age, 
and Charles when two years old; Kdniund B., Jesse 
G. and Minnie E. are at home with tiieir parents. 
Mr. F. has been Assessor several years and was 
School Trustee of Newcomb Township for a period 
of nineteen years. He is a member of Mahomet 
Lodge No. 220, A. F. & A. M., at Mahomet, 111. 
lie and his wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and in politics he is a Repub- 
lican. 

«.., LBERT XOFFTZ, a prominent and i)ros- 
( 6w/j| perous stock and grain raiser of Champaign 
I is County, residing on section 8, Pesotum 
"'(/ Township, is a native of Prussia, born 

Dec. 2S, 1S4-1, and tlie youngest child of Charles 
and Anna (Zenkil) Nofftz, natives of the same 
country. After the death of his father, which 
occurred in 1S53, young Albert came with his 
widowed mother to America. The long journey 
was made across the sea in 185G, and after landing 
on American shores they proceeded directly to Chi- 
cago to meet a sister, who had previously emigrated 
to tliis country, and was living in that city. He 
remained with his sister a few months and then 
came to Sadorns, where he worked on his brother's 
farm until 1 862. 

The late Civil War tlien assuming alarming pro- 
portions, Mr. Nofftz at once tendered his services in 
support of the Union cause, enlisting in Co. B, 7(;th 
111. \'ol. Inf. He was engaged in manj' battles and 
skirmishes, doing his whole duty as a soldier, and 
participated with his comrades in the long siege of 
Vicksburg, being present at its surrender on the 
memorable 4th of Jul}', 1863. He was also at the 
siege and evacuation of Jackson, Mi,ss., July 17, 
at Champion Hills and Benton, Miss., and Jack.son, 
La., the same year. He was at the siege and assault 
on Ft. Blakel}', Ala., in 1865, and on the 22d of 
July of that year, received an honorable discharge. 
At the siege of Vicksburg he contracted rheumatism 
from exposure, by being compelled to lie in the 
ditches in the cold and wet, and at the engagement 



at Blakely, Ala., was so jarred liy the bursting of a 
sliell, tiiat he was almost deprived of his hearnig 
and memor}-, which for a time seriously incapaci- 
tated him U>v duty. His comi)any was under the 
command of Col. S. T. Busej% who had been pro- 
moted to the post made vacant by the resignation 
of Col. Mack. 

After his discharge from service, our subject re- 
turned to Sadorus and bought forty acres of unim- 
proved land upon which he at once commenced 
operating successfully, one of his first duties being 
the erection of a small house. In November. 1866, 
he was married to Miss Caroline Messman, and with 
his young bride immediately took up iiis abode at 
his little home. The parents of Mrs. Nofftz were 
Michael and Arena ((ilove) Messman, natives of 
Germany, and now residents of this county. Mr. 
Nofftz has since added to his original tract, by 
three more purchases, and now has 280 acres of flue 
land under a good state of cultivation. In 1876 
the first humble dwelling was replaced by a com- 
modious residence, and here the family reside, in 
comfort and enjoyment. 

Mr. and Mrs. Nofftz have become the parents 
of nine children — Flora A., Emma M., Ainia A., 
Frederick A., Rudoli)h T., Hulda L., Edward T., 
Frank AV. and Henry J. ; the latter is deceased. 
Those living are all at home with their parents. 
Politically Mr. N. is independent, voting according 
to his honest convictions, regardless of party. He 
has served his district as School Director for several 
terms. 

\|/AMES O'BRIEN, a valued member of tlie 
farming community of Pesotum Towusiiiii, 
is a native of Tipperar}' County, Ireland, 
and was born in 1841. His parents, Morgan 
Patrick and Mary (Ilenesy) (^'Brien. were natives of 
the same county as their son, where tliey followed" 
farming through life, the death of the father occur- 
ring in 1847, and that of his widow eighteen 
years later, in 1865. 

At the age of seventeen our subject became im- 
l)ressed with tlie great possibilities lying on the 
other side of the sea, and the prospects held out to 
the enterprising young men of Uie day, and accord- 



ti 



•^m^4- 



i 



i 






■•► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



f 



ing-Iy he bade farewell to the Kmerald Isle and set 
sail for the United States, with anticipations of a 
bright future. He landed at New York and re- 
mained in that vicinity' t'or one year, engaged in 
fanning and railroading, tlien migrated to San- 
dusk^', Ohio, wliore he was siniilnrly engaged for 
years. 

March 27, l.Soii, our subject was married to 
.Margaret Duggan, the eldest daughter of Dennis 
and Ellen (Doherty) Duggan, natives of Ireland, 
who immigrated to this country in 1856. Their 
daughter, Mrs. O'Brien, came in 1«50 with friends. 
Mr. Duggan first located in Ohio, but shortly after- 
ward came to Illinois, locating in the vicinity of 
Champaign, this county, where his death occurred 
in Februar3', 185G. His widow survived him 
twenty years and died at the age of seventy-five. 

When James O'Brien first came to this county, 
he located in the city of Champaign, but in 1858 
removed to Tolono and bought proport3- in that 
|)lace. In 1863 he determined on a trip to Ireland 
to visit his mother and brothers who were still liv- 
ing there, and to arrange some unsettled business. 
His fatlier had died in 1847. He remained six 
months, and re-embarking sailed for his adopted 
countr}', and returned to his home in Tolono. The 
following 3'ear he bought eighty acres of land on 
section 12, in Pesotiini Township, and at once com- 
menced improving it. Afterward he purchased 
120 acres more, but selling forty has now only 160 
in the home farm. This is under a good state of 
cultivation and well drained. 

Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien have become tiu- parents 
of three children, onlv one of whom is now liv- 
ing: Morgan I'., who was born March 10, 1854; he 
married Miss Mary Conner, of Rantoul; he is route 
agent on the Wabash Railroad. Dennis \V. was 
born Sept. 22, 1850, and died.in 1857; Mary E. was 
born .Sept. 24, 1858; she married William E. Mur- 
[)hy, a merchant of ToIotio, ami ilied,l;in. 14, 1885. 
leaving one child. 

Prior to the late Civil War our subject spent 
some time in Eouisiana as a contractor and builder 
on the levees, and while there became strongly im- 
bued with pro-slavery idejis, entering thoroughly 
into the spirit of the Southern sentiment, but on 
' his trip to Ireland, as above mentioned, he took 



passage on the steamer (GJIasgow, which had on 
board the crew of the Alabama, the famous block- 
ade runner, with the history of which all patriots 
are familiar. During the passage the crew indulged 
in so many petty insinuations, tending to aggra- 
vate Mr. O'Brien and his associates, that they be- 
came disgusted, and the consequence was their 
symp.Tthies were aroused in favor of the Union, and 
they stood bj- it until the close of the war. 

Mr. O'Brien has never had any political aspira- 
tions, but has served on the School Board for six 
years, and has always voted an independent ticket, 
but is Democratic in principle. He and his wife 
are members of the Roman Catholic Church at 
Tolono, and are highly esteemed for their e-\ccllent 
traits of character. 

=^\ AMUEL A. TODD, a representative of the 
hardware trade in Thomasboro, established 
his present business there in 1 882. He car- 
ries a full line of shelf articles, and also 
deals largely in stoves, tinware, and everything 
kept in a well-appointed store of the kind. He has 
studied the wants of the people and by strict atten- 
tion to business and square dealing has established 
a good business. 

Mr. Todd is a native of the Buckeye State, born 
in Clarke County. March 14, 1850. His father, 
James Todd, was a native of Dauphin County, 
Pa., where his grandfather, Samuel Todd, carried 
on farming extensively and ; pent the last years of 
his life. James T(jdd was reared in his native 
county, whence after his marriage he removed to 
Clarke County, Ohio, and renting a tract of land 
engaged for a few j'ears in farming. He then took 
up his abode in Sjuingfield, the county seat, and 
purchasing an interest in a sawmill there, operated 
It until about 1857. He then sold out his interest in 
the mill, and coming to this State farmed on rented 
land in Tazewell County until his earthly labors 
ceased, in 18(11. He had married in early life 
Miss Ann .Maria Espy, a native of his own comity 
in Pennsylvania. The household circle included 
four children, of whom the sid)ject of this sketch 




t 



t 



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fsti*. 







Residence OF J. C. Reed , Sec.IG , Phi lo Township. 




mm^mfi^ 



Res. ofJohn D. Seltzer, Sec. 30 , Raymond Township. 




Residence orD.B. George, Sec. 2 , To long Townsh i p. 






4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



445 



was the eldest. t)iie brother, D.nvid E., is ii min- 
ister of the Coiigresrational Cimrcii. stationed in 
Florida; Nancy M. Ijeeame {\w wile of Oiivei' 
Pettyjohn, who is enu:aired in hnsinessat Kanning-- 
ton. 111.; William A. is farminain Tazewell Connty, 
this .Stiite. 

Our sulijeet w.is seven years of .age when hisjjar- 
ents removed from Pennsylvania to Illinois, and 
four years later his father died. Two years after- 
ward the mother was .again married, and Samuel A. 
resided with her until he was nineteen years old. 
In the meantime he had received a good education 
and was now competent to engage in business for 
himself. In the years 1872-7."! he was in the em- 
ploy of the C, P. & S. W. R. R. Co., as Station 
Agent at Groveland, and after leaving this position 
engaged on a farm l)\' the month. He lived econ- 
omically, having a due respect for the value of 
money, and in 1 870 was enabled to purchase eighty 
acres of land in Vermilion Count}', 111., where he 
carried on farming until 1882. In the spring of 
that year he came to Thomasl)oro and established 
his present business. 

!Mr. Todd was married in Tazewell Count}', Sept 
10, 1874, to Miss Mar}' Snitfin. Mrs. Todd was 
born in Tazewell County, of which her parents 
were early pioneers; they are now deceased. Polit- 
ically Mr. Todd is a "true-blue" Republican, and 
as a citizen takes a genuine interest in the welfare 
and advancement of his community. 

J^ ACOB (i. CHA.MHKHS, M. I)., who in 1882 
abandoned the practice of his profession for 
the more congenial jnirsuits of farm life, is 
the possessor of a beautiful country estate 
located on section 1 1 of Sadt)rns Township. Here he 
has 480 acres of land, and a residence; which would 
do credit to a modern city, being sujiplied with all 
the conveniences of life and the inventions which 
have contributed so much to the comfort of the 
household in its domestic relations. The dwelling 
stands in the midst of groun<ls finely laid out, and 
planted with choice shrubbery and shade trees, 
while Ihc out-buildings in the rear arc shapely .and 
substantial. The liehls stretch away on either side. 



I whil 
Y subs 



and in the summer season present a series of grain 
and pasture lands that arc delightful to look upon. 
The Doctor devotes most of his attention to grain- 
raising, but has his farm well stocked with good 
grades of cattle and several fine horses. He may be 
readily pardoned for taking pride in his farm and 
household, while at tlie same time he possesses that 
liberal and public spirit which induces him when- 
ever opportunity occurs to interest himself in what- 
ever will benefit the community around him. 

The subject of om- sketch is a native of the Km. 
pire State, born in Tompkins County in 1842. lie 
is the youngest child of Josei)li and Sar.ah (Kyinpli) 
Chambers, natives of Ulster County, N. Y., .•md 
spent his early years at home pursuing his first 
studies in the common schools. He was ft)nd of his 
books and advanced rapidly, and when thirteen 
years of age entered the Classical Department of 
Holiart College, where he remained two yeai"s, and 
thence went into the Medical Department of the 
same. After a two years' course he was considered 
fully qualified to assume the duties of a physician, 
and began the practice of his profession in Tioga, 
Pa., where he remained until the 24th of .lunc, 
1864. He then entered the army as Surgeon, be- 
coming a member of the 190th Pennsylvania In- 
fantry, in which he served his country until the 
preservation of the Union had been assured. 

Dr. Chambers then returned to the Keystone 
State, where he resumed practice, but si.v months 
later removed to Watkins, N. Y. After practicing 
there two years he came to Illinois, locating in 
Douglas County in the spring of 18(J8. A year later 
he was married to Miss Anna Rock, a native of this 
township, and the daughter of William and Nancy 
(lleaver) Rock, who resided on a farm in this coun- 
ty. Soon after their marriage the young people 
settled down in Sadorus, where our subject contin- 
ued in practice for three years. In riding through 
the country from time to time, the green fields and 
the air of contentment pervading the rural districts 
bred within him a desire to change his occn|)ation. 
Accordingly, in the spring <<<i 1.S72, having secured 
a farm of lUO acres, one and one-half miles from 
the village of Sadorus, he became a member of the 
agricultural coniniuiiity, and coumuMiccd with en- 
ergy the duties of the new life before him. lie has 



I 



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t. 



446 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1 



"t 



never had reason to regret the change, and in his 

various einpl()3meiits pertaining to the farm has 
hceii remarivabl.v successful. Tiie property of his 
wife and liiuiself iuehules 4.S0 acres, wliich consti- 
tutes the home farm, and is all under a line state of 
cultivation. 

To the household of our suliject and liis wife 
there came in due time a little family of six chil- 
dren. George, the first born, died when eighteen 
montiis old; those surviving — William, Gertrude. 
Josephus, Clifton and R;ili)h— are at home with 
their parents. In 1 8(19 the first residence was de- 
stroyed by fire. The following year another was 
erected, which the family occupied until 1886, 
wlu'u it w.as abandoned to other parties, the Doctor 
and his family leaving it to take up their residence 
at their |)resent home. 

])\: Chambers has been prominent in the affairs 
of his township, and is now serving his fourth term 
as .Supervisor. He is Democratic in politics, and 
altluiugh not aspiring to ottice takes an intelligent 
interest in county affairs, and exerts his influence 
in electing the nien l)est (jualified to. look after the 
interests of the pe(i|)le. He is not at [iresent con- 
nected with any religious organization, but Mrs. 
Chambers is a member and regular attendant of the 
Haptist ( Imrcli. Socially tlic Doctor is a member 
of .1. H. (iorm Lodge, A. F. it A. M., atSadorns, 
and Sadorus Post, G. A. U., at the same place. 



AHKD D. Bl'Sll, Postma.ster at Uising Sta- 
tion, is also extensively engaged as a mer- 
chant and grain liuyer in Ilensley Town- 
ship, of which he has been a resident since 
18GD. He is a native of Tippecanoe County, Ind., 
b(jrn Aug. 2:3, 184S, and the son of .Tared and 
Charlotte Bush, natives respectively of Xew York 
and Kentucky. His grandfather, William Bush, 
was a native of Massachusetts and of Welsh ances- 
try. He removed to Indiana while it was yet a 
Territory, and before the days of railroads, the en- 
tire jotiiney being made overland, and on which 
he was accompanied by his family. He purchased 
land from the Indians, and located near Dayton, 



5^ 



seven miles from Lafayette, in the locality known 
as Wild Cat Prairie. There he improved a large 
tract of land, which he occupied n-itil his death, 
and was laid to rest in a pleasant si)ot on the olil 
homestead which lie had established in .ShefHeld 
Township. 

His son, Jared, Sr., the father of our subject, 
was born near Utica, N. Y., in 1807, and was a 
j'^ouug child when his parents removed to Indiana. 
He grew to manhood in Tippecanoe Count)% in 
the meantime learning the trade of a shoemaker, 
and when quite young had a shop of his own and 
carried on business in Daj'ton. He was of a spec- 
ulative turn of mind, and also engaged in the buy- 
ing and selling of land. During the last years of 
his life he devoted his time principally to farm- 
ing. His death occurred in 1848, seven months 
before the birth of our subject. He was cut down 
very suddenly, and while away from his family. 
He left home one Monday morning with a neigh- 
bor, bound for Peru, Ind., nearly 100 miles dis- 
tant. The journey was made on horseback, and 
Mr. Bush was taken ill the day of his arrival, and 
died eight days following. There being no rail- 
roads nor telegraphs it was several d.a^'s before his 
family knew of his death. The eldest child of the 
bereaved mother was but fifteen years old when de- 
prived of the father's care. Mrs. Bush bravely 
managed and kept her children together until they 
wrew to man and womanhood. Thej' were William 
R., now a resident of Howard County, Ind. ; David 
F., who enlisted in the army when eighteen years 
of age, becoming a member of the 10th Indiana 
Battery, and died in the service; Alma, Mrs. Mc- 
Kee, of Ilensley Township, this county, and Char- 
lotte, who lives in Howard County, Ind. 

Our subject assisted his elder brothers in clear- 
ing the farm, and when fifteen years old com- 
menced working out by the day or month. He 
made his home with his mother until his marriage, 
then rented a faYm in Benton County, Ind., which, 
however, he only occupied a few months. In Feb- 
ruary, 1882, he opened a store at Rising Station in 
this county, where he hsis since been engaged in 
business. lie succeeded in having the post-otHce 
re-established here, and w;is appointed Postmaster 
May 2, 1882. The year following he commenced 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



447 a 



buying grain, and has been ifuuiikablj- successful 
in tiiis branch of trade. 

The marriage of .lared I). l'.u>h and Miss lOllcn 
A. Royal took place March 30, KS82, at the home 
of the bride's parents in Dayton. Tippecanoe Co., 
Ind. Mrs. Hush was born in tiiat county, and is 
the daughter of William and Kunice Royal, both 
natives of Ohio, whence they removed to Tippe- 
canoe County in 18;)(). Of this union there have 
been born tiiree children — Mabel C, Alma K. and 
Julia F". Mr. and .Mrs. IJush are prominently con- 
nected with the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
Rising, and our subject, politically, is a linn sup- 
porter of the Republionn party. 

The maternal grnndniotlier of Mr. liiish was a 
native of Scotland, and when twelve years of age 
was enticed on board an ocean steamer by a law- 
yer and his svife who were bound for America. 
By threats she was induced to keep quiet during 
the voj'age, but after their arrival in the United 
.States she ran away froni them and for a time 
made iier own living. She linally ninrricd and set- 
tled in the Suutli. Her husband, Mr. Clarke, was 
of American birth and Scotch ancestry. 



i 



-^ -^-^ ^ - 

kEWLS H. J.OREXZ. Tiiis highly resiiected 
resident of East IJciid Township is essen- 
tially a self-made man, one who began life 
with only his own resources, and attained to a 
good position as a linsiness man and citizen. His 
birthplace was on the other side of the Atlantic in 
the Kingdom of Saxony, and his parents were (Jott- 
lieb and Theo'lora I.ioreni'., a biief sketch of whom 
is given in the biography of Ernst Eorenz, else- 
where in this Ai-uiJ.M. The parents emigrated to 
America when their son, our subject, was but two 
years old, locating lirst in Cincinnati, Ohio, whence 
they shortly afterward removed to Covington, Ky., 
where he grew to manhood. He attended school 
(piite steadily until seventeen years old, liut in the 
meantime had been trained to habits of industry 
and was accustomed to assist his father in the shop 
and maikel, which he continued until leaving the 
parental roof to seek his fortunes in the West. 
After coming into this county Mr. Lorenz rented 

4* 



land and engaged inl'arunng with fair success, then 
purchased a tract on section 27, in East Hend 
Township, which he occupied until 1878. He then 
went to Elliott, Ford County', where he oi)enc(1 a 
stock of goods costing ^17. He then decided to 
change his occupation and opened a meat-mai'ket 
which he conducted one year, when he sold out and 
removed to Paxton, where he carried on a hotel for 
eighteen months following. In Februarj', 1881, 
he removed to Dewe}-, and in partnership with his 
brother conducted a mercantile business four 
months. He then put up a store building, and pre- 
pared to engage in general merchandising. 

He now carries a large and varied stock and h.as 
built up a good [latronage. He h.is been honest and 
methodical in his transactions, prompt to meet his 
obligations, and in all respects h.as gained the con- 
fidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens. 

Our subject has been particularly fortunate in the 
choice of a wife and helpmeet, Mrs. L. being of 
a business turn of mind and increasing the income 
by carrying on a millinery store. This lady, who 
was formerly Miss Matilda Heinemann, and who 
was married to our subject Aug. o, 187'2, w.as born 
in Aurora, Ind., Veh. 26, 18.^4. Her parents were 
John >«'. and Jidia (Market) Heinemann. Mr. and 
.Mrs. L. have two interesting children — Lillian A. 
and Minnie M. They belong to the Luther.an 
Church, and our subject uniformly c.nsts his vote 
with the Repnblitran party. 



/^ APT. THOMAS JEFFERSON MATH EN Y, 

(If , Postmaster of Tliomasbt)ro, came to this 
^^i^ vicinity in the spring of 18(;<,). For the fol- 
lowing three years he engaged in farming in this 
county, and in 187.'), with limited means, com- 
nnmced in the grocery business at riK)masl)iiro. His 
(irst move was to l)n>- a lot, where he put up a small 
frame building, in the front part of which he 
opened a store, and the rear part consisted of a 
small room occupied by his family. The contr.ast 
between then .and now is indeed great. He still 
carries on the grocery business, but has now a large 
line store building, with a handsome dwelling , -id- 
joining, and is enjoying the patronage of the best 






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448 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




people of his townsbip. He received the appoint- 
ment of Postmaster after Presiilent ClcvelHiirl be- 
came Chief Executivi", tiie duties of which office lie 
has ilisciiargcd in a creditalile manner. 

Capt. Mathony is a descendant of a good family, 
originally from JCngland, his great -grandfather liav- 
ing emigrated to America during the Revolutionary 
War. lie located iu N'irgiiiia. where he reared a 
family and sitent the remainder of his days. His 
son. Michael, born in the Old Dominion, removed 
to Kentucky previous to 1800, being among the 
earliest settlers of .lessaniine County. He carried 
on a farm and was the owner of slaves, but after- 
ward purcliased a large plantation in Mercer 
County, where he remained until his death. In his 
family w.as Francis A., the father of our subject, 
who studied medicine and became eminent as a 
practitioner. He married in Kentuckj-, and in 
1830 removed to Indiana, locating in Morgan 
County, from whicii, in about 18o0, he removed to 
UiouM Countj'. After this latter removal he 
aljandoned his practice and engaged in merchan- 
dising, carrying on a general store at Nashville. 

Francis Matheny was a man of much force of 
character and succeeded well in business. In due 
time he purchased a farm a mile north of Nash- 
ville, to which he retired and spent his declining 
years, relieved from active labor and business cares. 
Politically he was a stanch Democrat, and was elec- 
ted to represent Mercer County in the State Legis- 
lature. Before leaving Kentucky he had been mar- 
ried in Mercer County', to Miss Fliza L. Ekles. who 
was a native of that county. She removed with 
her husband to Brown County, and died on the 
homestead in 180(1. The parental family included 
thirteen children. 

Thomas -Matheny of our sketch was born in Jlor- 
gan County, Ind., Jan. :',\. 1844. He received a 
common-school education, and after the outbreak 
of the war volunteered as a Union soldier in Co. II. 
82(1 Ind. \<)l. Inf. He particijuated in the battles 
of Perryville, .Stone River, Chickamauga, the cap- 
ture and siege of Atlanta, going with Sherman on 
his famous march to the sea, and afterward being 
present at the grand review in Wa.shington after the 
surrender of Lee, and when the troops were prepar- 
' inif to be mustered out and return home. He en- 



listed as a private, was promoted First Lieutenaut 

in 1804. and presented with a Captain's commission, 
and cjuimauded the com|>any until receiving his 
honorable discharge. His war record was eminently 
a creditalile one. whicli lie iiuiy justly look back 
upon with i)ride and satisfaction. 

After bidding adieu to his comrades of the tented 
field, Capt. Matheny returned home ami visited for 
a short time among his old friends and acipiaint- 
ances, then started out to view the countiy west of 
the Mississippi. After visiting the States of Iowa 
and Nebraska he returned to Illinois, and located 
upon a farm in Mason County, where he lived two 
years. In 1 870 he came to this county, continued 
fanning until 187:5, and then removed to Thomas- 
boro, where he established himself in the grocery 
business. His subsequent history we have already 
detailed. Mr. Mathenj' was married. July 22, 1870, 
to Miss Susan C. Freisner, a native of Fairfield 
County, Ohio, born in 1849, and the daughter of 
Samuel and .Mary F"reisuer. 




EONIDAS STEPHENSON", retired farmer, 
is now a resident of Thomasboro, where, 
^ surrounded by all the comforts of life, he is 
enjoying the fruits of the labor of earlier years, 
and the respect and confidence of a large circle of 
friends. He cominenced life for himself in an ex- 
tremely modest manner, having only his own re- 
sources to depend upon, and is what may be termed 
a self-made man. lie has battled bravely and suc- 
cessfully with the difficulties of life, built up a 
good home and a competency', and with his worthy 
and excellent wife reared a family of ten children, 
of whom any parents may be proud, for they, like 
their f.athers. are industrious, honest, faithful to 
duty, and will hand down to future generations a 
name of which their descendants will be justly 
proud. 

The Stephenson family possesses a good record, 
having descended from Scottish ancestry, and pos- 
sessing in a remarkable degree the sterling integrity 
and uncompromising honestj' of their race. The 
father of our subject, Henry Stephenson, was bom 
in Glasgow, and when a youth sixteen years old 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



449 



r 



emigrated to Ainericsi witli liis parents. They lo- 
cated upon the present site of Cincinnati, wliicli 
was then occupied by a few straggling log houses. 
After residing there a few j-ears thej' removed into 
Warren Count}-, Ohio, where the father ])urchased 
land, and where the family remained until tiie 
death of the latter. The son I lenry had learned 
the trade of a weaver in Scotland, at whieii he 
worked in Cincinnati, but after the removal to 
Warren County devoted his time to farming. 

After reaching manhood Henry Stephenson pur- 
chased land near Lebanon, was married, and lived 
there until about 1825, when, accompanied by his 
family, he started for the new State of Indiana, 
making the jonrne}' overland with teams. They 
camped and cooked by the wayside and slept in 
their wagons at night. After reaching their desti- 
nation Mr. Stephenson entered a tract of Govern- 
ment land in Union Township, Boone County, in the 
wilderness, where he first built a log cabin for the 
shelter of his family, and in due time cleared a 
large farm and erected suitable frame buildings. 
After a life of industry, during which he built up 
a good record as a father and citizen, he departed 
this life in the summer of 1843. The maiden 
whom he had chosen to share his fortunes. Miss 
Phebe Foote, was born in West Virginia, and sur- 
vived her husband for a period of thirty -one years. 

Of the nine children in the parentnl family, 
Leonidas of our sketch was the second in order of 
birth. He first opened his eyes to the light in 
Warren County, Ohio, Sept. 11, 1822, and was but 
eleven years old when the family removed to Indi- 
ana. His early studies were conducted on the sub- 
scription plan, in a log cabin during the winter sea- 
sons, and wiien old enough he assisted his father on 
the farm. He remained with the family after the 
father's death until he assumed domestic ties of his 
own. After this event he rented first a farm near 
Lebanon, operating there for ten years, and then 
purch.ased a tract of timber land ten miles from 
the old homestead in Center Township. Here he 
pursued the same routine of his father before him, 
ehopi)ing down the forest trees and first building a 
cabin for tiie reception of his famil}'. He cleared 
•■I pint of I be l;ui(l :uid occupied it until 18(;;">, llien 
sold out, and coming to this State first purcii.'i.sci,! a 



farm in K.ast ]>incoln Township, Log;iii Count}', 
which he occupied jintil 18.s;!. lu the sjjring of 
that year he parted with his propertj'and purchased 
land lying adjacent to the village of Thomasboro. 
At the same time he purchased a section of land in 
Somer .and Rantoul Townships, which is now man- 
aged by his children. Since taking possession of 
his property near Thomasboro Mr. Stephenson h.as 
put up a set of fine frame buildings which are fur- 
nished with all the conveniences and comforts of 
modern life. 

Our subject was married, Nov. 2, 1843, to Miss 
Nancy Stephenson, a native of his own county, 
and born May 28, 1824. Mrs. S. has been the 
cheerful sharer of her husb.and's life in storm as 
well as sunshine, and the tie between tliem was 
strengthened b}' the birth of ten children. Of these 
the record is as follows: Henry W. is married and 
farming in Ilensley Township; Lydia, the wife of 
William N. Beck, is living with her husband on a 
farm in Scott Township; Laura died at the .age of 
four years; Amazetta married G. B. Roberts, and 
resides in Chillicothe, .\Io. ; Mary, the wife of 
Charles Thompson, lives in Rantoul Township, this 
county; Anna, Mrs. Wiley Buckles, is a resident of 
the city of Champaign; .lohn AV. is farming in 
Rantoul Townshii); Charles and Roy are twins, the 
former remains with his parents and the latter is 
located at Cliillicotlio, Mo.; Or;i L. is stdl with his 
parents. 

Mr. Stephenson votes the Democratic ticket, and 
by a thori^iigh course of reading and communica- 
tion with other intelligent men, koe])s hinisclf well 
posted upon current events. Mrs. Stephcnsun early 
became u niciulu'r of the Mctiioilisl I'ipisccipal 
Church. 



p^ REDKRICK PELL, a representative farmer 
U-(SV and citizen nf I'liilo Township, is proprietor 
[\ of a valuable couiitiy estate, consisting of 

200 acres of good hiiid, a fine lesidence, and 
ani])lc and convenient hains and outhouses. A 
view of the premises will be found on another page 
of this work. Tiie land has been brought to a high 
st:itc of cultiv:ition by Mie aid of 2,000 rods of tile, 
and in all other respects constitutes the model 



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»► . m< ^ 



4- 



450 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1 r 

t 



lioliR'.-iliiul. coiuliK-li;!! by a lii\st-cla.>,~ ami Jiiugre.s- 
sive agiii-iiltiirist. Resides tlie piopert}' where lie 
resides, Mr. Pell owns eighty acres on section 8, 
in Philo Township, and 120 acres on section 20, 
in Urbana, all of which is adapted to the produc- 
tion of the choicest crops of the Prairie State. 

Our subject became a resident of Champaign 
County in 18oG. He was then a young man and 
emigrated alone from Lewis County, Ky., where he 
was born on (Quick's Hun. Sept. 8, 1832. He is the 
son of neiiry Pel,l. a native of Mrginia, of Knglish 
descent. The latter, when about sixteen years old, 
removed from his native State with his widowed 
mother to Lewis County, K_v., where they took up 
a homestead on C^uick's Run, and there lived until 
the death of the mother, which took place at the 
age of I'ighty j-cars. Henry Pell was married in 
early manhood to Miss Sarah Orms, who was born, 
reared, married and died in Lewis Count}', her de- 
cease occurring in March, 1885, when she was 
eighty-five years old. The father of our subject, 
who was born the same year as his wife, in 1800, is 
yet living on the old homestead in Kentucky, a 
hale and hearty old man, who still preserves his 
early habits of industry and is remarkabh- active 
for one of his 3'ears. He was for a long period a 
Deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of whicii 
the mother was also a worthy and consistent mem- 
ber. Henry Pell before the war afliliated with the 
Democratic party, but since that time has warnil}' 
supported Republican principles. 

Mr. I'cll of this liisti>rv was the liflh of ten 
children, four sons .•ind six daughters. All of tiie 
former and foui' of the latter still survive. The en- 
tire t'aiiiily lived to maturity and located in homesof 
their own. Tiie early life of our subject was passed 
ill his native county, and he pursued his first studies 
in the subscription schools, remaining under the 
home WHtf until the s[)ring of 185G. when he set out 
for the prairies of Illinois. He wa.s equipped with 
two horses and a small amount of money, and after 
arriving in this county, rented a farm, upon which 
he remained until 180 1. He then purchased a tract 
of land which he has now converted into a highly 
improved farm ami comfortable homestead. Of 
late years he has given inucli alteiition to stock-niis- 
ing, feeding and selling annuallv numbers of cattle 



and hogs, and has also been engaged at times in the 
breeding of horses. His present possessions are 
the result of his own industry and economy, and lie 
furnishes a forcible illustration of what may be ac- 
complished from a small beginning. 

Mr, Pell was married, Sept. 24, 1857. in Urbana 
Township, to Miss Martha .lones, who was born in 
Brown County, Ohio, in 1830, and came to Illinois 
with a married sister in 1850. She died at her 
home in Urbana on the 20tli of March, 1805, while 
Mr. Pell was serving in the army. By this union 
there wereliorn four children: Ida died in iiifancj'; 
Charles J. married Miss Delia Pratt, who died in 
1885 ; he lives in Kansas, as also does James R., who 
is single; Martha died in infancy. 

Two years after the close of the war, on the 24th 
of September, 1867, Mr. Pell w;is married to Mrs. 
Mary A. (Kiler) Cover, daughter of John and Re- 
becca (Lowe) Kiler, who were both natives of 
Baltimore, Md. Thej' emigrated to Ohio after their 
marriage and located on a farm in (treene County, 
where they died, the father when sixty and the 
mother when about fift\' 3'ears of age. Mr. Kiler 
had been successful, tinancially, during his lifetime, 
and both parents were members of the Universalist 
Church. Mr. K. was elected Representative of 
Greene County in the State Legislature, serving 
three years. Politically he w.as a firm adherent of 
the Whig party. Mrs. Pell was the fourth child of 
the parental household, which included three sons 
and six daughters. Of these only three are now 
living. The wife of our subject w.as first married 
in Greene County, Ohio, April 16, 1850, to John F. 
Cover, also a native of Baltimore, .Md., but reared 
in Greene County, Ohio, whence he removed to 
Illinois the same year of his marriage. He de- 
parted this life in Urbana Township in 1863. He 
served as a Union soldier during the late war, be- 
ing a member of Co. G, 76th 111. Vol. Inf. Eight- 
een months after enlisting he was taken ill at Nat- 
chez. Miss., and after being !*ent home, died a week 
later. He left four children, one of whom, Frank, 
is now deceased. John, a tile-maker, married Miss 
Eunice Barton, and resides near Camargo, Douglas 
Co., ni. ; Frances, Mrs. George (rariett, is a resident 
of Urbana Townshii); Sallie lives in I'ooria. Of 
her marriage with Mr. Pell there have been born 



"» j r ^» 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



451 



five ehililreii. nf whom three are defeased — Fre(l, 
Blanche an<l Harry, all dying young. Those sur- 
viving are Henry N. and Mary M.. at home. 

On the r2th of February, 1HG2. during the prog- 
ress of the late war, Mr. Pell enlisted in Co. (i, 
7{)th III. Vol. Inf., under command of Capt. Park, 
of the Ami}- of the Tennessee, and participated in the 
battles of X'icksburg and .lack.son, and was in many 
other engagements and skirmishes, escaping, how- 
ever, without a wound. He received his honorable 
discharge Aug. 5, 18(>.5, and was mustei'cd out at 
Chicago. Politically he is a stanch Democrat, and 
lias held the office of Commissioner of lligliw;iys. 



^g^J#U|j 




ERIS S. COLEH, now living in ipiiet re- 
tirement in the village of Sadonis, spent his 
early life among the hills of Knox County. 
Ohio, where he was born on his father's 
farm, Sept. .'SO, IS.'M. He was the third in the first 
family of children born to Isaac Coler. whose first 
wife was formerly Miss Amelia Nichols, a native of 
New .Jersey. The father of our subject was a Vir- 
ginian by birth. Mrs. Amelia Coler passed from 
earth at the home of her husband in Knox County, 
Ohio, in 18;i7. Mr. C. was afterward married to 
Miss Mary Cathei-s, and in 1863 he removed from 
Ohio to Sadorus, where he spent the remainder of 
Ins life. 

The subject of this biography, when a youth of 
nineteen years, left home to care for himself, and 
coming West spent eiglit or nine montiis in this 
county'. He then went back to Ohio, and f(jiir 
months later returned to Illinois with his brotiier- 
in-l;nv, .lames lloskinson, locating in Clark County, 
They reniaineil tiicrc until I s.'i.'l, tlicu came to this 
county', wiiere our subject |)urchascd 240 acres of 
wild land and began to improve it. In this he was 
aided by Mr. 11., witli whom he made liis home. 
Two years later the sister of oui' subject, wlio had 
come with her husband to the West, was called 
hence, Mr. II. then returned to Ohio, and .Mr. Coler 
occupied the premises alone for two years follow- 
ing; he tlien sohl out and purchased 4H(t acres on 
section 2, in Sadorus Township, which lie look pos- 
session of and began to improve. 



On the 12th of .Inly. 1 x.'i", there occurred a verj' 
important event in the life of Mr. Coler, namely, 
Ills marriage with Miss Rebecca Rock. This lady 
was the seventh chibl in a family of ten born to 
William and Nancy (Heavers) Rock, natives of 
Maryland, who came to Champaign County during 
the pioneer days. Her parents long since pa.ssed 
away, but their children are living in this county, 
and the im|)ortant points in the history of their 
lives are recorded elsewhere in this work. 

Mr. and .Mrs. Coler, after their marriage, remained 
but a year on their farm, on .account of the fail- 
ing health of our subject. They then moved into 
I Urbana, where not long afterward Mr. Coler was 
stricken down with typhoid fever, from the ctTects 
of which he did not recover for two 3'ears. At the 
expiration of this time, his health being much im- 
proved, they returned to rural life. Mr. C. pur- 
chased his father's homestead of the heirs, in 1.SG7. 
This was located on the line between Sadorus and 
Colfax Townships. They lived upon this about 
nine 3'ears, and in the meantime Mr. Coler had 
purchased a stock (jf drugs, which he placed in a 
store at Sadorus, and in which he carried on a 
lucrative trade, in connection with farming, with his 
brother-in-law. Dr. Chambers. His health again fail- 
ing, he was now obliged to retire entirely from busi- 
ness and farming pursuits. The following six years 
were spent iii traveling west and south, in which 
journeying he was accoiiipanied by his wife. At the 
expiration of this time, having somewhat recovered 
his vitality', he returned to Sadorus, and purchaseil 
the home where lie and his wife now live. Mr. 
Coler devotes his attention to the simple duties 
connected with his family affairs. 

The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Coler were 
liorii as follows: Ida N., .Iiine .'!, 18r)8; Dora A., 
July .'11, 18(;i ;Faniii(? M., Se|)t. 2, 187(J, and Annie 
C April 11, 188.'5. The latter was born in K;insas 
while the parents were traveling in that State. Ida 
N.. in 187G, became the wife of W. F. Nelson, a 
real-estate dealer in Kansas City and Nebraska; 
they have one child. Heiiham C. Coler. born in 
1.S77. Doi'ji, in 1 878, became the wife of W. C. 
Chapman, who owns and occujiies a good farm in 
Pesotnm Township. There were born to lliciii 
four children, of whom one, F'aiinie L., is deceased. 



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452 



4 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, 




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Tliosc surviving arc Wilfred C, Ida C. and Francis 
B. Fannie M. Coler died in infanc}'; Annie C, the 

youngest, is a bright little girl of four years ol<l, 
the joj- and pride of her parents" hearts. Mr. Coler, 
although no politician, casts his vote with the Dem- 
ofr.ntic party. Mrs. C. is a member of the Baptist 
Church. Their home is pleasantly located, and 
the3' are surrounded by a large circle of friends. 



' UOr.ST SPERLIN(;. a representative farm- 
er of East Bend Township, has established 
his permanent home a long way from the 
^ place of his l)irth, the latter lieing at the 

foot of the Hartz Mountains in tlie Province of 
Saxonj', Prussia. The date thereof was June 14. 
18:54. Ills father, Freidrich, was born at the same 
place, where the grandfather of our subject, in earl^' 
manhood, learned the trade of a millwright, and 
o|)erate(l a tl(.)uring and oil mill for many years, 
and until he departed from the scenes of his earthly 
labors. He had married, and raised a fine family, 
among the sons being Freidrich, the father of our 
subject, who attended school during his bo^'hood 
and youth, and when of suitable j'ears went into 
the mills with his father. After the death of the 
latter he inherited the mill property-, of which he 
retained possession until 1850. 

During the latter-named year Mr. Sperling sold 
his interest in the paternal estate, and setting sail 
from Hamburg, after a safe voyage, landed in New 
York City with his wife and two children. 'I'hey 
proceeded directly to Wisconsin, and the father, 
locating in Sheboygan, lived upon the interest of 
his money for tw(j 3ears following. He then pur- 
chased a farm four miles south of the city, to 
which he rcmoviMl, ami made every preparation to 
live happily and comfortably without excessive 
labor. He was a man oi great generosity, and be- 
came security for friends, by which he lost all his 
l)ro|)erty excei)ting the homestead of forty acres. 
Five years later he sold this and became a resident 
of East Bend Township, this county, making his 
home with his son, our subject. He has now ar- 
rived at the advanced age of oiglity years. The 
mother, who was formerlj' Miss Christine Bailer, 

4» 



died on the 3d of .Tulj-, ISiiG. One daughter, 
Dorothea, died in Prussia when al)ont nine years 
old: the second child died In Infancy ; Frederick is 
farming in East Beud Townshi|i. an<l August, of 
our sketch, was the fourtii and youngest child. 

In accordance with the laws and customs of his 
native country, our subject was placed in school at 
an early age, whicli he attpudcd (|uite steadily until 
the family came to this country, at which time he 
was eleven years old. After reaching Shelioygan, 
Wis., he resumed his studies in an English school 
for about two years, after which he was engaged 
on a farm with his father and in a llourlng-mill in 
Sheb03'gau until ls(;i. In tiie spring of tiiat year 
he commenced operating a mill at Winona. Minn., 
which he afterward aliaiidoned to engage in the 
grain trade. A bi'ief experience in this depart- 
ment of Inisincss w.as satisfactory, aud he resumed 
farming. In 1 .S(;r) he came to this count}' and lo- 
cated on a farm in East Bend Township, where he 
operated as a renter for six years. In the mean- 
time, in company with his brother, he purch.ased 
240 acres, which they fenced and lirokc as oppor- 
tunity permitted, and in ISTI put u]> a dwelling 
and other necessary buildings and took possession. 
The brothers afterward divided the property, our 
subject coming Into |)ossession of the north half of 
the tract purchased. Upon this he has planted a 
large variet}- of fruit and shade trees, and erected 
a fine set of frame b\iildlngs, wlildi are second to 
none In the township. He has also operated (ptite 
extensively as a beekeeper; he has about thirty-live 
stands, and in this department of .agriculture has 
been very successful, and is enl.-u'ging his facilities 
as an apiarist each year. In the l)reedlng of tine 
stock also he has been very successful. 

The marriage of our subject took place on the 
22d of April, IS61, the maiden of his choice being 
Miss Anna .1. Burkhardt. .Mrs. .Sperling was born 
in the Kingdom of \\urtem berg, Oct. 30. 1841, 
aud is the daughter of Conrad and .Maria Iturk- 
hardt. Her fatlier died in the old country in about 
18.50, and afterward the mother, with six of her 
children, in 18.52, emigrated to the United SUates, 
where two of hei- brothers had preceded her. She 
located first in Buffalo, N. Y., and later removed 
to Kiel, Wis., where her death took place about 



i 



•►-lf--4* 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, 



4 

455 




1884. The cliiMren of Mr. and Mrs. Sperling are, 
Emma, Frederick, Anna, Ahvin, Godfrey and Ilan- 
nali. 

Mr. Sperling votes the Uepubliean tiekel, and is 
regarded as one of tlie most valned members of 
his coniniunitj'. His farm is one of the best con- 
ducted in East Bend Township, and invariably at- 
tracts the eye t)f the passing traveler on account 
of its shapely and substantial buildings and the 
general air of tin'iftand prosperity that surrounds it. 



RS. ANN M. YEAZEL. widow of the late 
Abraham Yeazel, who was a prosperous 
/// IB and highly respected farmer of Homer 
Township, was the daugliter of .John and 
Mary (Spangler) Umbenhowcr, natives of Penn- 
sylvania, where thej' were reared and married. Her 
father was born in 1785, and died in Champaign 
County, 111., in 1830. He was a worth}' citizen, 
and a member in good standing of the Metlujdist 
J^piscopal Church. His wife, Mary, was born in 
1787, survived her husband twenty-seven years, 
and departed this life in Sidney Townshi|) in 1857. 
Tlie thirteen children of this liousehold were James, 
Anthony, Ann M., John, Samuel, Mary, Elizabeth, 
William, Isaiah, Jacol), (ieorge, Thomas and Nellie. 
Their daughter, Ann M. of onr sketch, was born 
Oct. 12, 18l;J, and was but two years of age when 
her parents removed to Berkeley County, W. Va., 
where she received her education. 

\Vhen a young lady of nineteen years old AUss 
Umbenhowcr went to Ohio, and there became ac- 
quainted with her fuliue husband, Aliraiiam Yea- 
zel. This friendship ri))e)ied into a mutual af- 
l'ecti(_>u, and they united their lives and fortunes on 
the 3(lth of October, l.s;!l, with the a.ssislance of 
Rev. Hinkle, of the Methodist Episcopal (.'hurch, 
the wedding taking place near Springfield, Ohio. 
Mr. Yeazel was a native of Clarke County, Ohio, 
born six miles east of Sprinyflold, .May 15, liSi;3. 
He commenced the struggle of life willKPUl nie;ins, 
but was possessed of much natural aliility, being 
enterprising and industrious, and in due time after 
coming to Illinois had accumulated a sum siidieieut 
to purcliase eighty acres of land. When this was 
1 r paiil for he li.ad lifly cents left. The land was only 



partially improved, and the task before him would 
have discouraged a man with less resolution and 
energy. He kept steadily onward, however, living 
economically and disbursing his funds in the wisest 
manner, and at the time of his death, besides giv- 
ing to each of his adopted children a small farm, 
had 200 acres reserved for his own use. 

Mr. and Mrs. Yeazel became the i)arents of one 
child only, William J., who only lived a few weeks. 
He was born Aug. 13. 1835, and died on the 4th of 
October following. Early in life they united with 
the Methodist Ei)iscopal Church, but in 187() be- 
came members of the Christian Church, with which 
Mr. Y. was connected at the time of his death. 
This sad event occurred on tiie 4th of March, 1887, 
upon the homestead which he had labored so many 
years to build up and in which efforts he succeeded 
so admirably. 

Mr. Yeazel is remembered by all as an honest 
man and a good citizen, and one who contributed 
his full share toward the building up of his town- 
ship, having come here in the early days (May, 
1835,) while a large portion of the prairie was wait- 
ing to he cultivated by the enterprising emigrant. 
He represented Homer Township on the Board of 
Suiter visors for several years and was otherwise 
connected with local affairs. Since the death of her 
husband Mrs. Yeazel has managed the farm with 
rare good ju<lgment and ability, her aim and object 
being to sustain the reputation which it gained by 
the efforts of her deceased husband. 

Mr. and Mrs. Yeazel lived together, sharing each 
other's joys and sorrows, for over half a century, 
laboring with one object in view, the establishment 
of a home, but at the same time helping others. 
Their portraits, which are placed on a contiguous 
page, will be recognized and appreciated by all who 
enjoyed their friendship or ac<iuaintancc. 

DOLPHUS W. HYDE, one of the most ex- 
(@7/J|| tensive and successful farmers of East 
Bend Township, owns a tract of valuable 
land on section 25, which he has brought 
to a good state of cultivation and upon it erected a 
handsome and substantial set of frame buildings 




w 




t 



4 



456 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



He came on horseback to this State from Indiana, 
in 1850. After his marriage he located first in 
Switzerland County, Ind., whence he removed two 
years later to this county, making the journey with a 
pair of liorses and wagon. He and his J'oung wife the 
first year lived three miles east of Mahomet, and in 
the spring of 1 So3 cauie to the present site of Cham- 
paign, wliere our subject rented land, which is 
now included in the city limits and covered with 
dwellings. He remained in that vicinity until 1869, 
in the meantime having purchased a part of his 
present farm. It now contains 320 acres, most of 
which was uncultivated at the time of purchase. 
The fields are now mostly enclosed with beautiful 
hedges, and Mr. A. has embellished the ground 
around the residence b^^ the planting of shade 
trees and choice shrubs. The barn and other out- 
buildings are of first-class description, and the 
stock and machinery well sheltered and cared for. 
Mr. Hyde is a native of Allensville, Switzerland 
Co., Ind., his birth taking place Feb. 16, 1825. 
His father, Amasa Hyde, a native of Vermont, was 
born near Rutland in 1796. He was the son of Walter 
Hyde, a native of the same State. His father, it is sup- 
posed, was of English birth and parentage, and 
was one of the pioneer settlers of the Green Mount- 
ain State, where he spent the la.st years of his life. 
Walter Hyde removed from Vermont to New York 
when a young man, and thence to Indiana in 1835, 
where his death occurred about 1844, at the home of 
his son, in Switzerland County". He married, in 
Ontario County-, N. Y., Miss Paulina Bennett, a 
native of that county, born .Marcli 10, 1797. In 
1818 the}' removed to Indiana, making tiie journey 
via the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers on a raft. He 
leased a tract of land in Switzerland County for 
a period of seven years, then purchased seventy 
acres in Cottr>n Township, of which fifty acres were 
cleared, and whicli he soon afterward sold at a 
good profit, and bouglit 160 acres of heav^' timber, 
where he first put up a log cabin and proceeded to 
chop down the forest trees. The logs were rolled 
together and burned, the stumps dug out of the 
ground and also liurned, and after being raked off 
the land was ready for tiie [jIow. 
I I Ama.<a Hyde in the above manner prepared 
▼ about 120 acres for cultivation, and in due time 

■» m. 4« 



put up a good set of farm buildings. He was a 
man of infiuence and standing in his community, 
and after liuilding up a good record as a citizen, 
neighbor, friend and father, departed this life on the 
10th of February, 1864. The mother survived for 
a period of twenty-one years, and died at the home 
of her son, two miles distant from the old home- 
Stead, in November, 1885. The parental family in- 
cluded eleven children, of whom four died young 
and seven lived to mature years. William B. is a 
resident of Polk County, Mo.; Samuel died in 
Switzerland County, Ind., in about 1885; Rosina 
married William McFadden, and lives in Switzer- 
land County. Ind.; Adolphus W. of our sketch was 
the fourth child; Olive became the wife of William 
Peabody, and died in East Bend Township in 1872; 
Wesley is a resident of Maples, Allen Co., Ind. ; 
Albert occupies the old homestead. 

Our subject was reared on his father's farm and 
educated in the pioneer schools. His first studies were 
conducted in a log cabin, and he attended school 
principally in the winter season, the remainder of the 
year assisting to clear the land and till the soil. He 
remained under the parental roof until attaining his 
majority, and then, in partnership with his brother, 
engaged in farming on a portion of the land be- 
longing to his father. Thej' operated together for 
three ye.ars, when our subject assumed the manage- 
ment of the homestead. Two years later he de- 
cided to locate in the Prairie State. 

After having laid his plans for the establishment 
of a future home, Mr. Hyde, on the 6th of Novem- 
ber. 1850, was united in marriage with Miss Sophia 
H. Choat. Mrs. II. was born in Posey Township, 
Switzerland Co., Ind., Jan. 25, 1828, on the farm 
of her father. Cautious .1. Choat,' and wjis reared to 
womanhood by her i)arents, with whom she re- 
mained until her marriage. Mr. Choat, a native of 
Vermont, was the son of Seth S. Choat, of Mas- 
sachusetts. The latter located in \'ermont .at .an 
early period in its history, whence he emigrated 
later to Indiana, and in 1850 to Illinois, where he 
spent the remainder of his life. His death occurred 
at the home of his daughter, Mi-s. Moss, in 1864. 
His son, Cautious J., the fatlicr of Mrs. Hyde, was 
about sixteen years old when Ills parents removed 
from N'ermont to Indiana, lie remained with them 
— ■» 



i 






f 



•4^ 



t 



-•► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



457 



until leiioliiiig iiKiiilmoil, and was mariioil in Switz- 
erland C'onnty tu Miss Elizabeth Cunningham. Slic 
also was a native of the Green Mountain State. 

After niarriniJ:{' the young people remained in 
Switzerland County, Ind., until 1845, when they 
came to Illinois, and Mr. C. purchased a tract of 
land live miles soutli of the city of 1,'eoria, upon 
which he located and remained until his death. The 
mother had died in Switzerlan<l County, Ind., in 
1.S3."). The six children of Mr.and Mrs. llydearo lo- 
cated as follows: Elizabeth C, the wife of George 
Durbin, lives in AVolcott, Ind. ; Peoria A. is the wife 
of Joseph Neal, a prosperous farmer of East Bend 
Township, this county; Albert A. is a resident of 
Hoopeston, Vermilion Co., 111.; Callie A. became 
the wife of James II. Abbott, and lives in Logan 
County, this State; Bruce A. and Lewis A. are at 
home with their parents. 

Mr. and Mrs. H. became members of the Prot- 
estant Methodist Church in 1873, and have con- 
tributed liberally and cheerfully to the support of 
the society in their conimunitj' since that time. Mr. 
Hyde was an adherent of the Whig party early in 
life, but on its abandonment by the organization of 
the Republican, cheerfully endorsed the principles 
of the latter, with which he has cast his vote con- 
tinuously since that time. 



-^-vr.-xtCCC^!?-^^ 



|^>*©J>a/Zr37l»v. -w^ 



<^|^LIAS L. IIARLESS. The subject of this 
'^ sketch, a resident of Condit Township, was 



E 



j' — -^ born among the hills of the Buckeye State, 
and with its free air imbibed that self-dependent 
spirit which has distinguished him as a worthy rep- 
s'esentative of the industrious element which has 
brought this country to its present proud position. 
He began the serious business of life with limited 
means, Imt took good care of his funds as thej' ac- 
cumulated, and in due time was rewarded by the 
consciousness that he vvas "getting on" in the 
world, and the prospect of becoming of some im- 
portance in both business and social circles. There 
is no doubt that this is a most comfortable state of 
mind antl spurs a man on to still greater exertions. 
He was a wise man who some time since made the 
statement that "nothina: succeeds like success." 



Mr. Ilarless is a descendant of excellent Gernjan 
ancestry, being the son of Elias Ilarless, Sr., and the 
grandson of l-^lias Ilarless, whose parents came di- 
rect from the Fatherland. They located in the 
Keystone State when it was scarcely removed from 
its condition as a Territory, where they remained a 
number of years, and then, with a family of chil- 
dren, removed to Virginia, where the latter were 
reared to the estate of men and women. Among 
them was Elias, the father of our subject, who was 
born in the Old Dominion and there reared and 
married. Afterward he removed to Ohio, locating 
first in Jlianii County, whence he removed two 
years later to Darke County, and was among the 
earliest settlers of Washington Township. He pur- 
chased a tract of timber land and erected a cabin 
in the wilderness when game of all kinds was plenty 
and he could stand in his doorway and shoot deer 
as the}' passed b}-. 

Elias Harness, Sr., lived to see the country well 
developed, and cleared a farm, establishing a com- 
fortable home, where he spent the remainder of his 
da3-s. His death occurred in May, 18HI, when he 
was about eighty-four j'ears of age. The mother 
of our subject before her marriage vyas Miss Naomi 
Layfon. She vvas born in Virginia in l7i)G, and 
departed this life at the home of her daughter, Mrs. 
Elizabeth Skidraore, in Darke County, Ohio, on the 
Gth of March, 1886, in the ninetieth j'ear of her 
age. She was a lad}' remarkable for her sprightli- 
ness and intelligence, and was in perfectly good 
health, her death being the result of an accident, 
she having fallen and broken her hip, which proved 
fatal ten da^'s later. She was the mother of four- 
teen children, all of whom, with one exception, 
grew to mature years. 

The subject of this histor}' was the eleventh child 
of the parental household, and passed his boyhoo<i 
and 30utli in the manner common to the sons of 
pioneers, receiving his early education in a log 
cabin. He |)ursued his studies at the Seminary in 
Kandoiph County and (itte<t iiimself for a teacher. 
He came to Illinois in 185;'), and opened his first 
school in Logan County, where he taught nine years 
in succession. At the ex|)iration of that time he 
concluded to turn liis attention to farming, and 
operated on rented laml until 18GH, then came into ^ 



i 



nito ' M 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



Champaign County and took jwssession of tlie farm 
which he now owns and occupies. It was a wild 
tract of open prairie at the time of purchase, as 
was also the greater part of the land adjacent. He 
at once commenced its improvement and cultiva- 
tion, erected a good set of frame buildings, has all 
the land enclosed, and produces some of the tinest 
crojjs in the Prairie State. The residence is a taste- 
fiil and substantial structure and the barn and other 
out-buildings are those of the modern and progres- 
sive farmer. 

Mr. Harless was married in Logan County, to 
Miss Martha E. Myers, a native of .Springfield, 111., 
and the daughter of Elijah Myers, of Pennsylvania, 
and one of the early pioneers of Sangamon Countj'. 
Mr. M. was a skillful farmer and mechanic, and re- 
moved from Springfield to Logan County, where 
he purchased a farm and still lives. Of this mar- 
riage there have been born three children : Joseph- 
ine, Mrs. White, is a resident of East Bend Town- 
ship; Zeni was born in 1872, and Alvah in liS83. 
These two latter reside at home with their parents. 
Our subject and wife are consistent members of the 
Christian Church, and Mr. H., politically, is a de- 
cided Republican. 

EMANUEL RADEBAUGH, who has been a 
resident of this county since the spring of 
1872, is the possessor of a comfortable home- 
stead on .section IG, Champaign Township, which 
comprises 100 acres of finely' improved land and a 
good set of farm buildings. He is a native of the 
Buckeye State, born in Pleasant Township, Fair- 
field County. Nov. 11. 1841. His f.ather, Peter, 
and his grandfather. John Radebaugh, were natives 
of Bedford County. Pa., to which the grandfather, 
Nicholas R., removed from the eastern part of the 
Keystone State in tlie pioneer days. The latter 
cleared a large farm in Bedford County, of which 
he remained a resident until 1802. He then sold 
out his interests in Pennsylvania, and, accompanied 
by his wife, children and grandchildren, turned his 
steps westward, and settled in Fairfield County, 
Ohio, at an early period in the history of that 
w region. The Indians still roamed the wilderness, 



-t 



the present site of Lancaster, the county seat, being 
one of their camping grounds. 

Nicholas Radebaugh at this time, although be- 
yond his prime, still possessed the energy' which 
characterized his youth, and immediately com- 
menced the improvement of a farm. He added to 
his first claim as time pa.ssed on, and at one time 
owned upward of 5,000 acres of land. He lived 
and labored until 1 8.50, his death then occurring 
after he had arrived at the unusual age of one hun- 
dred and three years. His son John, the grandfather 
of our subject, who was at the time of the removal 
to Ohio a married man with a family', also cleared a 
farm from the wilderness and established a com- 
fortable homestead, where he spent the remainder 
of his life, dying in about 1849, a short time before 
the death of his venerable father. 

Peter Radebaugh, the father of our subject, was 
in his second year when his parents located in 
Fairfield County, Ohio, where he was reared to 
manhood. In the meantime he assisted his father 
in clearing the farm, received a limited education 
in the pioneer schools, and remained under the 
parental roof until his marriage. After this event 
he settled upon a tract of laml in Pleasant Town- 
ship. Fairfield County, which had been given him 
by his grandfather, and where he lived until his 
death in 1804. His wife, formerly' Miss .Sarah 
Simon, was born in Bedford County, Pa., and lives 
on the old homestead in Ohio. 

Of the eight children born to the parents of our 
subject. Emanuel was the third. He was reared, 
like his forefathers, to farming pursuits, attended 
school during his chihnu)od and youth, and re- 
mained with his parents until twenty-one years of 
age, when he married, and rented land near the old 
home. This he operated for three years, and in 
18G5 purchased a small farm of sixt^'-two acrejs, 
which he occupied seven years. Then, not being 
quite satisfied with his condition or prospects in his 
native State, he set out for the prairies of Illinois, 
and locating in this county, rented laud, first in 
Champaign Township for three j'ears, then in Ur- 
bana Township for two years, and afterward in 
Tolono Township, until 1881. That year he pur- 
chased the farm which he now owns and occupies. 
Here with his family he is enjoying all the com- 



i 



■f- 







CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



459 



forts of life and the esteem and confidence of his 
neighbors and friends. 

The marriage of our subject tooli jjlace in No- 
vember, l!S()2, the lady of his choice being Miss 
Sarah Danner. She also is a native of Ohio, born 
in Greenfield Township, Fairfield County, .Ian. !), 
1842. Her father, John Danner, a native of Ger- 
many, emigrated to America wiien a young man 
and located in ()hio. He was there married to 
Miss Caroline Shaffer, a native of his own country, 
and they located on a farm, where the father still 
resides. The mother departed this life in 1884. 
Mr. and Mrs. Radebaugh are the parents of nine 
children, namelj% Clara Alice, S. P. Willis, Susie 
II., John W., Cyrus Emanuel, C. Estella, Harry E., 
Ro3' and Russell. Tlie eldest daughter is the wife 
of Alfred Reed, and resides in San Diego, Cal. 
Mr. Radeliaugh takes an active interest in the wel- 
fare of his township and county, and uniformly 
casts his vote with the Republican party. 



S3- 



-€-*^- 



-^ 



( OHN D. SELTZER, a sulistantial and pros- 
perous farmer of Raymond Township, comes 
of excellent Pennsylvania stock, and was 
born in Schuj'lkill County, that State, April 
fi, 1843. His parents, Michael and Mary (Fryer) 
Seltzei', were natives of the same county as their 
son, the former born in 1810 and the latter in 1808. 
Their parents were also natives of Pennsylvania, 
born in the same neighborhood where the first rep- 
resentatives of the Seltzer familj' in this country 
located during the first settlement of the State. 

The parents of our subject were married in 
1833, and while residing on a farm also kept hotel 
for a time. The father was a stanch Democrat, 
and at one time served as Deputy Sheriff in Scliuyl- 
kill County. They reared a family of four sons 
and tln-ee daughters, all of whom reached their ma- 
jority. The eldest, Francis R., was married, be- 
came the father of three children, and died in 
Pennsylvania; Abraham, during the late war, was 
a private in Co. A. 48th Pa. \\>\. Inf., and served 
until the close ; he then returned to his home, and 
from there went to New York City, whence lie 
wrote back to his parents that he was about to sail 

<f 



on an ocean vessel for a voyage, and was never af- 
terward heard from. Charles is a resident of Par- 
sons, Kan.; John D. of our sketch, was the fourth 
son; Rebecca became the wife of John Meddler, 
and is a resident of Pennsylvania; Amanda mar- 
ried Jacob Kimmel, and Elizabeth became Mrs. 
Joseph Bt)rdy; both reside in Schuylkill County, 
Pa. 

The parents remained in their native count}- until 
1878, and then going to one of their grandcliildren 
in Kansas, lived there one year, then returning 
East as far as Illinois, took up their abode with 
their son, our subject. The mother depaited this 
life March 11, 1882. The father is still living, and 
in the enjoyment of good health. Both were mem- 
bers of the United Brethren Ch\irch." 

Mr. Seltzer of our sketch, in common with liis 
brothers and sisters, received his primary educa- 
tion in the common schools. He subsequently en- 
tered Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, 
N. Y., whence he graduated in 1863. His fatiier 
had purchased a piece of land in Du Page County, 
111., and as the sister did not wish to go West, his 
father told him that if he desired to go, he should 
have a claim upon the land. There having been 
paid $500, our subject was quick to accept the 
proposition. The land nicluded 190 acres, and had 
been partially improved. He remained upon it 
two seasons and then sold out. His father in the 
meantime had sent him |il,000 in money, and from 
the sale of the land he realized a small profit, so 
that he now considered himself in a fair way to be 
able to provide for the needs of a family. Accord- 
ingly on the 15th of February, 1860, he was mar- 
ried to Mrs. Sarah E. (F]rb) Davis. Mrs. Seltzer 
is a native of Lancaster County, Pa., born in 1838, 
After our subject disposed of his farm in Cook 
County, he located in Napervillc, and during the 
count}' seat contest, he was appointed as one of 
the policemen to guard the County Records, and 
subsequently served as a Street Commissioner. In 
1871 he removed to Champaign County, and on 
the 2(5th of July following, purchased 100 acres of 
raw ))rairie, which is now included in his present 
homestead. His wife remained in Du Page County 
until the following fall, by wliich time Mr. Seltzer 
had put up a suitable dwelling. He was very sue- i 



i 






L. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



cessfiil in this venture and added to his real estate 
fruni time ti) time nntil he is now tiie owner of 
440 acres, all improved and supplied with two sets 
of farm liuildinys. His residence and its surround- 
ings, a view of which is shown in this Album, is 
one of the finest in this section of the country, and 
of late 3'ears he h.as been [jrincipall^' engaged in 
the raising of grain and stock. 

Our subject and his wife have become the par- 
ents of five children, namely, Ella, Amanda, L^'dia, 
John and Susie. Mrs. Seltzer had one child by 
her former marriage, a son, Charles Davis. All the 
brothers of Mr. Seltzer served as soldiers of the 
Union army during the late war. John 1). desired 
also to join them, l)ut liis father persuaded him to 
attend school instead. Mr. Seltzer takes an active 
interest in all public enterprises, and althougii not 
a member of any church, has assisted in putting up 
the buildings of the j'oligious denominations in his 
neighborhood. He afiiliates ivith the Democratic 
party, and has served as Justice of the Peace and 
Highw.ay Commissioner, besides being Township 
Treasurer for several years. 



EDWIN M. ALLISON, a native of the Buck- 
eye State, wiierein he was reared until lie , 
readied his majority, in starting out for 
himself in life journeyed into Illinois, of which he 
became a resident in Noveniliei', 18G.S. He was lu'ed 
to farming |)ursuits, wiiicli he has followed thus far 
in life, and is now located in Brown Towusiiip, on 
section :i:). Here he has 100 acres conveniently 
laid off in pasture and grain fields, with a comft)rta- 
ble dwelling, good barn, and all the other buildings 
necessary for the carrying on of agriculture after 
the most approved methods. 

The birth of our suliject occurred in Champaign 
County, Ohio, Sept. 7, 184G. His parents, Wilfred 
and .Susan (J^iltletoii) Allison, were natives of \'ir- ' 
gijiia, wiiere they were reared and manied. 4"liev 
removed from the Old Dominion to Ciianipaign 
County, Oliio, in is;il», and Ijuilt up a iiome in a 
new country, wiicic lliey passed the remainder of 
tlicir days. The mother passed to her final rest on , 



the .5th of August, IS.5.5. The ileatii of Wilfred 
Allison occurred Nov. .5, 1HG7. The hon.sehold in- 
cluded ten children, of wiiom Edwin I\L of our 
sketch was tiie youngest. In common with his 
brothers and sisters he attended school during his 
boyhood, and as soon as his services could be made 
available assisted his father on the farm. 

Three years after locating in this county, and 
feeling that his financial (irospects would justify 
him ill taking the stej), Mr. Allison began tlie estab- 
lishment of a h(»me b^' taking unto himself a wife. 
Miss Nanc}' Sumers, to whom he was married Aiiril 
14, 1S71. Mrs. A. was born in l)e Witt C(ninty, 111., 
Sei)t. 2, 1849, and is the daughter of Peter and 
Elizabeth (.Swermgen) .Sinners, natives respectively' 
of Indiana and Illinois. The parents of Mrs. A. after 
marriage took up their abode in Wapella Township, 
De Witt Couiit3, where they still reside, and where 
their family of eleven chililren one by one gathered 
around the hearthstone. Before her marriage Mrs. 
A., who had received a gt)od education, taught 
school in De Witt, McLean and Champaign Coun- 
ties. After her marriage the eight children who 
claimed her attention as mother and tutor were 
Frank, Lulu B., Edna M., Nola E., Kate G., Byron 
W., Oris W. and Irene C Of these, three daugh- 
ters — Lulu, Edna and Kate — lie in the quiet coun- 
try burying-ground, and their names are held in 
tender remenilirance b}' those who are left behind. 

Mr. Allison has held the various oflices of his 
township, is Bepublican in politics, and sociall}' is a 
member of Lodge No. 704, 1. O. O. F., at Fisher. 
He and his wife are members of the Christian 
Church at Fisher, and still hold their membership 
in a worthy and consistent inaiiner. 



%^ 



AVID L. YANCEY, the proprietor of 433 
,| J acres on section 34, of Newcomb Town- 
ifijj^^ ship, has been a resident of this count}' 
since 180(1. Three years later he located 
ill the .ibove-nanuMl township, of which he re- 
maiiu'd a resident for seventeen ye;irs. and then re- 
moved to Mahomet, where for six montiis he was 



i 



i 



h- 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



461 



I 

4 



engaged in the grocery trade. In 188ij ho retmiioil 
to Newcoinl) Township, thence in 1887 to Ma- 
homet, which will probably become his ijermanent 
home. He has one of the finest farms in tiiis sec- 
tion of country-, with a handsome and sulistantial 
residence and all modern improvements. He ii.as 
also b3' his straightforward business methods and 
excellent (pialities as a citizen, established himself 
in the esteem and confidence of the residents of the 
township and enjoys the association of its best 
peoi)le. 

Tlie parents of our subject, William and Katuruli 
(Arnold) Yancey, were both natives of Kentucky, 
where the father learned the trade of a blacksmith 
but gave his principal attention to farming. They 
S|)ent their entire lives in their native State and in 
the county which gave them birth. The parental 
household included two children only, David L. of 
our sketch and his brother, John. Our subject was 
bom in Lewis County, Ky., March 13, 1827. When 
but an infant his parents removed to Fleming Coun- 
ty, that State, where he lived until twenty-live years 
of age. He then took up his abode in Mason 
County, wliere he lived until 1860, the year of his 
removal to this county. His subsequent career we 
have briefly indicated. Included in his homestead 
are 124 acres of valuable timber. The land has been 
well tilled and produces the finest crops of the 
Prairie State. 

The marriage of our subject took place in New- 
comb Townshii), Aug. 26, 1858, the maiden of his 
choice being Miss Margaret A., daughter of Joseph 
T. and Jemima M. (Piper) Everett, also natives of 
Lewis County, Ky. Mr. and Mrs. E. became resi- 
dents of Champaign County- in 1 « 1 1 , locating in 
Newcomb Township, where the mother died nine 
years later. Mr. Everett had been here in 1837, when 
he enlcie<l land in Newcomb and Mahomet Town- 
shi|)s. Mr. E. was married a second time and took up 
his aljode in Cliampaign City, where his decease took 
phu^e June 11, 1878. Their three children were 
.Margaret A., wife of our subject; Martha, and 
Louisa L. Mrs. Yancey was born in Newc4)nil) 
Township, Dec. 14, 1841, and became the motlier 
of three children, of whom (jne died in infancy un- 
named ; .Josephine died when eight montiis old; 
William iniuried Miss Kate Scott, and is farming 



in Newcoml) Tuwiisliiii. Mr. Y.incey isaniemlier in 
good standing of the Masonic fr;iternily, and, with 
his wife, is connected with the liaptist Church. 
Politically he is a firm supporter of Democratic 
principles. 



'SjOlIN M. SMITHSON,of Pesotum Township, 
was born in Highland County, Ohio, June 
13. 1823. His father, a native of Virginia, 
(^j^j was born about the year 1780. He located 
in Highland County, Ohio, after his marriage. The 
bride, formerly Miss Millie Mnrrell, lived near 
Lynchburg. In 1836 they removed from the 
Buckeye State to Indiana, but four years afterward 
returned to Ohio, .settling in Clinton County, where 
he spent the remainder of his life, iiis death occur- 
ring in 1879, when he had arrived at the advanced 
age of ninety-nine years. 

The subject of our sketch was the liftli child of a 
family of twelve, and was born and reared on 
a farm. When called upon to choose his vocation 
he at once determined to follow in the footsteps of 
his father and grandfathers, and unhesitatingly 
made his arrangements to contiuue rural life. Com- 
ing to Illinois he located in this county and first 
purchased forty acres of land, which amount he 
soon afterward doubled. 

In 1845 Mr. Smithson was married to Miss Mary 
Moon, eldest child of Solomon and Hannah (Mc- 
Lin) Moon. Her parents, both born in 1803 and 
natives of Tennessee, removed to Ohio in 1809, be- 
ing among its earliest pioneers. They were strong 
advocates of temperance, and practiced its [irinciples 
through life. Religiously they were connected with 
the Society of Friends. The paternal grandparents 
of Mrs. S. were natives of Georgia, while her moth- 
er's family were from Tennessee, and were also 
Quakers in religious faith, being among its teachers 
and preachers. 

Mr. ai\d Mrs. Smithson became the parents of 
seven children, five of whom are living — Mahala E., 
Lydia M., Florence, Frank and Louis Carter. 
Hannah died in infancy; Helena married Isaac M. 
lUindy, a Methodist minister of this county, and on 
Jan. 25, IKH4, passed aw.-iy, leaving three children; 



'k 



i > 462 



-•► 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Mahala mariioil Matthew B. McFadden, a Methorl- 
ist iniiiistfi- of Adams Count}' ; L3'dia marriod 
James R. Piicket, and resides on the home farm 
whicli he lately purchased, adjoining that of our 
subject; Florence married Elijah M. .leffers, a 
Methodist minister of Piatt County, this State; 
Frank and Louis remain single, and arc at home 
with tiieir parents. Mr. Smithsou was formerly a 
member of the Methodist Church, Ijut is now, with 
his wife, associated with the Friends. He lias served 
as .School Director for many years, and ijoliticall}' 
is a Republican of the first water. 



^^J>- 



-^ 



\4\ felLLIAM WILSON, deceased, who estab- 
\/iJi/ 1''''^^'' ^ permanent homestead in Raymond 
\^^ Townshii) in the spring of 1800, and be- 
came one of its most highly respected citizens, was 
a native i>i Country Armagh. Ireland, where he 
was reared to manhood and engaged in teaching 
until his marriage with Miss Martha Fulton, a na- 
tive of County Tyrone. After beconuug the par- 
ents of three children they set sail for the New 
World in the ho|)e of bettering their condition and 
giving to their offspring those .advantages which 
were denied them in their native country. They 
arrived in the city of New York in the fall of 
1840, and after a residence there of eight months, 
came to this State. Tiu'y remained here, however, 
only until 1819, when they returned eastward as 
far as Ohio, and took up their abode in Cincinnati. 
From there they removed to Springfield, .and 
thence to near Urbana, Ohio. In 1 856 they returned 
to Illinois and once more became residents of A^er- 
milion Couutj^ where they remained until 1864, 
and in that year came into Champaign County. 

William Wilson was a man of excellent educa- 
tion and had followed the pr(jfession of a teacher 
in his native Ireland before coming to the United 
.suites. He resumed his cho.sen calling in this 
coun.,ry until about four years before locating 
upoi. his farm in Raymoud Township. This in- 
cluded 240 acres of choice land, which he cultivated 
and sn|)i)lied with good liuildings, and where he 
-prut the remainder of his days, his decease occur- 
ring in October, 1874, at the age of fifty-five years. 



ten months and twenty d.ays. The faithful com- 
panion of his joys and sorrows still survives and is 
now seventy years old. She makes her home on 
the old home i)lace. 

William Wilson and his wife became the parents 
of nine children, of whom two daughters died in 
childhood and Martha .1., when thirty years of .age, 
March 25, 1883. There are 3'et living six sous. 
namely, George. William, riiomas, John, Henry 
and James. These, with the exception of John, 
who is living near Savoy, are farming in R.ay- 
mond Township. Mr. Wilson proved himself a 
worthy and valued citizen .and w.as held in high re- 
spect by all who knew him. Religiously he held 
to the belief of Epi-scojialian doctrines, and politi- 
eallv he was a stanch Democr.at. 




\f5*>. A\Ii) NAYLOU. This highly esteemed 
citizen of Newcomb Township owns and 
occupies a gooil farm of 1 GO acres on sec- 
tion 3. He w.as at one time the owner of 
400 in Newcomb and Brown Townships, a part of 
which he divided among his children. The home- 
stead is supplied with a good residence, barn and 
out-buildings, which are kept in first-cl.ass order, 
and the entire ijremises give evidence of the indus- 
try and good taste of their proprietor. When Mr. 
Na3'lor came to this section there were no houses 
to rent and he with his family occni)ied a school- 
house, 12x14 feet, until he could put up a dwell- 
ing. He has been eminently successful as a fanner 
and Imsiness man. and besides his land in this 
township, owns 440 acres in Iowa. 

The subject of this historj' was born in Adams 
County, Ohio, Oct. 28, 1819, and is the son of 
Samuel and Sarah (Tucker) Naylor, natives re- 
spectively of Kentucky and Virginia. Samuel Nay- 
lor was of Knglish descent, and after his marriage 
located in Adams Count}', t)liio, where with his ex- 
cellent wife he spent the remainder of his days. 
The mother died in 1851, and the father a few 
years later. The twelve children born to them con- 
sisted of seven sons and five daughters. 

David Naylor was reared on his father's farm 



:^^^M~^ 



t. 



•►-»-4»- 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



465 



i 



and remained with his parents until twenty-five 
j'ears old. He then married and engaijed in busi- 
ness for Iiiniself. Ho continued in Adams County 
the following year and thence removed to Brown 
County, where he engaged in mercantile business 
eighteen months. He then returned to his native 
county and engaged in merchandising and the sale 
of cord wood from 184;') to 1854, when his f.ather 
died. He then .settled up the estate, purchased the 
interest of the heirs in the homestead, and continued 
a resident of Adams Countj' until ISC.i. That 
year he came to Illinois, and located in Newcomb 
Township, this county, of which he has since been 
a resident. 

The marriage of David Nay lor and Miss Mahala 
Wade took pl.ace in Adams County. Oliio, May 16, 
1845. Mrs. N. is the daughter of Zephaniah and 
Mar}' (XN'ashburne) Wade, who were of German 
ancestry and became residents of Adams County, 
Ohio, soon after their marriage, where the}' spent 
the remainder of their days. Thej' became the par- 
ents of fifteen children, eight bo3's and seven girls, 
all of whom lived to mature 3'ears. Mrs. Naylor 
was a twin. She was born in Adams County, Ohio, 
Oct. 17, 181G. Of her union with our subject 
there have been born eleven children, of whom only 
four survive, namely, Edmund, Sarah A., James 
B. and Ida M. Five of their children died in in- 
fancy. Kdmund married Miss Fannie M. Mider, 
and resides in Brown Township, this county; Sarah 
is the wife of Alfred Loveless, a farmer of New- 
comb Township; James married Miss Sarah Fair- 
fiehl, and is farming in Condit Townsliip; Mary, 
who married Rev. Joel Corle}', of the United Breth- 
ren Church, died in Saybrook, McLean Co., III., 
March 19, 1872, leaving one child, David B., who 
was only eight days old. Before her death she 
gave the boy to her parents to bring up, bv whom 
he was tender!\' eared for, but the cords of love 
wiiich had been broken by tlie death of their daugli- 
ter. were onlj' destined to be more rudely shocked 
by the sudden death of their dearly love<l grand- 
son, when he was abcjut fifteen years of age. On 
the 18th of June, liS!S7, while nt tlie village of 
Fisher, he was jerked from his feet by his frightened 
horse, and instantly killed, iiis neck l)cing dislocated. 
Zipporiili Naylor died in Newcomb Townsliip in 

4» 



November, 1871, of diijhtheria. Ida M. is resid- 
ing with iier parents. 

Politically Mr. Naylor is a stanch Heimblican. 
He has been a very abstemious man, never tasting 
liqu(n", and never using tobacco in any form. It 
is hardly necessary to say that he is warmly in- 
terested in the success of the Prohibition move- 
ment. Both our subject and his wife are members 
in good standing of the United Brethren Church, 
in which Mr. N. holds a license to preach and h.as 
been Class-Leader and Trustee. A lithographic 
view of the handsome residence and home place of 
Mr. Naylor is shown elsewhere in this work. 

^ETF:R THOMPSON, a retired farmer, who 

has spent the last few years in comfortable 

^ retirement in the village of Fi.sher, has 

I I witli the exception of the time spent in the 
arm}', been a resident of the Prairie State for sev- 
eral years, mostly engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
He is a descendant of an excellent Scottish family, 
the first representatives of wliom in America, Peter 
and Mary ThomiKson, tiie parents of our suliject, 
located first in Adams County, Ohio, in 1818. 
They were l)orn in Scotland and spout Ihoir last 
diiys in the Buckeye State. 

The parental household, of uhuni I'otor Tliuiiip- 
son was the seventh child, includod sovoii sons and 
three daugiiters, a part of whom were born in Scot- 
land. The subject of our sketch is a native of 
Adams County, Ohio, and was first introduced to 
the busy world on the 23d of March, l.s;!2. He 
was reared on his father's farm, and during tiie win- 
ter seasons einployod his time in stud}' at the <iis- 
trict schools, coulinuing an inmate of his father's 
house until twenty-one years of age. Ho was more 
than ordinarily intelligent and liad made good use of 
his opportunities, and was now well fitted fiir the 
duties of a leaclier of those days. He followed 
teaching in his native State for twelve years suc- 
cessively, ami afterward a siiort time in Illinois. He 
first visited this State in March, 1854, sojourning 
in DeWitt County three years, after which he re- 
turnecl to Ohio and rem.aineil a resident of liis na- 
tive county iiiilii 1874. 



'i 



t 



■i^K^ 



466 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Tn the incaiitiine, after tlie Ijreakiiig out of the 
war, 'Slv. Tli(iini).s()n enlisted in .luly, 1861, soon 
after the first call fV-r truoi)s, in Co. 1, ^tlth Ohio 
\o\. Inf., serving until the close. He entered upon 
his duties as a private, was first coniniissioned 
Second Lieutenant, and in tlie spring of 180.0 pro- 
moted First Lieutenant, lie participated in the 
battle of Corinth, was in Sliernian's (reorgia Cam- 
paign and tile march to Atlanta and the sea. also 
through tlie Carolinas hack to NVashington, where 
he partiei()ated in the grand review. He came out 
of the service unharnied and returned to his na- 
tive c(junty in Ohio, where he remained until the 
spring of 187 L 

Our subject then determined to try his fortunes 
in the West, and coining to this county purchased 
480 acres of land in Newcomli Township, which he 
afterward sold, and bought various tracts of land on 
other sections. lie is now the owner of 700 acres, 
all improved and with suitable buildings. Since 
18S0 he has beeu a resident of Fisher. He casts his 
vote with the Keiiiiblican party, and soei-illy is a 
member of Van Wert Post No. 300. Although 
perhaps not the hero of any thrilling incidents in 
life lis has filled his niche worthily as a reliable 
citizen, prompt to meet his oltligations, and present- 
ing the example of a man whose word is as good 
as his bond. 

'fi?ONATHAN H. LINKBARGER, a tile manu- 
facturer and dealer in grain and coal, hav- 
ing his headquarters in the village of Fisher, 
Brown Township, is one Of the important 
factors of the liusiness comiiiunity of this section, 
[lossessing all the enterprise and energy re<iuisite 
for the successful prosecution of his chosen calling. 
We give the main points of his history as follows: 
His parents, Henry and Nancy (Ilougham) Line- 
barger, were natives iespectivel3- of Ni>rth Caro- 
lina and Ohio, the former a descendant of excel- 
lent (ierinan ancestry, and the latter of Knglish 
and Welsh. After marriage they located in Parke 
County, I lid., whence they removed, in 1832, to 
Will County, this Stale, locating about seven miles 
from the present site of Joliet, then a mere hamlet, 

4» 



. where they engaged in farming, and spent the last 
years of their lives. 

The |)areiilal liouseholil included three daughters 
and four sons, our subject being the fourth child. 
He was liorn on the farm in .lackson, P^eb. 1, 1830, 
and lived with his mother until attaining his ma- 

■ jority, his father having died vvhen he was but six 
years of age. Ileiiiy Linebarger, bj' industry- and 
forethought had laid theb.isisof a home and acorape- 

I teiicy for his family, an<l with the money inherited 
from his m(.)ther's estate our subject, upon coming 
of age, purchased a tract of land near the old home- 
stead in Will County, which he improved and cul- 
tivated until 18(>8. Then, deciding upon a change 
of location and occupation, he sold his farm and 
repairing to Klwood, in that same county, en- 
gaged in merchandising, his stock in trade compris- 
ing dr3'-goods, grain and lumber. 

Two years later, abandoning this project, Mr. 
Linebarger removed to Stanford, .McLean County, 
and in company with his two brothers, Lewis and 
Henry, built an elevator, and besides large transac- 
tion in grain dealt also in lumber. They erected 
an elevator at \^arney, in Marshall County, in the 
fall of 1871, made memorable by the Chicago lirci 
and two 3'ears later put up another elevator at La 
Ro.se. In about 1876, extending their operations, 
they built an elevattir at Minier, Tazewell County- 
This, however, after two ^-cars the^' sold, and pur- 
chased the elevator at Washburn, in Woodford 
Countj'. In 1874 they (iroviiled Foosland, in 
Brown Township, with a structure of the same de- 
scription, and that same \-ear Mr. Lineberger re- 
moved there with his family. This last elevator 
the partner disposed of in 1879, and the following 
year our subject became a resident of Fisher. In 
1877 Linebarger Bros, purchased the elevator at 
Oxford, Johnson Co., Iowa, which the^' <jperated 
with the same success that had distinguished their 
other ventures. 

The brothers continued together until 1884, dur- 
ing wliicli time they had erected a building for the 
reception of grain at Dickerson, III. Since the date 
above mentioned our subject has conducted busi- 
ness alone, erecting in 1880 a building for the 
iiiannfacture of tile. Soon after this industry had 
been fairly started the boiler burst, incurring seri- 




t. 



■^•- 



.t 



CriA^IPAlGN COUNTY. 



467 






oils daniagt'!^. Iml witliimt tlu' l(jss of life. In the 
tilo fiictory Mr. 1^. gives oiiiploymi'nt to t'lum eight 
to ten men, and the proeeeds 3-ield liiin annuMlly a 
handsome income. Resides his properly in Fisher 
he has a line farm of l'i'2 aeres in Brown rownship. 
and a vahiabh' traet of ninety-two in East Bend 
Townsliip. lie erected a tile factory at Savoy in 
this counts' in 1SS7, whicli is now l)eing carried on 
by Samuel J. Felton. 

The lady wiio became Mrs. Linel)argcr on llie 
2()th of Febrnaiy, 18.)7, ft)rniorly iMiss Sarah iJavis, 
was born in Will Comity, .Inly •>, Ksys. Her par- 
ents were Jacob and Elizabeth Davis. Jacob was 
born ill Centerville, W'a^Mic Co., Ind., and Eliza- 
beth Parsons in Kentucky, whence she moved to 
Indiana wiien fourteen years of age. They were 
married in is;j,"), and moved to Illinois the same 
year. .Mrs. L. remained under the parental roof 
during her childhood and youth, receiving a com- 
mon-school education, and was married at her 
lujiiie in Will County. Of the seven children born 
to our subject and his wife only three survive, 
namely, John II., Mary E. and (leorge E. All are 
at home with their parents. Those deceased arc 
Levi II., Clara I.. Frank and \\'illie. Clara died 
when an interesting girl of fourteen years, and the 
Others ill infancy. .Mr. ].,. casts his vote with the 
Democratic parly, lie is a strong temperance 
man, anxious for the success of the prohibition 
movement. He and his wife became menibers of 
the Methodist ilpiscopal Church in \^5'J and 1857 
respectively. 



?)HOMAS GORDY, a retired farmei- of I'hilo 
Township, is. now living within the vil- 
lage limits where, after a busy and active 
life, he took up his residence in l.ss.") to pass the re- 
mainder of his days in the comfort and (piiet justly 
earned after a career of active industiy. lie be- 
came a resident of Champaign County in llsTf!, lo- 
cating on section 1;"), in I'hilo Township. He lirst 
purchased a farm of eighty acres .and then another 
traet of land elsewhere in the township. In due 
time he .solil the homestead to his eldest son, \\ . N. 
tiordy, by whom it is now occupied. Besides live 




aeres within the village. Air. (J. owns eighty jnsl 
south of the limits and 240 acres in Crittenden 
Townsliip, which is tinely located and improved, 
and forms one of the choicest l)oclies of land in 
that section. 

Mr. (Jordy is a native of Pickaway County, 
Ohio, born in August, 1821, and is the sou of .b>hn 
(iord^', who died when our subject was a small 
, child. Although having been a soldier in the Rev- 
olutionary War he was but sevent3'-three years of 
i age at the time of his death. He enlisted as a 
drummer boy when eighteen ye;irs old. Our sub- 
ject is si.\ty-six years old, and this is probably the 
only instance on record of a man of his age having 
a father who assisted in bringing about the inde- 
pendence of the Colonics. John Gorily after his 
retirement from the armj' resumed his trade as a 
cooper, and it is supiiosed was married in Dela- 
ware, whence he removed to Ohio. His wife, the 
mother of our subject, was formerly Miss Sarah 
Hand}', a native of Delaware; she was the second 
wife of .lolin (iordy. She accompanied her hus- 
band to Ohio, and after his death came to Illinois 
and located in Douglas County", where she died in 
about 1<S(;2 or 1863. 

Thomas (!ordy was the youngest but two of his 
mother's children, and p.assed his childhood and 
3'outh in Pickaway County. Ohio. He lemained 
the snpporrer of his widowed mother until tweiity- 
seveu years of age. He was married, F'eb. 22, 18.50, 
to Miss Millie A. Maddox, a native of that county. 
and who removed with her parents to Illinois when 
a young lady. She was born in 1822, and died in 
Christian County, III., in 18G1), leaving seven chil- 
dren — William W., Benjaniiu, Xaiicy M., Francis 
v., all married ; Margaret, Sarah E., marri(!d, and 
Mary A. 

The second marriage of Mr. (Jordy look [ilace in 
Coles County, III., Se|)t. .5, 1870, with Mrs. Marga- 
ret L. (Maddox) Redden, who was a sister of his 
first wife. She w.as born in .Monroe Township. Pick- 
away Co.. Ohio, Dec. 15, 1 8;!0, and was the daugh- 
ter of Benj;imin and N;incy (O'Neil) Maddox, na- 
tives of Kentucky, where they were reared and 
married. After the birlh of one child, they moved to 
Pickaway County, Ohio, win re they lived for some 
years on a farm, and in IMS v:\nn' to Illinoi-, sel- 



■*► 



i 



h 



■•► 



4- 



468 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



tliiij^ ill Douglas County among the other jiioneers 
of that section. There the father died in 18G2, 
when sixty-three years of age. The niotiier is yet 
living on tiie old homestead in Sargent Township, 
Doughis County, and is now arrived at the ad- 
vanced age of eiglity-seven years. 

Onrsulijoct and his vvifo have lived in Cliristian, 
Macon and Ciiampaign Counties, in each of which 
Mr. (1. has dealt considerably in real estate. The\- 
have one son, Arthur C. Mrs. G. by her first mar- 
riage became the motlier of seven children: Mar^' 
A. is deceased; George W., Amanda K.. Sarah F., 
.lames W., and Dora B. arc married; Eliza J. is at 
home. The parents and most of the children are 
connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
of whieii our subject is a Trustee and a prominent 
niend)er in its counsels. Politically he upholds the 
princi|)les of the Democratic party. 



ERNST LORENZ. the pioneer merchant of 
Dewey, is one of the independent spirits 
who was not afraid to risk iiis fortuues in a 
new and untried country, having full faitli in the 
abundance of its resources and devch>[)ment. He 
is a gentleman still in tlio prime of life, and has 
watclied with unabated interest tiie growth and 
prosperity- of his adopted State, to which he came 
witii his parents wlien liut a lad. His birthplace 
was Saxe-Weiraer, (ierniaiiy, and the date thereof, 
Marcii 7, 1.S43. 

Gotlieb Lorenz, the fatlu'r of our subject, and a 
native of the same Province, was born Oct. 18. 
IHI.'i. He attended school in his jouth, and served 
an a|)prcnticeship to the tailor's trade, after which 
lie engaged in business on his own account in his 
n:itive county, until 184'J. Then, with his wife and 
family, he set sail from Bremen, and after a vo^'age 
of live weeks, landed in New York City safel}' with 
his four children and their mother. The}' located 
first in Cincinnati, whence after a 3'ear they re- 
moved to Covington, Ky., of which they remained 
residents until 18(;(;. Mr. Lorenz then decided to 
seek his fortune in the western country, and also to 
change his occupation. ,\flcr reaching Illinois he 
came to this county, and purchased a tract of wild 

4' 



I 



land on section '}•>, in East Bend Township. He 
at once put up a dwelling, into which he removed 
his family and i)roceeded with his fanning opera- 
tions. The death of the wife and mother, Mrs. 
l^orothea (Beisch) Lorenz, occurred in 1874. Four 
of their five children are now living: Edward, in 
Covington, Ky.; Ernst, of our sketch; Anna, the 
wife of Philip Hummel, Jr., and Louis H. 

Our subject was the second child of the [tarental 
household, and after coming to this country con- 
tinued his studies in the public scho(jls at Coving- 
ton. As soon as old enough, in common with his 
brothers and sister, he assisted his father, remaining 
a member of the family until 18(;l By this time 
he had become a genuine American, and after the 
first call for troops to defend the Union, was will- 
ing to laj' aside hi* personal and private interests 
to join the Union arm}'. He enlisted in the Gth 
Ohio Infantr}% and served three years and three 
months, receiving his first discharge at the expira- 
tion of his term of service. He then veteranized 
in Co. G, 11th Ky. Cav.. with which regiment he 
remained until the close of the war, making more 
than four years spent in the service of his adopted 
country. He was one of the first to enlist and one 
of the last to be mustered out. He was present at 
many of the imiwrtant battles of the war, includ- 
ing Shiloh, Stone River, Chattanooga and Mission- 
ary Ridge, besides innumerable engagemeuts. 

After retiring from railitar}' service Mr. Lorenz 
came West and located in East Bend Tt)wnship, 
this count}', where he rented land the first year, 
then purchased forty acres on section 4, put up a 
house, commenced improving his purchase, and oc- 
cupied it two years. He then removed to section 
31, and leased a farm, upon which he operated four 
years, and thence removed to Houstonville, in this 
county, where he established a store of general 
merchandise, was appointed Postmaster, and re- 
mained in business there until 187(5. In -Inly of 
that year he came to the present site of Dewey, 
and in the middle of an oat field erected the first 
building of the kind which was utilized as a store, 
dwelling and posl-o(Iice. Mr. L. was the first in- 
cumbent of the ollice, which he held uiilil the 
change of :idminislration in 188,1. 

The wife of our subject wiis formerly .Miss 



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CHAMPAION COUNTY. 



^^i--^ 



Catherine Bowman, a native f)f Darke Coimt^v 
Oliio, and daughter of John and Mitchel (Blizzard) 
Bowman, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and 
Mar3'land, and of (Jerman descent. Their wedding 
took place in tlie siuniner of IHCG, and their eight 
children are, Ida. Dora, Emma, Edward, Carrie, 
Minnie, Ernst and Annie. Mr. Lorenz is a stanch 
supporter of the Iveiiublican party. He has served 
as Assessor in East Bend Township for twelve years, 
Justice of the Peace fifteen, and School Director 
for an almost equal length of time. .Socially he 
belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member 
of Fisher Lodge No. 704, and since the organiza- 
tion f>f Dewey Post No. 282, G. A. K., has been its 
Commander. 




t 



^\ AMUEL McKEE. Eor the last thirty-flve 
3-ears this worthy citizen of Homer Town- 
ship, has walked in ••uid out among its i)eo- 
ple and watched with interest the growth 
and prosperity of the county to which he came in 
its primitive days. His early education was con- 
ducted in the pioneer log school-house, with its 
greased paper for window-panes and rude slabs for 
benches and writing-desks. Tiic dwellings arouuil 
it usually correspi^nded with the temple of learn- 
ing, and the iiieople of those days, with their simple 
tastes and habits, probabh' had less of bitterness 
and disconteutn)ent in their lives than those sur- 
rounded by the luxuries of a later civilization. 

Our subject has been fairly successful in his iion- 
est efforts to obtain a livelihood, being in the en- 
joj'ment of a conifortal)ie homestead in Homer 
Township on section k;. wiiere he is carrying on 
farming and stock breeding with the intelligence 
which years of experience and observation have 
brought liini. He was born among the hills of 
Muskingum County, Ohio, on the Kith of Novem- 
ber, 1819, and is the son of Joseph and Annie 
(Ross) McKee, the former a native of Pennsylvania 
and the latter of Ireland. Jose|)h INIcKee followed 
farming all his life and w.i» gatiiered to his fatliers 
many j'ears ago. Early in life he was a sturd3' 
J.ickson Democrat, l)Ut l;iter changed his views and 
cast his lot witli the Hepulilican i)art3-. Both par- 



ents were members of the Methodist Episcoi)ul 
Church. The wife an<l mother i)reccdeil licr hus- 
band a few years, departing this life in about 1837. 
in Muskingum County, Ohio. The nine children 
of the household were Tlionnis Jackson, John, 
Elizabeth. Robert and Margaret (twins), Rebecca, 
Samuel, Joseph and William, the two latter deceased. 

The boyhood and j'outh of our subject were 
passed after the manner of most farmers' sons, on- 
gaged in the lighter labors around the homestead 
and attending tiie pioneer school during liie winter 
season. After reaching his majority he remained 
in Ohio a few years, but in ISf)! decided to try his 
fortunes in llie farther West. He .accordingly emi- 
grated to \'ermilion County, 111., where he re- 
mained one 3'ear, and then, coming to Ciiampaign 
County, purch.ased the quarter section of land of 
which he now owns 120 acres. Upon this he has 
made great improvements, redeeming the soil from 
its wild condition so that now he has a series of 
fertile fields, rich in grain and pasturage, neatly 
fenced, and upon the pleasantest part of the farm, 
a substantial residence witii all necessary out-build- 
ings. His industry and stiaightforward method of 
doing business, have gain(!d him the esteem and con- 
fidence of his fellow-townsmen, who have entrusted 
him with the minor ottices, including those of Treas- 
urer and School Director. Politically he is decid- 
edly Rei)ubli(^an, ever ready to fight valiantly in 
defense of his principles. 

Mr. McKec, when a!)out twenty-eiglit years of 
age, finding life very unsatisf;ictor3- without a per- 
manent honu> and a cheei-ful com[);uiion a( the 
hearthstone, invited a greatly resjwcted lady to be- 
come th<' sharer of his fortune, namely, .Miss Jane 
Neblock, who Itecame his wife on the 1 '.Hh of .M:uch. 
1st',), and has since most worthily lilled the [losi- 
tion as head of his domestic affairs and the mother 
of his cliildren. Mrs. McKee, like her husband, is 
also a native of the Buckeye State, born in Ouern- 
sey County, June .50, 1822. She is the daughter 
of David .-md Ann (Matthews) Nebloek, n.atives of 
Pennsylvania. Her father followed farming all his 
life and rested from his laboi-s in about lsr»0. The 
mother died on the Sth of Di'Ceniber, 18(;7, at the 
old hoMiestead in Ohio. The uine children of the 
parentid hou.sehold are as follows: Maria, the ehl- 



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470 



a 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



est daughter, is deceased; Adaline became the wife 
of John Hayes, now deceased. She lives in Wn- 
niilion CoinUy. III. Carl died in early childhood, 
also William; Richard M. died when an infant of 
five months; James M. married Miss Nanc^' Ilen- 
line, and lives in Homer; John J. married a Miss 
Davis, who is deceased; David Y. married Miss 
Mary A. Peltz ; Solomon N. married Miss Edith Jett. 
The home of Mr. and Mrs. McKee gradually be- 
came tenanted with little people until their offspring 
luimliered twelve children, of whom the record is 
as follows: Adaline died when eighteen years of 
age, on the 3d of April, 1803, leaving a sad va- 
cancy in the household of which she was the eldest 
child; .John married Miss Celia Roach, of Ohio; 
Charlotte A. is living at home; Vincent H. married 
Miss Ellen East, wiio died within a few years, and 
he has been since married to Miss Sadie Hubbard. 
This son is a carpenter bj' trade and lives in Dan- 
ville, 111. Robert L. is single and at home; Eliza- 
lictii C. became the wife of Van C. Thompson; 
Maria I. died, when three years of age, Oct. 1, 1869, 
and Mary Jane wiieu tifteen months old, Aug. 15, 
1850; Thomas married Miss Belle Hill; James C. 
died of consumption on the 15th of June, 1886, 
aged tweutj'-thrce j'ears and six mouths. He was a 
promising young man, an active member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and a teacher in the 
.Sablialh-sciiool, presenting in his daily walk a bright 
example of earl^' piety, and whom to iiuow was 
but to love and respect. His death was a sad blow 
to the stricken parents, and he i)assed away lamented 
by a large circle of friends. Clara E. was the 
eleventh child; Cora \'., the youngest, is a bright 
and interesting girl of seventeen years. 



-^>^ 



#>#► 




RS. ANNA SAXON, daughter of John and 
Sarah (Vanzalas) Shultz. and widow of 
James R. Saxon, came with her husband to 
this county in 1870, and took possession of 
the fine farm which she now occupies, and which is 
located on section 21, Ludlow Townshi]). The 
homestead embraces 320 acres of fertile laud, under 
a good state of cultivation and sup|)lic(l with ex- 
cellent frame buildinjfs. 



Mrs. Saxon was born Tour miles from Lebanon in 
Warren County, Ohio, Feb. 14, 1822. Her father 
was a native of New Jersey and of German an- 
cestry. The first representatives of tlie family' in 
this countr3- were four brothers who emigrated 
prior to the Revolutionary War. They married 
and raised families and were a people universally 
respected wherever known. The}' mostly engaged 
in agricultural pursuits. The father of Mrs. Saxon 
was reared on a farm, but when young went to 
Philadelphia and leai-ned the hatter's trade. This, 
however, was unsuited to his tastes, and he con- 
cluded to return to the farm. In al)0ut 1815, he 
emigrated to Oliio and bought land near Lebanon 
in Warren Count}', where he became extensivelj' 
engaged in raising grain and stock, and also put up 
a distillery which he operated for many years. 
His ])roduce was transported on flatboats down 
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. 
He was a man of great energy and industry, be- 
came widel3'and favorably known throughout War- 
ren Count}-, and remained a resident there until his 
death, in about 1833. The mother of Mrs. Saxon, 
also a native of New Jersey, passed to tiie land of 
the hereafter previous to the death of her husband, 
in about 1827. The household w.as composed of 
seven children, of whom AHlton, the eldest, died in 
Brown County, Ohio; Watson is a resident of Ran- 
toul, this county: John is farming in Tazewell 
County: Delia, Mrs. Randolph, died in Tippecanoe 
County, Ind.; Eliza J., Mrs. Hufford, is a resident 
of Warren Count}-, Ohio: Raclu-l, Mrs, N'crbiight, 
died in Tazewell County, 111.; Huston and Robert 
were children of the seeoml marriage. 

Mrs. Saxon was the fifth child of the household 
and was but five years old when deprived of a 
mother's care. Six years later her father also died, 
so that she was left an orphan when a young girl 
of eleven years. Slie was cared for by her l)rother 
Milton, with whom she made her home until her 
marriage, which event took place June 20, 1843. 
Her husband, James R. Saxon, was born in White 
County. Ind. After marriage they located in War- 
ren County, Ohio, where he worked at his trade as 
a carpenter two years, then removed to Brown 
County and purchased a farm whic;h he oper.ated 
fourteen years. Subsecpn'ntly he came with his 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



471 



family to this State. Tla-y first lociitod in this 
county, but afterward removed to :i farm wiiicli he 
had purchased in Carroll County, Ind., tinee miles 
from the city of Delphi. lie sold tluit properly in 
1870, and returned to tliis county, locating in 1, nil- 
low Township, wliich has remained his i)erni;in(nt, 
home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Saxon became the parents of the 
following children, viz., Robert; Kate, the wife of 
Harrj- Carson, of St. Louis: Emma, now Mrs. .Jo- 
seph Amberg, of Minneapolis; Sarah, wife of 
Thomas Wright, a farmer of Kast Bend Township, 
this county; James M. and William, at home with 
their mother. Mrs. Saxon became a member of tlie 
Methodist Episcopal Church in early youtli. Mr. 
.S. w!is a believer in the Universalist doctrines. 



r/REDERICK SPERLING owns one of the 




most finelj' cultivated farms in East Bend 
Township, lying on section .32, and which 
comprises 114 .icres. Mr. S. is ranked among tiie 
enterprising German citizens of this county, and 
has inherited in a marked degree the substantial 
traits of an excellent .ancestry, which have made of 
him an honest man and a good citizen. His birth 
took place at the foot of the Hartz Mountains, in 
the Province of S.ixon^', Prussia, on the 1st of 
September, 1836, and he is the eldest son of God- 
fried and Christine (B.aller) Sperling, of whom men- 
tion is made in the sketch of August Sperling on 
another page in this volume. 

Our subject commenced attcjnding school wiien 
six years old, p\irsuing his studies in (Jermany un- 
til coming to the United Slates with liis jjarents. 
After reaching the shores of the New World tlicy 
located in Shcbo3'gan, Wis., where young Frederick 
contiiuied his studies in the schools and assisted 
his father on the farm. After the breaking out of 
the late Rebellion he proffered his services as a 
soldier of the Union army, and became a member 
of Co. A, 9th Wis. \i>\. Inf., giving his time to his 
adopted countr3' .from August, l.S(!l, until Decem- 
ber, 1MC4, when its union and safety had bec-ome 
assured. He endured with his comr.ades bravely 
all the vicissitudes of a soldier's life. parLieii)ating 



in a number of regular battles and minor engage- 
ments, and (hiring that time traveled through the 
States of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Indian 
Territory. 

At tlie ex|)irMlii>n (if his term of service Mr. 
Sperling received his lionnnilile discharge and re- 
turned to his home in AVisconsin, where he re- 
mained until the following year. He then came to 
this State, and locating in Hloomington w.as em- 
ployed first in a nursery and afterward in a lumber- 
yard, and finally rented a farm which he oecu|)ied 
six years. In the meantime he had purchased a 
tr.ict of wild land in East Bend Township, this 
county, and in lS(;i) cumnienced in earnest its im- 
provement and cultivation. He was successful in 
his operations an<l in due time added to liis acreage 
and erected a good set of frame buildings. The 
homestead now embraces 114 acres under a fine 
state of cultivation and producing in .abundance 
the choice crops of the Prairie State. As a l)usiness 
man and a member of the comniunity he is'held in 
the highest esteem for his |)ersonat qualities and his 
system.atie and praiseworthy- metliod of trans.acting 
business. 

The marriage of Frederick Sperling and Miss 
Ann M. .Miller look place in Sheboygan County, 
AVis., in the summer of 1860. Mrs. S. is a na- 
tive of Hesse- Darmstadt, (iermany, and by lier 
union with our subject has become the mother of 
seven children, viz., Dorothea, J. C. Rudolph, 
Laura, Edwin S., Minerva, Frederick W. and Annie 
Maria C. The wife and mother is a lady greatly 
respected in the community and beloved by her 
family'. Of late years she has been in delicate 
health, but is remarkably patient under her alllic- 
tion. Mr. Sjxirling since becoming a voter has 
uniformly supported llie ptineii)les of the ixepuli- 
lican jiarty. 

•s-5-4— .... 



JTp^, EV. .lOlIN II. I'AVTON, deceased. The 
lU/ record of this gentleman, who tilled worthily 
;4'i \\\ an imi)ortant position in life, is, in its main 
'^S) features, as follows: He w.as born in But- 
ler County, Ohio. .Inne 1, 1H14, and w.as the second 
child of .laeiili and Lois (Ilutchings) Payton, also 
natives of the Buckeye Slate. While he was yet a 



V 



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■*► 



di 472 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



child his parents removed to Delaware County, 
Iiul., where his youth and early manhood were 
spent on his father's fai'm. On the 29th of June, 
1.S2!), at the earl}- age of fifteen, he was converted 
to the Christian religion, and united with the 
church that same 3'ear. lie was soon given a license 
to exhort, and at once entered upon the active du- 
ties of his chosen life work. His first license was 
conferred by the Baptist Conference, but failing to 
find the full measure of satisfaction with this de- 
nomination, lie afterward withdrew and united wich 
the Methodists. 

Mr. Payton w.as united in marriage, March 23, 
1837, with Miss Temperance Dragoo, who was a 
native of Preston Count}'. W. Va., born .Sept. 22, 
1819, and the fourth child of William and Eliza- 
beth (Prunty) Dragoo, natives of the Old Domin- 
ion. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Pa^'tou, 
David and Anna Prunty, were also natives <jf Vir- 
ginia, and among the pioneer settlers of the north- 
western part of that State. Their residence for 
many years was in Taj'lor County, where David 
I'rnnty founded the village of what is now Prunt}'- 
town, a thriving town, and the best monument 
which could have l>een reared to his memory. He 
w.as .active and enterprising in its building up. and 
viewed with satisfaction the progress and prosperit}- 
of its people. Ho walked in and out among them 
during the later 3'ears of a long life, nnd his re- 
mains were laid to rest near by. 

After receiving his license to preacii, by the 
Methodist denomination, Mr. Payton l»ccame a 
member of the Northern Indiana Conference, in 
1849. at its Logansport session. He hail been or- 
<lai 110(1 as Local Deacon by Bishop Janes two years 
previously, and in 18.53 was ordained Elder, by 
Bislioj) Ames, at Richmond. His first charge was 
at Bluffton, in 1849. where he remained one year, 
and was then assigned to Monmouth, Adams 
Co.. Ind. In 1851 he was pl.aced in charge of a 
congregation at .\ubuni. De Kalb Co., Ind., and 
the following year stationed in Allen Count}', that 
State, where he remainecl until the close of 18.')2. 
In 1853-54 he labored in behtilf of the Gospel at 
Leesburg, Ind., and the following year found him 
at Manchester, Ind., whence ho was removed a 
short time afterward to Coluiiil)ia City, that State. 



In 1857 he was invited to return to his old friends 
at Bluffton. his first charge, where he remained one 
year and was afterward called to Winchester. 
There he passed the year 1859, and spent ISCO at 
Albany. His next station was at Farmland, from 
which he was transferred at the end of the year to 
Munsey Circuit, where he remained during 18G3. 
In 1804 he served at Camden. 

Mr. Payton now felt that his usually robust con- 
stitution w.as weakening under the strain of the 
various duties assigned him, .and resolved to change 
his manner of life. Going to Henry County he lo- 
cated upon a farm of UJO acres, which he had pre- 
viously purchased, and life in the rural regions 
soon had the desired effect. In 18(J(i he returned 
to his niinistoiial labors, being assigned first to Ed- 
ward's Mission for six months, after which he en- 
tered the Central Illinois Conference, and in this 
w.as first assigned to Milleisbuig. Believing then 
that his health vvould permit. h(i requested to be re- 
turned to the Work permanently, and in 1808 was 
reinstated in the regular ministry, his first appoint- 
ment being on the Warren Circuit. His hopes, 
however, were destined to disappointment. In less 
than a year he was obliged to abandon his labors 
as a minister of the Gospel, and was .again super- 
annuated. He w.as not content, however, to give up 
the work entirely, but continued to preatth when- 
over opportunity afforded, serving the Master to 
the best of his ability in his weakened state. 

In 1807 Mr. Payton exchanged his farm in Henry 
County, and purcliase<l 220 acres on section 20, in 
Harwood Township. He occupied several years in 
the improvement and thorough cultivation of this 
farm, and in the meantime not neglecting his 
Church duties. In 1809 he organized the Pera 
Circuit, in Central Illinois, which has since been 
changed to Ludlow Circuit, and was serving as a 
supply for this at the time of his death, which took 
place Dec. 14, 188.'!. He preached his last sermon 
in Ludlow ( luiicli. the Sunday before his death, 
also administering the Lord's Supper on that d.ay, 
which was the last time on earth that he l)roke 
bread with his congregation. 

.Mr. I'ayton was a man of marked ability and 
keen iH'rce[)tive faculties. His fertile brain was al- 
ways devising gome method by which the i)rogress 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



473 



and im|)i'uveniciit of the |io<>[)lc' ;ii'()im(l liiin inij>ht 
l)eeft'ecte(l. His extTtioiis were not (•onfiiu'<l i^iilol}- 
to religious matters, foi' he believeil in a liealthy 
attention to the i)i!U'lical concerns of life, the liest 
and most conveiiient methods of labor, and advo- 
cated the use of machinery as involving more time 
for rest on the part of the laboring classes. He in- 
vented and constructed an improved plow, which 
lie designed to manufacture, but his inexperience 
in the use of machinerj- made it impossible for him 
to succeed, and after seven abortive efforts he gave 
it up, and much against his inclination turned his 
sole ;ittention to the farm. During liis entire i)il- 
grimage through life he constantly labored tu build 
up society, and further the cause of Christianity in 
his immediate community. Me had been ill but a 
short time before his death, which was very sudden 
and entirely unexpected. After lalioring thirty- 
four years in the ministry, during wliich he 'had 
built up a good record, he was striclven down with 
apoplexj^ and his life went out like the departing 
sunshine at eventide. Upon this ever-to-be-remem- 
bered morning he arose and attended to the first 
duties around the homestead, appearing to be in his 
usual health, and conducted the services at the 
family altar with his wonted zeal and earnestness. 

As a husband, father and friend, Mr. Payton pos- 
sessed all the manlj' virtues, being imlulgeut to his 
family almost to a fault, and earnestly devoted to 
the cause of humanity. He never failed in meet- 
ing an appointment, never neglected his duty or 
grew weary in well doing. His pious and exem- 
plary life was cut off in the midst of its usefulness, 
before those who were nearest to him on earth had 
had warning of the approaching Destroyer. 

Of the thirteen children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Payton seven had preceded their father to the 
other shore. These wiire named respectively Charles 
Crawl, Elmer Ellsworth, Jacob, Griffy Thomas, 
Cora Ellen, Mary Alice and John J.emon. Those 
surviving are William \Vesle3', Melissa .lane, Loia 
Amanda, Rebecca Emeline, .Sarah Ann and Lizzie 
I'.elle. Wesley Payton, who was born Sejjt. 16, 
IMIO, was married in 1802, to Miss Adeline, daugh- 
ter of William and Ilebecea Bowcn, of Indiana. 
After spending three years in the arm3' he returned 
home and is now merchandising in Dunkiric, Ind.; 
•<• 



his good wife departed this life Dec. 10, IHSC. Me- 
lissa Payton became tiie wife of .loshua Ken.agy, of 
Ohio, a miller by trade, and now dealing in agri- 
cultural implements .'it Blufft<in, ind.; tlie eight 
children l)elonging to this houseiiold are .lohn W., 
Miiry A., Samuel A.. William C'arlen, (Jortie Belle, 
Susie Harris, Carrie Dnigoo and Marry E;irl. Emma 
Payton married Courtland Brown, and is living on 
the farm witii iier husband a few rods from her 
motlier's home (see sketch.) .Sarah Payton mar- 
ried Porter Lennox, a farmer of Harwood- Town- 
ship, liut now deceased; they had four children — 
Flora Belle, Nettie Maude, Clara May and Claude 
Porter. Belle P.ayton, the youngest daughter, is 
the wife of James Rollin, who is carrying on a farm 
near the Payton homestead. 

Sirs. Payton and her daughter, Loia Amanda, 
still occupy tlie farm, and carry forward the work 
it involves to the best of their ability and with a 
reasonable degree of success. Mrs. P. is a lady 
highly respected for her many estimable qualities, 
and her children in a large degree emulate the vir- 
tues of their honored and lamented f.ather. 

LBERT L. KUDER, a sketch of whose par- 
ents appears on another page in this volume, 
!i lives on a part of his father's farm, on sec- 
^? tion 28, in Kerr Township, although he is 

himself owner of 1 50 acres in Kerr Township, located 
in the very northeast corner of Champaign Count3'. 
He prefers to rent his own property while he fol- 
lows stock-raising on his father's land. He has a 
line herd of fifty cattle, his favorite breed being the 
Short-horn, and he also gives considerable attention 
to Chester White hogs, while his stables contain 
some fine specimens of Norman horses. His agri- 
cultural operations are carried on mostly in part- 
nership with his father, the former having the 
muscle and endurance and the latter the matured 
judgment es.sential to success. 

Our subject vyas Ihuii in Kerr Township, on the 
6th of June, 1858, and was the sixth child in a 
family of nine, the offspring of Lewis and Susanna 
(Wood) Kuder. He received his education in the 
common schools near his home and continued with 




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474 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



his parents until liis marriage. Tlie J'oung people 
then established themselves in a dwelling luljoiuiug; 
his father. His wife was formerlj' Miss Klla Wat- 
kins, a native of Vermilion Connty, this State, born 
Jan. 20, 1862, and the daughter of Isaiah and Mary 
E. (Layton) Watkins. also natives of Illinois and 
still residents of Vermilion Connty, where the 
father owns a good farm property. 

Isaiah Watkins during the late war served three 
years as a Union soldier and was in many of the 
hard-fought battles of that desperate struggle, re- 
ceiving, however, but one wound. In 1876 he took 
up his residence in Champaign County, but re- 
moved to Ford County three years later. It was 
during the residence of the family in this county 
that our subject became acquainted with his future 
wife. They were married Dec. 19, 1882, and have 
one child, a daughter, Gracie, born JUI3' 21, 188.5. 
The cliildren of Mr. and Mrs. Watkins, six in num- 
ber, namely, Ella, Elon, Charles, Katie, Benni and 
Maggie, are all living, and with the exception of 
Mrs. Kuder, are at home with their parents. 



■>■"*>— 



••o*o.®^<^-.ofo.. 



^^ A.SSIUS M. CRAIG, M. D., one of the pop- 
jlf ular young physicians of Tolono, is the only 

^^^' son of Walter Craig, and was born in Ripley 
■ County, Ind., Sept. 26, 1857. His father, who was 
a native of Ohio, married Miss Elizabeth Watts, of 
Indiana. Both parents are living, and reside on a 
farm in Ripley County, Ind. Cassius M. was the 
eldest of three children, and was reared on his fa- 
ther's farm. He pursued his early studies in the 
district schools, and when nineteen years of age at- 
tended the Normal School .at Lebanon, Ohio, one 
year, lie afterward entered Moore's Hill College, 
in Indiana, and after a course of two years com- 
menced the study of medicine, under the instruction 
of Dr. James Lamb, of Aurora, Ind. Subsequently 
he attended the Ohio Medical College, from which 
he graduated in 1882. He entered upon the prac- 
tice of his profession at Mt. Auburn, Ind., where he 
remained two years, and thence removed to Ives- 
d:ile. Champaign Co., III. He remained there until 
August, 1886, then furmcd !i i)artnership willi Dr. 






L. K. Lamb, and took up his abode in Tolono. 
Since that time he has been successfully engaged as 
a ph3'sician,and cnjoyS in a marked degree the con- 
fidence of his patrons and the citizens at large. 

Dr. Craig was married on the 28th of Septem- 
ber, 1886, to Miss Carrip M. Rice, a native of this 
county, and the daughter of David and Sarah 
(Haines) Rice, who located here in the pioneer 
days. Mrs. C. is a lady highly respected, and our 
subject, socially, belongs to the Masonic fraternitj'. 
Mr. .and Mrs. Craig are the p.areuDs of one child, a 
daughter, as j'et unnamed. 

^^^^HOMAS M. O'CONOR, Supervisor of Col- 
1'/^^ fax Township and a resident of this county' 
^^y since the spring of 1877, owns eighty acres 
of valuable land on section 33. This was raw 
prairie when he took possession of it, and by j'ears 
of industry he has transformed it into a beautiful 
farm. He is a native of this State and was born in La 
Salle, Sept. 3, 1851. His father. John O'Conor, was 
born and gi'ew to manhood in Ireland and there mar- 
ried Miss Catherine Gearty. They emigrated to the 
United States in 1847, locating at once in the vil- 
lage of La Salle while it was still in its infancy. 
The elder O'Conor became a contractor on the Illi- 
nois Central Railroad and also on the canal. He 
only lived, however, eleven j'ears after coming to 
this country, his death taking place in 1858. The 
mother of our subject still survives and is a resi- 
dent of La Salle. Their family consisted of five 
sons and two daughters, of whom only three sons 
and one daughter are living : Joseph is a resident 
of Baxter Springs, Kan. ; Thomas, of our sketch, 
is the next eldest; Luke and Catherine still live at 
La Salle. John died in La Salle July 30, 1881. 

Thomas O'Conor grew to manhood in his native 
town and was educated in the school of the Chris- 
tian Brothers there. As soon as old enough he com- 
menced working in the coal mines of that vicinity, 
filling nearly all the positions incident to the busi- 
ness, from driving a mule to that of pit boss. In 
1H71 he cro.ssed the Mississippi, and for three years 
dealt in grain at PlattsmouMi, Neli. lie then re- 



I 



t. 



t 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



475 



turnc-(l to his iiiilivo tnwii iiiid accepted a iH)sition 
as foreman in the Gas Wuiks, atteiuling tu tlie con- 
tracts and doing general plumbing, etc. In 1877, 
desirous of changing his occupation and making a 
permanent settlement, he came to this county and 
purchased a tract of land which he has since occu- 
pied. 

The wife of t)iu' subject, tu whom ho was married 
iu 1876, was formerly Miss Bridget, daughter of 
James and Winnifrcd Kane, of Colfax Townshij). 
Of this union there have been born four children — 
John, Winnifred, Luke and James. Mr. O'Conor 
politically afliliates with the Democratic party, and is 
serving his third term as Supervisor. In 188G he 
was the candidate of his party for the office of 
Sheriff, but was defeated with the balance of his 
ticket. He is an intelligent and useful citizen and 
h.as served as School Director for a period of nine 
years. Religiously he adheres loyally to the faith 
of his forefathers, being a firm adherent of the 
Catholic Church. 






-•-%- 



'i^^- 




ENRY WILSON, a native of Springfield, 
Ohio, whose birth occurred on the 2,sth of 
June, 18i)0, became a resident of this coun- 
t_v in the spring of 18()4. He is now pleas- 
antly located on section !) in Ra3'mond Township, 
where he owns forty acres of land and also has an 
interest in his father's farm, a fine estate consisting 
of 240 acres. 

Our subject is the son of William and Martha 
(Fulton) Wilson, who were born in the North of 
Ireland, the fomer in Count}' Arniagli, and the lat- 
ter in Count}- Tyrone. They were married in Ire- 
liind .and their three oldest children were liorn there. 
In I84G they emigrated from their native land, 
taking pass.age on a .sailing-vessel for the New- 
World, and after .-i tedious voyage of thirty days 
lan<le(l in New York Harbor. They remained in 
the lOmpire City for a i)eriod of eigiit luonths, and 
then coming to Illinois, via Chicago, located at 
I'ilot Cirove in Vermilion County, about the 1st of 
July, 1817. They reside<l in that county until 
(•ally in islil, wlicncc lliey removed to Cincinnati, 
Ohio, and from there, in the fall of that year, to 




Spiinglield, iu the same State. Afterward they 
became residents near Urbaua in Champaign Coun- 
ty, Ohio, and from there in 18")(), again turned 
their steps westward, returning to \'ermilion Coun- 
ty, this State, and removing from there in 18C4, to 
Champaign County. The father of our subject 
was a well educated man and taught school in his 
native Ireland, resuming the same occupation after 
coming to the United States. Upon becoming a 
resident of this State he located on a farm in Ver- 
milion County and carried on .agriculture success- 
fully. In 1804 he first settled in this county, and 
later removed to a farm on section 9, in R.-iymond 
Township, which he had purchased and which in- 
cluded 240 acres. This he continued to cultivate 
and improve until the illness which terminated in 
his death in October, 1874, at the age of fiftj'-five 
years, ten months and twenty days. The wife and 
mother is still living, having reached threescore 
years and ten. Of the nine children included in 
the parental household two daughters died young, 
and Martha J. departed this life when thirty years 
of age, March 25, 1883. Six sons are living, 
namely, George, William, Thomas, John, Henry, of 
our sketch, and James. All of these with the ex- 
ception of John, who is a farmer near Savoy, are 
farming in li;iyuiond Township. 

Our subject was but seven j'ears of age when the 
family made their final removal to Illinois. He w.as 
educated under the thorough instruction of his fa- 
ther and remained a member of the parental house- 
hold until in 188(). On the 17th of Februar}', 
1886, he was united in marriage with JHss Sarah 
Fulton, who was born and reared in Hamblen 
County, Tenn. Mr. Wilson made her .acquaintance 
while sojourning in the South for the benefit of his 
health. Of this marriage there has been liorn one 
child, a daughter, Mary Bessie. 



ARIS ROIUNSON, the leading hardware 
inerchant and tinner of IMiilo \illage, es- 
tablished his business tiiere in August, 
1877, which he has followed eonlinuously 
since that time, and has built up a thriving and 
prolitablc tr.-ido. He carries a full line of ever}'- • 
thing necessary in an agricultural community and Tl 



i 



f 



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476 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



a country town, and is prominently identified with 
tlie business interests of this section. In former 
years he was engaged as a farmer in Sidcll Town- 
ship, Vermilion County, this fState, and still owns 
a good farm there of 160 acres, finely improved, 
with first-class drainage, being well tiled. His life 
has been one of industry and energy, and he is a 
fair representative of the prosperous element of 
Champaign County. 

Our subject is a native of JeffersoHville, Fayette 
Co., Ohio, and was born Nov. 27, 1843. He is the 
son of Singleton Robinson, a native and farmer of 
the Bucke3'e State, wjio was reared in Fayette 
County and there married Miss Ann Janes, of Vir- 
ginia. The mother of our subject removed with 
her parents from the Old Dominion when a young 
child, and located with them in Fayette Count}', 
Ohio, where they followed farming until the father 
retired from active labor. He is still living, hav- 
ing arrived ut the advanced age of seventy-eight 
years. The mother died in 1857. The iiousehold 
included four sons and three daughters, of whom 
one of the latter died in infauc}'. 

Mr. Robinson was the third son and fourth child 
of his parents, and received his education in the 
public schools of his native county, remaining un- 
der the parental roof until the second call for 
troops to put down the Rebellion. He was greatly 
opposed to slavery, and witii the hope of being- 
able to assist in its abolition, cheerfully took upon 
himself the duties of a soldier, with its attendant 
hardships and dangers, becoming a member of Co. 
C, 90th Ohio \oi. Inf., commanded by Capt. Black, 
of the Army of the Cumberland. He was in the 
battle of Stone River, and at the first attack was 
wounded in the breast by a piece of shell, in con- 
sequence of wliich lie was confined in the iiospital a 
brief time. After his recovery he was appointed 
Orderly by Col. Sweet, and retained this rank until 
his iionorable discharge in July, 1JS65. 

After tiie close of the war Mr. Robinst)n returned 
to Ohio, whence he came to X'erniilion County, 
this State, in 1868. Four years later he was mar- 
ried to Miss Carrie Mandeville, their weilding oc- 
curring at the residence of Henry Michener, Nov. 
19, 1872. Mrs. R. was born in Seneca County, 
N. Y., April ly, 1850, and was tlie daugliter of 



Elijah and Ilulda (Benton) Mandeville, who re- 
moved to the West when she was fourteen years of 
age. The}' located in this county, and the mother 
died in Champaign, HI. Mr. M. survived his wife 
a number of years, and died at the hunie of his son, 
in about 1886. ]Mrs. R. received a good education 
and became a teacher in the public schools of this 
county. Of her marriage with our subject there 
were l)orn four children, one of whom died when 
an infant. Those surviving arc Glenn, Jessie and 
Willis. Our suliject is a stanch adherent of the 
Democratic party, and Mrs. Robinson is a consist- 
ent member of the Presbyterian Church. 



-»*-K^ -S^^ll^^-^ -HH-«- 



lEORGE W. WILSON, of Raymond Town- 
• — , ship, is the eldest son of William and Mar- 
Jjl tha (Fulton) Wilson, and was born at the 
early home of his parents in County Tyrone, Ire- 
land, on the 20th of October, 1841. Five years 
later the family emigrated to the United States, 
and young George received his principal educa- 
tion under the tuition of his father, who had fol- 
lowed the profession of a teacher in liis native Ire- 
land, and resumed it after becoming a citizen of 
the United States. Our subject remained a mem- 
ber of the parental Iiousehold until the 1st of De- 
cember, 1870, in the meantime assisting in tlie 
labors of the farm, and following the fortunes of 
his parents until their final removal to and loca- 
tion in, this county. 

Our subject was married, Dec. 1, 1870, to Miss 
Malinda, daughter of Robert and Hannah Porter- 
field, and who wiis a native of Arinslrong County, 
Pa. After becoming the mother of two children, 
shi' departed this life at her home in Raymond 
Township, on the 1st of August, 1876. One of 
these children died in infancy; the surviving daugh- 
ter, Anna J., resides with her grandmother. Af- 
ter his marriage, Mr. Wilson engaged in farming on 
his own account. He was fairly properous and is 
now the owner of 160 .acres of good land, whicii he 
has cultivated and improved w^ith excellent results. 
Upon this are two dwellings and all other neces- 
sary buildings for the carrying on of general farm- 
ing. Mr. Wilson w.as the first Constable of Ray- 



■^►:B-4» 



i 



t. 



fi 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



477 



monrl Township, which oflice he held fur a period 
of four years. Although JJeniocratic in polities, he 
has never l)cen a partisan, but aims to sui)poit tlie 
man best qualified for tlie olHce songlit. Relig- 
ioush', lie is connected with the jNIcthodist Kpisco- 
pal Churi'ii. 

The present wife of uur subject, to whom he was 
married Jlarch 15, 1881, was Miss Jane Carleton, 
a native of County Derry, in tlie North of Ireland. 
Of this union there have been born three children, 
namely. U'illiani (ieorge, Mary and Iila. 



#• 



^■ 



i' 



'if/OHN W. GIDDINOS, a highly respected 
farm resident of Ludlow Township, came to 
Champaign County in 1878, and located 
first on a tract of rented land, two 3'ears 
later purchasing eight}' .acres, which after a year he 
sold .and became possessor of the farm which he 
now owns and occupies. This embraces IGO .acres, 
and was only partially iin|)roved when he took pos- 
session of it. He has labored industriously, kee])- 
ing steadily in view the purpose to build uj) a per- 
manent and comfortable home, and to secure for 
himself a good [)ositioii in the coinmniiity. This 
he hiis fairly accomplished. The farm is now un- 
der a good state of cultivation, and supplied with 
suitable and necessary buildings. Mr. Giddings is 
still a gentleman in the prime of life, surrounded 
by its comforts .and enjoying the esteem of his 
neighbors and friends. Although, |)erlia|)s, he has 
been the witness of no very thrilling events, or the 
centr.al figure of any important occurrence, he lias 
faithfully attended to the duties before him, and 
made a good record .as an honest man and a worths- 
member of the community. 

Our subject is a native of Krie County, I'a., and 
w.as born .lune 2.5, 1841, being the seventh child of 
Moses .and Sophroiiia (Stafford) Giddings, whose 
parental history will be found in the sketch of 
Thomas W. (iiddings, elsewhere in this volume. 
During his boyhood and youth our subject pa.ssed 
his time after the manner common to farmers' boys, 
taking advantage of the limited opportunities for 
education, and .assisting in tilling the soil. He 
w!is sixteen years old when hi.s parents emigrated 

4» 



from the Keystone State to Illinois. Thej' lo- 
cated in Warren County, and he remaineil un- 
der the home roof until 1804. The Civil War be- 
ing then in progress, and the time of peace unde- 
cided, he enlisted in Co. C, 13.sth III. \'ol. Inf., 
which was .assigned to the department of Jlissouri. 
His duties were inostl}' in the Southwest, and he 
saw very little active service. Hefore the surren- 
der of Gen. Lee he w.as mustered out with his c<jm- 
rades in October preceding, and returned home. 
8o(m afterw.ard he commenced business on his own 
account, and with two partners engaged in the 
feeding and shipping of stock. He commenced 
farming in the spring of 18(l.'i, on land which he 
rented from his father, and continued agricultural 
pursuits in Warren County until he decided to lo- 
cate in Champaign Ct)unty. His subsequent course 
we have ahead j^ indicated. 

The marri.age of .John W. Giddings and Miss 
Rachel Chaffee took place in Warren County, III., 
Nov. 29, 18(;(;. Mrs. (iiddings was born in Mc- 
Henry Count}', this State, Aug. 21, 1847. and is 
the daughter of .lames C. and Lucy A. Chaffee, n.a- 
tivcs respectivelj- of New York and Massachusetts. 
They became residents of McHenry County, 111., 
in about 1847, and resided there a short time, sub- 
sequently moving to Warren County ; they are now 
deceased. The three living children of Mr. and 
Mrs. (iiddings are. Allie, Harry and Bertie. Ar- 
thur died when seven years of age; Henr}', twin 
brother to Ilany, died when nearly seven years old. 

Our subject and his wife united with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church at Berwick, Warren Coun- 
ty, in 1805, of which they have .since been devoted. 
members, and contributed liberally and cheerfully 
to its support. In politics he is a stanch Repub- 
lican. 



\Y^OSKPH LETTERMAN, a succe.ssfnl general 
farmer and stock-raiser of Philo Township, 
owns 1 70 acres of land located on section 
;3(). He is a native of ISaltiinore, Md., was 
born April 2, 183'.), and is the son of .loseph. Sr., 
and Catherine Letteriuan, natives of Germany. His 
father w.as a carpenter by occupation, ;ind is yet 
living, being a resident of Peoria County, this 



i 




t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



State. The iiiotlii-M- dieil in that county of cholera 
soon after their location there, in aliout 18,52. 

Our subject was but three years old when his 
parents became residents of Illinois, and after the 
death of his mother lie lived with his father until 
the outbreak of the late war. He then enlisted in 
Co. E, 77th 111. Vol. Inf., Aug. i:5. 1.SG2, at the 
time the companj- was organized. He marched to 
the front witli his comrades, and participated with 
them in the various engagements with the enem3'. 
being at the battles of Magnolia Hill, Champion 
Hills, Black River, the siege and capture of Mobile, 
Ala., and Vickshurg. Miss. In the fight at Vicks- 
burg he was one of the front pickets when the 
rebels surrendered, and witliin a few feet of the 
fort. He was also eng.aged in various skirmishes, 
but escaped being wounded. He lay in the hos- 
pital, however, from a severe attack of the measles. 
After the close of the war he received an honorable 
discharge at Mobile, Ala., July 10, 18G5. 

After his retirement to civil life Mr. Letterman 
returned to Peoria County, this State, and one year 
later became a resident of Champaign, this county. 
He was married, in August, 1867. to Miss Mar3' 
Delana, who was born in Ireland, and came to the 
United States alone, after the death of her parents, 
in about 18G.0. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. 
Letterm.-in located in Crittenden Township, this 
count}', where our subject purchased eighty acres 
of land and began to farm on his own account. 
He occupied this until 1877, and then took posses- 
sion of his present homestead. Of four children 
who came to bless the home circle, two, John and 
Johnson, are deceased ; Joseph II. and Mary are at 
home with their parents. Our subject and his wife 
are faithful adherents of the Catholic Church, and 
politically Mr. Letterman casts his vote with the 
Democratic party. 



ELMKR F. POWERS, of the (irm of Smyser, 
Powers & Fielding, publishers of the Chara- 
paigii Times, is a native of tlie Buckeye 
State, born in 1848, and is the son of Oliver P. and 
Rebecca (Kliver) Powers, natives of Virginia and 
Oliio. The subject of our sketch attended school 



during his childhood and youth, and when twenty- 
one years old commenced to learn the printer's 
trade, in Dresden, Ohio. He afterward came to Illi- 
nois and worked at his trade in Cairo, for eighteen 
months. Thence he went to iMemi)his, working 
there and at other places in the South until 1874, 
when he entered the oflico of Messrs. Snn-ser <fc 
Mize, of Sullivan, becoming part owner of the 
Champaign Times five years later. The Times is 
the onl}' representative of the Democracy in this 
county, and is receiving the patronage which it 
justly deserves. It Is being conducted with ability 
and success, and h.as become indis|)ensal)le to the 
people of the count}'. 

'Slv. Powers was married in 1886, to Miss Flor- 
ence M. Nelson, a resident of the city of Cham- 
paign. 




EORGE W. SMITH has been a respected 
resident of Raymond Township for a period 
of eleven years, and is ple.asantly located 
on section 12, where he owns 160 acres of land, 
which he has cultivated intelligently and success- 
fully, and raised some of the choicest crops of the 
Prairie State. Mr. .S. was born in McNair}' Coun- 
ty, Tcnn., Dec. 3, 183.5. His parents were Joseph 
and Amy Smith, the former a native of Alabama, 
and the latter born near Richmond, Va. The fa- 
ther of our subject w.as a free man, and in early 
life removed from Alabama to Tennessee, where he 
was reared to manhood. The mother, born in 
slavery, was sold when a little girl to a man named 
Cooper, with whom she removed to Tennessee. 
After his death the mother and her seven children 
were sold to a man named Jesse Walsh, with whom 
she remained until her death, which occurred in 
June, 1849. Her five sons and two daughters were 
afterward sold to different masters and remained 
in slavery until emancipated. One son served as a 
soldier in the 3d United States Ileavj' Artillerj-, 
and died in Memphis in the spring of 1865. The 
balance of the family were scattered about t(j parts 
unknown, our subject being onl}' aware of the 
whereabouts of one sister, Mrs. Jennie Anderson, 
who resides near Bell .Station, Boone Co., Tenn. 



I 



f 



<^ 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



479 



Tlie father is still living and a residont of Missis- 
si])i)i, where he owns o20 acres of land. 

Our subject was horn while his mother was in the 
Cooper family, and was nine years old when she 
was sold to .Mr. Walsh. He was tiien se|)arated 
from her and became the property of Alexander 
McCullough, of McNair}' County-. Tenn. His old 
master is still living and is now uearlj' one hundred 
jears old. Our subject remained with Mr. MeC. un- 
til 1862, when he escaped and joined the Union 
array. At the battle of Shiloh he was a guide for 
the regiment of Gen. Logan from Corinth to Jack- 
son, Miss., and was afterward detailed as a scout to 
dis.irm rebels in that locality. His unusual intelli- 
gence recommended him to the olHcers of the L n- 
ion arnjy, and he was subsequently proffered the 
post of I'rovost Marshal at Jackson, Tenn., and 
also the office of Adjutant General in the same 
place. 

In the fall of l.s(!:5 Mr. Smith came to Spring- 
field, 111., with Gen. John A. MeClernand, and re- 
mained with this gentleman in and around that 
city for a period of thirteen years. In 1 87G he 
came into this county and rented a tract of land 
which he cultivated one season, and in the fall pur- 
chased eighty acres of his present farm, which 
amount of land he afterward doubled, and now 
owns a quarter section. He has always been in- 
dustrious and straightforward in his dealings, and 
has come honestly by his possessions. 

While living in .Springtield Mi'. Smith formed the 
acquaintance of Mrs. Mary Eliza (Oglesby) Gains, 
whom he married in March, 18G0. Mrs. S. was 
born of free parents in Fairfield District, S. C.and 
who were by name William Wesley and Naucj' 
Oglesby. In 1848 the family made all preparations 
for a removal to Illinois, w^hen the father was taken 
violently ill and died within a few days. Mrs. 
Oglesby in due time completed her preparations for 
coming North, and, accompanied by a brother and 
her four children, reached Illinois and located in 
Carlyle, Clinton Count3-. The mother afterward 
died in that county. Three of her children are 
still living. One daughter married Elias Rollins 
and died in Springfield, in 187(i. The living are 
j .lohn ])., of St. Joseph, Mo.; Monroe, a resident of 
y S|)ringfield, 111., anil Mary K., Mrs. .Smith ol our 



sketch. The wife of our subject by her first mar- 
riage became the mother of one child, a son, Albert 
A. Of her union with our subject there have been 
born six children — Fred, Salona E., Charles. Anna 
S., Walter William and John M. .Air. Smith is He|)ub- 
lican in politics, and a citizen held in high respect 
for his intelligence as a farmer and his worthiness 
as a member <if the community. 

JOHN C. HAYS owns a fine farm of eighty 
acres on section 16, Ayers Township. He 
is the son of Rankin and Hannah (Crince) 
Haj's, and was born in Fayette County, 
Ohio, Dec. 14, 1825. His father was a native of 
Ohio and his mother of New York. They were 
both devoted Christians and members of the Meth- 
odist Church. His mother died iu 1860 at the age 
of sixty-three years, and his father in 1864 at the 
.age of sixty-five. They had a family of ten chil- 
dren, namely, John C, Matilda, Sherman, Andrew, 
David, Michael, Electa, Elizabeth, Angelina and 
Mary. 

John C. Hays resided with his parents until he 
was twenty-one years of age, receiving a good ed- 
ucation in the common schools, and assisting in the 
labor of the farm. Aug. 16, 1849, he w.as married 
to Miss Deborah Morrison. She was born June o, 
1825, and is the daughter of David and Deborah 
(\'an G order) Morrison, natives of Penusjlvania ; 
her mother died in 1828. David Morrison mar- 
ried a second time and became the father of twenty 
children, named as follows: Margaret, Elizabeth, 
James, Jacob, Rachel, Deborah and David bj' his 
first wife, and Seth, Harriet, Nancy, Amy, .Martha, 
Francis, Alexander, Hannah, Ella, Caroline, Willis, 
George, and one who died in infanc3s by his sec- 
ond marri.age. His familj' were members of the 
Old School Presbyterian C'hurch. 

Joan C. Hays and his wife have had nine chil- 
dren, of whom James, who was married to Miss 
Alice Blair, was accidentally killed in early man- 
hood at the stockyards in Chicago, where he w:xs 
employed. He died m Cook Count}- Hospital at 
".1:10 P. M. of the evening he was hurt, .-lud just 
ten minutes before his wife arrived. When the ac- 



•►■-^ 



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> 



t. 



480 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



cident occurred, it was found that the only way to 
relieve the unfortunate man from his te rilile sit- 
uation, was by cutting: away a jjortion of the ca- 
boose. An nx was accordingly jjrocured, and a 
noble-hearted brakeman, named MjUer Reed, 
wielded it with such good effect that Mr. Hays was 
soon extricated. During the ordeal, the injured 
man patiently waited for his release, not uttering a 
groan, yet perfectly conscious. Those who wit- 
nessed the sight declared his bearing to be heroic. 
After being moved to his boarding-house, he asked 
for a cigar which was in his pocket, and coolly 
smoked it. Deceased was twenty-four years of 
age, and had been married just three months at 
the time of his death. The names of the other 
children of our subject and wife are, Martlia, mar- 
ried to A. C. Thullberry; Verlin, who died at the 
age of sixteen months; Andrew J. and Ellen, 
twins; Phillip E.. Margaret E. ; America and Ade- 
line, twins; the former died at the age of four 
years and six months, after a severe illness of 
twenty-five days. 

John C. Hays came to Illinois in l!-i4!(, but was 
not a resident of this township until 18G1). He Is 
a man of great executive ability and is actively in- 
terested in public affairs. During the last four 
years he has been Mail Contractor. 

It is not often that we swe called n[)on to record 
the incident of an entire family devoted to the 
service of Christ. Mr. Hays, his vvife, and all of 
his children are faithful moniliers of the Cumber- 
land Presbyterian Church, of which he is one of 
the Elders. He is a Democrat, and his political 
views partake of the Old Jeffersonian School. 



I? C. PORTERFIELD. The l)rilliant success 
I (?a, which so frequently attends honest industry 
liij^ and enterprise, is one of the reniarkal)le 



I m r 



features in the history of the growth of Illinois, 
.•ind the family of Mr. L. C. Porterfield is one to 
which this remark m.ay well apply. His highly cul- 
tivated farm of yi;') acres is one of the finest in fSid- 
ney Townshij), located on section 2d. He was born 
Ml Armstrong County, Pa., Dec. 17, 1K:3'J, and is of 
Iiisii and (lerman extraction. His parents, R. (i. 



and Hannah (Campliell) Porterfield, were natives of 
Pennsylvania, and removed from that State to this 
county, where they passed the remainder of their 
lives. His father died Oct. •>■>. IsT-i, and his 
mother Feb. 2.'), liS7!(, and they are buried in Mt. 
Hope Cemetery at Sidney. There were ten cliil- 
dren in their famil}', named .'is follows: Nancy J., 
who became the wife of (ieorge Foi-sythe, and has 
since died; L. C. is the subject of this sketch; 
Sarah A., deceased ; Samuel A. married Elizabeth 
Williams, who is now deceased; Melinda IJ. became 
the wife of (ieorge Wilson, .ind is also deceased; 
Robert M. married Margaret Hunter; .lames W., 
deceased; Marj' E., single; Hannah is the wife of 
John McKinnon. and Martha A., deceased. 

Ml'. L. C. Porterfield was married, Oct. 20, 1872, 
to INHss Marj' A. Toy. She is the daughter of De- 
lilah and Mary (Bowser) Toy, and her parents are 
botii natives of Pennsylvania. Her mother died 
in that State April 17, 1887, and her father is still 
living there. There were fourteen children in their 
family. The names of the children are .as follows: 
Michael, deceased ; Catherine, single; Margaret, de- 
ceased ; James, who was married to Rebecca Frilej', 
is now deceased ; Abraham married M.argaret Ann 
Bowser, and is deceased ; Peter married Ellen 
Boubt; Elizabeth married James C. Burford; 
Hettie J., formerly the wife of David Lemon, is 
now deceased; A'alentine married Anna Addison; 
Mary A., wife of our suliject; Barbara E., who is 
the wife of Adam Steinmetz; Delilah M. is the 
wife of Hamilton Bowser; Benjamin L., who mar- 
ried Rachel Hindman, and Ross M. married Cath- 
erine Steinmetz. 

In the family of our subject and wife there were 
nine children: Anna B., born Nov. 4, 1873; Katie 
M.. Nov. 23, 1874; Martha A., June 10, 1878; 
Lulu M., March 17, 1880; Lemuel B., Aug. 22, 
1881 ; Cora E. and Nora E. (twins). May G, 1883, 
and two (twins) unnamed. 

In his early life Mr. Porterfield passed through 
many business vicissitudes, although his father had 
succcssfnll}' followed the pursuit of larming 
throughout his entire life. During one year he 
worked at the carpenter's trade, afterwai'd for two 
years he was engaged in the lumber business in 
Pennsylvania, and for about three years was occu- 



I 



i 




Residengeof JsAAc Brown , 5ec.21., Homer Township. 






CIIAMrAIGN COUNTY. 



483 ii 



pied ill liiiniing c-liaiconi juu] l;iking- out railionO 
ties. He now has a goodlv aiiunint invested in a 
coal slwft in tliis townsliiii. Tlie liarns and (lut- 
liuilfling.'* on liis farm are coninKxIioiis: his resi- 
dence is elegant and taslel'nl, and his gronnds arc 
adorned with a heantifnl grove of shade trees. He 
is a pulilic-spirited man, KhMilillcd willi the inter- 
ests of tlie county, an<l iins successfully held some 
of its official positions. His wife and himself are 
prominent members of the .Metliodist Kpiscopal 
Church, and in politics he is Reiiublican. 



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70HN M. LEWIS, one of thesubstaulialfaini- 
ers of Urbana Township, was born in .lohn- 
son County, Ind., near Franklin, the cuuntj' 
seat, Nov. 0. 184.'>. His grandfather, James 
Lewis, was a native of N'irginia, and subsequently re- 
moved to Kentucky. Andrew Lewis, father of our 
subject, was born in Virginia, but at a very early 
age removed with his parents to Kentucky. He 
there married Miss Elizabeth Clarke, and with his 
wife moved to Johnson County. Ind., where they 
remained until 18.56. At that time he removed 
with his family to Champaign County and located 
in Urbana Township, where he was engaged in 
farming until his death, which occurred Feb. 1!) 
1887. He w.as born in the 3'ear 1800. His wife 
was born in I8O0, and is still living. She was the 
mother of nine children, four of whom are still 
living. 

John M., next to the youngest of his |)arents' chil- 
dren, received a good, practical education and 
graduated at the High .School in [rbana. At the 
age of eighteen he enlisted in Co. I, 2(ith 111. Vol. 
Inf., as a recruit, and served for nineteen months. 
At Resaca he met his lirst baptism of (ire, then Dal- 
las, New Hope Church, Kennesavv. On July 22, near 
Atlanta, Kzra Chapel, Jonesboro, Lovejoy ; ne.xtthe 
memorable following of Hoo<l, and was with Sher- 
man on his triumphant march to the sea, thence 
thruugh the Carolin.as, and in the grand review at 
VV.'uihington of the armies of (lens. Orant and 
Slicrman. He was honorably discharged at the 
dose of tiie war, July 21), 1 «()"). After his return 
lioiuc he ajjain attended school for a short lime 



and then took a lri|( to Kansas. In about eighteen 
months he returned to Champaign County and en- 
gaged in farming on the old homestead, which is a 
line estate containing ISO acres of valualile land. 
He is actively interested in public affairs, and is a 
member of Black Kagle Post No. 12S), (J. A. R. 

In 1873 Mr. Lewis married Miss Fannie Rice, 
the daughter of George S. Rice, formerly of Madi- 
s<jn County, 111., and their union has been blest by 
the birth of a son. Stanly M. The brothers ami 
sisters of our subject are: Thomas, who enlisted in 
Co. I, 2d 111. Cav., lost u leg at the battle of Pleas- 
ant Hill, ami Aug. 8, 1864, was honorably dis- 
charged and returned home, and is now a resident 
of Los Angeles, Cal. ; Mary is the wife of F. M. 
Myers, now residing in Kansas; Andrew T. is a res- 
ident of Sitka, Alaska; Nancy .1. was a teacher for 
many years, and died in 186'.); Willis F. was killed 
in the battle (jf Ft. Donclson; he was a nieniber 
of Co. A., 20lh 111. Vol. Inf. Mr. Lewis and wife 
are members of the IJaplist Church. Politically he 
is a prominent Republican. 



OIIN II. J.Vtjl'KS, of the linn of W. H. 
Jaques it Son, is successfully engaged in the 
hardware trade with his father at Tolono. He 
(^^/Z has inherited the line business abilities of the 
latter, and is reckoned among the substantial citizens 
of the town, and as a worthy representative of the 
family name. Our subject is the only son of Will- 
iam H. and Eliza P. (Dunham) Jaques, and was 
born in .loliet, 111., June 14, 1848. His early edu- 
cation, begun in the common schools, was com- 
pleted at Painesville Academy, Ohio, and when 
seventeen years of age he commenced to work at 
the tinner's trade under the instruction of his fa- 
ther. He served a thorough a[)prenticeship, and 
gained a good insight into the business, and when 
nineteen years old was taken into partnership with 
his father. They continued together four years, and 
our subject then disposed of his interest in the 
business and went into the employ of the firm 
which had been t'ornu'd after his withdrawal — 
.Ia(pies ife Tewksbury. in ls!7;) he puri'hased the 



i 



r- 



t 



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,t 



484 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Imsiiioss of till' guiitlomuii wlio luid succeeded him, 
:iiid fatluT and scin conliiiiicd as l)efore. 

The inarria;;:e of .1. II. .laqiios and .Miss Lola !\I. 
Kimts t()()l< place in 1«G7. Mrs. .1. was the daugh- 
ter of \V. D. Fonts, of Lexington, Ind., in which 
State she was Ixirn. She departed this life on the 
7th of August, IHHo, leaving three cliildrcn, all 
sons — William II., Clarence J. and Elmer F. 

Politically Mr. .1. is, like his father, a lirni sup- 
porter of Re[)ul)licau princi|)les, and is now a 
memlier of the T(^wu Council. He also belongs to 
the I. (). (). F., being connected with Suli<jrdinate 
.•ind iMicaniimient I^odges in Tolono. 



V 



<if AMES IIARVFA' MORRIS is an enteri)ris. 
ing farmer of Urbana Town.ship. lie was 
born in Rush Conntj', Ind., near Rushville, 
Dec. 17, 1832. His grandfather, ^^■illiam 
Morris, was a native of Delaw.are, whence he moved 
to the Stale of Kentucky, and a few years later to 
Illinois, where he settled in Edgar County and 
made his home there until his death. "Sir. John 
Morris, the father of James II., was liorn in Ken- 
tucky, and was there married to Miss Mary Miller, 
daughter of Titus and JIary Aliller. Mr. Miller's 
family were among the earliest settlers of Kentucky. 
In 1S2I ,Iohn Morris moved to Rush County, Ind., 
where he purchased a farm which he improved and 
cultivated until his death, which occurred when he 
reached the age of eighty-four 3'ears. His wife 
died in 1<SG5. They reared a family of nine chil- 
dren, of whom James II. is the youngest living. 
He passed his boyhood in his native county, and 
was educated in the school at Rushville. In 1855 
he was married to Miss Mary Beabout, a native of 
Kentucky. After his maruiage he settled in Rush 
County, Ind., and remained there until the close 
of the 3'ear 18(i2, when he removed to Edgar 
County, III. After remaining there two years he 
came to Champaign County' and .settled in I'rbana 
Township, on section 15, where lie has a line farm 
containing 320 acres of choice land, which is all 
under good cultivation and kept in excellent order 
and repair. He has made a specialty of raising cat- 
4» 



tie and hog.-, in which he has been very successful 
financially. 

His lirst wife was removed by death in 1.SS4, 
leaving a family of seven children — Lillie, Albert, 
Robinson, Ida, Minnie, John and Thomas. Lillie 
is the wife (jf Thomas Uougan. Oct. 25, 1885, Mr. 
ISIorris formed a second marriage, with Mrs. Mar- 
garet Carle, widow of Albert (i. Carle, and daugh- 
ter of John and Almira Burt. Her father was a 
native of Osage "County, N. Y., born Sept. 23, 
1800. In 1833 Mr. John Burt moved with his 
family- to Coshocton Count}'. Ohio, which i)lace has 
since been their permanent home. His daughter, 
after her marriage to Mr. Carle, came to resiilc in 
Champaign County, and located on the farm where 
she now lives with Mr. INIorris. The farm c(^ntains 
100 acres of valuable, well-improved land. She 
had one son by Mr. Carlo, named Willie, who died 
at the age of one year. Mr. Carle died in March, 
1881. 

Mrs. Jlorris is a lady of much refinement and in- 
telligence. She is a highl\' esteemed member of 
the Methodist Church, and takes a lively interest 
in all the social affairs relating to the community 
in which she lives, and of which she may be re- 
garded as one of the pioneers. Mr. Morris is a 
man of excellent business qualifications. His farm 
is well improved, and all of its appointments arc 
apropriate and in order. He is a member of the 
Christian Church. 

^n.LIAM C. STOCKARD, a settler of 
Champaign County of 1800, after residing 
in the city one year, moved into the town- 
ship of I'hilo and purchased eight}' acres of land, 
all of which is now in the town limits. At the 
time of his settlement here, Philo >'illage was an 
humble hamlet of five houses, and during the years 
which have elapsed since that time, our subject has 
watched with interest and satisfaction the growth, 
not only of the I'rairie .State, but of this county, 
and has contributed his fidl share toward its prog- 
ress and development. 

Mr. .Stockard is a native of Rockingham County, 
\'a., his birth taking [Jace May 14, 1818. His la- 



¥/ 







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,t 



■* 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



485 



tlier. Charles Stuckanl, also a nativo of the Old 
Doiiiinion, was of Scottish aiicostry, aiirl iiossessi'd 
in a inarkcd decree tlio chaivicteiisUcs of his an- 
cestors. Tlie Stockanl family in Scotland occu- 
pied a high position hotli in financial and social 
circles, and the first representatives in this country 
came here at an early day. and settling in \'irginia, 
became intimately identified with its industrial and 
agricultural interests. After reaching manhood 
Charles Stockard was married, in his native county, 
to Mi.ss Kli/.aheth Walters, a \'irginia lady of Irish 
descent, whose father served in the Revolutif)nary 
War upon the side of tjie Colonists. The mater- 
nal grandparents of our subject finally removed to 
I.ancaster, Ohio, where they si)ent the last years of 
their lives, and where their remains were buried. 
The father of our subject served as a soldier in the 
War of 1S12, before his marriage. He was the 
son of William .Stockard, who spent his early life 
in Virginia, but afterward removed to Lancaster, 
Ohio, where he spent his last j'ears. His wife, 
Margaret, died in Fairlield County, that State. 

The subject of our sketch was only a 3'ear old 
when his parents removed from Mrginia to Ohio, 
in I!S19. They located in Fairfield County, among 
the earliest settlers of that region, and followed 
farming until the death of the father, who was cut 
down in the |)rime of life, being only twenty-five 
years of age at the time of his death. The mother 
of our subject afterward married Rev. James (iur- 
ley. a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 



this State, locating in Delawjire. T.azewell County, 

where the mother died and where tlie father is now 
living, aged ninety-one years. The wife of our 
subject departed this life I'Vb. 11, ISTT), at the age 
of about fifty-five j'ears, having been born April 
28, IS-iO. They had become the parents of ten 
children, five of whom .are yet living: Homer is 
married, and a resident of I'hilo Townshii); Eliza- 
beth. Mrs. Lovell, lives in Philo; Rnfiis is in K;in- 
sas; Ella lives in I'hilo, and .lames remains on the 
homestead. 

Mr. Stockard and his wife united with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church many years ago, and politi- 
cally our snbjei't is a stanch Republican. Three of 
his sons served as soldiers in the war; the elder, 
Charles, who participated in the battle of Pitts- 
burg Landing, afterward died of small-pox in a 
hospital of that city, on the 21st of April, 18G2; 
Rufus enlisted first for ninety ilays and later for 
three years, in the O-Otli Illinois Infantry. 



L^^IIOMAS YOUNG, who is worthily fulfilling. 
im^^ his ol)ligations as an honest man and a goo( 
^^^y citizen, is successfully eng.aged in farming 



1 

r 

pursuits, being the i^roprietor of sixty acres of finely 
cultivated land on section 21, in Ayers Township, 
His early home was manj- leagues from his present 
one, being County Tyrone, Ireland, where he was 
born Nov. 12, 1823, and which he left in 184s. He 
>f much inlluence and usefulness, and who died at I is the son of Thomas and Maigaret (Hyers) Young. 



I'nion, Montgomery Co., Ohio, at the advanced 
age of eighty years. The mother afterward re- 
moved to Rucyrns, that Slate, where hei' death oc- 
curred when she was eighty-four years old. 

William C. Stockard was the second child, and 
after the death of his father remained with his 



natives of the same county and of pure .Scotch an- 
cestry. The father died on the Atlantic Oceau, of 
cholera, in May, 185.5, on the vessel Charles Crock- 
ett, while on his way to this countr}'. The mother 
afterward joined our subject in IIartf(jrd, Conn. 
There he had learned the trade of a machinist, at 



mother and stc])-father until he was twenty years ' which he worked seventeen 3'ears, and the last five 



of age. He then started out on his own account. 
He was married at Zanesville, Ohio, May 29, 1838, 
to Mi.ss Mary E., daughter of Edwin anil Jane 
(Evans) Hurlinganie, natives (»f Ohio, both born 
in the blockhouse at Marietta during the early 
■settlement of the State, and while Indians and wild 
animals were to the pioneers bolh an annoyance 
and a terror. Several years latter they removed to 



of which he spent in the employ of the Government, 
manufacturing .Sharp's breech-loading rilles. 

Thomas Young, the father of our subject, was an 
expert weaver of linen fabiit's of all kinds, turning 
out some of the most beautiful patterns that were 
ever known. He possessed but a limited education 
bul nioic than ordinary .•ibility. .and was very in- 
telligent, keeping himself well informed upon cur- 



n 



t 



486 



■•► 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



rent evciils. Added to this, liis industry coiiiliined 
to gain iiini tiie re.s|H'C't of all who know liini. 
Tlic inotliL'!' survived iiiiLil 1S7.'!, ;ind 'died in the 
city of Ilailfdid. 'J'lie eight children of the [j.-uental 
famil}' were John, Jane, Margaret, Sarah, Tliouias, 
Nancy, Hebecca and Edward. Tlie latter during 
the late war enlisted in a C'onneelicut regiment, and 
was killed at the battle neai' Haleigh, N. C, April 
13, 18G5. He left a, wife and om(^ eliild. 

The first wife of our subject, to whom he w.as mar- 
ried in Hartford, Conn., in November, l.S.ii, was 
formerly Miss iMatihla Irwin, a native of his own 
country, born in 182S, and the daughter of Joseph 
Irwin, also a native of Ireland, and now deceased. 
Of this union there were born three children — Irwin, 
Arabella anil Thomas. The mother of these chil- 
dren departed this life in October, 1 Sd.'i, for a resi- 
dence in a brighter world. She was a membei' of 
the Presbyterian Church and a lady of great kind- 
ness of heart, respected by all who knew her. 

The [iresent wife of I\Ir. Young, to whom lie was 
married in August, 1«G4, at Hartff)r(l, Conn., was 
Mrs. Catherine (Bycrs) I'orter, born in C^onnty 
Cavan, Ireland, in IiS.!,S. The one eliild of this 
union was a daughter whom they named Katie, and 
who is now engaged in teaching school. Mr. Young 
has filled his niche in life worthily and has fiill\' 
identified himself with Aincrictan eustomsand insti- 
tutions. As soon as invested witli the rights of 
citizenship, he ideiititied himself with the liepub- 
lican party, of which he has since remained an ad- 
herent. He has odieiated as School Trustee be- 
sides occupying other positions of responsibility. 
He is straightforward and u|)right in his business 
methods, and may be properly classed among the 
representative men of his township. 






JfOHNSON A. SWKAUINtiKN, a native of 
the r)lue(;ra.ss region, is one of the most 
successful farmers of Ogdeii Township, 
where for years he has chiefly turned his at- 
tention to the cultivation of 250 acres of choice 
land, which, through his judicious management has 
yielded some of the finest wheat and corn of the 
I'rairie State. He occupies with his family, a com- 



modious farm dwelling, which, with its sulistanti.al 
barn and adjacent out-buildings, gives a general 
air of thrift and prosperity to the premises. The 
fields are conveniently' laid otf and neatly fenced, 
the farm machinery is of the latest and most im- 
[-roved pattern, and the live stock comprises some 
of the finest animals in this i)art of the county, in- 
cluding a full-blooded Jersey cow of great lieauty 
and value. 

Johnson A. Sweariiigen was born in Lewis 
Cou:ity, Ky.. Jan. i;^, 1 823, and is the son of Bart- 
ley and Jane (Rankin) Swearingen, natives of the 
same State and county. The former was born in 
1794, and coming to this State in 1842, located in 
Champaign County, of which he remained a resident 
until his death, which occurred in 1843. He uni- 
formly- voted with the Democratic party. The 
mother was a member of the Christian Church, a 
l.ady of much worth and highly respected. The 
children of the household are recorded as follows: 
John J. is the eldest; Matilda died when an inter- 
esting maiden sixteen 3'ears of .age; John A., of 
our sketch, was the third son; two died in infancy 
uuuamed; James R. married Miss Charlotte Moore; 
\Mlliam married Miss Margaret Long; Frank is 
also married, and Drusilla became the wife of Mr. 
William Bailey. 

Our subject came to Champaign County in the 
s|)ring of 1842, arriving here on the 11th of April. 
In November following he was united in marriage 
with Miss Sidney Wright, who is a native of 
Indiana, born on the 10th of March, 1821, and 
is the daughter of John B. and Elizabeth (Ste- 
vens) Wright. Their children are Nancy, Jes- 
sie, Phebe, Mary, David, James, Rebecca, .Sid- 
ney, Hannah and Catiierine. The farm of Mr. 
Swearingen is finely located on what was formerly 
called the Old State Road, anil just forty-seven 
years ago the writer of this sketch passed along this 
road with his parents when they removed from 
Ohio to Hancock County. 

The children of our subject and his wife, eight 
in number, were as follow's: William, who married 
Miss Flora Risk; Matilda, Mrs. Bruner; Elizabith, 
Mrs. William Sprigs; Gilford, who married Miss 
Mariah Hall; Alice, who died in I.S,S4: Drusilla B., 
Mrs. Saddler; Jessie, deceased, and a son who died 




u 



f 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



487 



miimiiii'd ill infanc}'. Mr. S. is Ri'ixiblicu) in pol- 
itics, and socially belongs to Lodge No. 2.52, 
1. O. O. F., at Homer. He lias held the various 
uflices of the Lodge, and lias Ikmmi Deacon of the 
Christian Church for several j-ears. His wife is 
also a member of the same church. 




-I 



REDERTCK G. LKDDKRBOCK. Tiiis gen- 
tleman, born across the ticean, in the King- 
dom of Prussia, is one of the most intelli- 
gent and respected citizens of this count}, and is 
thoroughly' Americanized and identified with the 
interests of his adopted country. The AVest is full 
of just such men, who in their youth cherished am- 
bitious which they thought would never be realized 
in their own land, and who had tlie c(jiirage to come 
almost emptj'-handed, and without exception, found 
a readj' welcome for all vvho arrived with an hon- 
est purpose to attain success by the labor of their 
hands and improvement of the mind. 

The birth of our subject occurred Aug. 27, 1<S3.'), 
and he is the son of Gotlieb and Mary Ledderbogc, 
natives of the same country as their son and where 
they spent their lives. Young F"redericlc com- 
menced attending school at an earl}' age, continuing 
his studies until he w.as fourteen years old, and then 
entered a store to learn general merchandising. 
After an apprenticeship of three and one-half years 
in the village of Seehausen he removed to Scesen, 
where he was occupied as a clerk in a fancy goods 

store for six months. After several removals he 

• 
returned to his native village, Magdeburg, and was 

clerk in a grocery store until 1858. He w.as an am- 
bitious youth, and not being satisfied with his pros- 
pects in his own country, determined to seek his 
fortune in the New World. With $3(»0 in his pos- 
session he sailed from Bremen in June of that year, 
and reached New York harl)or on the 1st of July, 
from tlieie making his way directly to Chicago. In 
the meantime he had met with a great misfortune, 
his money having been stolen from him, and he 
found himself a stranger in a strange city, without 
means or friends at hand. For six months also ho 
was out of regul;u' eini)loyuK'iit. lie linaily se- 



cured a position as clerk in a general store, and 
afterward went into the dry-goods store of J. B. 
Shay, where he remained five years. He became 
very efiieieiit .as a clerk anil lliially leeeived the 
liands(jme wages of $;>.") per week. In 181),') he pur- 
ciiased a stock of groceries and qneensware and set 
ui) in business at the intersection of North Clark 
and Suiieiior streets, where he engaged in trade 
until 18('i',). He was now seized with a longing for 
country life, and in .Iiine of that year sold out his 
stock and good-will, and coming to this county pur- 
chased a quarter section of wild prairie land, which 
he has since retained as a part of his present farm. 
It was (piite a change from his former life and coni- 
l)aratively a new experience. He persevered, how- 
ever, amidst all difliciilties. and in due time received 
the reward of his iiidnslry. He put up a good set 
of frame buildings, has his laud enclosed with 800 
rods of hedge fencing, and eighty acres under a 
good state of cultivation. His farm stock will com- 
pare favorably with any in this vicinity. He has 
been wise in his expenditures, lived economically, 
and has a line [iroperty to show for his labor. 

Mr. Ledderbogc was married at Chicago in IsCil, 
to Miss Louisa Martin, a native of the Kingdom of 
Bavaria, Cerniany, who emigrated to the I'niled 
States with her parents in 18.'>4. She is the daughter 
of Jacob and Mai-garetha (Schaefer) Martin, natives 
of the same country ; her father is deceased: her' 
mother survives, .and is residing at the home of 
our subject. Of this union there were born seven 
children — Knu^lie, Lewis, Clara, Annie, Bessie, Stella 
and Kmil, all at home with their parents. Mr. L. 
since obtaining the right of suffrage has uniformly 
cast his vote with the Republican party. 



<|i)ULHS HAMILTON, iiroprielor of the 
Champaign Lumber Yard, established himself 
in business here in 1 88(1. He was born in Lou- 
doun County, \'a.,.hily Hi, 18;li, and came 
to Illinois ill 18.i5. He is the son of Charles B. 
and .Sarah C. (Lucketl) Ilamilic^n, natives of the 
Old Dominion, where the former carried on, in Lou- 
doun County, a large llonring-mill, and wjis also ex- 
tensively engaged in agricultural |)nrsiiits. Uc re- 



I 



» ► wr <^ 



-A 



•i 



488 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



mained a resident of his native Stale nntil 1855, 
then emigrated to Illinois and pnrchased a large 
farm in Cass Connt\", which he operated nntil 18(!0. 
In that year he sold ont, and removing to Bath, 
Mason Comity, on the Illinois River. retire<l from 
active labor. 

The father of our subject was a man of much 
force of cliaracter. with a large amount of energy 
and ambition, lie had received a fair education 
and became |)rominent in tiie affairs of his native 
count}- before removing North, liaving served as 
Justice of the Peace and occupying other responsi- 
ble positions. He had .also studied law and l)een 
admitted to the bar, but oliose farming ratlier than 
the legal profession. He was of a kind and gener- 
ous disposition, a member in gooil standing of the 
Lutlieran Church, and universally respected wher- 
ever Ivuown. After building up for himself a good 
record he departed this life in Mason County, 111., 
in the spring of 1SG3. The mother is living and 
making her home with her son, Charles L., at Car- 
linville, Macoupin County. The parental household 
included seven children, one now deceased. Those 
surviving are, Rebecca, Mrs. Dr. Logan, of New- 
mansville, Cass Co., 111.; Julius, of our sketch; 
.Samuel, a resident of Ashland, Cass County ; ^laria, 
Mrs. Berry, of Colorado; Charles L. of Carlinville, 
Macoupin County, and Serena, of Asliland. 111. 

The subject of this biograpli}' spent his younger 
daj'S on his father's farm, in the meantime pursuing 
his primary studies in the common scliools. When 
fifteen years old he entered Ilillsboro Universitj', 
where he pursued a thorough course of study under 
the instruction of Prof. Potts. When eighteen 
j'cars old he left the home roof and engaged as 
clerk in a store at Morgantown, where he was em- 
ployed three years. Subsequently he embarked in 
farming in Cass Ct)unty, whicli he abandoned in 
1 8G0, to engage in mercantile business at Chand- 
ler.sville. After two years thus occupied he engaged 
in the lumber trade at Carlinville, where lie re- 
mained for nearly eigiiteen years. In the mean- 
time lie purchased real estate and erected hou.ses, 
and from the sale of these realized a handsome 
profit. In 1870 he sold out his interests in Ma- 
coui)in County and afterward spent eighteen months 
iu Kansas, where, in the meantime he established a 



iumlter .business at Wellington, witii branches at 
Caldwell and Anthony. Closing out there in 1880 
he came to this county and established his present 
lumber business, while also being engaged in real 
estate operations. He possesses the energy and en- 
terprise necessary for the successful carrying on of 
this department of trade and has become one of 
the valued citizens of Champaign. Politicall}' he 
alliliates vvitii the Democratic parly, and sociallj' is 
a member in good standing of tiie I. (). O. F. His 
office and yard arc located on North Walnut street. 
Mr. Hamilton w.-is married in 1S57, to Miss Vir- 
ginia, the daughter of Fenton and Mary (.Sanders) 
\'anDeventer, who were natives of the Old Domin- 
ion. Mrs. II. was born in Illinois in 1837, and of 
her union with our subject there are three children 
— ^lary, Lizzie and Charles F. The latter was mar- 
ried July 3, 1884, to Miss Mary, daughter of Daniel 
Kugg, of Champaign. 



-♦fcJ2/©^" 



%^-^4— w^>5)/Z'2W»» 



llpv ATHAN W. COCKAYNE. The snug farm 
I l/J ^^ eighty acres lying on the northeast ipiar- 
jk\/^, ter of section 30, Homer Township, with its 
modest buildings, neat fences and group of well- 
kept stock, is the propert}" of the gentleman who.so 
name stands at the head of this sketch, and of 
which he took possession in the spring of 1H85. 
Here, with his little family, consisting of a wife and 
two children, he is enjoying much comfort, inter- 
spersed with the simple pleasures of a rural c»>m- 
munit}', and is worthily filling his niche .as a peace- 
able and law-abiding citizen. In addition to his 
farm labors he also understands every detail of the 
carpenter trade, to which he gives much of his 
spare time and in which he has attained a goodly 
degree of skill. 

Our subject is a native of Wayne County, Ind., 
born .Ian. 12, 1M34, and tlie son of Thomas and 
.Martha (Stokes) Cockayne, the former a ftative of 
Maryland and the latter of New Jersey. The 
father of our subject died in about 18(!3, during 
the progress of the late Civil W.ar, and the mother's 
death occurred twenty days after that of her hus- 



f 



f 



t 



■-^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



48!) 



-4^ 



band, in M:i<Iiji»n C'onnt-v. Ind. The p;iront:il lionsc- 
hokl included six diildren : Saraii became the wife 
of Mr. Lewis; Benjamin married Miss Maria Cook; 
Nathan AV., of our sketch, was the tiiird child, and 
Elizabeth the fourth ; Ann married AViliiain Frainp- 
ton; James married a Miss Brown. 

The j'onth and boyhood of Mr. Cockayne were 
passed upon a farm in his native county, and when 
a J'oung man he began wtirking at the carpenter's 
trade. He was married quite late in life, on the 
1st of January, 1872, to Miss Abbie Mitchner, who 
was born in 1847, and is the daughter of David 
and Lucetta (Smith) Mitchner, natives of Ohio, 
and still living. Their eight children were Ralvin, 
Abbie, Earl. Minor, AVilliam, Ava, Lulu and Dell. 
The two children of our subject and his wife are a 
son and daughter — Charles, who was born in May, 
1873, and Ava, May 29. 1882. Mr. C. is a decided 
Republican, politically, and was reared among the 
Quakers, in the faith of which lie has remained 
since early 3'outh. 



^^ ALVIN BEATTV. One of the best farms 
[If in Newconib Township lies on section 5, and 

^^^^ is the property of the subject of this liiog- 
raphy. It embraces 280 acres of finely improved 
land with first-class farm buildings whicii, witii their 
surroundings, constitute a pleasant spot for the 
dwelling-place of our subject and his family. Mr- 
Beatty in seeking his location traveled many miles 
from his n.ative State, having been born in Sussex 
County, N. J., where he w,as reared on his father's 
farm and lived at home until tvventy -seven years 
of age. He is the son of George B. and Elizabeth 
(Stites) Beatt}', natives of the same State as their 
son, and locating after their marriage in Sussex 
County, where the mother died in about 1842. 
The father is still living, having arrived at an ad- 
vanced age. Their family of six children included 
five sons and one daughter, our subject being the 
fifth in order of birtli. 

Calvin Beatty first opened his eyes to the light on 
the Gth of February, 1840, and in 18()7 became a 
resident of Illinois, locating in Henry County, 
where the first year he worked by the iiKjiilh, and 



later was engaged in fanning. 




\ 



In the fall of 1869 
he cainc to this county and purchased a tract of 
land in Newcomb Township, wliich is now included 
in his present homestend. After leaving his na- 
tive .State he was married in Sussex County, July 
2G. 1808, to Miss Ella, daughter of John and Ann 
(Currant) Mclvinney. Mrs. B. was born in the 
same county as her husband, Feb. 19, 1844, and re- 
mained with her parents until her marriage. They 
are now deceased, both dying in .Sussex County, 
N. .1. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Beatty, five 
in number, were named as follows: George L., 
Lillian M., Lulu G., .Saddle M. and Hattie S. 

Mr. Beatty has been prominent in the affairs of 
his township since coming here, being at this time 
Justice of the Peace, which office he has held for a 
period of seven years. He and his excellent wife 
united with the ProtesUant Methodist Church, he in 
1884 and she in 1881!, of which he has been Stew- 
ard and Trustee, and has served as Class-Leader for 
the past three years. Politically he votes with the 
Democratic part}-, and is a man whose opinion is 
generally respected. 

The father of our subject, (ieorge B. Beatt}', 
held the office of Justice of the Peace, in Sussex 
County, N. J., for a period of thirty years, finally 
being obliged to relinquish it on account of ill- 
health. .Only three sons of the family lived to ma- 
ture years — Charles J., Christopher and Calvin. 
Charles J., who died in (ieorgia, was married and 
became the father of three children, one of whom 
died in infancy, and one, George H., a bright, prom- 
ising young man, lived to be twenty years of age, 
and died in Sussex County, N. J.; the other son, 
Charles Halsey. is living in New Jersc}' with his 
grandfather. Christopher remains a resident of his 
native county in New .lersi>v. where he is carrying 
on farm ill":. 



\|^ KNRY (iOHIIAM, a gentleman in the prime 
of life, is following farming successfully on 
sec:tion !). in Ayers Township. He has ICO 
IS^ acres of good l.and. with a handsome farm 
residence set in the mi<lst of well-kept grounds, and 
substantial out-buildings adjoining. The fences, 



■^- 



I 




490 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



farm machinery and stock are well cai-efl for. and 
everytliing about the jiremises denote* thrift and 
prosperity. 

• Our subject is a native of tiiis State, b<»rn in 
Morgan County. Dec. 10, 1849. and is tlie son of 
Josiah and Koxana (Jolinson) Gorham, natives of 
Ohio. The father still lives, and is engaged in 
farming pursuits in this county. He was born Dec. 
21, 1819. The household included two children, 
who were favored with more th.an ordinary' ad- 
vantages. Henry, of our sketch, after completing 
his primary studies in the country schools, entered 
the Illinois College at .Jacksonville, where he took 
a scientific course, completing his studies in 18(JH. 
After leaving school he engaged in clerking for 
three or four years and then, returning to iiis fa- 
ther's farm, entered upon the career which he has 
since followed, namely, the pursuit (jf agriculture. 
After lie had decided upon his future course 
financially, Mr. (iorham was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary Doremus, March 14, ln7s. Mrs. G. is 
a native of New Orleans, born Oct. 17, 18.")2, and 
the daughter of Rev. J. E. C. and Catherine L. (I'l- 
rich) Doremus. Mr. and Mrs. Gorham have l)ccome 
the parents of three children: Maude, born July 
10, 187iJ; .losiah, Dec. .5, 1881, and M.argaret D.. 
Nov. 27, 188.0. Mr. Gorham is Republican in poli- 
tics, and a member of Homer Lodge No. 1!)9, 
A. F. & A. M.. with which he became connected in 
1883. He is j'et a young man, and possesses good 
business abilities and sound common sense, which 
will .assure Ids success, both socially and financially. 



<S| C. WHALLON, of East Bend Township, is 
{I plea.santly located on section a, of which he 
^.^1 took possession in 18(59. It was then but 
(^^/ partially improved, and he has been indus- 
triouslj' engaged in completing what was then be- 
gun, so that he now has a series of productive 
fields, from the proceeds of wiiicli he lives inde- 
pendently, and has been able to surround himself 
with .'ill the comforts of life. Our subject is a na- 
tive of the Bucke^'e State, born in Butler Count}', 
July IG, 1823. His father. Jacob Whallon, w.as 
born in New Jersey, March 7, 17',)S, and his grand- 



father, Thomas Whallon, it i> .-iiiip(i,--c<l, wa.> a na- 
tive of Ireland. He located in New Jerse}' when a 
j'oung man, where he was engaged as a farmer and 
carpenter, .and whence he emigrated to Ohio in 
about 1H07, and was among the earliest pioneers of 
that localit3'. He assisted in clearing the timber 
from several acres of land in that section, erected a 
set of farm buildings, and upon the homestead thus 
established spent the greater part of his life. His 
death occurred at the home f>f one of his daughters 
in Butler County, M.ay (J, 1844. 

A part of Thomas Whallon's familj' had been 
born in New Jersey, among whom was J.acob, the 
father of our subject, who was a lad of nine years 
when the family' bade adieu to their old friends in 
New England and started on their journey over- 
land to the Buckeye Sttite. Young Jacob com- 
pleted his education in the pioneer schools, and 
upon reaching manhood became the husband of 
Miss Margaret Brewer, who w.as born in Kentucky, 
.Sept. 2, 1794. The young conple located ui)on a 
tract of land which had been given Mr. Whallon by 
his father, and which w.as yet covered with tindier. 
His first duty waa to put up a dwelling, which w.as 
built of logs and finished and furnished after the 
manner of those days. In this humble structure 
the subject of our sketch was born. 

Jacob AVhallon. year after j'ear, labored on the 
farm which he had cleared from the wilderness, and 
realized the just reward of his labors in the estab- 
lishment of a good home and the enjoyment of the 
comforts of life, with the respect of many friends. 
Seven children came into the household, which was 
deprived of the affectionate care of the wife and 
mother while she was still a eomparativeI.v young 
Woman, her death occurring in March, 184(). Mr. 
W. subsequently married again, and of the second 
marriage there were born three children. 

The subject of this historj' was the fourth child 
of his father's first marriage. His early education 
was conducted in the [lioneer schools on the sub- 
scription plan, and as soon as he was strong enough 
he began to assist his father in the cultivation of 
the fairn. He remained under the home roof until 
reaching his majorit}'. and in 1S44 started out for 
himself. (Joing into Kentucky he engaged there 
in farming until 1.S4S, then, returning to Ohio, 



i 






•Mf-<- 






■•► 



ClIA:MPAiGN COUNTY. 



493 ii 



Worked l>y llie iiiniitli two years. At llii' c.xiiir.'i- 
tion of this time he loeated on a tract of rented 
land, whieh he eultivated for eiiiiit year.i thereafter^ 
ami tlicn removed to Indiana, wlicre lie |)nrcliased 
eight_y acres in Clay Connty, twelve miles east of 
Terre Haute. This he ()ccn|)ied until ls(i6, tlien sold 
outand came into Woodford County, this State. He 
only lived there a year, however. tai<ini;- jiossession 
of lii.s present homestead in 1S(!1). 

The'lady who has been sinner of the fortunes of 
our subject for a period of over forty years was 
formerly Mi.ss Catherine Corban, to whom lie was 
married in March. l.sKi. I\Irs. W . is ;i native of 
Scott County, K}., burn Dec. •'!, 1.S21, and the 
daughter of Heiny and Deborali (Ilinton) Corban. 
of the same county. Of this union there iiavelieen 
liornsix children, only two of whom, .Iosei)h Irving 
and Parker, are now living. Joseph I. lives in (iib- 
son, and Parker is at lutme. 

Ml'. Whallon, politically, is independent, and has 
ahvas taken a genuine interest in the advancement 
and welfare of his adopted county. He represented 
East Bend Township in tiie Board of .Supervisors 
one term, has lieid the oHiee of Justice of the 
Peace, and h.as served as School Director both in 
Indiana and in this county. He is in all respects a 
wortliy and reliable citizen, wlio is coutril)Uting his 
full ((uota to tlie agricultural anil business interests 
of his Community. 



^w/OSKPH L. GORMAN. The iioniestead of 
this gentleman, whicii he took possession of 
in tiie spring of 1884, is iile;isa,ntly l(K"ited 
I on section '-'yi, Tolono Township. Here he 
h.as 100 acres of finely cultivated land with con- 
venientand substantial f;irni luiildings. In iiis o|)er- 
."iticmsasan agriculturist he has enjoyed fairsuceess, 
and as a gentleman is a highl_y resi)ected niembei- 
of tlie Community. 

Our subject is a native of Fleming County, Ky., 
where his birth occurred on the .Otli of January, 
182!). Ilisfather, Daniel (Jorinan, a native of Lan- 
caster County, Pa., was born Jan. 1."). ITSO. grew to 
manhood in liis native couut\- and learned the trade 



T 



of ;i siioeniaker. When nineteen years old he was 
united in marriage with Miss Margaret Watson, 
who survived less than a year after their marriage. 
In 1800, Mr. (iorman renu)Ved to Fleming County, 
Ky., and was there ni.arried to Miss Nancy Strahan. 
They afterward removed to Scott County, Ind., 
and in aliout 1821, after becoming the mother of 
one daughter, iNIrs. (!. departed this life. The 
daughter. lOveline, married Samuel Morgan, and 
they located tirst in Fleming County, K}'., and 
later in Kush County, Ind., where Mr. M. died in 
1857. Mrs. Morgan then moved to Tolono, 111., 
where she died in April, 1886. 

Daniel (Jornian, after the death of his second 
wife, returned to Kentucky, and in March, 1828, 
was married to Miss Mary Lewis. This lady w.is a 
native of North Carolina, where she w.as born Jan. 
21, 1798. They located in Kentuelvy, where Mr. 
G. followed his trade until 18,').'i, when they re- 
moved to Rush Connty, Ind., where he departed 
this life in 18(i.'). Mrs. (iorman then came to this 
State, and died at Tolono one year later, in ISGi;. 
Of this marriage there were born three children, 
two of whom died in infancy, the child surviving 
being Joseph L. of our sketch. 

Joseph L. was reared to farming pursuits, re- 
ceived his education in a private school, and when 
nineteen years of age commenced teaching. He 
followed this occupation during the winter seasons 
for a period of twenty-live years and in the sum- 
mers engaged in farming. On the 8th of January, 
18.')G,he was united in marriage, at Lebanon, Ind.. 
to ]\Iiss Elvii'a A., daughter of John and Jane 
(Janicrsou) Stephenson. Mrs. G. was born near 
Leiianon, June 27, 1810. Of this marriage there 
were born eleven children, and the parents were be- 
reft of seven of these, who died in cliildhood. 
Lilly departed this life June l.'S. 18)S7. Those sur- 
viving are Nannie, wiio married .S. D. Cannad^', a 
druggist in Missouri: OrviUe is teaching in this 
connty; Grace resides at home. 

Joseph L. (iorman became a resident of this coun- 
ty' in 1 .Sli.T. He tirst purchased a farm in the town- 
shii)of IVsotnm, whicii lie occupied for eleven years 
and then removed int<i the village of Tolono. where 
he waselecteil .Insticc of tlic l'c;icc, .-uid was also en 
gaged in the insurance business. In .March, Is.sL 



I 



t. 



:•>■ 494 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



he took possession of his |n-csciit farm, and is most 
pleasantly sitiiato(l and prepared to enjuy life in a 
hinh degree. He became a member of the Repub- 
lican party at its organization and has l)een a warm 
supporter of its principles since that time. In for- 
mer years he was a Whig. He united with the 
Presbyterian Church in early life and is in all re- 
spects a substantial and representative citizen who 
is contributing his full share toward the welfare and 
prosperity of his community. We are pleased to 
present a portrait of this estimable citizen in this 
work, he being a gentleman worthy of the highest 
distinction. 



- '•/W-'»«C£I27®^^-J^ 



■/^^J/J)'Znr»\»"./v~>. 



^' < 



C«^^HOMA.S W. SMITH, Supervisor of Critten- 
((^§^ den Township, and in other respects a rep- 
^g^ resentati ve citizen, owns and occupies a good 
farm on section 'J'.), of which he has been in pos- 
session since the s|)ring of 1882. His estate consists 
of eighty acres, which is under a fine state of culti- 
vation, and upon whicii is a tasteful and substantial 
residence and all the buildings and machinery re- 
quired by the first-cl.ass agriculturist. In addition 
to his own land he also cultivates eight}' acres be- 
longing to his fatiier. 

Mr. Smith was born in Sangamon County, this 
State, Oct. 4, 1856, a j'ear made memorable by 
the organization of the Republican party, of which 
our suliject is a stanch supportei'. but is serving his 
third term as Supervisor in a township which is 
strongl}' Democratic. This is evidence of his popu- 
larity and the respect his fellow-citizens have for 
him. His father, Richard C. Smith, also a native 
of Sangamon County, was born Feb. 12, 18."),?, and 
his grandfather, .John Smith, a native of Kentucky, 
and l)orii March 18, 1805, when a young man 
seventeen years old emigrated to this State and lo- 
cated with the other early settlers in Sangamon 
County, and with a scythe cut grass from the ground 
where now stands the capital city of the State. 
Thegrcat-grandfatiier of our subject, Thomas Smith, 
was a native of \'irginia, where he was born in 1769. 
He came to this State and settled in Sangamon 
County, where he remained until his death, which 
occurred .Ian. 28, 1811. His wife was Elizabeth 



Peters, who was born in 1772 in Kentucky. The 
great-grandfather on the mother's side was Stephen 
Shelton, who w.as born in North Carolina about 
1777, an<l was there married to L^dia Heath. They 
came to this State in the spring of 1826, where thej' 
both si)ent the remainder of their lives. Stephen 
Shelton was twice married and his widow is still 
living in Sangamon C( lunty, .aged about eighty-three 
years. 

After locating and laying the foundation for a 
future homestead .lohn Smith took unto himself a 
life p.artner. Miss .lane O. Drennan. This lady be- 
came the mother of six children, and dep.arted this 
life at her home in Sangamon Count}', Sept. 16, 
1833. Four of that little family are still living, 
among them Richard C. the father of our subject, 
who was but an infant when his mother died and 
his father married a second time. He grew toman- 
hood in his native county, where he was reared to 
farming pursuits and received a limited education 
in the pioneer schools. After becoming of age he 
was married to Miss Auiarine Shelton, who was 
b(jrn in Sangamon County, Sept. 2, 18.i.'). She was 
the daughter of William and Prudence (Neal) Shel- 
ton, natives of Kentucky, whence the}' removed to 
Illinois in the pioneer days. Richard Smitii re- 
mained a resident of his native county until the fall 
of 1874, when he purchased 160 acres of laud in 
Crittenden Township, this county. This he oc- 
cupied until the fall of 1881, and then with his wife, 
returned to his native county, where they still re- 
side. Their children, eight in number, were Tiioinas 
W. of our sketch: ,Iolin R. ; Maria E., now the wife 
of Joseph Smith; .lames A., Richard Fl, Charles E. ; 
Flora, Mrs. E. A. Baugh, and Frederick. 

The suliject of this l)iography, who was the eldest 
of his father's lainil}', .'it an early age commenced 
to assist his parents in the iiome work and gained 
what education he could in the common schools. 
He came vvith them, in 1874, to this county, and 
completed his studies at the State University at 
Champaign. He subsequently taught and attended 
school alternately and suj)plementetl his studies liy 
a course at Central Normal College in Danville, 
Ind. Afterward he continued teaching until the 
spring of 1882, since whicli date he has given his 
entire attention to farming. 



t- 






u 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



495 






Mr. Sinitli was iiiai-riecl on tlic 2."itli of Oclohcr, 
1881, to Miss Mar.iiaret U. Campbell, a native of 
Wayne Count}-, Iowa, and l)oiii May 27, l!S(;i. 
Mrs. Smith is the daiijiliter of .lames K. and Nancy 
.1. ((»il)son) Campljell, the foi'mer a native of Ohio 
and the latter of Sangamon County, this State. 
Both parents are still living and are now residents 
of I'iatt County, 111. Our suhjeet and his wife have 
become the parents of two children — Claude E. ami 
Edna J. 

Mr. Smith in addition to his oilier duties, ollicially 
and as a fanner, is also general agent for the Tower 
Cultivator Company. Both i\Ir. and Mrs. Sniitli 
are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and in every good work of the community 
take an active part. Our suliject, aUhongli a young 
man, has taken a ver}' prominent part in the councils 
of his townshi[), and also of the county, and is re- 
garded as a man of excellent business talents and 
splendid judgment. It is therefore with pleasure 
that we place his portrait in the galaxy of those of 
leading men presented in tiiis volume. 



^^^1 IIARLES II. LILLY, engaged in general 
(|( merchandising in Thomasboro, is a native 

^^^(' of Champaign City, this county, born Jan. 
■20, 1 sdO. It will thus be seen that he is a young 
man, l)ut for several years he has been conducting 
business for himself, and if appearances give any 
indication he is on the high road to prosperity' and 
a competence. He has seen considerable of the 
world, having traveled over the States and Territo- 
ries of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, Dakota, 
Wisconsin and Minnesota, and at last satisfied him- 
self that there was no section of country equal t<j 
that of Centr.al Illinois. He accordingl}' took up 
his location in Thomasboro, establishing in busi- 
ness tliere in 1884. He carries a general and well- 
selecteil stock of goods, and by his courteous man- 
ner to all, and iiis systematic business methods, has 
built up a patronage which speaks well for his abil- 
ity as a business man, and wliicii is steadily on the 
increase. 

The first representative of the Lilly family in this 
country located in the South. The fatiier of our 



suliject, Rev. Robert H. Lilly, was born in Ken- 
tuckj-. and his grandf.ather, Amiger Lilly, w.as born 
about forty miles west of Richmoml, \'a., .June 7, 
I7().'!. He removed to the Blue (irass regions in 
about 1784, being among the earliest settlers of the 
State. After a residence there of over forty years he 
again started westward, probably feeling like Dan- 
iel Booni', that the country was liecoming too 
crowded. Crossing the Mississippi he located near 
Millersburg, Mo., where his death occurred in 
18,'52. In the meantime he had married and reared 
a fine family, among the sons of which was Robert 
II., the father of our subject. He was born Maj' 
11, 1804, and developed from an unusually bright 
and serious-minded boy into a minister of the 
Presbyterian Church, although in the meantime, 
commencing when eleven years of age, he had 
learned the trade of a book-binder, and for several 
years was engaged at that in connection with i)rint- 
ing. M'hen twenty years old he became a member 
of the church at Paris, Ky., and at that time had 
resolved that as opportunity occurred he would 
employ his leisure time fitting himself for the min- 
istry. For two years following he studied in and 
out of school, working at printing to pay his ex- 
penses. In the fall of 1828 he entered the Theo- 
logical Seminar}' at Princeton, N. J., to which 
place he made his wa}' on horseback, selling his 
horse after his arrival there in order to replenish his 
exchequer. He completed the full course of study, 
and in April, 18;^1, was licensed to preach by the 
Presbytery of Philadelphia. In IMay, 1833, he took 
charge of the church at Franklin, Tenu., and the 
3'ear following w.as ordained as an Evangelist by 
the Presbyter}' of West Tennessee. Afterward he 
preached in Caldwell and Livingston Counties. Ky., 
until 183(), then, moving to Princeton, started a 
private school and organized a Church society. In 
1839 he came to this State, commencing his labors 
first at Mt, Carmel, and afterward becoming a mis- 
sionary in Clark County during its early settle- 
ment. In 18;')! he came to this county as the sup- 
ply of the Urbana Church, then called West Ur- 
bana, but which is now the Hourishing Church of 
Chami)aigu. He lat)ored in that section as pastor 
and teacher until 18.5.'), when he accepted an invi- 
tation to sup[)|y file Union Cliurehes in Ri<'hland, 

■» 



i 



V 496 

1 ■ 



-A 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-t 



this State. He I'cmained there two years, tlien re- 
tiiined to this county, taking up his aliodo in 
Champaign City, wlieie he passed from the scenes 
of his eartlily labors, .Jan. 14, 1.S74. He was never 
strong physically, his niiiul alw.ays reaching beyond 
what his hanils were able to perforin. Although 
reiuarlialily zealous in the cause of Christ, his health 
never permitted the continunus duties of a regular 
charge, and he could only act as a supply. 

The first wife of Rev. Robert Lilly, who before 
her marriage was Miss Sarah L. Butler, died in No- 
vember, 1849. His second marriage, in l.sr)2, was 
with Miss Martha Winter, who oid}- lived a little 
over a year afterward, leaving an infant son, Rob- 
ert. Mr. Lilly was married a third time, to Miss 
A^aleria Cordon, of Coles County, 111., and they be- 
came the parents of eight children, viz. : Mary C, 
who became the wife of Wiley Buckles and is now 
deceased; Charles H., of our sketch; James E., 
now located in Cincinnati, Ohio; Willie, who died 
when two years old; Clara, who died when eleven 
years old ; John C, Fannie S. and Susie R., the 
three latter are at home. 

The mother of our subject was born in Canton, 
N. Y., and was the daughter of Valeria Gordon, a 
native of County Antrim, Ireland, of Scottish an- 
cestry, and the son of John Gordon. The mother 
of Mrs. L. was Susan McCullock, of Berkshire, Vt., 
also of Scottish ancestry, and who died in Coles 
County, Mo. 

Charles H. Jjilly, who was the second child and 
eldest son of his father's family, received a good 
education, wiiich, begun in tlie primary schools, 
was continued in the High Schools until he was 
twenty years of age. He then entered the Illinois 
State University, from which he graduated in the 
el.ass of 1884, with the degree of B. S. Soon aft- 
erward he was eng.aged as second chemist in the 
Champaign Sugar Relinery, and afterward, going 
to Nashville took tiic position of lii'st chemist in a 
similar establishment there, whence in the spring 
of bSKri, he came to Tiiomasboro and formed a 
partnership witli Mr. K. F. Bogardus, and purchased 
the stock and good-will of the store of the late 
W. B. Hoag. In January, 1880, he purchased the 
interest of his partner, and now carries on the busi- 
ness alone. He was aiipujulcd Postmaster under 



the administration of President Arthur, and served 
until October. 188;'). Politically he belongs to the 
Republican party. 

The marriage of Charles H. Lilly and .Miss Julia 
C. I'ntnam was celebrated at the home of the bride's 
parents, on the :?d of September, 1885. Mrs. L. is 
the daughter of Henry and Phcbc (Condit) Put- 
nam, and was born in Condit Tt)wnship, in 1862. 
Their only child, who is a son, is named Henry 
Wilmot. ]Mr. and Mrs. L. are members in good 
standing of the Presbyterian Church, and number 
among their friends and associates the cultivated 
people of their community. 

_._ ^c^ ^ 




s^\ AMUEL FUNKIIOUSER,a highly respect- 
ed resident of Somer Township, is a na- 
tive t>f St. Joseph Township, Dearborn Co., 
hid., and was born Feb. 20, 1830. His 
father, Abraham, was a native of New Brighton, 
Beaver Co., Pa., and his grandfather, Jacob, a na- 
tive of Maryland, was the son of Abraham Fuuk- 
houser, Sr., who was born in Germany, whence he 
emigrated to this country when a 3'oung man and 
served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He 
afterward settled in Maryland, where he reared his 
family and spent the last years of his life. His son, 
Jacob, when a young man left his native State and 
located in Beaver County, Pa., whore he was mar- 
ried, and engaged in farming pursuits with the ex- 
ception of the time spent as a soldier in the War 
of 1812. Six years afterward he removed to Indi- 
ana and was among the earliest settlers of Dearborn 
County. He purchased a tract of Government 
Land, which he occupied, however, but a few years, 
when he removed to Ripley County, that State, 
where he spent the remainder of his days. 

The father of our subject was reared on a farm 
in his native county of Beaver, Pa., and was there 
married to Miss iVIargarct Foster. This lady was a 
native of the same town as her husband and was 
the daughter of James Foster, also a native of the 
Keystone State, and who emigrated to Dearborn 
County, Ind., wlierc iiis death occurred in aliout 
1870. 

Abraham Funkhousir removed with his parents to 



i 



I 



4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



497 



Iiuliaiui and foi' ;i short tinio rented a tract of land 
ill Dearborn County, lie had been trained to habits 
of industrj' and economy, and hoarded his small in- 
come until he was enabled to purchase forty acres 
of Government land and also entered another forty 
acres. He put up a log' cabni into which he re- 
moved with his fauiil}', and commenced in good 
earnest the improvement and cultivatinn (jf his 
(jurchase, which was very heavily timbered. The 
orijiinal dwelling was constructed after the manner 
of the pioneer daj's before the erection of sawmills 
in the county. After a few years he built a more 
pretentious residence of hewed logs, which in those 
times was considered a great possession. In due 
lime this also was replaced by a frame house whose 
rafters were hewed by hand, and which was con- 
sidered substantial, but was broken in two b\- a 
iiurricaiie. leaving the lower story standing. Mr. 
F. was, however, successful in his labor of clearing 
his farm, and destroyed the most beautiful saw logs 
by lire in order to get I'id of them. Those logs now 
would sell at a good round price. He occupied his 
farm in Dearborn County, Ind., until 1851, then 
sold out and started overland with teams for Iow:i. 
He took up a tract of (uivernment land in Mon- 
roe County and also purchased sixty acres adjoin- 
ing, which gave him a tract of land consisting of 
240 acres. This he improved into a valuable farm 
which he occupied until 18GG. In that 3'ear he sold 
out and recrossed the Father of Waters, purchasing 
a farm in Greene Countj', 111., five miles from 
White Hall, which remained his home until his death, 
in 187(). The wife and mother had departed this 
life two years before. Of the foui'teen children 
born of the parental union, ail grew to man and 
womanhood, married, and reared families of their 
own. 

The subject of our sketch was the si.Kth ciiild 
and fourth son, and remained on the farm lK)me- 
stead until sixteen years old. He then started out 
in life for himself, and became a llatboatman on 
the Ohio and ^Mississippi Rivers. Tiiese boats car- 
ried produce, lumber and other nierchandise, and 
young .Samuel visited all the principal towns on the 
two rivers from Cincinnati to New Orleans, being 
on the river in winter and followiug farming in 
sumiiuT iiulil l.sj,:). He lIuMi retunicil li« Deaiboiii 



County, Ind., and took charge of a sawmill in Au- 
rora one winter, after which he located at Ft. Madi- 
son, Iowa, and engaged in brick-making. He lived 
there and in West Point for two years folU)wing, 
after which he went into Missouri and spent eight 
months in Memphis, Scotland County. After this 
he returned to Aurora, Ind., and after four ^-ears 
became foreman of a large distillery. Six 3'ears 
later he removed to Momence, 111., where he oper- 
ated a distillery two years. 

In October, 186-2, Mr. F. purchased 120 acres of 
land in Monroe County, Iowa, which he occupied 
one winter, then returned to Lawrejiceburg and en- 
gaged once more in a distillery. In 18G3, he be- 
came a soldier in the Union army, and for six 
months was on guard duty in the Southern part of 
the State. The regiment, coniiuauded by Capt. 
Burekam, was known as the Indiana Legion, and 
they engaged three times with Morgan's men at the 
time of the famous raid in Southern Ohio. After 
leaving the army Mr. F. located in Carrolltou, Ky., 
and engaged in distilling, removing thence, in Jan- 
uary, 1S04, to Lafayette, Ind., where he followed the 
.same business two years. In 18G8 he came to this 
county and purchased the farm which he now owns 
and occupies. It was, however, b}' no means a 
farm at that time, but uncultivated land which it 
took years to bring to a good bearing condition. 
His first business was to erect a dwelling for his 
family, into which they removed the following year. 
One of the features of this now productive and 
valuable farm is a pond coveriug threi^ acres, and 
stocked with German carp. 

The family of Mr. Funklionser occupied the farm 
while he returned to Harrison, Ohio, and was en- 
gaged in distdling, seven years there and four^'ears 
at Cincinnati. In 1880 he took up the .same busi- 
ness at Indianapolis for six months. His family 
occupied the farm until 1874, then all removed to 
Harrison, Hamilton Co., Ohio. After three years 
spent in the Buckeye State they returned to the 
farm, and since 1881 Mr. F. himself took up his 
abode here and superintended its further improv- 
ineiil. -Ml his land is now under a good state of 
ciiltivatioii and he has erected a fine set of frame 
buildings. His enteri)rise and energy have become 
|>|-overbial, and both as a, citi/en .•uul liM>ines.s man. 



•►■-♦- 



4 



i 



h 



t 



- ► w <• 



498 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



he is reganlefl as a valued nieiiiber of the com- 
munity. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Susan 
Lutz to(jiv place at Napoleon, Ripley Co.. Ind., Aug. 
.J, lfS4'J. Mrs. F. was born in Hii)ley County, 
Feb. 4, 1831,:in(l was the (laughter of Moses and 
Mary (House) Lutz. The mother died when Mrs. 
¥. was but two days old, and her father one and 
one-half years later. .She was reared by strangers 
until nine j-ears of age and then lived with an elder 
sister. Of her marriage with our subject there 
were born ten children, seven now living: Francis 
is a resident of Hamilton County, 111. ; Sarah A., 
Mrs. Albert Kirby, lives in Sonier Township; Klla, 
the wife of J. W. Prickett, lives in Hamilton Coun- 
ty, 111.: Hattie, Mrs. C. F. Calloway, is a resident 
of Stanton Township; Josephine, who married 
David White, lives in Somer Township; Emma, 
Mrs. .Stephen Finiiessy, in Clinton Township, and 
William C. is at home. Mr. F. politically is a 
stanch supporter of the Republican party. 



JOHN THERMAN WHITE, one of the most 
thorough and skillful farmers of St. Joseph 
Township, became a resident of tliis county 
' in the spring of 1H70, locating on his present 
farm on section 30, and wliicli piesents a picture of 
one of the finest homesteads in this region. Mr. 
White is a native of the great commonwealth of 
Ohio, iiis birtli taking place near Chillicothe, Ross 
County, A|)ril 22, 18^0. 

The While family in llic early d.ays w;is (piile 
conspicuous in the history of what is now West 
Virginia, where the grandfather of our subject, 
David White, was born, reared and married, and 
from which he subsequently emigrated to Ohio, 
settling in Ross County, and becoming prosperous 
as a farmer and a stock-raiser. After the close of 
a long and n.seful life, during which he had reared 
a family of sons anil daughters, and wliom he, witli 
the assistance of his excellent wife, ha<l litted for 
Worthy members of society, he departed from the 
jfcnes of his earthly labor.-. 

Among the sons of D:ivid W lute and his estima- 



ble wife was John R., wlio constitiited a member 
of the household circle before the remov:U from 
the Old Dominion, where his birth took place in 
1817. He removed to Ohio with his parents and 
was afterward married to Miss Dorothea Ann, 
daughter of .lohn and May Hitzer, who was born 
June 1. 1820. The Bitzei- family was of (Jerman 
ancestr}'. The Whites came originally {v^im .Scot- 
land. The parents of our subject settled first in 
Ross County, where they remained until February, 
1870, having their family increased in the mean- 
time by the birth of six children. Then .lohn R. 
White decided to remove further westward, and 
coming to Central Illinois, located in .St. Joseph 
Township, of which he is still a resident, and with 
his excellent wife is enj03'ing the societj' of most 
of his children. These were named, Mar^' C, who 
married James Brittenhara ; Martha A. ; John T. of 
our sketch: David X.: William M. and Samuel. 

Our subject was the eldest son and thud child of 
the |)arental family, and spent his boyhood and 
youth in his nat've State. His first studies were 
conducted in the primitive log cabin and he re- 
mained with his parents until their removal to this 
State in 1870. Soon afterward he began faiining 
on his own account, but was not married until Feb. 
29, 187G, when nearly thirty yeai'S of age. His 
chosen bride was Miss Sarah, second daughter of 
Joseph and Nancy (Banan) Street. The two who 
thus commenced life together went to housekeep- 
ing on the farm of our subject, which he had pur- 
chased previously and fitted up in expectation of 
the coming change. Here he has eighty-five acres 
of choice land, besides thirty-live on section HI, all 
under a good state of cultivation, and the farm 
|)roiier supplied with a handsome and convenient 
residence, good barns and out-buildings, and the en- 
tire outfit of the modern and enterprising farmer. 
In addition to general agriculture Mr. White has 
given considerable attention to the breeding of 
good grades of stock, including hogs, cattle and 
horses, the latter being principally draft animals. 
He has been peculiarly fortunate in his investments, 
and were he not happier in being employed would 
be wise to retire from active labor and enjoy the 
accumulations of his thrift :ind industry. 

The three sons born to our subject and ids wife 



i 



-I- 



-^•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



499 



are bright and iiitelligeut liids, whom they luimed 
respectively Saiiford, Perry E. and Joseph N. 
They .-ue all living- and at home with their parents. 
Mrs. White is a member in good standing of tiie 
United Brethren Churcli, and a lad}' respected for 
her sterling worth of character. Mr. W. politically 
alliliates with the Republican part}-, whose prin- 
ciples he has fervently endorsed since casting his 
first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, in 1 .SG4. 
.Mr. "White, after the first call for troops to assist 
in defending the ITnion, enlisted as a soldier in the 
1 47th Ohio Infantry, serving nntil the close of the 
war. He met the enemy in the battle of Fredericks- 
burg and in various skirmishes and minor engage- 
ments. After receiving his honorable discharge, in 
August, 1865, he returned to Ro.ss Count}, Ohio, 
and began the career which has progressed with 
such credit to himself and of which his children 
will be proud to read in after years. 

I LI IIALBEU.STADT, who has been a resi- 
dent of this county for a period of over 
thirty years, among other business interests, 
is the proprietor of the Uniijn Roller Mills at Ur- 
batia, which he established in 18GG. In 1884 he 
remodeled the mill building, and put in new modern 
machinery so that in the patent process for the man- 
ufacture of flour it is not excelled by any institu- 
tion of the kind in Central Illinois. Our subject 
bears upon his countenance the index of his charac- 
ter as an honest man, a good citizen, and one who 
has assisted materially in the building up and de- 
velopment of this section. 

Mr. Ilalberstadt w.as born in Frederick County, 
Md., Sept. 1/i, 1820, and is the son of Peter and 
.Susan C. (Maus) Ilalberstadt, who were n.atives re- 
spectivelj' of Jlaryland and Penn.sylvania. The 
father of our subject, a well-educated man, was a 
carpenter by trade, at which he worked in the sum- 
mer and taught school in tiie winter. He removed 
from his native State to Ohio in 1829, settling in 
Darke County, where he died. The mother died 
in .Maryland in about 18:i(). The parental family 
included three children ; only one, Eli, of our sketch, 
is now living; Fli/.a, Mrs. Plain, of Fre<]eiiek 




County* Md., died in April, 1 88". The parents be- 
longed to the German Reform Church. Peter Hal- 
berstadt served as a soldier in the War of 1812, 
and the paternal grandparents of our subject were 
both soldiers in the Revolutionary W'ar. The first 
representatives of the family on the mother's side 
came from Hanover, Germany, and (»n the father's 
side from Prussia, at an early day. The paternal 
grandfather of our subject's nu)ther emigrated in 
his boyhood and after his arrival here was sold for 
his passage. He afterward paid the price, and upon 
arriving at a suitable age was married and raised a 
family, of whom his eldest son served in the Fed- 
eral army during the Revolution. The maternal 
grandfather of our subject, during his early man- 
hood, farmed extensively in the State of Maryland 
but spent his declining years in Pennsylvania, 
where his remains are buried. 

Eli Halberstadt was a lad of but ten years when 
he was deprived of the affectionate care of his 
mother. After her death he w.-is taken into the 
home of his uncle, .Jacob (i rove, with whom he 
lived two years, and then went to live with another 
uncle, Jacob Maus, on a farm, where he remained 
until seventeen years old. He then served an ap- 
prenticeship of three years at the tailor's trade, and 
afterward worked as a journeyman for three years 
in Carroll and W^ashington Counties, Md. At that 
time, on account of poor health, he determined to 
aljandon his former occupation, and opened a store 
in the same place, which he operated two years. 
He then .sold out and removed to Miami County, 
Ohicj, where he resumed the tailoring business two 
years, and thence came to I'rbana, this county. In 
the spring of 18i')0, in com[iMny with two others, 
he opened a store which they operated one year, 
when Mr. H. bought out his partners and continued 
business alone until 1805. That year he put up 
his gristmill on Ray street, and subsequently 
changed it to a rolling-mill. The capacity of this 
at the present is seventy-five liarrels per day. Dur- 
ing the period of his extensive business operations 
in this county, Mr. Ilalberstadt has firndy esUib- 
lished himself in the confidence of his friends and 
patrons, and for years has been one of the leading 
business men, esteemed alike for his integrity and 
ability. He was elected May<jr of I'rbana in I8(i8, 



•►-•-^^ 



V 



i 



u 



500 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



.t 



ill which oftice he served four terms, and wliile the 
custodian of the interests of tlie cit3' exercised the 
same conscientious care and ft)rethouglit wliich he 
has always shown in the transaction of liis own pri- 
vate liusiness. He is Democratic in politics and 
with his excellent wife is a member in good stand- 
ing of the Methodist Episcojial Church, of which 
he has been Steward and Trustee, and to the sup- 
port of which he has always contributed liberally 
and cheerfnlly. He is also an honored member of 
the Masonic fraternity and of the I. O. O. F. 

Our subject was married in September, 1842, to 
Miss Rebecca I>egore, a native of Maryland, and 
the daughter of Jacob and Rachel (Hull) Legore, 
of the same State, where Mi'. !>. in earl^- life worked 
as a stonemason and bricklayer. Of this union 
there were born five children: Frances A., Mrs. 
Shilling, of ITrbana ; J)avid B., of W.ashington, 
I). C; George H., of Urbana; Susan C, Mrs. Da}', 
of Washington, D. C, and Douglas E., of Chicago. 
The fauiilj' residence is a handsome structure tinely 
located, and our subject and his wife enjoy the so- 
ciety of hosts of friends. 



i 



ylLLIAM J. AM) .JOSEPH ALEXANDER, 
farmers and go<jdly land-owners of Ayers 
Township, of excellent Scottish parentage, 
are natives of County Tyrone, Ireland. They came 
to this countiy in l.S5<s or l.s.')i), and after leaving 
New York City, proceeded directly westward to 
this State, locating near tln' town of Brimtield, 
twenty-five miles west of Peoria. Three months 
later they repaired to .lacksonville, where they en- 
gaged as farm laliorcrs two years, and then cui- 
liarked in agiicullure on their own liook. Unlike 
man}' of their In-ethren they were provided with 
some means, and now purchased 480 acres of land 
and tried the ex|)eriuiciit of stock-growing, which 
they continued with fair success until 1870. They 
then disposed of their interest in that section and 
purchased two farms in l^ogaii County, which they 
disposed of in 1.S72. 'I'heir next venture w.as in 
Ayers 'J'ownship, where Ihey purchased 1,000 acres 
of hind, which is esteemed as of the choicest tpiallty 
to lie round in this regimi, 



The Alexander brothers possessed remarkable eii- 

erg3% and in a comparatively short time had 
erected a fine set of buildings, including a hand- 
some two-stor}' dwelling and a barn, which for 
beauty of architecture and quality of material will 
compare favorably with anyllung of the kind in 
this part of Champaign County. The buildings 
occuiiy a slight elevation, and command a fine view 
of the surrounding country. They also attract 
the attention of the passing traveler, and the ad- 
miration of all who behold them. Alexander 
brothers are now tacitly .acknowledged to be the 
largest individual farmers in Ajers Township. 
They feed and ship annually about 800 head of 
cattle, chartering each year a number of trains to 
transport their animals to the markets of Chicago 
and other points East. In addition to their real 
estate in Ayers Township they own a large tract of 
land in Washington and Nuckolls Counties, Neb., 
and also land in Colorado. 

I'lion starting out in life William aiiit .loseph' 
Alexander had nothing to depend upon but their 
own resources and a small cash capital of perhaps 
1100. They are ()robably now the largest tax pay- 
ers in Ayers Township. For the last four years 
Joseph lias made his home (irineipally in Nebraska, 
but in 1887 returned to Illinois, and will probably 
now be content to settle down pcrmanentl}' in the 
Prairie State. Notwithstanding the rich laud west 
of the Father of Waters he admits that there are 
advantages to be enjoyed in this State not pos- 
sessed by the territory west. 

The parents of the Alexander brothers were 
James and Letitia (Marshall) Alexander, both 
born in Scotland. The father was a farmer and 
wheelwright, and rein<i\e(l ti> Ireland early in life. 
He was successful linaucially, and left a fine farm 
to his widow. She was married again, to Mr. II. 
Sleeu, a Seotchuiau l)y birth. Of her first marriage 
there were born live children: .Mary became the 
wife of Michael Clarneii, :iiid lives in Ireland; 
Sarah married .). M. Catchart, a .Scotcliman, and 
lives in Ayers Townsliii); .lolin married Miss Erk- 
hart, a lady of Scottish birth; the brothers, Will- 
iam and Joseph, coini)lete the children of James 
Alexander. Of the scH'ond marriage of the mother 
there were born lleiir}', Thomas, .lames and Eliza. 







M^^a;i:te:.:.:>;:...:><.. . v--'C^^ 



Residence of David Cooter , Sec. 13 , Brown Township. 










' iMgJiaitiriTirfliiftfimiMifltifTtMlitiirilhhiitiiifiW 



Residence of Fred Pell, Sec. 7 ,Philo Township, 



1 iiiifiiKiMlUllrtWMillBftilii-'i'iiif 



t 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



503 



I 



William .1. Ali'xamU'r w.is lioni Foli. 1.1, is 17. 
Since coiuinii; to thi^ c-ouiitiy Ir- has fulRllcd cri'd- 
italily all the duties of a citizen, with one exception, 
and tliat i.s that he remains a hacheidr. ulicii he 
might bet'ome the head of a family and increase 
even his present iiigli standing in social and linan- 
cial circles. 

.Iosci)h Alexander was born iMay 12, 1.S41I. On 
the l.")th of Novcndier, IS.S;}, he married a most 
worthy and highly rosi)ected lady. Miss iMnma 15. 
Six. She was born in l-'^()2.aiid only remained the 
companion of her husband a few short nioTiths, her 
death taking place in Augnst, 1.SS4. She was a 
lady possessed of a fine edncation. and had tanght 
school for some time before her marriage She was 
greatly missed in social circles, and in the Presby- 
terian Church, of which she had been a devoted 
and consistent member for several ^ears. 

\A\ O.SKS C. THOMAS. The i)ioneer fiou ring- 
mill in the southeastern |)artof C'haminiign 
County, in Homer Township, was erected 
in about XX-i'I by the grandfather of the 
subject of this biography, which property de- 
scended to Mr. Thomas, and which he has operated 
since his business life began. This is located on 
the south fork of the \'ermilion Hiver, and is one 
of the old landmarks, so many of which are fast 
passing away and being lost, on account of the set- 
tling up of the laud, and the prairie giving place 
to modern farms. 

Moses C. Thomas was born in Old Homer. Oct. 
■_M . IS K), and still resides near the place of his 
liirtii. His parents, John 13. and Elizabeth (Lan- 
der) Thomas, werejiatives of Kentucky, the former 
Ijorn in Ma.son antl the latter in Bourbon County. 
The}' left the Blue Grass regions in their youth, 
coming to Illinois before their marriage. .lohn 
Thomas in 1H29, and Klizabeth Lander the year 
following. The acquaintance soon afterward be- 
gun ripened into a mutual attachment, and they 
were married in 18;3o. The father of our subject 
was born in tSOi), and dei)arted tiiis life at his 
home in Homer Township in ISi'il. 'J'he mother 
was born in 1 si 1 , and survi\ cd her luisliand nine 




years, dying in 1 s7u. Of theii- children, seven 
passed away in infancy; Celia died when seven 
years of ag(% and llamcs when a youth of nineteen 
years. The others were Moses C. oi our sketch, 
Joseiih, Willis, Albert, Alice and Charles. 

Besides his mill property Mr. 'I'liom.as has sixty- 
live a('res of valuable land, with a line brick resi- 
dence located in the midst of well-kept groinids. 
and good out-buildings in the rear, including car- 
riage-barn and stables. He has been successful iti 
his milling operations and owns three business 
hou.ses in the village. His life has lieen a (piiet 
and unostentatious one, which he has pursued 
worthih', enjoying the respect of his neighbors and 
the comp;inionslii|) of his family. His wife was 
formerly Miss .I.ane Insley, and their ni.irriage took 
place at the home of the bride's parents in Homer, 
March 2'.l, ISTfl. Jlrs. Thomas was born in Indi- 
ana in 1S4S, anil is the ilaughter of .lohn and Mar- 
garet (Stewart) Insle_y, natives of the same .State. 
They afterward became residents of Homer. Mrs. 
Insley is still living here; .lohn Insley is deceased. 
The parental household, to which there were bt)rn 
seven children, was bereft of two, there lieing now 
only five living, namely, Aaron, .Marion. Henry, 
.lane and Ellen. Of the four little ones who came 
to the hcjme of our subject and his wife, three only 
are living, namel}', Frank H., Moses E. and Jennie. 
Carrie E. is deceased. 

Our subject and wife are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, and the politics of Mr. 
Thomas are decidedly Republican. He also has a 
half interest in 100 acres of land on section 31, 
Homer Township, besides thirty-five acres li>cated 
on another section. 



>->^^^:i?^^t>^^^^ 



\f 



W. .MYEUS, who has been a resident of the 
I'rairie .State since a lad nine years of age, 
after the labors of a long and busy life is 
now living in ease and retirement in the city 
of Champaign, in a comfortable and handsome 
home, surrounded liy the friends whom he has 
made during an honorable and U])righl cai'eer. 
He was born in Franklin County, Pa., Nov. oO, 
ISitS, and is the son uf Henry and Maria (Eshle- 



I 



i 



t. 



s 



504 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



iniin) Myers, natives of tbe Keystone State, where 
lloiiiy Myers was engaged for many 3'ears in farm- 
inir i>iirsiiits. He disposed of liis interests tliere in 
isi.s. iind coining to ttiis State located in Fulton 
{'iiiinly. where he engaged extensively in tarniing 
and stock-raising, and whore both |);ueMts .still live. 
The household included ten cliildren, of whom eight 
are now living, as follow.s: John W. is a resident 
(if Champaign City: .Toscph C, of Fulton County; 
l>avid \., of McDonough County; Martha, Mrs. 
lirown. of Henry County; Adeline, Mrs. Norton, 
and William, of Fulton County ; Susan, Mrs. ."\Iull, 
of MeDonougb County, and Daniel of Fulton 
County. Hein'y Myers is Itepublicau in politics, and 
both pai'eiits are members of the Dunkard Church. 

The snliject of this biography was reaied on a* 
farm and remained with his parents until twenty- 
three years of age. He then purchaseil 1(1(1 acres 
of lan<l in Farmingtoii Township. Fulton Count}', 
which he operated from ISOO to 1876, then sold 
out and purchased a farm in Newcomb Township, 
this count}'. This consisted of 320 acres, where 
he engaged extensively in stock-raising, and to 
which in 1883 he added 208 acres, which consti- 
tuted a magnificent body of land aggregating 528 
acres. Upon this farm he erected a commodious 
modern dwelling with good barns and all necessary 
buildings for the storing of grain and the shelter 
of stock. This beautiful countr}^ estate is one of 
the finest in Champaign County, and displays on 
every hand the cultivated tastes and ample means 
of its proprietor. 

The marriage of J. W. Myers and JH.ss Helen E. 
A'iltnni took place Dec. 2!), 1864, at the residence 
of the bride's parents in Norris. Jlrs. M. was born 
Sept. 24, 1843, and is the daughter of Sargent and 
Mai'y A. (Weed) A'ittum, who were natives of New 
Hampsliire, and engaged in farming i)nrsuits. They 
removed from the Old (Iranite State to Illinois in 
1857, locating in Fulton County, where Mr. \'ittum 
carried on farming for a number of years, and then 
with his family lemoved to the city of Canton, 



resident of Canton ; Helen, Mrs. Myers, resides with 
her husband in Chaniiiaign; Susan K., Mrs. Mc- 
Cntchen. and F^dith E., IVIrs. Dr. AVright. are living 
in Canton, 111.: FIdcn S. and .Mwyn are residents 
of Norris, Fulton County. 

Mr. Vittum retired from his farm of over 500 
acres in 1882. and it is now operated by tenants. 
It is underlaid with rich coal mines, and upon it 
are about forty dwellings for the miners. This, as 
may be supi)0sed, yields our subject a fine income. 
He is one of the prominent men of F'ulton County, 
highl}' esteemed as a business man and a citizen, 
and (loliticall}' alliliates with the Democratic party. 

Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Myers there 
have been bt>rn si.x children : Wildie H. married 
Miss Lou F]. Bryan, and is living on tlie farm; F. 
Leonard is on the farm with his brother. Wildie; 
Maude O., L. May, Winnie M. and Wissie E. arc at 
home with their parents. Leonard is a graduate of 
the Business College at Champaign, and the younger 
children are attending High School. Mr. Mj'er.shas 
held the offices of School Trustee and Director, and 
in other respects hsis been prominently identified 
with the educational and business interests of the 
city. 

'^H^ilZEKlEL COOK, who has been a resident of 
fe) Tolono since 1875, is successfully carrying 
/IL^ on a trade in hardware, and has built up a 
profitable patronage. He comes of substantial an- 
cesUy, and is a native of Bedford Count}', Pa., 
born .Inly 6, 1834. His parents were F>.ekiel and 
Elizabeth (Leader) Cook, who had a family of 
eleven children, of whom our subject is the young- 
est. He was reared on his father's farm in the 
Keystone State, educated in the district schools, 
and was employed part of the time in the black- 
smith-shop of his father, where he gained a good 
insight into that trade. He is a natural mechanic, 
and with little practice can manipulate almost any 
tool that is manuf.ictin'cd. He possessed more than 



-¥ 



where he is now living in retirement upon a com- ordinary ability, was bright and observant of what 

petency. Of the nine children included in the j was going on around him, and when not in school, 

household circle, seven are now living, as follows: still pursued his stutlies in his leisure hours, and at 

Harrison II. is living in retirement at F:irmerCity, an early age engaged in teaching. 

III.; Ilumer, also retired from active labor, is a | During the progress of the late wai Mi. Cot)k, 




f 



-4^ 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



505 



! 



ill 1S(!1, iiocaiiu' ii uu'ihIht of Co. K. "iOStli l':i. 
\'ol. Inf., servjiii; until tiie surreiuloi- uf the Coii- 
fedei'iite ami}-. After the war he returned to his 
native county, where lie owned 120 acres of land 
wliieii he cultivated until IS75. In the fall of that 
}-ear lie came to Illinois, and locating at Tolono es- 
tablished his present business. lie still owns his 
farm in Pennsylvania, besides eighty acres of land 
in Tolono To\viishi|i, and property in the town. 

Our subject was married, in the spring of liSOil, 
to Miss Matilda Young, a native of his own coun- 
ty, and they became the parents of eight children. 
The ru'st-born died in childhood. .Seven are now 
living, namely, Laura B. ; Addic, Mrs. (Tcorge W. 
Manly, of Decatur; .John and Klla, twins; Mary J., 
Harvey E. and (leorge H. Upon arriving at his 
m.ajority, our subject commenced voting with the 
Republican party, wliose priiici[)les he has since 
supported. He h.as held the local otiices of his 
township, is a member in good standing of tiic 
Metluidist Kpiscojial Church, and social!}', belongs 
to liie (;. A. U. and the K. of H. 




.ILLJARl) L. SAMSON, editor and proprie- 
tor of the Homer Eiitcrprisi^ is a native of 

^ u the Prairie State, and was born in Vermil- 
ion County, .June 80, ISGl. His [larents, (Jeorge 
and America (C)clieltree) Samson, were natives re- 
spectively of Canada and Ohio. Tiie former, wiio 
was born in 1820, died in \Crinilion County, 111., 
in 18(;.i. He occujiied his time [irincipaliy as a far- 
mer and stoclv-i-aiser, in wiiicii he was very success- 
ful and accumulated considerable projierty. lie 
supported the princiiilcs of the l{e))ublicaM party, 
and was .-i man useful in the cominiinity and of 
good standing in business circles. Religiously he 
was connected witii the Wesleyan Mclhodisl Church. 

The mother of our subject, a native of F.ayette 
County, Ohio, was bi>rn .lunc 14, 1827, and is now 
a resident of Kansas. Her second husband was 
G. W. IJrown. wiio died in 1884. Mrs. 15. is a 
member of the Cumberland Presi>yteriaii Ciiuich. 
Tiie live cliiidreii of her liist marriage are recorded 
as follows; .loiin aM<l Allicit, the tw(j eldest sons, 
died in cbildliond ; (Jeorgia became the wife of 



Basil Brown, and died near .St. .John's. Kan., Nov. 
II. 1886; Eleanor, now .Mrs. IMiilip .AlcWillianis, is 
a resident of Stafford Count}', Kan. ; and Williard 
L., our subject. 

Mr. Samson remained with his parents during liis, 
boyhood days, studying his first lessons in the dis- 
trict school. r|)on starting out for hiinst'lf in life 
he learned telegraphy, and in 1882 toolv a trip to 
Texas, where he remained a _year thus engaged. 
The year following he again crossed the Mississippi, 
remained a short time in Arkans.as, and then re- 
turned to the farm, where he resided until 18SG, 
engaged in farniing. In the spring of that year he 
purchased the Homer Eiiterprim'. This paper was 
established in 1877, and now has a circulation of 
about 600, and under the judicious management of 
Mr. Samson bids fair to become indispensable to the 
peoiile of Iloincr and vicinity. It is distinguished 
for its straight Rei)ublicanism, taking its complex- 
ion from the politics of its proprietor. Mr. Samson 
is connected with the Cuml)erlaiid Piesbyterian 
Church, and is a valued member of Homer Lodge 
No. 252, L O. O. F. 

On the 8tli of .Jainuuy, 1885, Mr. Samson was 
united iii marriage with Miss Kate L. Straliorn. 
Mrs. .S. is a native of Illinois and was born Sept. 
9, 1863. Her parents, Thomas and Sarah (Orr) 
Straliorn, were natives of Pennsylvania and Illinois 
respectively, and had a family of ten children, five 
of whom died in infancy. Those surviving are, 
Mrs. Samson; Mrs. Carrie McWliorter, of Homer; 
Mrs. Flora Ilecox, of Decatur; Oliver, also of 
Homer, .'ind Sarah, who resides in Wyoming Terri- 
tory with her adopted parents, »Mi-. and Mrs. R. .S. 
Ilonkiiis. .Mrs. Straliorn died in 1877. 



\) 




-JLLIA.M D. CLARK is .an extensive far- 



mer, owning 255 acres of valuable Land, lo- 
cated on secti(jn 8, Sidney Towi slii|). His 
farm is highly cultivated, and all of its ai)poiiit- 
iiients are remarkable for order and elegance. His 
residence is spacious and tasteful, and the barns 
and out-buildings are commodious and well stocked 
with all the niodcin appliances for scientific fann- 
ing. He was born in Fayette County, Pa.. Dec. 



^i 



t. 



.t 



506 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ii 



the son of 'I'lioinas and Hannah 



21, 18;H2,:ui.I i- 
(. Moore) Clark. 

Thomas Clark was born in Pennsylvania, .Ian. 
•20. 17!).s, and died in Ohio in l,So4. His wife, 
also a native of Pennsylvania, was born Nov. 4, 
1.S02. Left a widow with nine children, by the 
death of her linsband, she came to Champaign 
County. 111., feeling that the West with its broad 
|)raiiies and the spirit of enterprise that pervaded 
its atmosphere, offered more favorable inducements 
for the advancement of her young faniil}'. .She 
purchased land, and with the intelligent and en- 
ergetic a.ssistance (jf her sons, successfully conducted 
the farm for many years. 

The following are the names of her children: 
Margaret, the wife of Robert Melick, living in 
Perry County, Ohio; John, who has twice been 
married to cousins b}^ the name of Plank, also liv- 
ing in Pcrrv County, Ohio; Mar^' A., formerly the 
wife of Isaiic Francis: William ])., the subject of 
this sketch; James P., married to a Miss Pumphrey, 
living in or near Lincoln, Neb.; Sarah, the wife of 
1). A. Spraker, living in .Montana; Thom.as J., who 
married Miss Augusta Groff, is living in Council 
Bluffs, Iowa; Or|)ha J., the wife of J. D. Thomas, 
living in .Shenandoah, loiva, and ILannah, deceased, 
formerly the wife of William Freeman. 

Her two sons, Thomas and James, served honor- 
ably in the War of the Rebellion. She is now in 
her eighty-tifth year, and after passing through 
many trials, the inevitable accompaniments of pio- 
neer life, is peacefully spending the evening of 
her life in the home of her son, William 1). Clark. 

On the 21st of October, IST.J, William 1). Clark 
was united in marriage with .Miss .Mary J. Huff. 
She is a native of Ohio, and was born Oct. 22, l.s40, 
in Coshocton County, and is the daughter of 
.Maiiquila and Llizabeth (.Mc.Morris) Huff. Her 
mother, who is still living, was born in Ohio, May 
S, 1818. Her father was a native of Virginia, born 
Nov. 18, 1810, and died March lO, 18S7. The fol- 
lowing .are the names of their children: Martha A., 
wife of Thomas .Marquand, living in Kans:is; Lu- 
cinda, the wife of Ji>hu .Manpiand, also living in 
Kansas; (ieorge \V'., married to Elizabeth Statford, 
living in Ohio; Saiali W., the wife of David H. 
Howard, living in Lincoln; Neb.; Catherine AL, the 



wife of P. B. Potte: Celia Z., the wife of Henry 
Peck; IJenjamin F. married Miss Anna Horner of 
Iowa: James W. married Cora Pitts; Emma E., the 
wife of Charles Warfield, and Spencer E., mariied 
to Louie Urum. The six latter all reside in Illi- 
nois. 

William D. Clark and wife have reared an inter- 
esting family of four children; their names are: 
Lena M., born Aug. 24, \xll; Emma A., born 
Jan. 27, 187G; Thomas A., l)orn Nov. 22, 1871), 
and William A., born Jan. 8, 1882. Jlr. Clark, 
who is possessed of great executive ability, and in- 
tegrity of char.acter, has s.atisfactorily filled several 
ofbcial positions in the townshi[). He has been 
Collector for three terms, and has also been. Asses- 
sor. Both himself and his wife are highly esteemed 
members of the Methodist Church. He is a most 
honor.able and worthy- citizen and in politics is a 
stanch supporter of the Republican |>arty. 

ERNARD GORDON, one of the large land- 
owners of Champaign County', and a resident 
of Kerr Township, is a n.ativc of Ireland, 
born in Wexford County, Aug. 1, 1848. 
He is the son of John and Mary (Whelan) Gordon, 
and w.as the second child in a famil}- of ten. His 
father had been a cattle de;der in Ireland, but in 
1857 came to America with the expectation of iui-, 
proving his circumstances. He had some capital, 
with which he |)urchased a farm and settled at 
Lyons, ueiir Riverside, on the Des Plaines River, 
near Chicago, where he engaged to work .is a (piarry- 
man. From there he went to .\nrora. 111., where 
he procured employment on the railroad. He re- 
mained there ten years, and then removed to Shab- 
bona Grove, De Kalb Co., III., where he went to 
f.arming on rented land and remained there three 
years. From there he came to this county', where 
he purchased 200 acres of wild land, and to which 
he h.as since added, until he now owns 800 acres of 
finely improved land, having his residence in Com- 
pctine Township. 

Bernard (iordon left home at twenty-two years 
of age, after having received a good common- 
school education, and also having been trained 




t 



l~ 



f- 



u 



* 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



to write and speak the Cienuan laiigiiajre tluoiitly. 
During the first three }-ears he engaged in farming 
on rented land, wiiich resulted successfully. He was 
then, Sept. 15, 1874, married to Miss Mary C'. llcii- 
nessy, the second child of John and Mary (Holland) 
Hennessy, natives of County Limerick, Ireland. 
Her birthplace was Grundy County, 111. 

They began together to build up their fortune in 
life, and purchased 100 acres on section ■>,'>, Kerr 
Township, which they eomnieneed at once to im- 
prove and cultivate, and have never changed their 
residence. 

Dec. 9, is>0, his beloved wife was stricken down 
with heart disease without any warning of her ap- 
proaching end, and died in a few moments. She 
was an earnest, devoted Clnislian lady, an affec- 
tionate wife and faithful mother. Her sudden death 
was greatly deplored by the entire conJmunity, 
where she was widely- known and highl}' respected. 
She left a family of six children — Mary Ann, Mar- 
garet, Catherine Agnes, Joim Charles, Constantia 
and Johanna. The family are members of the Ro- 
man Catholic Church. Mr. Cordon with his family 
of motherless children continues to live on the 
home farm. He is extensively engaged in stock- 
raising, giving his special attention to cattle of the 
Durham breed. 



*-»I*-^- 



it 

T 



eALEB B. YOUNG, of liantoul, represents 
the grocerj', queensware and hardware trade, 
.and has been a valued resident of the town 
since 1881. He is a New Englauder by birth, hav- 
ing first opened his eyes in Grafton County, N. 11., 
near the town of Lisbon, Nov. i;i, IS.iO. His 
giwid father, David Young, was one of the first set- 
tlers in that locality, to which he removed fri)ni his 
native State of JLassachusetts. He w.as of excel- 
lent Irish ancestry', and possessed in a remarkable 
degree the moral traits of character and line busi- 
ness qualities for which his descendants have been 
noted. 

The father of our subject, Charles I*. Young, was 
a native of CJrafton County, N. II., and lired to 
farming i)ursuits, which he followed the greater 
part of his life. He married in early manhood 

4* 



Miss Sybil, daughter of I'hine.-is (Jordon, Ksq.. of 
Scotch origin, and settled near his birthplace, where 
he remained until IHTid. Then, deciding to seek a 
home in the West, he came to La Salle County, this 
State, and took possession of a farm in Deer Park 
Tovvnsliii), where he successfidly followed agricult- 
ure, and where he made his home until resting 
from his labors on the Itli of January, ISO-t. The 
mother afterward removed to Kansas and made 
her home with one of her children, where her death 
took pl.aee in November, 1H72. Of the parental 
household, including five children, our subject w.as 
the second son and child. He received the.advant- 
.ages of the common school and remained with his 
parents, rem<.)ving with them to the West and as- 
sisting on the farm nulil setting out to do for him- 
self. His first move upon leaving the home roof 
was to purchase a farm of 1 GO acres in Livingston 
Count}', 111., upon which he labored for a period of 
four years, and then selling out pnrchaseil KiO 
.acres in Com[)i'omise Township, this county. Later 
he engaged as a grain buyer at (^ifford, and in 1881 
abandoned labor upon the farm, and moving into 
liantoul opened an extensive me.at market. Six 
months later he disposed of this and embarked in 
his present business. He h.as a choice and well- 
selected stock of groceries, and h.as built up a good 
patronage among the best people of this locality. 

Our subject was married, in November, 18r>2, to 
Mrs. lanlha I., daughter of Luther Grant, of Graf- 
ton County, N. II., and widow of C H. Young. 
Three of the four children born of this marriage 
are still living, namely, Susanna K., Charles E. and 
\\alter 10. One died in infancy unnamed. Mr. 
Voung has occupieil the various ollices of his town- 
shi]), serving .as Ro.ad Commissioner nine years and 
School Trustee in Compromise Township about 
nine years. He is a member of the City Council of 
Itautoul. ami there are few [jublic enterprises in 
this vicinity iu "hicli he has not been interested. 
As a man of judgment and discretion his views 
are frequently solicited upon matters of impor- 
lanci', aiul lioth as a business man and a citizen he 
is filling his niclie in life creditably and with dig- 
nity. Mr. and Mrs. Young have lieen members of 
the Methodist l''.piscopal (liiirch tor many years, 
the f<.)rmer serving a.s Steward and Trustee, and 

■» 



1 



u 



f--^ 



.t 



508 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



Superintendent of the Sabbath-school. He is held 
in high regard by the people who have known Iiim 
so lono; and well, and forms one of the landmarks 
whose place can scarcely be sui)i)licd when he shidl 
have gone the way of .all the eaitii. 



y "/ AMKS L. FREEMAN. One of the most act- 
ive and enterprising farmers of the coni- 
mnnity. a gentleman in the prime of life, 
and in the enjoyment of health, friends, and 
a fair share of this world's goods, is comfortably 
located on section 17, in Ogden Township, and is 
successfidly cultivating 120 acres of fine land. Me 
has an excellent wife and a family of blooming chil- 
dren, and enjoys in a marked degree the confidence 
and esteem of his neighbors. He has been a resi- 
dent of this county over forty-six years, hav- 
ing been born in Homer Township, Aug. 15, 1841, 
and is the son nf James and Rebecca (Ogden) 
Freeman, natives of \'irginia. The former, in early 
life, vv.as a shoemaker by trade, but in later years 
abandoned the shop for the more congenial em- 
ployment of farm life. He was a gentleman occu- 
pying a good position in his community. Repub- 
lic.'in in politics .and a Christian in theology. He 
had represented his townshij) in the Board of Su- 
pervisors for two years, and was a man whose opin- 
iiins were generally respected, being formed with 
deliberation and adhered to with decision. The 
circumstances of his death were peculiarly sad, he 
having been instantl.y killed by a rnnaw;iy team in 
18('iH, whde going from the timber to his home. 
Tlio family w'ere scattered, and thei'e are now liv- 
ing f(iMr in this county, one in Kans.as and two in 
Iowa. The niollier of our subject, Mrs. Rebecca 
Freeman, w.as born Feb. 14, 18()1, in ^'irginia, and 
her death ttccnrred Oct. 5, 1854. 

The youth and boyhood of James L. F'reeman 
were spent under the parental roof, and he assisted 
his parents in the siiop and on tiie farm until 
twenty years of age. Soon after the rebels lired 
upon Ft. Sumter he resolved to join his comrades 
who had enlisted in the service of the I'nion, and 
became a memljer of the 'idtii Illinois luf.'intry, 
which was assigned to the arni^- of the Missouri. 



He was mustered in at Spring-fields 111., after which 
the boys proceeded to the southwest across the 
Mississippi and wintered in cam|) near Hannibal, 
Mo. His first encounter with the enemy was at 
New Madrid the following spring, and he afterward 
engaged in many of the important Iiattles of the 
war, being present at the siege and capture of Cor- 
inth, Atlanta and Vicksburg, besides intermediate 
engagements, in all numbering fifty-seven. He ex- 
perienced many hairbreadth escapes, marched many 
thousands of miles with his knapsack on his back, 
and endured with his comrades bravely and 
patiently the vicissitudes of a soldier's life during 
one of the most memorable periods in the history 
of this country, and in which he, with thousands of 
others, experienced sufferings and hardships which 
can better be imagined than described. The ex- 
periences of those terrible j'ears have been cele- 
brated in song and story, but no human tongue can 
give an adequate idea of the life of a Northern sol- 
dier, transplanted to a Southern soil. In 18(J4 
they joined the army of Gen. Sherman and partici- 
pated in the never-to-be-forgotten march to the 
sea. This heljied to swell the distance to nearly 
7,000 miles which was traveled by our subject and 
his comrades, often without suDicient food or drink. 
Notwithstanding all he had en<lure(l, the patriotic 
flame still burned in his breast, and at the cxjiira- 
tion of his first term of enlistment young Freeman 
was willing to again brave the hardships which he 
had already p.assed through for the sake of victory, 
and re-enlisted Jan. 1, l.sfU. Soon afterwai'd. 
how(!ver, peace dawned upon the nation, and his 
regiment w.as mustered out at Seottsboro, Ala. 

On the 2(;tli of October, 1SG5, our subject cele- 
brated his leturn to civil life by his mai'riage 
with Mi.ss Maiy F. Stearns, the wedding taking 
place in Homer, 111. Mrs. Freeman w.as born in 
N'ermilion County, this State, Sept. 4, 184G, and is 
the daughter of Chancy C. and Mar\' (Lee) Stearns, 
natives respectively of Ohio and Illinois, the 
mother now deceased. The father resides at Ho- 
mer. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. V. first 
located on the old home place, whence they re- 
inovcil to tlicir present farm. To the household 
thus established there were ••idded in duo time nine 
bright children, who were nameil resi)ectively 



t 



t 



f 



-ih-4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



509 , k 



Nora, Maltha, Anzonettia, Lydia. Minnie, Kzra C. 
Iva, Gracie and Lewis S. Cracie, when nine 
months old, was stricken with fatal illness, and 
yielded up her life on the 1 Hth of June, IHOC. Mr. 
and Mrs. Freeman became members of the Chris- 
tian Church in 1858 and 18()4 respectivelj-, and 
our sul)ject politically, as soon as becoming a voter, 
identiiied himself with the Heiiublican party. 



f 



JAMES EXTON. There was quite an influx 
of population into this county and especially 
into Ugden Township during the years 1864 
to 1870. The emigrants were for the most 
part, enterprising men. some perhaps jiossessed of 
little means, but what they lacked in hard cash 
they made up in natural energy and industry. 
Among the most noted of these was the gentleman 
whose name is associated with this i)ersonal sketcii. 
He became a resident of tiie State iu 1864. and 
made his advent into this county live \-ears later, 
having then by several years' labor on rented land 
in Veniiilion County accumulated sufficient means 
to invest in real esUite for himself; and it may here 
be allowable to note a fact as singularas it must be 
gratifying to the people of Champaign County, 
that the large majority of those who at that time 
came into this locality, when linding themselves 
possessed of sufficient capital, which perhaps they 
had accumulated elsewhere, preferred to invest it in 
this county'. 

Mr. Exton, witli scores of others, discovered 
here the richest soil and the most dcsii'alile place for 
a ii(mnestend. He selected a quarter section of 
land ill Ogden Township on section (i. which :it 
that time was unimproved. I)ut which under judi- 
cious cultivation soon began to respond U> the liand 
of husbandry. As soon as convenient lie h.-id the 
land generously underlaid with tile, and by iiieans 
of proper drainage and skillful tillage his farm has 
become one of the most fertile and desirable in the 
township. He wisely gave his first attention to his 
land, and afterward erected handsome and siilistan- 
tial frame Imildings wliirli he ni.-iy be pardoiied for 
viewing with pride and satisf.action. His live-stock 



and farm maciiiuery will compare favorably with 
that of his neighbors, and to hiin the township is 
indebted for a pleasing array of grain-fields and 
pasture lands which favorably commend it to the 
notice of the Iniveler and historian. 

The birth of our subject took place on the other 
side of the Atlantic in Lincolnshire, England, Feb. 
27, 1825, his parents being James and Ann (Bur- 
rage) Exton, natives of the same country. His 
mother died when he was a lad of six years old, 
and afterward the household was presided over b^- 
his stepmother. His brotliers and sisters were 
named respectively, Elizabeth. John, Rebecca, Will- 
iam, Thomas and Maiy, there being four sons and 
three daughters in the parental family. James re- 
mained in England until twenty-four years of age. 
but saw little prospect of advancement either so- 
cially or financially. Many of his countrymen were 
crossing the Atlantic and sent home cheerful re- 
l)ortsof their improved condition in the New World, 
and he resolved to follow their example. IJidding 
adieu to old friends and associations, he boarded a 
sailing-vessel at Liver|)ool, and in a few hours the 
shores of his native England had disappeared from 
sight. 

After a tedious voyage of sixty days our subject 
landed at lialtimore, whence he proceeded directly 
to the State of Delaware, where heseciiretl einploj'- 
nient, and remained a resident there for twelve 
years. Some of this time he was emploj-cd as a 
laborer at seyentj'-five cents per day. He gave the 
East a fair trial, and then resolved to seek his fort- 
une in the West. As we have .seen, his condition 
began to mend soon ;ifler he came u\to the Prairie 
State, which has rewai'ded so many iiioncers with 
generous homes and a com|)etency in return for their 
honest toil. 

Mr. Exton celebrated the Christmas D.aj- follow- 
ing his arrival in this country', by bis marriage with 
Miss I'^liza. daughter of James and JLartha (Tit-scy) 
liurtou, which took pla<'e at the liome of the bride's 
parents in New Castle, Del. Mrs. E. was born 
in Liverpool. I'jigland. in I .s.i.i, and was the eldest 
of eight children liorn to the parents; the others 
living are (Jeorge, Mary A. and Eliz;i. The offspring 
of .Mr. and Mrs. Ivvloii were thirteen in numl>er, 
most of them boiu in Delaware. Those living are: 






510 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



A- 



Janie.-i B., u lii> iii;irri(.'ii Miss ImisIcv, and is living 
in Ogflen Township; .lolin R.. who niarriud Aliss 
C'hiiiiibk\y: (Jcoige \\'., who niairicd Miss (ianlt: 
Thomas .1.. William T., Maiy A., KUen, IMinnie 
and l^uc3' A. The younger members of the familj' 
are at home with their parents. Thej^ have been 
fairly educated and arc favorites among their neigh- 
bors and society in general. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kxtonai'e members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, and all the family, I)oth old 
and young, take an active interest in the Sabbath- 
school, oliiciating as teachers, and working for the 
success of the cause. After becoming a naturalized 
citizen, Mr. Exton, by all fair means labored to 
swell the Republican majorities at the elections, and 
in other respects gave his support to the principles 
of the party which more nearly represented his 
views upon social and political questions. As a 
man of intelligence and one whose opinions are 
generally res[)ected, he has had no small influence 
in shaping the politics of the voters in his locality, 
and has always gathered in a recruit whenever it 
was i)OSsil)li' for him to do so. 



-1 



"ffOUN L. I'KTERSON. a resident of Ken- 
Township, is the son of Coi'nelius and Sa- 
tlinda (Lane) I'eterson, and was born M.ay 
/ IS, IS-iS, in Deer Creek Trairie, Tippecanoe 
Co., Ind. lie was the tliiiil in order of a familv 
of eleven children. His father was a native of 
Maine, and his mother of Pennsylvania. His pa- 
ternal grandp.-ircnts, Abi-ahaui and Susanna Peter- 
son, were of Swedish descent, and w(!re both na- 
tiv(>s of Maine. His maternal grandparents, Allen 
and llaiiii.'ih Lane, were of (ierman and Irish ex- 
traction, and were natives of Pennsylvania. His 
father was one of the earliest settlers of Ohio, and 
resided in Athens County. Thence he moved to 
Indiana, where his son .lolin, the subject of this 
sketch, was born. He aflci'ward returned to Ohio, 
remained there a short lime, .•ind then, in 1 .s;')!), 
came to Illinois, and located eleven miles north- 



west of l)an\ille. lie iiive>tcd in eighty aci'CS of 
wild laud, which he cultivated anil improved for 
twenty- years, when, a good opportunity offering, 
he sold out and moved a short distance northwest 
in the s;ime county, whci'c he rcmaine(l until his 
death. 

At the .•ige of eighteen, .lolin L. I'eterson left 
his father's home to seek his own foitinie. and first 
engaged in farming on rented land, which he c<»n- 
tinued until twenty-live years of age. Having ac- 
quired some |)roi)erty he then invested in a small 
farm, and July 20. l.S,J4, married Miss Martha S. 
Phipps, the daughter of Aaron and Patsy (l)odson) 
Phipps. Her parents were natives of \'irginia, but 
were reared in Kentucky. 

After marriage, Mr. Peterson and his wife first 
settled on eighty .acres of land, which he bought in 
Rossville Township, \'erniilion County. After re- 
maining there two years he sold out and removed 
to Dent County, JIo., where he had purchased 120 
acres of land. Not being satisfied with this invest- 
ment, he moved about seventy-five miles north- 
west, and bought eighty' acres in Dallas County, 
upon which he I'emained one year, or until the 
breaking out of the Civil War. So much strife 
and bloodshed and border warfare existed there at 
that time, that he returned to Illinois to escape 
danger. After remaining in N'ernnlion County a 
short time, he came to Champaign, where lie 
bought a small farm in Kerr Townshii), and li.-i.s 
since bought fortj- acres more in Compromise 
Township, directly opposite his residence. Since 
then he has bought 120 acres more adjoining, and 
has 200 acres in his home farm, where he carries 
on stock-raising. 

Mr. Peterson and his wife have had :i family of 
seven children, four of whom are living — Cornelius 
A., Aaron Pi., .lohu H. and .Martha Kmeline. Eliz- 
abeth E., Mary J.-me and William, are deceased. 
Cornelius married lOliza .1. All)crt, the daughter of 
William A. and Albina (Plowman) Albert. The 
others are living at home with their parents. Mr. 
Peterson has been elected to the offices of School 
Trustee ami Road Commissioner for several terms. 
His sympathies .are with the (ireenback party. He 
was formerly n member of the Iniled brethren 
Chuicli, lull .Mllhou^li he has taken a letter from ^' 



i 



■<^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



513 



T 



that denomination, he has not yet identified him- 
self officially with any church. His wife is a mem- 
ber of the Baptist Churcli. 



-»-M+-<Sj3J(4^7®-ijf-HH-«- 



Vf/OHN W. MEIKLE. Tlic late J. W. Meikle, 
I whose death occurred in Pesotum Township, 
I Sept. 29, 1884, was a native of Limeficld, 
(^^^ Scotland, where he was born Sept. 21, 1831. 
He emigrated to this country in 1 8;)G, and proceed- 
ing westward to Cliicago was employed for some 
time as a clerk in a store. lie became a resident of 
this count}' in 18.57, and purchased ICiO acres of 
land in Crittenden Township, and bought the same 
amount on section 1 .">, in Pesotum. To the latter he 
removed iiis family and established a general coun- 
try' store, which he conducted for over twenty-five 
3'ears, being one of the earliest merchants of tliis sec- 
tion of the county. His store will be renieuil)ered by 
the early pioneers as long as they are permitted to 
think of the days pa.^sed here amid liic trials and 
viscissitudes necessary to the opening u|) of a new 
country. It was a great convenience to have a 
store so conveniently located and conducted by a 
man in whom they reposed the greatest respect. 

The marriage of Mr. Meikle to(jk place; on the 
23d of October, 1860, the lady of his choic* being 
Miss Elizabeth Nelson, a native of ]\Iadison Coun- 
ty, Ind. Mrs. Meikle is the daughter of William 
and Sarah (Wigner) Nelson, natives of Ohio. They 
came into this county in tiie spring of 1857, being 
among the first of the pioneers. Her fatiier pur- 
chased a quarter section of land in this township, 
which he improved and upon wliich lie lived until 
1884. In the spring of that year he purcliaseil a 
farm near Camargo, where he now resides. 

Our subject and his wife became the parents of 
one child only, Eddie S.,. now a promising yonng 
man of marked al>ility, who manages the affairs of 
his widowed mother and is her chief support and 
comfort. Mr. Meikle was a man of known ability, 
and soon after coming to this township was en- 
trusted with its various offices and served as Collec- 
tor and School Treasurer for several 3-ears, besides 



being ajipointed Postiniister at Pesotum, which 
position he held for fifteen years. He resigned this 
office in about 1882, some time before his de.ath. 
Politically he was a stanch Democrat, decided in 
his opinions but never offensive in the expression 
of them. His departure from the scenes where he 
had labored so many years and worthily filled the 
various positions to which he was called, was a mat- 
ter of universal regret. Mrs. Meikle was eminently 
fitted to be the companion and helpmeet of such a 
gentleman as her husband was, being a lady of ex- 
cellent judgment and noblest principles. She be- 
came a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
in 1858, and has been an earnest worker in the 
cause of religion since that time. In presenting 
the portrait of Mr. Meikle, which we give on 
an adjoining page, we will gratify his many friends 
by placing his features so indelibly upon the pages 
of the personal history of the county he did so 
much for. 



tcae/®^" 



"S^Sf^rran- 



\f/OTIIAM C. THOMPSON, whose portrait is 
presented in tliis connection, was born in 
Hamilton Count}', Ohio, Dec. 25, 1832. 
The names of his parents were Price and 
Hannah (.Johnston) Thompson. His grandparents 
were Price and Mollie Thompson. The}' were 
of Scotch descent. Hannah .T. Thompson was the 
daughter of Nicholas Johnston, and was born in 
America. 

Jothani C. Thomps(jn wjjs brought up on his 
father's farm with no higher advantages for edu- 
cation than tluise offered by the common schools, 
but a natural love of study and books led him to 
accpiire a large fund of general information. He 
remained at home on his father's farm until the age 
of twenty-four, having had the entire care of the 
family since his twentieth year, when his father 
died. He was the fourth in a family of nine 
children. Dec. 6, 1857, at the age of twenty- 
four he was united in marriage with Miss Nancy 
A. .Tones, tlic youngest child in a family of nine. 
Th(; names of her parents wore .lonath.an C. and 
Nancy (Cochran) .lones. Her father was of Welsh 



V 



•*^ 



4 



h 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i- 



descent although Ijoni in Ohio, and her mother, 
who was of Irish descent, was also a native of 
the Buckej-e State. Her father was the son of 
Joseph and Mar^' (Covalt) Jones, natives of Wales. 
Her mother was the daughter of Kphraim Covalt. 
a native of Ireland. Mrs. Thompson on the Welsii 
side is a descendant of I..ord ( Jriflith, and only three 
generations removed. 

After his marriage Juthuni ('. 'I'liompson settled 
in Hamilton County, Ohio, with the parents of his 
wife, where he remained a little more than a yeai'. 
Then, attracted bj' the superior advantages of the 
West, he moved to Illinois and located near Muncie, 
in ^'ermilion County, n-herc he tirst commenced 
farming on rented land. A j'ear had scarcely 
passed before he was stricken down with typhoid 
fever and ague, from which he suffered so severely 
that his constitution became almost whollj' shat- 
tered. Feeling that a change was necessary for the 
improvement of his health he then moved to 
Champaign County, where he purchased 120 acres 
of wild land on section 29, Harwood Township. 
There he built himself a small but comfortable 
house and began to cultivate the land. At that time 
there were but three families in the neighborhood, 
the chief part of the population consisting of deer 
and wolves. With health still somewhat enfeebled, 
he battled with the primeval wilderness until his 
efforts were crowned with success, and he had the 
satisfaction of seeing the |)rairie grass give way to 
fields of golden grain. 

In 1S74, when the narrow-gauge railroad was 
built, he left his family to carry on the farm and 
at the same time engaged himself in the gr.ain busi- 
ness in Harwood. He continued in that business 
during four or five years, and then, on the death of 
Mrs. Thompson's father, who had always made his 
home witli them on the farm, he retired from the 
grain business, and once more resumed his work on 
the farm. His health was still ver^' precarious, 
some oliscure liver trouble having resulted from 
the illness by which he had been attacked upon his 
first settlement in Illinois. In 1883 it was thought 
advisable for him to travel for his health. He first 
went to Tennessee, where he remained onl}- a short 
time, although he seemed apparently improved in 
health wliile tlicrc. During his trip he visited Nash- 



ville, the State Prison, the adjacent Forts, the farm 
of (Ten. Hariling. which is the largest in the State, and 
other points. From there he went to Murfrcesboro, 
and there visited V'anderbilt University and the 
battle-field of .Stone River, which is more than 
7,000 feet above the level of the sea. His next 
place of destination was Georgia. After remaining 
there several days he proceeded down to Huntsville, 
Ala., visiting Scottsboro, Sand Mountain and nu- 
merous places of interest. He next m.ade a short 
run into the State of Georgia, and thence to 
Chattanooga, Tenn., where he went to the top of 
Lookout Mountain to view the famous battle-fieUls. 
He visited Cnniljerland ^Mountain, Dayton, and re- 
turned North by w.ay of Litchville, Tenn. He re- 
mained there eight days; making various excursions 
through the surrounding conntrj', where he was much 
interested in witnessing the weird and picturesque 
method of worship prevailing among the colored 
people. He returned home by w.ay of Daj'ton and 
Cincinnati, stopping at his birthplace and reviewing 
the scenes of his childhood by visiting all the old 
familiar places and friends. 

The journey was most enjoyable, and he returned 
refreshed in body and mind, with the intention of 
spending the ensuing winter in the count3\ But 
his plans were in vain. He was again stricken 
down by the deadly disease and never left his h<ime 
again until he left it for that home above, not built 
with hands. His death occurred July 4, 1885. 

Mr. Thompson was a man of great tenderness 
of heart and integrity of character, and a most con- 
sistent member of the Baptist Church. In his 
Christian life he was sincere, earnest, and unosten- 
tatious. In business affairs he was a man of great 
activity and energy, and, although he never sought 
political preferment he had frequently held im- 
portant oilicial positions in the township. He had 
a family of four children, three of whom are now 
living — Lena Ma}', Hannah M. and Carrie A. lona 
Irene married John Kinnear, a merchant, in Ran- 
toul, and died on the 3 1st of Maj-, 188C, leav- 
ing two children — Alzora A. and John T. Lena m.ar- 
ried Michael Knupp, formerly a mechanic, but 
now residing on a farm in Cumberland County, 111.; 
she has a family of two children — Joth.im T. .and 
Mj'rtle May. Il.innah married David W. Philips, a 



i 



i 



J. 



t 



-^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



515 



fanner residing in Peufielil in this eoiint}-; they 
have one dauuhter, Clatie Ivaloo. The 30iingcst 
daughter resides with her mother. Mr. and Mrs. 
Thompson adopted Charles E. and Asa B. Thomp- 
son, when one was nearly three and the other four 
years old. They still reside with Mrs. Thompson, 
who is a most estimable lady. 



■►^«^ 



AK 



■ <^iC— 



i' 



eAPT. DAVID J. FORD, of the firm of Ford 
ct Rea, of Mahomet, is, with his partner, 
successfullj- engaged in merchandising. He 
is a native of the Buckeye State, born in Clarke 
County, May 15, 1833, and the son of James G. and 
Elizabeth P. (Hannah) Ford, the former born in 
New .lersey and the latter in Ohio. They located 
in Clarke Count3' soon after their marriage, whence 
they removed to Union County, where the mother 
died in 1853. The father of our subject is still liv- 
ing, and a resident of Champaign County, 111. 
Their family included nine uiiildren, of whom Capt. 
Uavid J. was the third in order of birth. 

Capt. Ford spent his earlier years under the 
home roof, receiving a common-school education 
and assisting in the labors on the farm. When 
twenty years of age he commenced cultivating a 
tract of land for himself in Union Count}', his na- 
tive State, where he continued to live until 1858. 
He then started for the prairies of Illinois, and 
coming into this county rented a farm in Newcomb 
Township for one year. In the spring of I860 he 
purchased a farm in Sangamon Township, Piatt 
County, upon which he operated until the outbreak 
of the late war. On the 13th of August, 1862, he 
enlisted in the 107th Illinois Infantry, in which 
he served one and one-half years, and was then 
compelled to resign on account of ill-health. In 
tlie meantime he had been honored with a Captain's 
commission, in which capacity he secured not only 
the favor of his superif)rs but the affection of his 
subordinates. 

Upon his retirement from army life, Capt. Ford 
returned to Piatt County, took possession of his 
land and cultivated it until 1.S6(), in whicli year he 
became a resident of Mahomet Townshii), this 



county. Two 3'ears later he removed to the village, 
having formed a partnership with Mr. C. M. Closs, 
and thej' operated together in the mercantile busi- 
ness for three years following, after which Capt. 
Ford conducted the business alone until the sjiriug 
of 1877. He then removed to Mansfield, Piatt 
Co., 111., where he operated as a merchant four 
years, and whence he removed to Mahomet. In 
the fall of 1883 he became associated with his 
present partner, and they have conducted business 
together successfully since that time. 

Capt. Ford was married in Union County, Ohio, 
Jan. 20, 1853, to Miss Anna Lane, a native of 
Clarke County, Ohio, and born Sept. G, 1834. She 
is the daughter of John and Anna (Webb) Lane, 
both natives of New Jersey. Capt. and Mrs. Ford 
became the parents of eight children, of whom only 
two survive — Stella (J. and Irene Lincoln. Those 
deceased are James W., Elizabeth, Rebecca, Hugh 
v., Wallace C. and Maude. James ^V. married 
Miss Ella St3'mote, and was a resident of Marys- 
ville, Ohio, although his death took place in Da- 
kota, in October, 1882. 

Capt. Ford has been prominent in local affairs 
since coming to this vicinity; he served as Com- 
missioner of Iliiihuaj's nine years, was a member of 
the Village Boartl and School Trustee for twelve 
years, and has uniformly been a leader among the 
counsels of his townsmen. Sociidl}"^ he is a member 
of Mahomet Lodge No. 220, F. & A. M., and 
Champaign Chapter No. 50. He also belongs to 
Eph. Scott Post No. 4(;4, G. A. R. Religiously he 
is connected with the Methodist Church, and politi- 
cally, is a reliable Republican. 



^^^ M. SWISHER, of Stanton Township, was 
III g=, born June 1, 1855, in Virginia, and is the 
^^J! son of E. W. Swisher, who has l>een a prom- 
inent man of Stanton Township since coming here 
in the fall of 1864. The latter has held the ollicc 
of Justice of the Peace since 1866, is an active 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
has otherwise identified himself with the interests 
of the comniunitj'. He occupies a good 
161) acres on section 3.'), which he lias ci 



1 farm of | 
L'ultivated ' M 



i 



f 



-•► 



i 



516 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



successfully for the last twentj' years, building iip 
a good liomestead witii excellent farm buildings, 
and everything requiied for the creditable prose- 
cution of agriculture. 

E. W. Swisher is a native of Monongalia County, 
Va., and was born March 8, 1834. He passed his 
earli' daj's with his parents on the farm in his na- 
tive county-, in the meantime receiving a common- 
school education. .lust before reaching his major- 
it}', he was married to Miss Mary .1. Crahara, the 
wedding taiiing place Oct. 15, 18.")4. His wife w.as 
the daughter of Ebenezer and Elizabeth Graham; 
the father was born March 3, 1800, and died Aug. 
18, 1853. He was a farmer by occupation, and 
spent his entire life in iiis native county. The par- 
ents of our subject after their niarri.age remained 
iu Virginia until l.SfJl, removing thence to Henrj' 
County, Ind., and from there, in 186 4, to this 
county. Here the father first purchased eighty 
acres of land in Stanton Township, which amount 
he afterward doubled, an<l which now constitutes 
the home of our subject, which lie purchased of 
his father in 1883. Mr. Swisher was a prominent 
man in the county after coming here, serving as 
Justice of the Peace for a period of over twenty 
years, and occupying other prominent positions. 
He united with the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
an carl}- age, and is also a member of the A. F. & 
A. M. Politically he aliiliates with the Demo- 
cratic party. After the labors of a h:>ng and busy 
life, he is now pr.actically retired, and makes his 
home with his son, our subject. 

The parental family included three children, two 
of whom are living: G. M. of our sketch was the 
eldest; Oliver R. was born in 1857, and died Dec. 
27, 1865; Juliet V. was born Jan. 16, 1862; she 
became the wife of Tiiom.as S. Nichols, of Sullivan, 
Hi., wiio departed tliis life iu the fall of 1885. 
The mother of tiiese children, formerly Miss Mary 
J. Graham, was born in Marion County, Va., Jan. 
5, 182,s. In the fall of 1882 she was stricken with 
paralysis, from whicli she never recovered, although 
it did not prove fatal at tiiat time. On the even- 
ing of May 12, IH.So, she had a second stroke, 
and expired iu a few minutes. She was a devout 
Christian lady, and a mi'ml)er of tiie Metiiodist 
Episcopal Church, with which she became con- 



i 



nectcd when thirteen ye.irs of age. Her remains 
were laid to rest in the Friends' burying-ground in 
the southeastern part of Stanton Township. 

The maternal great-grandparents of our subject, 
Enoch and Mary Thomas, were born respectively 
Aug. 4, 1774, and June 22, 1760. Their family of 
eleven children included five sons and six daugh- 
ters. They were born, reared and died in the Old 
Dominion. The great-great-grandfather of our 
subject on his father's side w.as David Graham, who 
was born Sept. 15, 1774, and was the son of John 
Graham, born Dec. 28, 1751. The father of the 
latter, David (iraham, was the son of William Gra- 
ham, born in 1713, in Iicland, where he spent his 
entire life. 

The subject of this sketch passed his early days 
with his parents, assisting in the labors of the 
farm as soon as old enough, and attending the 
common schools, and made ^ood progress in his 
studies. He h.as held the office of Collector in his 
townshi(), and is one of those upon whom the rasin- 
tle of the pioneer has fallen, and who will do honor 
to his early training and the example of his father 
before him. His farm is well stocked with good 
grades of cattle, and his stables contain some good 
horses. Since exercising the right of suffrage, he 
hiis voted the Democratic ticket. About the time 
of taking possession of the homestead as his own, 
he was united in marri.age witli Miss Ida F. Swishei', 
of Schuyler County, 111. The little household con- 
tains two bright children — Iva Belle and Freddie 
Cleveland. 

ENJAMIN FRANKLIN YATES located in 
Rantoul Townshi|) twenty years ago, and is 
»J))III a line illustration of tiie self-made man who 
has accuniulated a competenc}' by the exer- 
cise of his own enterprise, and secured an enviable 
position among his fellow-citizens by his personal 
worth. He is the owner of a good farm on section 
8. including 240 acres, with a convenient and sub- 
stantial residence standing in the midst of hand- 
some siiade, with a background of choice fruit 
trees. He has been in all respects a liberal-minded 
citizen, contributing cheerfully to every enterprise 




1 



t. 



<^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



517 



i 



calculated for the advaiiceinent of morality and 
education, assisting in the building of school-houses 
and church edifices, and encouraging every enter- 
prise set on foot for tiie benefit of his fellow-citi- 
zens and his connniinity. 

Mr. Yates was born in Newport, Campbell Co., 
Ky., March IS. 1841. His father, Elijah Yates, of 
Virginia, was formerly- a slave-holder. The early 
education of the latter had been quite limited, and 
after reaching manhood he entered upon a course 
of study and fitted himself for a teacher. Three 
or four years after his marriage he started for the 
West in company with several others. Some of the 
partj' settled in Ohio, but Mr. Yates crossed the 
river and located in Newport, Kj'., where he was 
employed bj' a large land-h(jlder to look after his 
estate. (Several years later he purchased a timber 
tract in Kenton County, eight miles from Newport, 
and while superintending the improvement of his 
land still followed the profession of a teacher. In 
due time he was elected County Surveyor, serving 
a period of eight ye.ars in this capjicity and after- 
ward was employed by private parties in surveying. 
lu 1802 he removed to Covington, which remained 
his home until his decease in 1881. After reaching 
his majority he was married to Miss Ann D. Yates, 
also a native of Virginia, and who departed this 
life in Covington ten j'ears before the death of her 
husband. 

Our subject was five 3'ears old wiien his parents 
became residents of Kenton County, K3'. He at- 
tended sch(jol during his boyhood and youth, and 
when large enough assisted in the duties on the 
f.arm. When twenty' 3'ears of age he commenced 
teaching, and was thus employed the greater part 
of his time 'for seven years following. He thus 
earned money enough to make his first purchase of 
land, and selected Champaign County, Jll., for his 
location. He bought 120 acres of raw prairie in 
llantoul Township, which is now included in his 
present farm. It has taken the labor of years, with 
economy and wise judgment, to bring the land to 
its present condition, enclosed as it is with neat and 
substantial fences, and producing generously the 
richest crops of the Prairie State. 

Mr. Yates, after having his plans [)erfecled for 
the establishment of a comfortable home, found 

4» 



that a wife and companion was indispensable, and 
having already become greatly attracted by the 
womanly and lovable qualities of Mrs. Jane (Fletch- 
er) Heal, of this township, invited her to sh:irc his 
home and fortunes. They were united in marriage 
on the 22d of October, 1879, and commenced house- 
keeping in a small frame dwelling on the new farm. 
JMrs. Yates was born in Normanby, Y'orkshire, En- 
gland, Jan. 8, 1842, and is the daughter of Joseph 
and Nancy (Taylor) Fletcher. (See sketch of Will- 
iam Fletcher.) Her father was also a native of 
Y'orkshire, where he was reared, married, and learned 
the carpenter's trade, in which he engaged and also 
followed farming until 18.").'). In the spring of that 
year he emigrated with his family to the United 
States, and entered a tract of Government land in 
Mason County, 111. He was occupied in the im- 
provement and cultivation of this until 1873, then 
came to this county and located in Kantoul Town- 
ship, where he spent the last years of his life. The 
mother, also a native of Normanby, is still living, 
making her home with her son in Rantoul Town- 
ship, and having reached the age of fourscore years 
and four. 

• The wife of our subject remained with her p.ir- 
ents until her first marriage, March '2,'>, 18(J6, to 
Henry Beal. Mr. B. was a native of Pennsylvania, 
and the son of Edmund and Lydia (Feathernian) 
Beal, natives resi)ectively of England and Penns3'l- 
vania. His father followed teaching and farming 
alternately. When Henr}' was about ten ye.ars old 
the family removed to Illinois, and located in Ma- 
son County, where he lived until thg outbreak of 
the war. He then enlisted in Co. K, 80th 111. Vol. 
Inf., and served until the preservation of the Union 
had become an established fact. lie participated 
in man^' of the important battles, and marched with 
his regiment under the command of General Siier- 
man from Chattanooga to the sea. At the end of 
this campaign the regiment went up through the 
Carolin.as to Washington, D. C, and participated in 
the grand review, after whicli the soldiers were 
mustered out and returned to their homes. Mr. 
Beal then purchased the old homestead in M.ason 
County, whicli ho sold in 1872, and coming to this 
county bought a tract of wild Land in Uautoul 
Township, where he improved a good farm, upon 



"1^ 



i i 518 



"■► ^W 4» 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



which his death occurred April 13, 1874. Of this 
marriage there were bom three children — Edraund, 
Willie and .Jessie. 

Mr. and Mrs. Yates have une child, a son, Frank. 
The wife of our subject is a lady greatly respected 
in the community, and a consistent member of the 
Methodist Ejiiscopal Churcli. Mr. Yates cast his 
first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, 
and the second for Grant. Since that time he has 
voted independently, aiming to support the men 
whom he believes best qualified for the responsibili- 
ties of office. 



#^ 



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1 ' 



' BRAM B. TITUS has been a resident of 
the Prairie State since 18,t0. He is now 
located on section 21, in Rantoul Town- 
ship, being the proprietor of a good farm 
coiniirising 160 acres and equipped with modern 
buildings. He is a native of New York State, born 
in Camillus, Onondaga Count}'', Nov. 8, 1828. 
His father, Leonard Titus, was a native of Dutchess 
County, N. Y., where his paternal grandfather lo- 
cated early in life, reared his family .and died. 

Leonard Titus in his youth learned the trade of 
a blacksmith, and after leaving Dutchess located in 
Onondaga Count}', where he followed his trade 
until 1834. Thence he removed with his familj" to 
Gallia County, Ohio, the journey being made by 
canal to Buffalo, thence by the Lakes to Toledo, 
from there down the Muskingutn River to Marietta, 
and thence by the Ohio to a point near Gallipolis. 
There he purchased a tract of pattly improved 
land, where he spent the remainder of his life, en- 
gaged in farming and blacksniithing. He rested 
from his earthly labors in 1 848. The mother of our 
subject, who in her maidenhood was Miss Maria 
Becker, was also a native of the Empire State. 
She removed with her husband to Ohio and is now 
living in Gallia County, having arrived at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-two j-ears. The parental 
household Included five children, of whom our sub- 
ject was the eldest. 

Mr. Titus, of our sketch, was in the sixth year 
of his age when his parents removed from his na- 



tive State to Ohio. There he grew to manhood, 
attending the common schools and assisting his 
father in the work on the farm. He remained on 
the homestead until after the death of the latter, 
and two 3'ears later came to Illinois, engaging for 
the first three years as a farm laborer. He had 
lived economically, saving what he could of his 
earnings, and in 18.53 rented a tract of land in Rich- 
land County which, however, he onlj' operated 
upon one yeav. He then purchased thirty acres in 
that county in the midst of a timber tract, and hav- 
ing already selected a companion to share his for- 
tunes, put up a log cabin, where they commenced 
housekeeping in true primitive style. Mr. Titus 
cleared fifteen acres and occupied this property- with 
his famil}' until 1863. In the meantime there had 
been added to the hou'sehold seven children, and 
Mr. Titus felt the necessit}' of making some change 
which would bring about a better condition finan- 
ciall}', and secure an .additional income to meet the 
necessities of the growing family. He accordingly 
disposed of the embrj'o farm in Richland County, 
and resolved to try his fortunes in the better de- 
veloped and more thickly populated district within 
the boundaries of Champaign Count}". He selected 
forty acres on section '.), in .Somer Township, which, 
however, he sold after a peri(»d of six years. At 
the expiration of that time he purchased the land 
upon which he now resides. 

Soon after coming to this section Jlr. Titus l)c- 
gan to realize the just reward of his laboiSj and 
found himself on a firm footing. He now has a 
good home, a sensible and worthy wife, and a fine 
familj' of children. These, seven in number, are 
Leonard, Helen, Edgar, Rosecrans, Charles, Martha 
and Jesse. The wife of our subject, to whom he 
was married in Richland Count}', April 7, l.s")3, 
was Miss Elizabeth, the daughter of Isaac and Cyn- 
thia (Mooreliouse) Ciiancy. Mrs. T. was born in 
Richland County, this State, in 1830. Her parents 
were natives of Tennessee and New York respect- 
ively, and removed to Illinois soon after their mar- 
riage, locating in Richland County during its early 
settlement. The father is deceased; the mother 
still survives, and lives in Richland County. 

Mr. Titus has been tlie sul>jcct pcrliajis of no 
very thrilling experiences but has simply lived the 



n 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



r)io 



y 



life of a goutl i-ili/AMi, ;uiil pcrfoiiiu'il with fidolit}' 
the duties dev(jlviiig upon him as ;i worthy nieinber 
of societ}' and the father of a family. In politics 
he is independent. 

^/OSKPII DECKER. The yentleman whose 
name stands at the head oi this sketch has 
scon much of life in a new country, having 
during his young days roamed over the 
.States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and 
Kan.sas, while they were untenanted save by wild 
animals and Indians. In the country across the 
Mississi|)pi he has seen herds of deer and buffalo in 
their native haunts, before the firearms of the hun- 
ter had cansetl them to fear what seemed to be their 
natural enemy, man. He also remembers sleeping 
on the ground at night, covered with leaves, when 
\yolves and other wild beasts were prowling near. 
Fear was a thing almost unknown among the brave 
spirits of the [iloneer days, and amid those wild 
.scenes our subject received his lirst lessons in self- 
dependence and imbibed that sturdy courage which 
has served him well during the diflicidties he has 
encountered in his struggle with the world. 

Mr. Decker was born in Clay Country, Ind., 
April 2'J, 184;). His father, Abner i:)eckei-, of Ten- 
nessee, emigrated to Illinois when a 3'oung man, 
and located in Woodford County duiing its early 
settlement an<l while the Indians still lingered 
there. He soon afterward went down into Ken- 
tucky, where he was married, then retui-ned to Illi- 
nois with his bride, and after a short time spent in 
Woodford County, removeil to Indiana. He was 
of a restless disposition, fond of change, and de- 
lighted to wander over long and uninhabited 
stretches of country, hunting and fishing, and wher- 
ever he went always carried with him his cooking 
utensils, so that he could camp out wherever night 
overtook him. After sojourning a time in Indiana 
with his 3'oung wife, they returned to Woodford 
County, III., where ho purchased a liact of land, 
and commenced its improvement. 

In 1852 Jlr. Decker crossed the Mississijipi into 
Webster County, Iowa, being [jrobably oik^ of the 
lirst white men to venture into that wild region, 



when it was inhabited solely by the Indians, wolves, 
buffalo and deer. The elder Decker remained there 
for a period of nine j'ears, after which he returned 
to Illinois, whence in about 1808 he removed to 
Missouri, and lived in different |)arts of that State 
for a few 3'ears following. From there he went 
into Nebraska, remaining there a few years. These 
various removals were made overland with teams, 
usually accompanied with his family, and often- 
times they traveled days and nights without seeing 
the face of a white man and camped in the wilder- 
ness, which echoed with the howling of wolves, the 
screaming of owls and other sounds, winch to 
denizens of the cities of to-day would be appalling. 
The last stopping-place of Abner Decker was in 
Missouri, where he yet lives. 

The mother of our subject, before Uer marriage, 
was Miss Betsy Hickman, who was l)orn in Ken- 
tucky. Of her marriage with Abner Decker there 
were born seven children. Our sul)ject was nine 
years old when the family went into Iowa, which 
was then a Stale of six 3'ears old. Nine years later 
thej' returned to Illinois. Joseph w.as then eighteen 
years of age, and contracted to purchase his time 
of his father, working out by the month to earn the 
money for this purpose. In due time he had the 
desired sum, 1159, which he paid over to his par- 
ent. After this he saved his earnings until he 
had the snug sum of §500, which he loaned and lost. 

Amid these discouragements, however, our sub- 
ject still preserved the couragXH)Usand energetic dis- 
position that had been born within him, antl worked 
steadily on, doing the best he could to recover his 
loss. He also determined to see the country west 
of the Mississippi, and visited i)arts of Missouri, 
Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, returning to Wood- 
ford County, 111., in 1807. Two years later he 
came to East Bend Township, and having again 
saved some money, purchased forty acres of land 
for $7.25 per acre, which is included in his present 
homestead. During the same year he purchased 
forty acres adjoining, on time, and prepared to 
permanently locate. He still worked b3' the month 
for three years following, in the meantime leading 
his land, and in this manner i)aid for the b.-dance. 

Mr. Decker was married rather late in life, Dec. 
18, 1880, to Miss Jennie Osboru, ;v luitive of Fouu- 



•►-■-♦ 



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iL 520 



^t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




tain County, Ind., whose birth took place Aug. 2, 
1849. Her father, Richard. Osborn, was also born 
in Fountain Count3% to which his parents had 
moved from KentuclcN". in the pioneer days. Mr. 
Osborn. in 1853, became a resident of Vermilion 
County, 111., where his death took place three 3'ears 
later. The mother then returned to Indiana, and 
died Feb. 20, 1870. Mrs. Decker came to Illinois 
in 1877, and has been a resident of the State since 
that time. She was first married in Indiana, in 
1870, to Henry Howard, b}' whom she became the 
mother of one child, IIenr3' C. Of her union with 
Mr. Decker there are three children — Herschel A., 
Ethel and Mertle. A lithographic view of Mr. 
Decker's residence is presented on another page. 



^\ OLOMON PLAUT, President of the First 
National Bank of Homer, has been a resi- 
dent of this locality for twenty 3-ears, and 
(hiring that time has full3^ established him- 
self in the confidence and esteem of the people. He 
traces his ancestry back a hundred years or more, 
and finds the record to have been eminently worth3' 
and of importance in social and financial circles. 
He is descended from an old Prussian famil3-. and 
was himself born in the Province of Hesse-Cassel, 
in that Kingdom, on the 28th of March, 1838. He 
is the son of Anselm and Carrie (Haas) Plant, na- 
tives of tiie same Province, where the3' spent their 
entire lives, and where the father died in 1873, 
when about eighty-two 3'ears of age, having been 
born in 17'J1. Tiie wife and mother lived to be 
sixty-five 3'ears old, her death occurring in 1805. 
The children of the household, eight in number, 
were .Simon, Adeline, Emanuel, Amelia, Jeanette, 
Betty, Moses and Solomon. 

The subject of tliis histor3' was jjlaced in school 
at an early age, where he obtained a good educa- 
tion in his native language, and when sixteen years 
old, in la3'ing his plans for the future, decided to 
emigrate to the New World. He started on the 
voyage across the Atlantic alone, and six weeks 
later landed in New York Citv, tiic trip being made 
on a sailing-vessel. Two sisters iiad alread3' pre- 
cedccl him to this couutr3', and located at Ft. 



Wayne, Ind. He joined them soon afterward, and 
employed himself at whatever he could find to do 
for the five years following, in the meantime hav- 
ing saved of his modest earnings whatever he 
could. With a caali cai)ital of about $500 he then 
proceeded to Oxford, Ind., where he purchased a 
stock of general mercliandise, and remained in 
trade two and one-half years. Thence he removed 
to Milford. 111., and carried on the same business 
for three and one-half years, when he sold out and 
made his first tiip to tills count3', establishing him- 
self in the husiness which had formerly engaged his 
attention, and being thus occupied eight and one- 
half 3'c.ars. In the meantime he iiad built up a 
good trade, and b3' his straight business methoils 
numbered among his patrons the best people of this 
vicinity. From the proceeds of his well-conducted 
business, and the co-operation of other responsible 
parties, he established a private bank, in 1875, 
which eight years later was incorporated as a Na- 
tional Bank. Of this our subject is President, and 
there are four Directors. 

After Mr. Plant liad formed the basis of a future 
home and competency, and felt that he could provide 
suitabl3' for the needs of a family, \w selected for 
the sharer of his life and fortunes Miss Sarah Solo- 
mon, with whom he w'as united in marriage on the 
18th of May, 1802. Mrs. I'laut is a native of 
Montreal, Canada, born Jan. 10. 1842, and the 
daughter of Philip and Bett3' (Brown) Solomon, 
the former a native of Oermany, and the latter of 
what is now the Province of Alsace-Lorraine. Her 
father was born in 17',)8. After emigrating to this 
countr3' he located at Lafayette, Intl., where he en- 
gaged in the grocery trade, and departed this life 
in 1805. The wife and mother, born in 1817, is 
still living in Indiana. The chddren of the house- 
hold were: Sarah, the wife of Mr. Piaut; Samuel, 
who married Miss Clara Slossman, of Remington, 
Ind.; Barbara, who died in Colorado, Feb; 3, 1880, 
and Moses, who married Miss Jessie Shaw, of Rem- 
ington, Ind. The children of .Mr. and Mrs. I'laut 
are Michael, Carrie, Adolph, Samuel, Mamie, Ade- 
line, Km ma and Esther. The latter died when 
nearly four years old, Nov. 7, 1884. 

After beins; invested with the rights of an Amer- 
ican citizen, Mr. Plaut identified himself with the y 



i' 



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Residenceof W" H. Williams^ Sec. 16 .Stanton Township. 



4iii*«srA^fe-Vf.. .Via 








Residence of J. W. Huwirichhouse, Sec. 29 , Homer Township. 




Residence orTHOS.W. Gi DOINGS, 5 EC. 10 , Ludlow Township. 



f. 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



523 



I 



Republican party, the principles of whicli lie lias 
always heartily supported. In religious niatleis he 
adheres to the faith of his forefathers. Siieially he 
belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member 
of Milford Lodge No. lOll. and having occupied 
all of the Chairs therein He is also a member of 
the Chapter and Council of the same order. He 
identified himself with the I. O. O. F.. and is now a 
member of Oxford Lodge, in Indiana. 

In addition to his real-estate interests in Homer 
Village, Mr. Plant is pr(jprietor of 400 acres of fine 
farming land, including IIJO acres in Vermillion 
County, Ind., and two farms in Chamiiaign Coun- 
t}', this State. He also has city |)roperty in Dan- 
ville, 111. His tine residence in Homer forms one 
of the attractions of tiie village, anti is finished and 
furnished in accordance with the cultivated tastes 
and abundant means of its proprietor. He has 
proved himself no unimpurlant factor in assisting 
to build up the town, his own industry and enter- 
prise furnishing au example whicii others have fol- 
lowed with good results. He occupies a place 
among its leading men, to whose energy and abilit3' 
the community is indebted for its i)resent status 
among the prosperous towns of the county. 



<* IftlLLlAM ELLIOTT, a well-known and 
\^// highly esteemed resident of Homer \'illage, 
\i/^ and who the greater [lart of his life has 
been engaged in farming pursuits, i^ now practi- 
cally retired from active labor and is s[)endiug his 
declining years in the ease and comfort whicli he 
has justly earned b}' a life of industry, and a course 
marked by uprightness and the highest moral 
|irincii)les. Mr. Elliott may properly be ranked 
among the pioneer settlers of the Prairie Slate, as 
he came to Vermilion County with his [larents when 
a child six years of age, in 1822. The journey was 
made overland with teams, and they boarded and 
lodged after the manner of the travelers of tliose 
days, carrying their provisions with them, cook- 
ing by the wayside, and sleei>iiig in their wagons at 
night. Our subject remembers, even to this day, 
many interesting incidents of that time, and the 
contrast between the face of the country sixty years 



ago and its aiipearance at the present. The iin- 
brokeu prairie, with its waving grass, and tlie in- 
termediate forests tiiroiigh which deer and other 
wild animals roamed with freedom, have now given 
place to cultivated fields and beautiful homesteads, 
and had lie not seen the gradual march of progress 
an<l civilization, thus becoming accustomed to the 
change, the transformation would seem like a 
dream. In common with other honored pioneers 
of that period, he has watched the progress of his 
adopted State with the deepest interest and rejoiced 
at eveiy evidence of her prosperity. 

William Klliott was born in Cumberland County, 
Ky., July 2;5, ISIO. His parents, Asaand Eli/.abelli 
(Simpson) Elliott, were natives of West Virginia, 
and of Scottish ancestry. Asa Elliott was born Feb. 
27, 171)1, and lived to be seventj'-two years of age, 
departing this life on the old homestead, probably 
in 18G3. The mother was born in 17'.Mi, and passed 
away the year ])revious to the death of her husband. 
Both were devout members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Cluirch, and held in iiuich esteem wherever 
known. The father of (jur subject was Kepublican 
in |)olitics and was among tlie first to ideutif}' him- 
self with the Masonic fraternity, of whose principles 
he remained .a lifekuig admirer. The children of 
the family were named respectively, William, .lolin, 
Mary, Andrew, Amanda, Elizabeth, Nancy, Joseph 
and Asa. Of these five arc living, the youngest S(ni 
being a practicing [diysician in Ozark County. Mo. 

William Elliott accompanied his parents from liis 
native State to Indiana in 1817, when but an infant. 
They located in Union County, whore they lived 
live years, removing thence in April, 1822, to \'er- 
inilion County, this State. The father |)urcliased 
(lovernmeiit land near Hntler's Point, upon which 
he operated until about 1814, then removed with 
his family to Missouri, where the parents spent the 
last )■ ears of their lives. Their cliildren were scat- 
tered in various parts of the West. William, of 
our sketch, crossed eastward over the Father of 
Waters in 1827, and located in Homer Township, 
of whicli he has since remained a resident. He was 
first married to Miss Jlargaret Lauder, of Old 
Homer, in 1840. This lady died eight years later. 

The second wife of Mr. Elliott was foriucily 
Miss Risinger, a native of Penns^ivania, and de- 



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t. 



524 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



parted this life in 1863, leaving three children, all and then removed with his parents to Clinton 



now living: Asa O. married Miss Myra Whitlock; 
William .1. married Miss Dollie Coffeen, and Agnes 
B. became tlie wife of O. A. Tate, of Kaniiakce, 111. 

The tiiird and last marriage of Mr. Elliott took 
place ill ISTO, Jlrs. Susan (Dauglierty) Leonard be- 
coming liis wife. Mrs. Elliott departetl this life at 
the home of her husband in August, isTG. 

AVilliam .1. Elliott, the youngest son of our sub- 
ject, married Miss Helen U. Coffeen, Oct. 4. 1X83. 
This lady was born Dec. 7, 1859, in Homer, 111., 
and is the daughter of Michael and Ilek'n (Lyons) 
Coffeen, natives of New England and pioneers of 
Champaign County. Both are now deceased. They 
were members of the Presliyteri.-ui Church and es- 
tablished a good homestead in lloiner Township, 
which became the resort of the best people of the 
county. Mr. and Ml•^. AVilliam J. Elliott have no 
children. Mr. E. is a man of fine business abilities, 
being connected with the Coffeen Mill and Elevator 
Company at Homer. He is still a young man, hav- 
ing been born May 27, 1857, and bids fair to be- 
come one of the prominent factors of the business 
and industrial community. 

William IvUiott, following in the footsteps of his 
h(jnoi'ed father, is also connected with the Masonic 
fraternity, being a member of Lodge No. 199, in 
Homer. He uniformly casts his vole with the Re- 
publican party. 



/OSEl'll ULLOX WALKEH. The early 
home of this gentlemjiu was near Wilming- 
ton, the county seat of Clinton County, 
Ohio, where he was born on his father's farm, 
.Alarch 13, 1830. He comes of sul)slantial renn- 
sylvania stock, his grandfather, Robert Walker, 
having been a native of the Keystone State, where 
he married Miss Nancy Hultz, and reared a family 
of four sons and four daughters. The Hultz fam- 
ily was of (Jernian origin, and constituted one of 
the reliable branches of the ancestry in that section. 
Among their sons was Robert, .Jr., who was born in 
Kentucky, to which State his parents had removed 
before the Indians had vacated the Blue (Ir.ass re- 
gions. There he lived until sixteen years of age, 



County, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and mar- 
ried Mi.ss Elizabeth, daughter of .Joseph and Ruth 
(\'anMeter) Ruloii. The Rulons were of Scotch 
and German ancestry, and were among the earliest 
settlers of Kentucky. 

After his marriage Robert Walker settled with 
his bride u[)on a small farm in Clinton County, Ohio> 
where the\' lived in a modest way until the spring 
of 1853. They then removed to Wells Connty> 
lud., locating again upon a farm, where the mother 
died ill 1850, and the father twenty years later, in 
1879. Of their twelve chihlren, ten lived to be- 
come men and women grown, and all but two were 
married. One son served .as a soldier in the Cnion 
army, and was killed in battle. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the 
farm in Clinton County, Ohiti, and received a com- 
mon-school education. When twenty-four years 
of age he was married, Sept. 3, 1^54, to Miss Cath- 
erine, daughter of John and Hannah Young, and a 
native of Clinton County. Her father was born in 
Delaware, in 1809, and departed this life lu Clinton 
County, Ohio, in 18C3. The mother was formerly 
IMiss Hannah Neweomb, a native of Ohio. Mrs. 
Walker i> the second of a family of twelve chil- 
dren, and remained with her parents until her mar- 
riage, becoming thoroughly acquainted with house- 
hold duties, and assisting in the care of the large 
family. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. W. located 
on a farm in A\'ells Count}', Ind., where the}' con- 
tinued until the fall of 1872, .and then came to this 
county. Our subject rented a farm for one 3'ear, 
and then purchased his present homestead, which 
lies on section 1, St. -Joseiih Township, and contains 
120 acres of good lantl. He has always f<,)llo wed 
farming, and has no desire for any other than a 
counti'}^ life. 

The six children of Mr. and Mrs. Walker include 
four sons and two daughters, named respectively 
Robert V., .lohn F., Ezra C, Nathan L., Hannah E., 
who married Robert Peters, of Vermilion County, 
and Mary C., the wife of Norman Hoyt, of .St. Jo- 
■sepli Townslii|). After becoming a resident of In- 
diana Mr. Walker was appointed Postmaster at Lib- 
erty Center, and also olliciateil as School Director 
and Pathmaster. Both he and his wife are mem- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



525 



bers of the Cliristiiin Clmrcli :it St. Joseph. Mr. 
WiilUer cast liis first presidential vote for Martin 
\'aii Kureu, anil is a true-blue Republican in eveiy 
sense of the word. 



■^ i * 



<| jy-ILLIAM II. M()R(tAN, one of the |)i()necr 
\&j// o'"*'" dealers of Tolono, establisheil liini- 
V^^ self in business there twenty years ago. 
He is a gentleman of remarkable energy and in- 
dustry, and has been an important factor in the 
business interests of this town since coming here. 
He emigrated from his native State of Kentucky in 
18.t7, when a J'oung man twenty-one years of age, 
having been born in Fleming County, Dec. 28. 
1835. To his grain transactions he has also added 
live stock and coal, iu each department of which he 
has been uniformly successful. To such men as Mr. 
Morgan is Champaign County indebted for its re- 
markable development and progress, and for the 
position which it holds in the great West, and the 
valley watered bj' the Mississippi. 

Our subject is the son of Woodson and Elizabeth 
(Bruce) Morgan, also natives of Kentucky, who 
descended from excellent Scottish ancestry. The 
wife and mother died in her native State iu 1851, 
leaving seven children, of whom William II. was 
the eldest. John, and Ellen, the wife of John F. 
Fleming, still remain in Kentucky; George B. when 
a 3'oung man located in Bradford, Pa., where he 
now resides; Madison died when twent3'-three years 
of age; Anna, Mrs. A. H. Deman, is a resident of 
Leadville, Col., and Monroe, of Greenwood Coun- 
ty, Kan. Tlie father subsequentl3' married .Mrs. 
Amanda Dunlap. They came to Illinois in 1857, 
and located on a farm in Crittenden Township, 
this county, where they remained until the fall of 
1884, in which year they took up their abode in 
Tolono, where they now reside, the father having 
arrived at the advanced age of eighty-three years. 
There were no children of the second marriage. 

Our subject was reared to farming pursuits and 
received a common-school education. He came 
with his father to Illinois and remained with the 
family until rc;iching manhood. In 1SG9 he re- 
turned to his old home iu Fleming County, K}'., 



and was there married to iNIiss Lucia P. I.owry, a 
native of that count}', and born in 1842. Mrs. M. 
is the daugliter of Dr. (ieorge (Irant I.owry, who 
was a prouiinent pliysician of Fleming Count}'. 
Mr. and Mrs. Alorgan have one child onl}', a daugh- 
ter, Florence. They occupj' a pleasant and com- 
fortable home in Tok)no. and Mr. Morgan still re- 
tains possession of his farm in Tolono Township, 
which includes 200 acres, an<l is supplied with all 
needful buildings. He has had charge of the ele- 
vator at Tolono for manj' years and has transacted 
a large amount of business for outside parties. This 
elevator was constructed by Adams Brothers of 
Providence, U. I., and is owned by William Ited- 
hcd, of Tolono. Mr. M's. live-stock and coal tr.ade 
is a private enterprise in which he ;ilone is in- 
terested. 

Mr. Morgan has always voted the Democratic 
ticket, and has occupied the various oflices of his 
township and village. He has at all times taken a 
warm interest in the welfare of hisconimnnit}', and 
is a man whose o[)inions arc sought and whose 
judgment can be relied upon. 



y^ILLIAM J. LATEER, wlm .hully c.ntrols 
the sale of drugs and h.ardware iu the vil- 
lage of Fisher, is the offspring of an e.v- 
cellent Pennsylvania family, being the son of Nor- 
ris C. and Cynthia A. (.laj-ne) Lateer, who, after a 
sojourn of several 3'ears in Peinisjdvania after their 
marriage, removed first to Vv'iscousin and then to 
McLean County, this State, in I SGI. They con- 
tinued their residence in the latter county until 
February, 1883, and then came to Fisher to be near 
their son. The elder Lateer followed farming the 
greater part of his life but is now practically re- 
tired from active labor. The i)arental family In- 
cludes two sons and two daughters now living — Ed- 
win II., L^'dia, William J. and Susan. 

Our subject, the third child, was born in Wyo- 
ming County, Pa., July 15, 1855, and received a 
common-school education iu his native township. 
He was six years of age when the family i-eniovc(| 
to Illinois, and after becoming <.»ld enough he cn- 
g.iged in farming and dealt in grain. He liccanie 






t. 



■<^ 



,t 



526 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



a resident of Fislier in 1877, where he established 
himself in his present luisiiiess, which he has car- 
rieil on successfully and without a coin|)etitor. Be- 
si<ics his stoc'lv of nierciiandise an<l viliau-c property 
he owns eighty acres of land in Brown Townsliip. 

On the l.sth of October, l.S7y, .Air. Latecr began 
the estal)]ishmeiit of a home Ity being united in mar- 
riage witii Miss Mary E. Vennnm, who was born in 
Milford, Iroquois County, Dec. 4, IMTiS, and was 
tlie daughter of Chiisto|iiier C. and Mahala (Horn) 
\'cnnuni. Mr. \ . departed this life at Onarga. 111., 
Sept. 11. 1)S(J{J. The mother still survives, making 
iier home with her daugliter. Mrs. Lateer. The 
three children of Mr. and Mrs. Lateer are Lena, 
Norris V. and AVilliam M. Our subject and his 
family occupy- a tine residence which was erected in 
1881, and will compare favorably with anything of 
the kind in Champaign County. A view of it is pre- 
sented in this work. Mr. and .Mrs. ]>. are members 
and regular attendants of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, of which our sidijei't is Trustee and one of 
the chief pillars. Politically he endorses the princi- 
ples of the Democratic party, and socially belongs 
to Fisiier Lodge No. 70 1, 1. O. O. F. 



'S^ MANUEL \. FLSIIFK, Director and Cashier 
1^ of the First National Bank, at Homer, has 



E 



!}_^-^/ been associated with this institution since 
its first conception, lie is one of the most enter- 
prising young business men of the county, and in 
his present responsible position is acquitting him- 
self with great credit. Mr. Fisher is a native of F'"!. 
Wayne, Ind., born Sept. 1, Isi/Jl, and the son of 
Isaac and Bett>' (Plant) Fisher, natives of (ier- 
many, who emigrated to America in 1 sis, while 
(piite young, locating in Ft. Wayne, lud., where 
thej' married and afterward resided. 

Isaac Fisher was born in 1S20, and died July 2, 
1885. He was a eapal)Ie business man, res|)ected 
by his fellow-citizens, and a member of the Hebrew ' 
Order of 1. O. B. B., in whose organization he as- 
sisted at the beginning. The parents were married 
in 1850; the mother, who was born .Ian. 10, 1832, 
is still living in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The nine children 



comprising the parental household are recorded 
as follows: Bertha died when two j^ears of age; 
Emannel. of our sketch, was the second child ; Max 
B. married Miss Aila .lacobson ; Samuel S. married 
Miss Flora Reinhart; Hannaii married David Kahn, 
of Indianapolis; Charlie died in early life. The three 
younger were Carrie, Edwin .J. and Moses P. 

Mr. Fisher received his e.arl}' education in tiie 
city scliools at Ft. Wayne, Ind.. and later attended 
Bryant tk Strattou's Business College in that city. 
He took a thorough course in book-keeping, grad- 
uated in 1875, and four years later entered the 
banking-house of Solomon Plant, with which he 
has been connected since that time. He was elected 
Cashier in 188;i, when the bank was nationalized. 
He has already become a prominent factor in the 
business interests of Homer, and from his wide- 
awake and energetic disposition much is expected 
of him in the future. He has been Village Treas- 
urer three years and is manager of the Homer Opera 
House Association. Politicall}' ho alliliates with 
the Republican party. 

The lady who presides over the household affairs 
of Mr. Fisher and is at the same time a worth}' 
companion and the ornament of his home, was for- 
merly Miss Clara Bernstein, of Napoleon, Ohio, 
where her marriage tookjjlace Oct. 14, ISSO. Mrs. 
Fisher is the daughter of Solomon and Fannie 
(Wertheimer) Bernstein, and was born Dec. 25, 
18CI. Her parents were natives of Oermany. who 
emigrated to America manj- years ago. before their 
marri.age. This event occured in 1855, in Cincin- 
nati, Ohio. They located at Napoleon, that State, 
and became the parents of five children, namely, 
Annie, Adeline, Clara, Theresa and .lulius. 



/ip^AMUEL McKEE, one of the mi)st exten- 
^^^ sive farmers and stock-raisers of Ilensley 
(jil/_j| Township, is finely located on section 32. 
where he has one of the most attractive es- 
tates in ClKimi)aigu County. His land, which he 
has lirought to a fine state of cultivation, is admir- 
ably adapted to his present business, and his sUjck 
consists mainly of high-gr.'ide Sht)rt-horus and Here, 
ford cattle. The residence of our subject and his fam- 



i 



♦:*-* 



u 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



527 



*t 



ily is a haiidsomc and substantial modern structure, 
finely finished and furnished, and its surroundings 
display on ever3' hand tlie cultivation and prosper- 
ity of the proprietor. A view of tho residence is 
shown on another page. 

Mr. INIcKee is a native of Tiiipecanoe County, 
Ind., where his birth took place Jan. 27, 1838. His 
father, Elj' C. McKee, was a native of Hamilton 
County, Ohio, and his grandfatlier, Samuel, was 
born in Ireland, of excellent Scottish parentage. 
He emigrated to America when a ^^oung man, and 
is believed to have settled for a short time in Penn- 
sylvania, whence he afterward removed to Ohio, 
and was one of the pioneers of Hamilton County. 
He purchased a tract of timber land seven miles 
from Cincinnati, where he cleared a farm and built 
a comfortable home, and there spent the remainder 
of his d.ays. An)ong the members of his family 
was Ely C, the father of our subject. 

Elj' C. McKee was reared to manhood in his na- 
tive count}', and after his marriage remained there 
until 18:33. He then removed to Indiana and lo- 
cated among the pioneer settlors of Tippecanoe 
County. He purchased a tr.act of timber land four- 
teen miles south of Lafayette, and put up a house, 
which he weatherboarded, giving it the appearance 
of a fr.ame structure. In this dwelling the suliject 
of our sketch was born. The father cleared from 
the wilderness a fine farm of ■51 o acres, and re- 
mained there until his death, which occurred Jan. 
ISI, 1877. The mother of our subject, formerly 
Miss Nancy (irittin, was born in Kentuciiy, and was 
the daughter of Ebenczer (Jrillin, a native of the 
same State. Late in life he became a resident of 
Rush County, Ind. Mrs. Nancy G. McKee de- 
parted this life at the old homestead in Ti|)])ecanoo 
County, in August, 187(1. The parental hnusehdld 
included ten children. 

Samuel McKee was the fifth child and I'durtli sou 
of liis [KfiTuts, and passed his childhood and youth 
in the manner common to the sons of i)ioneers. He 
assisted his father in tilling the .-.oil, and attended 
the subscription school as oiiiio-tunity offered, 
mostly in the winter season. He remained under 
the home roof until his marriage, and afterward 
cultivated rented l.ind until 1 8Ci), when he came to 
the Prairie State and purchased the farm in Hensle}' 



Township which he now owns and occupies. At 
the time he took possession 100 acres were broken, 
and the only buildings were a small frame house 
and a stable with a straw roof, but he immediately 
set about its cultivation, aiul in due time the first 
dwelling and the excuse for a stable were replaced 
by modern and sulistantial buildings, as we liave 
indicated. 

Mr. McKee was married, Oct. 21, 1862, to Miss 
Alma Bush, a.n.ative of Tippecanoe County, Ind., 
and the daughter of -lared and Charlotte Bush. 
(See sketch of .lared Bush on another page of this 
volume.) Of this marriage there were born five 
children: Harry, who died in infancy; Willie E., 
Raymond, Ely and Lottie. Mr. McKee, politically, 
is a stanch Republican, and cast his first ])rcsidcu- 
tial vote for Abraham Lincoln. 




BRAII.\M LOEB, Supervisor of Tolono 
Towiisiii|), and President of the ^'illage 
Board, was the first man to hold both of- 
(^' fices after the organiz.-ition of the town- 

shii). When not emploj'ed witli the duties of 
his offices he turns his attention to the clothing 
trade and gents' furnishing g(K)ds, which busi- 
ness he established in Tolouo in Ma}', 1877. He 
is an energetic business man and a fine repre- 
sentative of the industrious German element, which 
has assisted materially in the progress and develop- 
ment of the great West. His birth took place in 
the Rhine Province of Darmstadt, Aug. 1, 1840. His 
jiarents were Raphael and Rose Loeb, who had a 
family of ten children. Three of these died in 
childhood. The remaining seven emigrated to the 
United States, and were as follows: l^eopold ; Lena, 
now Mrs. Knhn ; .lennie, Abraham, .lulins. Kmii, 
and J>ouisa, Mrs. Hoffman. The father died in 
(Germany, and the mother came to the I'niled 
States with some of her children. 

Abraham, of our sketch, left his native land 
alone when a lad nine years of age. After a 1)rief 
stay in Now Voik City he [)roceeded to Covington, 
Ind., whore he had a brother, and engageil .'is clerk 
in a store, lie aftciwanl became a tr:ivcliug sales- 
man, and in this ca|):icily visited many parts of the 



1 



I 



■^^ 






528 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



United States. At the outbreak of the Civil War 
he enlisted as a Union soldier, becoming a member 
of Co. 15, (Slh Ky. Xo]. Inf.. and served three years 
.and eight months. He participated in many im- 
portant battles of the war, and various engage- 
ments .and skirmishes, being present at the siege of 
Vieksbiirg and at Pittsburg Landing and Baton 
Rouge, but escaped without serious wounds or im- 
l)risonment. 

After receiving his honorable discharge Mr. 
Loeb returned to Covington and engaged in the 
dry-^oods .and ck)thing trade. Two years later he 
returned to liis native countrj', .and for over eight- 
een months visited among his relatives and friends. 
Upon returning to the United States he came to 
this county, established in business in Champaign 
City, and from there, in 1877, removed to Tolono. 
His upright business methods and courteous man- 
ner tt) .all have secured for him the confidence and 
esteem of his fellow-citizens, who have honored 
liiin with the various township offices and taken 
him iulo their councils upon every important oc- 
casion. Socially he is a member of the M.asonic 
fraternity, the I. O. O. F. and K. of H. 

Mr. Loeb was married, in 1870, to Miss Matilda 
Wolf, a native of iiis own country, and they have 
six children — Josie, Harry, Oscar, Rachel, Blanche 
and Charles. The family residence is pleasantly' 
located, and its inmates enjoy the society of the 
best people nf Tolono. 

OHN TAYLOR, although one of the promi- 
nent and responsible men of Ayers Towu- 
sliip, and willing to make almost any sacri- 
(^// ficc for the good of his community, is one of 
tiie few who has steadily declined to become an 
ollice-holder, considering that his personal infiuence 
would be of as mucli value exercised in a more un- 
obtrusive manner. As one of the propert3'-holderS 
of tills section he is of due weight in the commu- 
nity, wliile his undevlating course from the path of 
rectitude, and his unquestioned business qualities, 
have established him in tlie esteem and confidence 
of his fellow-citizens. 

Mr. Taylor owes his origin to another continent, 



his birth having taken place in Westmoreland, En- 
gland, where he was first introduced to life on the 
L5th of .lidy, 184.'). His parents, .lames and Mary 
(Hutchinson) Taylor, were of pure English l)lood, 
and both spent their entire lives In their native 
country. The mother passed from eai'th when 
fifty-five j'ears of age. The father maj' be prop- 
erly numbered among the patriarchs, as his years 
numbered fourscore and five, terminating in 1S«G. 
He was the youngest of thirteen children born to his 
parents, and the family lived in and around West- 
moreland as far back .as can be remembered. 

The children of James and Mary Taylor, ten in 
number, were Agnes, Rebecca, Mary A., William 
H., James, Richard, John of our sketch, Thomas, 
Jane E. and Robert. They received an ordinarily 
good education, John attending school until four- 
teen years of age. He first engaged to learn gar- 
dening, but this not being quite in accordance with 
his tastes and capabilities, he abandoned it and be- 
came an employe of the London & Northwestern 
Railway as porter. From that he was promoted 
switchman, afterward passenger gu.ard, and in due 
time became conductor, ending up with the posi- 
tion of Stiition Agent. He occupied the office at 
the terminus of five Important roads, and superin- 
tended the operations of five clerks .and twelve men 
on the platform. It is suHiclent recommendation to 
state that he held tills position for a period of twelve 
years, only leaving it from tiie desire to come to 
America. 

Mr. T.aylor left Liverpool on the 17th of April, 
1872, landing in New York Clt3' on the '2i>ih of the 
same montli. He at once proceeded westward to 
Macon County, this State, where he engaged at 
farming by the month, and was thus occupied for 
the following five years. In 1881 he ])urchascd 120 
acres of land in Ayers Township, at §30 per acre, 
which was partially Improved, and w.as then consid- 
ered a ver\- good farm. He has greatly added to 
its beauty and value, and it now bears fair com- 
parison with those of his nelglibors. 

Mr. Taylor was married in Macon County, this 
State, Feb. 24, 1875, to Miss M.aggie KIrkpatrick, 
a native of tiiat county, and born Sept. 5, 18.")7. Her 
father, David, and her mother, Sarah (Smilli) KIrk- 
patrick, were natives of Scotland, the former born 



I 



u 



^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



529 



April 23, 182fi, and the latter, April 30, 1830. The 
ten children of the household were Sarah, Alexan- 
der, M.aggie, Mar}' E., David (I. (now decea.sed), 
two who died in infancy, Lydia J., Emma Z. and 
David. The three chihlren of Mr. and Mrs. Tay- 
lor are Arthur K., Mary J. E. and AN'illlMni II. All 
are at lionie with their parents. 

.^Ir. T.iylor since becoming an American citizen 
and securing the right of suffrage, lias uniformly 
voted with the Democratic party. He is a gentle- 
man decided in his views, but never offensive in 
tlie e.Kpression of them. He possesses the tact and 
good judgment which readily secure friends, and 
which arc retained by him when the}' come to 
know his excellent personal character. 



-^ 



^^ HRIsrOPIIER REAGAN. The gentleman 
jl whose biography we bricHy sketch below, 

^^^' owns a quarter section of land in Condit 
Township, besides forty-eight acres in Newcomb 
Township. His home place, which comprises tlie 
larger body, is located on section 19, where he has 
a fine residence and all neces.sary out-buildings for 
the convenience of a jwogressive modern f.armer. 
He took possession of his farm in the spring of 
1870, and has since been industriously engaged in 
its cultivation and improvement. Under his skill- 
ful manipulation it has become one of the most 
valuable homesteads in this section, and a s[)ot which 
the e3'e delights to dwell upon. 

Mr. Reagan is a wt)rthy representative of the 
warm-hearted Irish race, and w.as born in Ct)unty 
Westineatli, in November, \Hi\o. His ))arents were 
Patrick and Mary (McCorinick) Reagan, both also 
natives of Ireland, where they spent their entire 
lives. Christopher was a little lad of only six years 
old when his father died, leaving a widow and three 
children. He remained with his mother until 1 siy, 
then, accompanied by his uncle, William McC'or- 
mick, emigrated to America and located in New 
York City. He first found employment in ^\'illiam 
H. Disl)rough's Riding Academy, corner l<"oiirth 
.Mvcnne ••ind Seventh street, where he remained thiee 
j'ears, and then engaged on a steamer on the Mud- 
son River, plying between New York and Alb.an}'. 



After a part of two seasons thus occupied our 
subject began to learn the molder's trade, at which 
he worked one year, and then went into the emplo}' 
of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, as a 
boat hand in summer, and in winter took care of 
the boats which were anuhoreil at New York. In 
18.51-52 he chartered a boat of this compaii}-, and 
engaged in freighting for two seasons following. 
During the first he was successful, but the second 
year met with loss and then abandoned boating, en- 
gaging as a farm laborer during the summer sea- 
sons, and in the winter occupied himself chopping 
wood. Afterward he purchased a boat Jind for 
three summers followed freighting on the Erie 
Canal from Albany to Buffalo and New York City. 

After coining into Illinois, Mr. Re.agan spent the 
first winter in Logan County, afterward worked two 
summers on a farm in Polo, Ogle County, and thence 
changed his location to McLean Count}', whence lie 
came to Mahomet Township, this county, in ISdC. 
Three years later he purchased a i)ait of the l.-md 
which he now owns and occupies. In the mean- 
time, however, he had returned to his old home 
across the sea, and visited for sixteen days among 
the friends of his childhood and youth, returning 
greatly pleased .and satisfied, and ready to begin 
with fresh courage the establishment of a home in 
this county. Here he is accounted one of the most 
valued citizens, and by his straightforward de;ilings 
with his fellow-men has secured the confidence .'ind 
esteem of all who know him. He takes a genuine 
interest in all matters relating to the good of the 
community at large, and although not connected 
with any religious organization has contributed 
generously to the support of all. 

Mr. Reagan was married, in April, 1870, to Miss 
Dicy A. Newell, a native of New York, and the 
daughter of \\'illiam and Patty Newell, who re- 
moved fi'oni ()liio to Condit Township in this 
county during its early settlement, and located upon 
the land which Mr. Reagan now occupies. Mrs. 
li. received a good education and taught the first 
school established in Condit Township. She de^ 
parted this life on the 8th of .lanuary, 188.5. Two 
years later Mr. Reagan was married to his present 
wife, who was then INI is. Emma S., daughter of 
Samuel and May A. Ilaniinel, and the widow of 



i 



I 



530 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Henry Lane. She was l)oni in Clinton County, 
Ind.. M.iy 28, 1862, and remained with her parents 
until her lir.-;t marriage, of whifh there was born 
one child, a daughter. Pearl. Mrs. U. is a lady 
grcatl\' resjjected wherever known, and with her 
husband enjo3'S the soeiet}' of many friends. 



-^^- 



#-•# 



-i 



ELEAZER FREEMAN, one of the pioneer 
farmers of Ogden Township, is in posses- 
sion of 400 acics on section 1 7, mostly in 
the above township. Here, since the spring of 
1 8;5:5, he has labored successfully to establish and 
improve a comfortable homestead, in which effort 
he has most admirably succeeded. The land is 
th(n-oughly drained, the fields neatlj- laid off and 
enclosed, and the farm buildings are a credit to 
the taste and enterprise of the proprietor. Mr. 
Freeman is a gentleman of more than ordinary 
aldlity, and besides the duties incumbent upon him 
!is a representative farmer, ambitious to keep pace 
with the enterprise and prosperity about him, he 
h.as filled the office of Supervisor of his township, 
and School Treasurer for fifteen years. In the 
meantime he also served as Administrator of sev- 
eral estates placed in his hands by those fully 
awnre of his cai)abilities aud integrity. In all re- 
spects, as the head of a family and a meml)er of 
the community, he has .accinitted himself in a faith- 
ful and creditable manner, and no man is held in 
greater respect than Eleazer Freeman. 

Our subject is a native of the Prairie State, born 
in A'ermilion County, Jan. 3, 1833. and the son of 
James and Rebecca (Ogden) Freeman, natives of 
Pennsylvania, and the father of Welsh ancestry. 
The latter was born .Ian. 2('i, 1801. and departed 
this life at his home in Homer Township in 1877. 
He followed both farming and shoeniaking, having 
learned the latter trade in early manhood. He re- 
moved from his native State to Ohio before his 
marriage, and in 1 821) emigrated overland to Illi- 
nois. Afterward, during the Black llauk \\:u\ he 
served .as a soldier three or four monllis until tlic 
troops were sent home. 

Wlien prepared to locate, .I:inies l''reeman en- 
tered land on the State Road in Champaign Countj'. 

4* 



This included but forL\ acres, which he cultivated 
industriously and carefully, and by strict economy 
managed to accumulate quite a little fortune. 
Both he and the mother were membere of the Chris- 
tian Church. The latter was born in 1803, and in 
her youth was a woman of much physical strength 
and great courage, and worked cheerfully by her 
husband's side in his efforts to secure a comfort- 
able home and a competency. She employed her 
time wjien not busy with the ordinary duties of 
the household, in spinning and weaving, and in- 
deed, labored beyond her strength, so that in later 
yeai-s her health gave way, and she suffered greatly 
from a broken-down constitution. Her death took 
place in Homer Township on the .5th of October, 
1857. The ten children of the parental household 
were, Thom.is and Mary, twins; Edmund, Lydia 
A., Eleazer, Andrew, Angeline, Rebecca J. who 
died when one year old, J.ames L., aud Martha who 
died when four years of age. 

The subject of this history remained a member 
of his father's household during his childhood and 
youth, and the greater part of the time until reach- , 
ing his majority. Sept. 13, 18.55, after he was 
twenty-two years of age, he began the more seri- 
ous business of life by takhig unto himself a wife 
and helpmeet, namely. Miss Keziah A. Swearingen, 
a native of this State, born Jan. 1. 1837; this lady 
was a devout memlier of the Christian Church, and 
departed this life June 25, 185(3. 

.Mr. Freeman's second marriage was with Miss 
Margaret A. Loomis, and w.as celebrated Jan. 20, 
I85;>. Mrs. Margaret Freeman was a native of 
Ohio, born July 14, 1843. .She came with her par- 
ents to Illinois when a young girl twelve years of 
age, in 1855. In the meantime her parents had 
spent some years in Imliana. The latter were 
William M. and Albiua (Yeager) Lc)omis, natives 
of Ohio. The father was a miller bj- trside. His 
birth took place Dec. 28, 1815, and his death Aug. 
24, 18(;4. The mother w\as born Oct. 23. 1821. 
She w.as a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Clmreli, and both parents were people of much ex- 
eellence of character. The eleven children in- 
cluded in this family were as follows: Sarah K., 
who w.as born .Inly I. 1838; Joseph V., Jan. 25, 
1841; George N., March 6, 1842; Margaret A., 



^- 



■ ► k ^- 



A 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



531 



July 14, 1843; John, in 1845; Rebecca A., Jan. 5, 
1847; Albina L., July 26, 1848; John C, July 28, 
1849; Mary K., Feb. 27, 1851; Elnora, April 29, 
1852, and Laura E., April 1, 1853. 

The mother of the above-named children passed 
from cartii in the spring of 1854, and Mr. Loomis 
was again married, to Miss .Sarali E. Ilager, and of 
tills union there were three children, namelj', John 
N., born April 20, 1855; Willi.-im II., Nov. 25, 
1857, and Emma A., Marcli 22, li^UO. Mrs. Sarah 
E. Loomis departed this life at tlie homestead in 
Homer Township, and Mr. Loomis was married, 
Feb. C, 1801, to Miss Jlargarct Samuels. This 
lady was born Sept. 9, 1836, and died in May, 
1866. Her eiiildren were. Theodore, born Dec. G, 
1862, and Frank A., Feb. 17, 1804. The latter 
died in June uf the same ye.ar. Of the sixteen 
cliildren who owed their paternity to Mr. Loomis, 
only five are living. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, fourteen 
in number, were born as follows: James H., Nov. 
10, 1800; George N., April 27, 1802; William L., 
Dec. 11, 1863; Charles Y., June 22, 1866; Joseph 
C, July 8, 1868; Annie, April 9, 1870; Laura B., 
Oct. 25, 1871; Florence M., Nov. 5, 1873; Nellie, 
April 6, 1875; Maude, April 10, 1877; Ida J., Feb. 
8, 1879; Delia, Dec. 28, 1880; Grant, March 20, 
1882; Prince A., Aug. 30, 1884. The estate of 
Mr. Freeman embraces 400 acres of land, besides a 
dry-goods store, which was established in Ogden 
Village March 29, 1887. He is a wide-awake, en- 
terprising business man, activel}' interested in the 
welfare of his community, and strongly opposed to 
tiie use of intoxicating liquors, being a member of 
the Sons of Temperance for many years. Politi- 
cally he is a decided Republican. 



"^'•vA, *\4J2J2j2/©^^^f 



^^^Odow\^'\/\y\^ 




\«^ AVID COOTER, a resident of this county 
since a young man nineteen j'ears of age, 
has given the greater part of his life to 
farming pursuits, and is now plea.santly lo- 
cated on section 13, in Brown Township, where he 
is proprietor of 193 acres of land,. all of which, with 
the exception of forty acres, is under a good state 
of cultivation. The balance comprises a valuable 



timber tract. The residence of the family is a 
commodious and substantial farm dwelling, and the 
adjacent outhouses are erected in a manner corre- 
sponding to the progressive and thorough-going 
character of the proprietor. A view of the place 
is to 1)6 seen on another page. 

The jwrents of our subject, John and Mary 
(Houston) Cooter, were of Southern birth and par- 
entage, the former a native of Virginia and tlie lat- 
ter of Kentucky. After marriage they locnted in 
Monroe County, Ind,, where they resided until the 
fall of 1873, and thence removed to Cuml>erland 
County, this State, where they are now living. 
Their family consisted of five sons and two daugh- 
ters, of whom our subject was the second child. 
His birth took place in Monroe County, Ind., Oct. 
17, 1839. His youth and boyhood were passed 
.after the manner of most farmers' sons until nine- 
teen j-ears of age, when he started out in life for 
himself. Coming into this count3' in 1858, he lo- 
cated in Brown Township, where he at once set 
about the establishment of a permanent home. 

When the time came that he could see his way 
plainly to the realiz.ation of his designs, Mr. Cooter 
took unto himself a wife and helpmeet in the per- 
son of Miss Rebecca E. Strouss, to whom he w.as 
married Dec. 5, 1861. Mrs. Cooter is tlie daugliter 
of John and Rebecca (McElhaney) Strouss, natives 
respectively of Beaver and Susquehanna Counties, 
Pa. After marriage they located first in Beavei- 
County, whence, in 1850, thej' removed to Wiscon- 
sin, and from there to Brown Township, this county, 
in 1858. In February, 1878, they crossed the 
Mississippi and went into Labette County, Kan., 
where they now reside. The eight children of their 
household included five sons and three daughters, 
of whom tlic wife of our subject was the sixth in 
order of birth. 

Mrs. C. was born in Beaver County, Pa., July 
20, 1842. Six of the twelve children born to iier 
marriage with Mr. Cooter liave passed to the silent 
land, namely, Lucinda, Jolin M., Charles W., Ellen 
I. and a babe unnamed, all of whom died in in- 
fancy. David M. was injured from a fall when 
eight years old, which, although not proving f.atal 
at once, produced eiiilcpsy, from which he wsis a 
great sufferer and lingered until iiearl}' seventeen 



r 



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4 



532 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






•T 



years old, when he died on the "22d of July, 1.S85. 
Those surviving are Marj' A., the wife of Martin 
D. VanHook, and a resident of Brown Township; 
Harry E., Irene E., Alberta II., Henrietta and Lucy 
L., all at home witli their parents. Mr. Cooter, 
politically, votes tlie Denioer.atic ticket, and has 
held the offlpe of Sciiool Director for manj- years 
in Brown Township. 

JASPER N. GUNDER. One of the finest 
I farms in the southeastern part of Champaign 
I County is owned and occupied by the sub- 
(j^// ject of this sketch, and is located on section 
30, in Homer Township. Of this Mr. Ginider has 
been in possession since the spring of 1881. He was 
born and reared on the farm of his father in Madi- 
son County, Ind., first opening his eyes to the light 
on the 5th of November, IS.tI. His parents were 
Daniel and Elizabetli (Hughel) Guilder, n.atives 
respectively of Ohio and Indiana, the father born 
May 24, 1824, and the mother in 1832. They are 
still living, their home now being in Vermilion 
County, this State. Daniel Gunder is a man pos- 
sessing more than ordinary ability, a thorough and 
skillful farmer, a Deacon in the Baptist Church, and 
pf)litically a stanch Republican. 

The liome circle included the following-named 
children : Alice, who became the wife of Joseph 
Howard; Susan, Mrs, Charles Baldwin, of Danville; 
Jasper N., of our sketch; James, a civil engineer, 
residing in Nebraska; Samuel, who w.as married to 
Miss Nettie Weaver, and is a druggist at Beatrice, 
Neb. ; Jennie, Mary, .Julia, Arthur and Daniel; the 
latter is deceased. They constitute a bright and 
interesting family group, received a good educa- 
tion, and are in all respects worthy and desirable 
members of society and an honor to their parents. 
In ISCS Daniel Gunder and his family left Indi- 
ana, and coming over into Illinois, located in \er- 
milion County. Jasper N. of our sketch was then 
a boy of fourteen years. Il(? continued on the farm 
whicli his father had purchased in \!iiice Township, 
attending school in the niutcr seasons and making 
good progress, so that four years later he entered 



the State University, where he took a course of 
two and one-half years, and was then well fitted for 
the ordinar}' pursuits of a business life in connection 
with farming. Daniel Gunder believed it a great 
mistake to suppose that farmers' sons needed little 
education. He claimed that the more intelligent the 
man, in whatever busine.ss he engaged the better 
results would follow. This theory has proved quite 
correct in the example of our subject. His first 
purchase when setting out for himself in life, con- 
sisted of eighty acres, of which he took good care 
until able to enlarge his landed area. The fine farm 
of which he is now the possessor includes 300 acresi 
and in all respects indicates the intelligence of its 
jiroprietor, both in the construction of the build- 
ings, in his selection of the farm, animals and ma- 
chinery, and the manner in which the fields are laid 
off. Some adapted to grain and some to pasturage, 
and not an acre standing idle. Mr. (iunder has a 
fine herd of graded Short-horn cattle, which he 
feeds all the grain he raises from the farm, and 
each year ships four to five carloads of fat animals 
to Chicago and other Eastern markets. 

Perhaps one of the most imiiortant events in the 
life of our suliject occurred on the 15th of August, 
1877, when he was united in marri.age with Miss 
Gertrude Medearis, the wedding taking place at 
the home of the bride's parents, and the ceremon}' 
being iierformed b}' the Rev. J. J. Smith, of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Gunder, the 
daughter of John F. and Sarah (Abrams) Medearis, 
was born in AVayne County, Ind.. Feb. 15, 1853, 
and lived there with her [larents until her marriage. 
Her father was born in North Carolina, Nov. IG, 
180".), and his wife, Sarah, in Indiana, May 2, 1821. 
They are jieople greatly respected wherever known ; 
both are living and members of the Methodist 
Episcoi)al Church. Mr. M. the greater part of his 
life has followed farming. Their home is the same that 
Mr. Medearis located u[)on in Wayne County, Ind., 
before his marriage. Eleven of their thirteen chil- 
dren lived to mature years, and the record brietl}' 
given is as follows: Mary A. became the wife of 
Caleb King, and died some years ago; .Martha mar- 
ried Allin C. Ctftton, anil lives in this township; 
William A. married Miss Anna Addington; Israel 
married Miss Martha Curtis; Sarah is the wife of 



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I 



I 



<- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



533 



1 



Joseph T. Russell; Daniel married Miss Kva Kerr; 
Amanda became the wife of Mr. Martindale; Ger- 
trude is the wife of our subject; Jolin F. died in 
1881 ; Ella, Mrs. Russell, and Elizabeth, Mrs. J.ack- 
son, are the two 3'oungest. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. .lasper N. Gunder, 
two in number, are Nellie and Clark Artemus. 
They are bright and interesting, and form the very 
life of the household. Tlie farm residence is taste- 
fnll}' finished and furnished, and its inmates sur- 
rounded by everything to make life comfortable 
and desirable. Mr. (i. enjoj-s in a marked degree 
the confidence and esteem of his neighbors, and 
has ofliciated as School Director in his township 
since 1885. I'olitically he votes with the Demo- 
cratic part}'. 




t 



\**5^.^ R. PIIILir C. MOSTER, a retired practi- 
ll) tioner of the Old School, but wlio has al- 
ways been in love with agricultural pur- 
suits and the freedom of a country life, 
occupies a fine homestead in Homer Township, on 
section 20, with numerous buildings finely adapted 
to the requirements of farm life. He has been a 
man of great energy and industry, and through the 
exercise of these accumulated a fortune which he 
is now enjoying in the wisest manner. 

The history of Dr. Mosier, necessarily' briefly 
given here, is in suVistance as follows; He first 
drew the breath of life, Dec. 31, 1827, in Harrison 
Ct)unty, Ind. He is the son of George and Maria 
(Criswell) Mosier, the former a native of North 
Carolina and the bitter of Kentucky. The paternal 
grandparents were Philip and iMartha Mosier, na- 
tives of Pennsylvania and of lloll.-ind descent. On 
his mother's side his grandparents, Elijaii and ICIiz- 
abeth (Rice) Criswell, were natives respectively of 
Fauquier County, \'a., and Frankfort, Ky. Mr. 
Criswell was of English extraction. The father of 
our subject was born Nov. LO, 1801, and spent his 
earlj' years in his native State. He l)ecanie a resi- 
dent of tills county in 18.'i4, and engaged in farm- 
ing in townsiiip 20, range 14, where lie laliored un- 
til his death, which occurred in March, 1880. His 
^« 



early c<lucation had been conducted mostly in a 
German school, and he spoke the language fiuently. 
\\'hen fort}' years of age he united with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, but later became connected 
with tiie Cumberland Presbyterian. 

The six children of the parental household were: 
Elijah, who died when nineteen years of age; Eliza- 
beth, Mrs. Pickett, deceased ; Philip C. of our sketch ; 
Martha C. married Dr. G. W. Hartman, deceased ; 
Nancy I)., who married A. J. Csisteel, deceased; 
and Eliza .Jane, the wife of George W. Cory, de- 
ceased. The day following the marriage of Nancy 
and ]\Ir. C'asteel, in the fall of the ye.ar 18.56, they 
started for Boone County, Iowa, and after crossing 
the Mississippi and arriving at a point between 
Burlington and Des Moines, near Oskaloosa, the 
y<jung bride and her husband were both murdered, 
and their bodies concealed in a corn shock, where 
they were found eleven da3's afterward. The per- 
petrators of this dreadful deed were John R. Tliom.as 
and an unknown associate. The crime was fastened 
upon 'him the following spring. When the people 
of that region became satisfied that he w.as the 
guilty man he was taken out and summarily 
lynched. To the question of whether he was guilty 
or not, he would make no reply, but there is no 
doubt that he was the man. 

The subject of this biography passed his boyhood 
and 3'outh under the parental i(n>f, employed in 
farm pursuits, and receiving as good an education 
as the schools of those days afforded. After begin- 
ning to lay his plans for the future, during which 
time he believed that the practice of medicine 
would suit his tastes and inclinations, he began 
teaching in order to obtain the means to prosecute 
the studies necessary to become fitted for tlie pro- 
fession. He afterward entered the ollice of Dr. 
Turner, of Jacksonville, Ind., and finall}' i)ecame in- 
terested in the Western Agricultural College at 
Annapolis, Ind., under the management of the 
(Quakers, and attended two terms while continuing 
his medical studies with Drs. McKey and McNett. 
He was subseijuently admitted to practice, and 
after having followed liie profession for al)out ten 
years with good success, he engaged in loaning 
money and also in the real-estate business, which 
he followed successful!}'- until his removal upon his 



^ 



534 



CllAMl>AlGN COUNTY. 



4 



present farm in 1S71. When the time eaine that 
he felt justified in retiring from business, he pur- 
chased his present farm propertj' in Homer Town- 
ship, to which he has since given his attention, and 
has obtained an cnvialde reputation as a skillful 
modern agriculturist. 

When twenty-four years of age Dr. Mosier was 
united in marriage with Miss Doretliea. J. Burton, 
on the 3d of Api-il, \><:>\. Mrs. Mosier was born in 
Parke County, Ind., Oct. G, 1831, and is the 
daughter of Clement N. and Ann T. (Merry weather) 
Burton, natives of \'irginia. The father was born 
in 1790. He followed farming all his life, his later 
years being spent in Butler Count}', Iowa, where 
his death occurred in 1864. The mother was born 
in 1801, and departed this life at Uockville, Parke 
Co., Ind., Dec. 20, 1840. Both were members of 
the Christian Church, and Mr. Burton was an Elder 
and Trustee for many years. Although receiving 
only a common-school education he was a man who 
kept his eyes open to what was going on around 
him in the world, and obtained a good fund of gen- 
eral information. He endorsed the princi)les of the 
Republican party, and was in all respects a worthy 
and useful citizen. The eleven children born of 
his first marriage were named respectively, John 
M., William E., Mary A., Lucinda C, Eliza R., 
James M., Dorothea J., Hugh F. L., Lucretia C, 
Rachel L. and Henry H. Mary A. died in infancy. 
The father of Mrs. Mosier was twice married, the 
second lime l)eing united with Mrs. Rachel (Robey) 
Taylor, by whom he became the father of three 
children — George II., Joseph C. and Mary E. 

Dr. .Mosier and his wife have no children. The 
name originally was spelled without an " i," this 
being added to the name by the father of our sub- 
ject. The Doctoi- has been prominent in local af- 
fairs since becoming a resident of Homer Town- 
ship, and held the otiice of Supervisor four terms, 
his success as a farmer and his value as a citizen re- 
ceiving due recognition by his fellow-townsmen. 
He is a strict temperance man, working as he has i 
opportimity for the success of the cause. He affiliated [ 
with the Democratic party until 18.')i;, in which 
year he east his vote for (Jen. Fremont for Presi- j 
dent, and has supported Republican candidates I 
since that time. He is prominently connected with 



the I. O. (). F., of which he became a member in 
185.^, and in which order he has occupied the 
higher offices, being a representative to the Cr.ind 
Lodge on two occasions, when its sessions were held 
at Springfield and Chicago. 

-^ 4«*- -— 




i 



'/_^ ENRY J. WIGGINS. The name of this 
gentleman is familiarly known throughout 
Champaign County as one eminently suc- 
cessful in the tilling of the soil and in his 
investments, by which means combined, he has ac- 
cumulated a fine property. His real estate lies 
mostly on sections 1(1 and 17, in Homer Townshii), 
where he has an extensive farm of 30(1 acres, with 
handsome residence ami grounds, good barns and 
other out-buildings, and all the requirements of a 
first-class modern agriculturist. 

Mr. Wiggins is a native of Ohio, and w.as born 
Feb. 9, 1840. His parents, also natives of that 
State, were in possession of one of the finest farms 
in Hocking County, and were by name: Zedekiah 
D. and Lucinda (Haynes) Wiggins, of German and 
English ancestry. His father, who was born June 
21, 181G, died in his native count}' in about 1877. 
The mother was born April Ifi, 181(), and p.assed 
to the other life before the death of her husband, 
her decease occurring in Sepleml>er, 18(12. She 
was a lady of many excellent qualities, and a mem- 
ber of the German Reformed Church. Zedekiah 
D. Wiggins was a stanch Whig, iiolitically, dui'ing 
his early life, but after the abandonment of the old 
party cast his lot with the Republicans. The par- 
ental household included twelve children, seven 
sons and five daughters: (Jeorge AV. married Miss 
Caroline Ebert; Julia A. is the wife of Jesse 
Hosier; Henry J., of our sketch, was the third child ; 
Jacob II. died when five years of .age; Margaret E. 
m.arried Mr. F. W. Haynes; Ferdelia married Eli- 
jah Dc Long; Minerva became the wife of W. S. 
Koch ; Susan is unmarried : ()l)ed N. married Miss 
Laura Van Dyke; Duniah died when twenty foui' 
years old ; Edmund S. is married ; Jerome died when . 
three years of age. These were the children of the j 
first wife. After her death Air. Wiggins was married || 
to Miss Mary L. Shcrrick, and of this marriage T 

— "—"I 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



533 



there were boiii tliiec children : Mary, now the 
wife of Lewis Drum ; Thomas, who married Miss 
Martiia Murlctt, and C'hristoi)hor II., nnniarried. 

Henry .1. Wigyins eamc to Illinois in 1878. and 
at onee located in Homer Townsiiip, this county, 
wliere he purchased 240 acres of land. He inime- 
iliately began making improvements, among wjiich 
was the erection of his fine brick dwelling whicii 
was put up in 1879. This comprises two stories 
and a basement, is 40x40 feet in area, and furnislied 
witii all modern conveniences. Mr. Wiggins was 
recognized as a valuable addition to the intelli- 
gence and thrift of tliis region, and two j'ears after 
his arriv.il here was elected to represent his town- 
ship <in the IJoard of Supervist)rs, ohich office he 
held for five j'ears continuouslj', and was re-elected 
in the spring of 18S(> and 1887. The duties of this 
office he has discharged to the entire satisfaction of 
his constituents. He has always taken an active 
interest in the enterprises set on foot to promote 
the general welfare, and has been the leader in 
many important measures. He is one of the Di- 
rectors of the First National Bank in Homer, and 
also serving as Vice President. This institution 
was established on the 12tiiof Maj', 1883, with a 
capital of 8l.j0,000, and its reputation to-day is 
largely due to the gooit judgment and wise coun- 
sel of Mr. Wiggins in the conduct of its affairs, and 
the caution with which its management has been 
distinguished. 

After the outbreak of tlie Kcbellion Mr. Wiggins 
enlisted in tiie 12th Ohio Cavalry in 1803, his regi- 
ment being assigned to the 13th Ai-niy Corps, but 
he was sul)se(iuently transferred as Second Lieu- 
tenant to tlie 14th I'nited States Infantry, a regi- 
ment of Colored troops stationed around Richmond 
and Petersburg. In tiie engagement at Mt. Ster- 
ling Lieut. Wiggins was wounded in the neck, al- 
tliougii not seriously, and continued in tiio service 
until after tiie close of the war, being mustered out 
Oct. 13, 18()(;, as First Lieutenant and Adjutant, at 
Hinggold Barracks in Texiis. After retiring from 
the army he returned to liis native State and en- 
gaged in farming, removing thence in 1878. 

Wliile in Ohio Mr. Wiggins was united in mar- 
riage witli Miss llo.salie L. Kggleston, their wcil- 
ding taking place Dec. 31, 1807. Mrs. W. was 



•►■-4^ 



born in Vinton County, Ohio, May 21, 1847, and 
is tlie daughter of Setli C. and Lucinda (Cornwell) 
Eggleston, the former a native of New York and 
the latter of Canada. Seth Kggleston was born in 
1816, and is still living, being a resident of Vinton 
Countj', Ohio. He has followed farming and mer- 
cantile business all his life, and is a highly respected 
citizen. Republican in politics, and a member of the 
Presbyterian Church, having held theolHceof Dea- 
con for many years. The mother, born in 1819, 
died in Ohio in 1849. The parental household in- 
cluded four children, three now living: George B., 
who married Miss Amanda .Stoughton ; Lovina is 
single, and Rosalie L. the wife of our subject; the 
other child died in infancj'. After the death of his 
first wife Mr. Eggleston was married to Miss Su- 
san Ilayues, and of this union there were born two 
children, Watson and Julia. This lady died after a 
few years, and Mr. Kggleston contracte<l a third 
marriage, with Miss Jane Frj'. Of this union there 
were born three children, viz., Jeremiah, Clara and 
James G. Mr. and Sirs. W. became the parents of 
four children, three now living — Pearl E., Charles 
B. and Nellie L. Henry died when six mouths 'old. 
The homestead of our subject and his family is 
vieweil with admiration by the passing traveler. 
The hand of taste is visible on every side in the vi- 
cinity of the residence, and the broad, smiling fields 
which stretch away in rich grain and j)asture dur- 
ing the summer season are a sight extremely pleas- 
ant to the eye. When leaving his farm to exercise 
the right of a free-born American citizen at the 
polls, Mr. Wiggins usually supports the Repub- 
lican candidate, and in religious matters holds to 
the doctrines of the Methotlist Church, in which he 
has held the office of Trustee. 

:^IMRI B. WILLIAMS, one of the most highly 
respected farmers of Homer Township, is a 
forcible illustration of the self-made man 
thrown upon his own resources early in life, and 
who, battling against many difficulties, finally suc- 
ceeded and now, as a wcll-to-<lo farmer and stock 
lireeder in the midst of [leace and plenty, is enjoy- 
ing the fruits of his early labors, Ue i.s a native of 




m 



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536 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



! 



Pike County, Ohio, his birth occurring May 5, 
1820, and he was left an orphan at the early age of 
three years. His subsequent life was passer! among 
strangers who illy supplied the place of father and 
mother. He received but a limited education and 
less training in those habits of life which are so ad- 
vantageous to the young man starting out to carve 
his own fortune. His parents, Nathan and Mary 
(Loney) Williams, were natives of North Carolina; 
the former, born in 178.T, died in his native State 
in 1824. The mother, born in 1789, died in Ohio 
in 18fa'2. The parents were married in 1811, and 
of their union there were born eight children, 
namely, Sarah, John, Walter, Minerva, Ira, George 
II., Zimri and Eli. 

The youth and boyhood of Zirari B. Williams were 
passed mostly on a farm in Ohio, where he received 
small wages and a limited amount of clothing, and 
at the time of his marriage was engaged in tliat 
vocation. This event occurred on the 12th of Feb- 
ruary, 1846, his chosen bride being Miss Mary Pink- 
erton, who was born in Ross County, Ohio, Feb. 
1, 1825. Mrs. W. is the daughter of Richard and 
SarAh (Hall) Pinkerton, the former a native of 
iSoutli Carolina and the latter of Pennsylvania. 
Tlieir family consisted of five (laughters and one 
son, and they looked their last upon the scenes of 
earth many years ago. Their children were Ellen, 
Harriett, James, Mary, Clarissa and Jane. 

Of the children born to .Mr. and Mrs. Williams, 
the record is as follows: The first born, a son, died 
in infancy unnamed; Myron N.. born in 18U0, died 
in 1801; Cyrus married jMiss Mar^- Clark, and is 
living in Manitou, 111. ; Elizalieth, born in 18.J1, be- 
came the wife of Samuel Porterfield, and died at 
the home of her husband in Sidney Township, leav- 
ing four children — Eddie, an infant now de- 
ceased, Robert Z. and Nellie; Clara married 
Rev. N. E. Parsons, a J'residing Elder uf the 
Methodist Episcopal Cliurch, and now stationed in 
Oregon; John T. married Miss Ella Reynolds; Mary 
E. was born Marcii ;», 1865, and is still at home 
with iicr parents. 

.Mr. Williams removed from Ohio in 1861, to 
Parke County, Ind., accompanied by his family. 
He engaged in farming in Wabash Township live 
years and then, coniiug to this county, purchased 



160 acres of land in Homer Township, which he 
afterward disposed of and has now but eighty acres, 
which, however, is ver^' valuable, having been 
brought to a fine state of cultivation anil provided 
with good buildings. Mr. Williams has made great 
improvements since taking possession of this, each 
year adding something to its beauty and value. 
His life has been quiet and unobtrusive but he has 
fullfilled its several duties to the best of his abilit}% 
exerting a good influence on those around him, and 
as he has had opportunity contributing to the enter- 
prises calculated to benefit his township and com- 
munity. He identified himself with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in 1866, being now a Trustee and 
considered one of its most prominent members. 
He has the co-operation of his family in his religious 
duties, all with one exception being members of the 
same church. His son, John, belongs to the Chris- 
tian Church in Homer, 111., being a Trustee and 
one of its most valued members. Mr. Williams 
politically casts his vote with the Rei)ublican party. 

_^[!RTHI K ITilCE, well known among the 
WiuW liver^' interests of Champaign City, has a 
good stable and excellent outfit, located 
on Neal street, where he has been engaged 
since the spring of 1886, having removed from his 
first location where he established himself in 1881. 
He has about a dozen horses and carriages which 
he keeps in first-class condition, and is quite jHipu- 
lar with the pleasure-loving public. 

Mr. Price is a native of England, born in Hamp- 
shire, in 1846, and is the son of Thomas and Annie 
(Ma^-) Price, natives of the same country. Thomas 
Price emigrated to the United States in 1856, and 
the following year sent for his family. After 
reaching Amcricun shores, he proceeded directly' 
westward, and purchasing 640 acres of land in 
Somer Township, this county, engaged exteusivel}' 
in farming two years, .ind then removed to Hens- 
ley Township, where he was occupied as before, 
until his death, which took place in 1862. Of the 
nine children born to the parents, eight are now 
living, namely, Francis, Walter, Arthur, F'red, Kate; 
Jessie, Benjamin and Isabel. Alice is deceased. The 




r 



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(1 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



537 



father of our subject was Republican in politics, 
ami beloiiged to the ISIasonic fraternity. He was 
a gooil ni:ui in everj' respect, and universally re- 
spected liy all who knew him. The mother is now 
living with her son Arthur in Champaign City. 

The subject of this history received his edijca- 
tion in England, and after coming to America 
worked with his father on the farm until the death 
of the latter, and was then similarly engaged else- 
where until January, 1864. The late war being 
then in progress, he enlisted in Co. I, 2t1 111. \'ol. 
Cav., serving until the close. He then returned 
to Chanijiaign County, where he was employed in 
Urbana Township and elsewhere in the county 
until 1881, in which 3'ear he established his [)resent 
business, on Market street in this city. 

Jlr. I'riec was niarried, in 1875, to Miss Nellie, 
the daughter of James Darling, of New York, and 
thej' have one child, a daughter, Nellie, now eleven 
years of age. Their snug and comfortable resi- 
dence is pleasantly located on Washington street, 
and they enjoy the society- of man3' warm friends 
and acquaintances. Mr. Price is Republican in 
politics, and as a thorough-going business man, is 
contributing his full s:iare toward the business in- 
terests of the citv- 



^<r^EOllGK AM) HENRY .SKINNER, well 
flj £=-, known in Ayers Township as fine rcpresent- 
^^41 atives of its snl)stantial farming clement, 
liave a fine estate on section 4, of wiiicli 200 acres 
descended to them from their father. Thej- suli- 
secpiently added 180 acres to it, and througii their 
excellent management it has developed into one of 
the finest farms in this part of Champaign County. 
The land is thoroughly drained with eleven and 
one-half miles of tiling, from three to twelve inches 
in diameter, and the present yeai- (1887) they iiavc 
210 acres of corn. This cereal gains its richest 
growth on this particular soil. The corn fields of 
Illinois have hmg been the adminitlon uf travelers 
from tlie East, and the Skinner Krothers have aided 
materially in susl.iiniiig the reputation of this sec- 
tion and this cereal a.s grown here. 



The birth of these gentlemen look place in 



Somersetshire, England, tint of George, Jan. 29, 
1850, and that of Ileiiry, Oct. 4, 1853. Their par- 
ents were Robert and Anna (Rich) Skinner, who 
came with their children to Illinois in 1854, and at 
once located in fhis State, stopping first in Chicago, 
of which they were residents ten years, and thence 
removed to Shelby County, and finally to Coles 
County. The last removal was to Champaign 
County, where the elder Skiinier purchased 200 
acres of land and engaged in farming. He was born 
in Somersetshire, England, Ala^' 7, 1801, and the 
mother July 14, 1H14. The latter was a member 
of the Presbyterian Church, and they both died on 
the old homestead in 1 883. 

Robert Skinner after coming to this country and 
acquainting himself with its laws and the manner of 
its Government, identified himself with the R('i)uli- 
lican party. Of his first marriage there were born 
six children, all now living: Mary J. became the 
wife of Mr. Moore, and is living in England; Sarah 
A. married Mr. Cure ton, of England; William mar- 
ried Miss Julia lliggins, of Maine; Anna became 
the wife of Thomas Vellum; Janu's married Miss 
Ann Cheney ; Elizabeth became the wife of George 
S3-lvester, of Chicago. The children of the sec(nid 
wife were: Amelia, who married William Hatfield; 
Rlioda, the widow of John Junkins. who died in 
1875, and has one child; George and Ileiu'v of our 
sketch. 

George Skinner is a member in good standing of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is 
Trustee and Steward. The services of tills society 
are held at Ames' Chapel. George is a School 
Trustee, Henry a Director, and both .-ire Republican 
in politics. 



■^ CHARLES GEHRIG, one of the enterprls- 







lug German farmers of Scott Township, 
came to this county in the spring of 180!), 
and took i)0.ssessi(,)n of his present propertj'. This 
consisted of eight}' acres of land, pleasantly located 
on section 10, and to which he has since added, so 
that he is now the possessor of 120 acres, all im- 
proved and with a suljstanliid and convenient set 
of farm buildings. His agricultural operations 
have been coiiducted in an inlelligenl anil skillful 



•4^ 



u 



■» W 4* 



538 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



manner, and his upright business methods have 
gained him the respect of all who know him. 

The subject of this sketch is tlic son of F. 
Charles, Sr.. and Mary Gehrig, who were born in 
German.y and passed their entire lives in their na- 
tive land. There also our subject first opened his 
eyes to the light, on the 2'd(\ of Fel)ruary, 1S32. 
He remained with his parents in the Fatherland 
until twenty-one years of age, and then set sail for 
the United .States. After landing in New York 
City and remaining a short time, he secured em- 
ployment in an iron foundry at Elizabethport, N. 
J., where he remained until 1855, and then started 
for tiie West. Reaching Chicago he worked as a 
carpenter for two j'ears, and from there proceeded 
to Pent Water, Jlich., where he was employed for 
twelve years following by one man. Charles May- 
ers, a millwright and repairer of machinery. In the 
spring of 18(J'J he came to this county and at once 
located in .Scott Township, where he has since re- 
mained. 

While in Chicago Mr. Gehrig was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Johanna Mangel, June 8, 1856. 
Her parents were Conrad and Sophia Mangel, of Ger- 
manj-, where Mrs. G. was also born, in about 183G. 
Our subject and his wife became the parents of five 
children: Charles M. was born Oct. '26, 1857; 
Lydia M., .Sept. 20, 1862; Frank T., Feb. 12, 1865; 
Clara J., Dec. 20, 1867; Anna M., March 25, 1871. 
Clara died when five years of age; Charles married 
Miss Carrie Flower, and is fanning in Scott Town- 
ship; Lydia became the wife of George Collins, 
and also lives in Scott Township; Frank T. and 
Anna M. are at home. 

Our subject is Republican politically, and relig- 
iously a firm adherent of the Catholic faith. Be- 
sides his farm property Mv. Ci. is the owner of a 
good house and several lots in the village of Sey- 
mour, 111. 



NDREW J. ROCK, son of one of the earli- 
est pioneers of Ciiami)aign County, was 
born in Wabash County, Ind., March 21, 
_ 18.32. He was tlic fourth cliild of William 

and Nancy (Heavers) Rock, who were n.itiv(!S of 
^' Maryland. Iml removed in .-ilxml 1,S31 to Indiana, 




t 



where they lived until March, 1835. William Rock 
then took up a claim of forty acres in what is now 
Sadorus Township, where he built his first house, 
which was constructed of poles. He lived for a 
period of over forty years in that township. Our 
subject distinctly recollects the journey to Chicago 
with teams, for tiie purpose of hauling lumber, 
shingles, etc., for the brick house erected later, 
and which when completed was considered an un- 
usually fine structure. 'J'here were no hotels along 
the route, and the young teamster with his compan- 
ions took their meals by the wayside, and sleiit in 
their wagon at night. 

The subject of our sketch passed his boyliood 
and youth on liis father's farm in Illinois, and wlien 
nineteen jears old left home to look around over 
the country. He halted in McLean County for a 
time and in the spring of 1852 returned home, for 
the purpose of securing one of his early pla^-iuates 
for his wife. This was Miss Mercy Peabody, the 
eldest of a family of three children born to Cor- 
nelius and Mercy (Brj'ant) Peabody, of Ohio. The 
young people remained on the father's homestead 
two years, and tlien our subject purchased ninety 
acres of land, where the following spring he put up 
a house and which he occupied until the spring of 
1850. Andrew then sold this property to his father 
and, crossing tlie Mississippi, purchased 200 acres 
of land in Jasper County, Mo., upon wliieh the 
plowshare had never turned a furrow. At tiie 
same time he located on a rented farm in the 
vicinity, designing to improve his own land as op- 
portunity afforded, while lie raised regular crops on 
the improved laud. Not long afterward, however, 
he was driven out by the rebels, who were over- 
running tiie State, seeking to introduce their own 
peculiar institutions, among them that of slavery. 

After leaving Missouri in August, 1861, Mr. 
Rock moved to Ft. Scott, K.an., where he left his 
famil}', and enlisting in the 6th Kans.as Cavalry, 
entered upon the duties of a Union soldier. He 
remained with his regiment until spring, wiieu he 
was detailed as a Government scout in the .State of 
Kansas, where his knowledge of the country proved 
of invaluable service to the Union, and where he 
remained until the winter of 18C1. His term of 
enlistment then having expired, he wjis mustered 



T- 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



541 



u 



out, and returned to his home and family. Here, 
however, there was a vacant chair, his estimable 
wife having passed away, her death taking place 
Oct. G, 1861, soon after his enlistment. She left 
two children — Franklin and Jvaiu-y. The former 
is now operating a cattle ranch near Lcadvilie, Cul., 
where he went when seventeen years of age. Nancy 
is the wife of John Mattox, who occupies a farm 
adjoining that of our subject. 

After his return from the army JNIr. Rock was 
united in marriage w-ith Mrs. Martha (Merrick) 
Quick, fourth child of Charles and Lucinda Mer- 
rick, natives of New York State. The second wife 
of our sul)ject was born in New York, and spent 
her childhood and youth in Missouri, where she was 
married to Mr. (^iiick. After their marriage, Mr. 
and Mrs. K. set out for his old home in Illinois, 
where tliey spent the winter of 1864, and during 
the following fall built a residence across the road 
from his father's on section 24, Sadorus Township, 
wiiere he now resides. Three j-ears later, however, 
our subject went back to Kansas, and purchased a 
quarter section of improved land in Cherokee 
County, where he followed farming and stock-rais- 
ing for six years. His wife, in the spring of 1860, 
was seized with fatal illness, and on the 4th of April 
yieldeil up iier life, leaving her husband with two 
little daughters — Harriet and Ida. The former is 
now tiie wife of Orny Flat, a farmer of Sadorus 
Township; Ida is still at home. 

The third wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married Aug. 15, 1870, was formerly Miss Eliza- 
beth, only child of John and Flizabetli liurkhart, 
of Kansas. They remained in that State until liie 
summer of 1874, and then our subject returned 
with his family to Illinois, and moved into tlie 
house which he had left a few years before. He 
has been uniforndy prosperous and is now the 
owner of 460 acres of fertile land, and prides him- 
self upon the quality of liis cio|is and live-stock. 
He lias good grades of horses and cattle, although 
not devoting much time to fancy breeds. 

Mrs. Elizabeth (liurkiiart) Rock, after reinaining 
the companion of iier jiiisltaiid a few brief years, 
and becoming tiie luolher of four cliildren, de- 
parted this life ill tiie sjiring of 1.S711. The off- 
spring of this union were Bertie, John H., Lulu 



•►-*— 4« 



and Maude, all of wiiom are at home with their 
father. 

The present wife of our subject, tn wIkhii he was 
married in the fall of 1883, was "formerly Miss 
Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Nathan and Reliecca 
Griffen, of Sadorus. Mrs. R. was born in I.,aFav- 
ettc County, Mo., in 1848. Our suiiject is a stanch 
adherent of the Democratic party, but does not 
meddle with jiolities otherwise tlian to cast his vote 
at tlie elections, lie b;is lilled the ollices of liis 
township and is a man whose judgment is regarded 
with great deference. Nothing pleases him better 
than to observe the welfare and progress of his 
community morally, intellectuall}' and financially. 
Mrs. Rock is a member of the Raptist Church, and 
a most estimable lady. The homestead is one of 
tlie attractive spots in Sadorus Township, a plctisant 
sight to the eye of the traveler, and a iios|>ilable 
resort for the friends of the family, and we are 
pleased to present a lithographic view of it in this 
work. 

\fSt. ARIUS F. 1). IllNTON. For a period of 
(jver tliirly-lliree years the subject of the 
following history lias been a resident of 
Newconib Township, having come liere in 
the sjiring of 1854. lie is the owner of 2l;j acres 
of choice land which lie has cultivated witii marked 
success, and lias brought about the improvements 
recpiired by the (irst-class agriculturist. lie has a 
fine dwelling, a good liarn and all necessary out- 
liuildings, and in his operations as a grain and stock- 
raiser, ranks among the best farmers of this count}'. 
He comes of an excellent family, being the son of 
Michael and Rachel (I'ollinbarger) Hintini, the for- 
mer a native of Kentucky, of Scotcli-lrisli descent, 
tlie latter of Peiinsj'lvania, and a descendant of sub- 
stantial German ancestry. Alter marriage tlie par- 
ents of our subject located at Circleville, Ohio, 
whence tliey removed to Clinton County, Iiid.,and 
there spent the remainder of their days. Miciiael 
Iliiiloii was a farmer l)v occupation and I lie par- 
ental household included six cliildren. 

Our subject was the third son and fourth child of 
his parents, and was born near Circleville, Pickaway 
Co., Ohio, June 22, 1831. He Wiis about twc> years 

«► 




i 



i 






t 



CHAIMTAIGN COUNTY. 



old when lii^ piireiits rcniovcd to lii(li;in:i. lit; was 
n-ared on tlic farm an<l ret'eived a limited odnea- 
tion in the puhlic schools. IJc was trained to habits 
of indnstry, laid his plans earl3' in life, and de- 
termined to secure for iiiniself a comfuitaMe home 
an<l a coini)etency. In this he has siicceeiled, and 
his efforts have been ciin<lncteil in tliat lK)nest. up- 
right way that has secured for him the cunfulcnce 
and resiiect of all who know him. 

The marriage of Mr. Ilinton look place in Clin- 
ton County, Ind., Oct. 22, Itiiil. The maiden of 
his choice was Miss Fannie, daughter of Samuel 
and Sarah (McNulty) Howe, who were bothmitives 
of Ohio. The father died in Clinton County, Ind., 
in October, ISlS. and the mother in Newcomb 
Township, this county, in December, IWli. Of 
their eight children six were daughter.s. .Mrs. Ilin- 
ton was the eldest daughter and third child, and w.ns 
born in Ross County, Ohio, .Ian. 22, 183;j. 

Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Ilinton, 
fourteen in iunnl)er, nine lived to mature years, 
namely, Michael L., William A., Jordan F., Win- 
lield S., .leanette, Rosa 15., Minerva, Charles \V. 
and Tiiomas A. Michael married Miss Nancy Lus- 
ter and resides in Newcomb Township: William, 
also a resident of Newcond) Tt)wnship, married 
Miss Rosa Shoppell; .Jordan married Miss .losie 
Farrett and lives in Newcomb Township. Our sub- 
ject has been prominent in the affairs of his town- 
ship, holding its minor oHices, and politically is an 
unconiproinising Democrat. 

In presenting in the pictorial department of this 
Ai.iJi M views of farm homesteads, it has l)een the 
object to select those of a representative character. 
Among these nniy be found a view of tiie residence 
and surroundings of Mr. Ilinton. 



•-j>i^'>-,3»j«i •- 



■tf^^^^*?*^ 



ylLLIA.M WARTFRS, who for the space of 
twenty-two years has oceui)ied the pulpit 
of the Methodist Kpiscopal Church, of 
which he was also ordained Deacon in 1873, in ad- 
dition to his ministerial duties, has still found time 
to engage in the occupation which he has always 
loved, namely, agriculture. One of the best reg- 
idated farms in Ayers Township belongs to him, 



and consists of liiO acres on section 21. Here foi- 
thirteen years past he has watched the seasons 
come and go, and h.as taken satisfaction in tillin'r 
the soil and viewing the result of his labors. Of 
late years he has been giving much attention to 
sheep-growing, an industry which is too apt to be 
neglected in tliis .State. Having a good under- 
standing of the care and treatment of this particu- 
lar stock, he has succeeded admirably, and is in 
possession of a very fine Hock of high-grade Shrop- 
shire, to which each 3'ear is added a score or more, 
and from whose fleece he realizes a handsome sum 
annually. 

The bo_yhood and youth of Mr. Warters were 
spent principall}' in Yorkshire, England, where his 
birth took place Dec. 2, 1823. His parents, Joseph 
and Jane (Robson) Warters, were natives of the 
same country. His father was born in 1793, was 
a farmer by occupation, and died in his native 
shire in I.S()4. The mother, born in 1803, died in 
Auburn, 111., in December, ISdO. Joseph AVarters 
was a member of the Wesleyan ftlethodist Church, 
and the mother of the primitive .Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. The household circle included four- 
teen children, of whom Ave came to America. 
While a resident of England, our subject was mar- 
ried to Miss Hannah Cooper (who was born there) 
March lU, 1850. Mrs. W. is the daughter of John 
and Ann (Cundill) Cooper, both now deceased. 
Her father, who was born in 1785, attained the 
patriarchical age of ninety-three years. The mother, 
born in 1800, died in 1813. The children of this 
household were Ann, JIar3' and Mason (twins). 
Baker, Hannah, Walker, Richard, William, (irace, 
Harriett, William M. .and Jane. 

After their marriage our subject and his wife first 
located in Morgan County, 111., and in 1874 took 
possession of their present homestead. The house- 
hold circle has been completed by the birth of 
eleven children, of whom the record is as follows: 
Jane A., the eldest daughter, married John Hodg- 
son, of Morgan Count}', 111.; Mar^- became the wife 
of William D. Darle}' ; Jo.seph married Miss Sarah 
E. Hudson ; Maria II. is unmarried, and at home 
with her parents: .John C. married Miss Annie Mil- 
ler; James II. remains under the parental roof; 
Sarah 11. married William Hodgson; Grace R. died 



r 




t 



t 



■<^ 



'a 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



543 







when four years of age; William M., Thomas B. 
imd Matiiew. The latter died in iiifaiicv. 

Mr. Warters has been prospered in his fanning 
operations, while devoting a large siiare of his time 
to his [lions oHiees. He has performed the marriage 
ceremony for quite a numi)er of persons, .and ofHci- 
atcs ,as teacher in the Sunday-school wlienever his 
services are required. He is of that temperament 
whicli appreciates everj'thing good ni nature and 
mankind, and is consequently' taking much enjoy- 
ment in life while striving to fultill its duties in a 
faithful and worLliy manner. 

[|!,-^AMILTON WOODAKl). a resident of the 
\\ Prairie State since 1875, owns 200 acres of 
hand located on sections l'.» and ."SO, Homer 
Township, the major portion of which is 
under an advanced state of cultivation and where 
he is principallj' engaged in stock-growing. He is 
a native of Putnam County, Ind., born Feb. (i, 
182i), and the son of James and Annie (Wells) 
Woodard, natives of Kentucky. The father, born 
in 1 78;'), engaged in farming pursuits the greater 
part of his life and died in 1840, wlien fifty-five 
years of age. He served as a soldier in the War of 
1812, being in the army six months, and escaped 
unharmed. He lived the life of a quiet and unob- 
trusive citizen, identilied himself with the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, and was always spoken of as 
a man enjoying the confidence and esteem of those 
who knew him. The mother of our subject, who 
w.as born in 179.3, survived her husband thirty-four 
3'ears, and departed this life in Vermillion Coimty, 
Ind., in 1874. She never married after the death 
of Mr. Woodard. .She also was a member in good 
standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
trained[up her family in the moral and religious doc- 
trines to which slu! had been reared. There were 
eight children in the parental household, four sons 
and four daughters: Mary A. married D. Loy ; 
William married Miss Isabella Tlionipson; Enoch 
married Miss Sar.ih Hillits; Lucind.a, Mrs. Pruett, 
lives in Indiana; .M.allnda l)ecamc the wife of Will- 
iam Thonnis; .James 11. married Miss Barbara Ilar- 



land; Annie M. married Joseph MeCrary ; Hamilton 
of our sketch w.as the 3'oungest child. 

Our subject spent his early years on the farm of 
his (larents and during a few winter seasons at- 
tended the pioneer schools. After reacliing his 
majority he engaged in farming on his own .ac- 
count, remaining in his native county until 187.i, 
and tlien coming into Homer Township, this count}', 
puichased a tract of land which is now included in 
his present homestead. His estate now consists of 
200 acres, furnished with good buildings, ample 
farm machinery and choice grades of cattle and 
horses. His possessions are the result of his own 
industiy .and perseverance, .as he started out in life 
with little capital, save his willing hands and resolute 
spirit. Notwithstanding his business cares he hiis 
always found siiflicicnt time to look aftei- tiie inter- 
ests of his township and community, and has al- 
ways been the encouragcr and sup|)()rter of evtjry 
worthy enterprise. He identilied himself with the 
United Brethren Church early in life, liut after- 
ward united with the Methodists, ami rendered ma- 
terial aid in the erection of their building at I^ost 
Grove, of which he is one of the Trustees, and 
which was built at a cost of *;2,000. He is a strong 
temperance man and He|mblican in politics. 

One of the events which had much In iln with 
shaping the future course of Mr. Woodard was his 
marriage, when twenty years of .age, with JJiss 
Nancy Bagwell, which took place on llir lllli of 
December, 184'.), at the home of the briilc's parents 
in Parke County, Ind., Rev. Low of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church officiating. -JMrs. W. is a native 
of Parke County, Ind., born Aug. 14, 18:51, and the 
daughter of William and lOlizaheth (.Martin) Bag- 
well, natives of South Carolina. They removed to 
Indi.ana soon after their marriage, in the |)ioneer 
days. 

William Bagwell w.as born in 1796, followed the 
occui)ation of a farmer, and died in Parke County, 
Ind., March (J, 187:!. His \vife, Elizabeth, who was 
born in 1 798, survived her husband seven years, 
her decease taking place on fllie old homestead in 
P.arke County, June 9, 1880. Both parents were 
of fierman ancestrj', and the mother a devout nieni- 
her of the United Brethren Church. The thirteen 
children of the parental household were named re- 



I 



t 



[i' 544 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






spectively, Rebecca A., Matilda J., John M., 
NaiiiT, .Minerva, Kiipliciiiiii, \'ira K., Mary A., 
Siiiali, Loviiia F., Hivaiwili, Margaret wiio died in 
cliildliood, and James when sixteen yi'ars of age. 

Mr. and .Mrs. llMniil'.on Wooiliird have nine 
chiklreii living, naniol3', John INI., James W .. Anna 
K., Harvey II.. Lucinda I., Charles N., Martha li., 
Barbara A. and Cora F. Those deceased are Chris- 
toi)her C, who departed this life Jidy 6, 187G; 
Nancy J., Aug. 31. IS?.!, and Mary A., Dec. 1, 
l.SUd. The cliildrenare mostly settled in homes of 
tiieir own not far from the farm of their father. 
They have lieen carefully trained and are well cdn- 
ented, presenting a group of which llie parents 
may be |)ardoned in taking much pride. 



GKORGE EDWARDS, u leading farmer and 
stock-raiser of Philo Township, is a native 
of Shropshire, England, and was born A|)ril 
(J, is:;;!, ills father, (ieorge, and his grandfatlier, 
John Ivlwards, were both born and retired in 
Shropshire, where the latter died when ninety years 
of age. llis wife was formerly MissSaraii ^\'illiams. 
(ieorge Edwards, Sr., mairied Miss Anna Ilollis, 
of his native shire, who was also of iMigllsii birth 
and parentage. They became the parents of seven 
chiUlri'ii, ;ind came to the I'nited States in about 
If^l'J. They located in \an 15urcn County, Iowa, j 
where three years later tiie mother died. A sou i 
and daughter had been born in Iowa. The father ■ 
is yet living, and a Tesident of Peoria County, 111., 
being .seventy-eight years of age. Mr. Edwards" 
grandparents on his mother's side were Joseph and 
Hannah Ilollis. 

After the death of his miitiier, _voung Edwards 
made his home witli a family by the name of 
Slaughter, with whom he rcMnained until sixteen 
years of age, :ind then set out to .seek his fortune. 
Coming to this State he "engaged as a farm laborer 
and saved what he could of his earniiiijs. His in- 
dustry .and honesty secured for him warm friends 
on every side, and in 1.S54 he felt justified in tak- 
ing to himself a wife and hel|)mcct. This was Miss 
Susie Endres, and their wt'dding took jilace on the 
2d of May, 1854. Mrs. Edwards was l)orn in 15al- 



•^mr-4*- 



timoro, Md.. May 27, I83G, and is the youngest 
child i>{ John .and Elizal)eth (Deem) Endres. Her 
mother was first married to a Mr. Myers who, like 
herself, was a native of Baden, (Jermany. Mr. 
Endres in his youth learned the trade of a shoe- 
maker, and came to the United States early in 1S33, 
locating in Baltimore, where he established in busi- 
ness and built up a good trade, employing finally 
as many as sixteen journeymen. 

The Endres family removed from Maryland to 
Illinois m 1841, locating in Brinifield, Peoria Coun- 
ty', when it was but a hamlet. Mr. Endres was the 
pioneer shoemaker of tlie town. Later be removed 
to Kickapoo Townshi|), where he pnrehased a farm 
whieh he operated in connection with his trade, and 
died tiiere when forty -seven years of age, on the 
14th of Februar}', 18.5;5. Mrs. Endres survived 
her husband for a period of twentj'-six years, dying 
in the fall of 1879, when seventy-six years of age. 
She was connected with the Lutheran Chureli, while 
the father was a Catholic. 

Mrs. Edwards remained under the home roof 
until her marriage. Of her union with our subject 
there have been born ten children, of whom the 
record is as follows: Annie E. is at home with her 
parents; Joiin A. married Miss Cordelia Derrough, 
and is a successful farmer of Philo Township: Ruth 
is the wife of Orville H. Lindley,and lives in Philo 
Township; Frank C, who married Laura B. Wing- 
field, lives in I'hilo; Nellie B., with her husband, 
John B. Elliott, resides in Elmwood, Cass Co., Neb., 
where Mr. E. is cai'rying on a trade in agricultural 
inn)lenients; James L., Minnie M., Albert II. and 
I^dward W. are at home; George William is de- 
ceased. 

Mr. and Mrs. Edwards after their marri.age lived 
in Rosclield Townshij), Peoria Co., 111., until I8Go. 
He then sold his farm there and purchased eighty 
acres on section 18, in Piiilo Township, this eount}'. 
To this he added a like amount and has now a line 
farm in a good state of cultivation. This was origi- 
nally railroad land and had never been cultivated 
when Mr. Edwards took possession of it. Its pres- 
ent flue improvements are the result of his own in- 
dustry and energy. He is highlj' res[iected by his fel- 
low-townsmen, and iias occupied the various olliees 
within their gift. Politicallj', he atliliates with the 



f 



i 




h 



f 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



545 



Democratic party, and religiously, with his excel- 
lent wife, is a member in good standing of the Epis- 
copal Chiireii. 

A lithographic view of Mr. Kdwards' ri'sidence is 
shown on another p.age. 



-€^B ^ 



4 



AMES IIMHENIIOWER, tiic "village bhiciv- 
sinith" of Homer, is a natural mechanic of 
more than ordinary ability, and nnqnestion- 
'^^J .ably an expert in his chosen calling. Ivirly 
in life he engaged in farming pursuits, but became 
considerably discouraged on account of having his 
crops cut off by the big frost of 1863, at which time 
he lostmuch of his year's labor. The following spring- 
he abandoned the farm and moved into Homer, 
where he has since resided. He is noted among his 
neighbors for his industry, and has a snug little 
property consisting of a handsome residence and 
two lots, besides the property connected witii liis 
business. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Homer 
Township, .and was born July 2-1, 1 .s.'!?. He is tiie son 
of .Tames and Elizabeth (Safely) I'inbcnboucr, wiio 
were natives respectively of I'ennsylvaiiiaand Ohio, 
and of substantial German ancestry, .lames I'ni- 
benhower was born in ISIO. followed farming .as an 
occupation, and died upon the homestead where he 
had labored many 3"ears, in 1861. His wife. Eliza- 
beth, was born in 1812, and is still living, l)eing 
about seventy-five years of age. .Siie has remained 
a widow since the death of her husband. Mr. IT. 
was a man of much force of char.ictcr, fairly suc- 
cessful in a business point of view, and t(jol< a gen- 
nine interest in State and National affairs, giving his 
sujjport to the Dennjcralic party. Eight of the ten 
children comprising the |)arentiil iiouseliold were 
n.amed respectively Mary .1., .Tames W., Margaret 
A., Eliz.abeth, Francis M., Eleanora,, Newton and 
John \'. Two died unnamed in infancy. 

James Ihnberhower reniMiiied under the p.'ii'cntal 
roof until reaching m.'inhood, learning his trade 
e.arly in life, and two years after reaching his ma- 
jority w.as mairied to Miss Nancy 1. Foreni;in, 
their wedding occurring on the 2.'>(1 of February. 
1860. The wife of our subject was born in 1811, 
< ■ 



and is the daughter of Thomas and Mississippi 
(C.asterline) Foreman, the former a native of Ken- 
tucky and the latter of Illinois. The father died 
man^' ye.ars ago. The mother is still living, mak- 
ing her home in Homer Township on her farm of 
ninety-eight acres. The brothers and sisters of 
Mrs. Uinbeiihower were Margaret, Henjamin C, 
John, Sanili A., Susan, Elizal)eth, Matilda, Nancy, 
Deliverance, Martha, .\mos and Flora. S.arab, 
Elizabeth and Matilda are decea.sed; Amos lives in 
Kansas; Deliverance in California, and others in Illi- 
nois. Our subject and his wife united with the 
Christian Church in 1878, and politically Mr. W is 
decidedly Democratic. 



'^ ESSE FLEMING, senior member of the firm 
of Fleming & Con.'int, is, with his partricr, 
carrying on a profitable h.ardware trade in 
Champaign City, of which he has been a 
resident for a period of thirty years. During this 
length of time the excellent Iraits of his character 
have become thoroughly known to his fellow-citi- 
zens, by whom he is held in universal esteem. Onr 
subject is a native of Loudoun County, V'a., born 
Aug. 24, 1821, and is the son of .Iosei)h ;uid .lane 
E. (Middleton) Fleming, both also natives of the 
Ohl Dominion. Josci)li Fleming was a stonemason 
by trade, anil was never alisent from his native 
State for more than one year, during wliicli time he 
w.as a resident of Ohio. He was a man of nuudi 
force of character, possessed of strong views, and 
fearless in the expi'ession of them. He took pride 
in the fact that he was a genuine Jackson Dcnni- 
cnit, ;nul after a goodly and u|>riglit life closed his 
03'es finally aX th(> home of a daughter in Ohio. The 
mother afterward came to Illinois, and from l.S(;,"t 
until her death, twelve years later, resided with her 
son. onr subject. 

Jesse Fleming was I'carcd on a farm, ami when 
seventeen 3'ears old commenced to learn the car- 
penter's trade, in Ohio, to which State he had re- 
moved with his parents when a lad eight years of 
.age. He continued in the lUickeye .State, follow- 
ing his trade, for ten or twelve years, and in LH^G 
came to this county, where he engaged as a con- 

■ •► 



'* 






I 



546 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



tractor and builder until 1 884. He then invested 
his capital in a stock of hardware, in the trade of 
which he has been occupied since that time. He 
has watclied with interest the progress and devel- 
opment of his adopted county, and taken a genuine 
intereL4 in everything pertaining to its prosperity. 
]\Ir. Fleming was married, in Kllingham County, 
this State, in 18G5, to Mrs. Matilda (Havens) Max- 
well. Of this union there have been born three 
children — Clara J., Editli A. and Olive. The fam- 
ily residence is located at No. li! Ihiiversity ave- 
nue. Mr. F. and his excellent lady during their 
long residence h::ve gathered around them a large 
circle of warm friends, who comprise the best peo- 
ple <if the cit}' and county. Oiu' sul)ject is Repub- 
lican in politics and a .Spiritualist in faith. 

-^ ^^ ^ 




-i- 



RMSTRONG 15. SMITH, is one of the 
successful and progressive farmers and 
11 stock-growers of Urbana Township. He is 
the tliird son (;f .Jacob and Margaret 
(Heattie) Smith, and was born in Urbana Township, 
March 7, 1.S4S. His parents were both natives of 
Kentucky, but removed to Champaign County in 
about 1840, and located on a farm near Urbana, 
where their son Armstrong was born and reared. 
When seven years of age, Armstrong was orphaned 
by the death of his father and consequently started 
out early in life to care for himself. He attended 
tlic district school, and later continued his educa- 
tion at the College of St. . Joseph in Missouri. Re- 
turning liomo he engaged in farming for himself, 
and in ls77 was married to Miss Mary E. Fitch, 
the daugiiter of Theodore Fitch, residing in this 
county, but formerly of Indiana, where Mrs. Smith 
was born. 

After Ids marriage Mr. Smith settled on tlie 
.lane F. Roe farm, whicii he conducted successfully. 
Remaining there until IM.s;!, he removed to his 
present farm, located on section 1 1, Urliana Town- 
shij). This jilace contains loij .acres, which, together 
wilii another purciiase, ni.akcs in all 300 acres of 
choice land. He raises the finest breeds of cattle, 
horses and hogs. Every year he sells some fifty head 
of cattle. 



He keeps most of his stock on the Roe 



farm, which is well watered and in every respect 
adapted for the purpose. He devotes about sixty 
acres to raising wheat. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have 
two children living, Ralph and Charlie, and one 
died in infancy. Mr. Smith is active and en- 
ergetic, and interested in all the public affairs of 
the county. 

^^IIILIP CARl'ER, who was reared on a 
jjj farm in Holmes County, Ohio, became a 
resident of the I'rairie .State in I.S.5.S. He 
came to Scott Township in December, 
188.3, where he has since lived, and is now the 
owner of 377 acres of valuable land on section 17. 
His farm lies near the limits of Se3'mour, and in- 
variabl}' attracts attention by its fine buildings 
and general air of thrift and prosperity. Mr. C. 
has been uniformly successful in his undertakings 
in life, owing to his enterprise, industry and good 
judgment, and is one of the intluential and highly 
respected citizens of this county. 

Mr. Carper was born Sept. 9, 1834, .and is the 
son of Adam and Ann E. (Cobler) Carper, natives 
of Pennsylv.ania. The parents were married in 
Holmes County, Ohio, where they remained a few 
years, and whence they went into De Kalb County, 
Ind., where they located and spent the remainder 
of their days. Their familj- consisted of ten chil- 
dren. Philip, of our sketch, remained in his native 
State until ten years of age, then went with his par- 
ents to De Kalb County', Ind., remaining there until 
he was twenty-two years old. He received a prac- 
tical school education, and engaged alternatel3' in 
farming and teaching for about sixteen years after 
becoming of age. Upon leaving Indiana he came 
into De Witt Count}', this State, where he farmed 
on rented land for a period of six years, and finally 
purchased 1()8 acres in Colfax Township, this 
county, of which he took possession in February, 
1869. He occui)ied this until December, 1883, 
when he became a resident of Scott Township. 

Mr. Carper was married, in De Witt County, this 
.State, Aug. 7, 1862, to .Aliss H.arriet R., daughter 
of Eusebius and Hannah S. (Martin) Cresap. The 
parents of Mrs. Carper, wIk) were natives of Mar3-- 



I 



t_ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




547 



land, after their marriage removed to Wyandot 
County, Oiiio, .■uul tlienc-e, in Is'iO, to l)e Witt 
County, 111., wliere tlie niutlicr died in about 1861. 
Her father afterward became a resident of Scott 
Township, this country, where his decease occurred 
at his home in 1877. Mrs. C. was the fourth of 
six cliildren born to her parents, and is a native of 
AV'yandot County, Ohio, her birth taking place Oct. 
24, 1840. 

Our subject and his wife became the parents of 
twelve children, as follows: Daniel W., Ida V., Eu- 
sebius 1<\, Elizabeth A., Cleora, George W., Phillip 
M., Eugene G., Ulysses S., Lovona C, Guy E. and 
Homer V. Daniel and Ida are engaged in teach- 
ing. Mrs. Carper is a wortiiy member of the 
IMethodist Episcopal Church. Our subject politi- 
cally- is a stanch supporter of Republican principles. 






-^ 



1^^ 



ISAAC H. ABRAMS, who has been a resident 
of Champaign County since the spring of 18G2, 
is now comfortably' located on section 10, 
Scott Township, where he owns eighty acres of 
choice land and a tasteful and substantial set of 
farm buildings. He has also around him an interest- 
ing familj' and is surrounded by the comforts of 
life, the result of his own energy and industry. 
Our subject is the sou of James and Hannah (llart- 
penee) Abrams, natives of New Jersey, who lo- 
cated in Hamilton County, Ohio, after their mar- 
riage. In 1829 they removed to Tippecanoe 
County, lud., where they spent the remainder of 
their days. James Abrams followed farming all 
his life. 

The parental household included six children, 
three bo^'s and three girls. Of these, Isaac, of our 
sketch, was the fifth in order of biitii. He was 
i)oiii in Tippecanoe County, Ind.. March 1 1, 1 ,s;52, 
and spent his childhood and youth uixin tlie farm. 
Upon coming to tills county in 1 8(12, when thirty 
years of age, he settled first in Mahomet Townslnp, 
where he oi)erated on rented land for two 3'eais and 
at tiie expiration of that time took [losscssion of his 
present property in Scott Township. 

Mr. Abrams was niarrie<l in Ciiristian C\)unty, 
lud., in 1.S.J7, to Miss Martha McKee, a native of 
4» 




Ohio, and they became the parents of seven chil- 
dren, named, John C, James O., I..enora II., Sam- 
uel H., Charles E. and Saraii .1. Jf)seph M. died 
when about sixteen j'ears old. John married Miss 
A'iola Jacobs, and is farming in Scott Township. 
Our subject |)oliticall}', is a decided Rci)ublican and 
has held the ollice of School Director besides being 
otherwise connected with local affairs. Both lie and 
his excellent wife are meniliers of the Presbyteri.in 
Churcli. 



ORING II. PORTER, with iiis wife and 
family of nine cliildren, constitute an in- 
^ teresting group, occupying a pleasant little 
liomestead on section 8, .Somer Township. This 
embraces eighty acres of good land, supi)lied with 
neat and substantial buildings, moderatel.y stocked 
with good grades of animals, the land all ne.ath' 
fenced and at present being still fnitiier improved 
witii tile drain.age. In addition to mixed hus- 
bandry Mr. Porter lias gained quite an enviable 
reputation as a stock-breeder, operating mostly in 
horses and cattle. 

Mr. Porter is a native of the Buckeye .State, born 
in (iallia County, Nov. .0, 184.5, and is the son of 
John D. and Mary A. (Hanger) Porter, .also natives 
of Ohio, the father bom Oct. 0, 1819, and still liv- 
ing, his home being in Clarks, Neb. The mar- 
riage of the parents took place in 184;!. Two oT 
their nine children are deceased, namely, Luther 
and Eddie. Those surviving are (ieorge P., Laura 
E., Charles S., William F., Emily S.. Edith A., 
and Loring II. of our sketch. The latter passed his 
bojhood and youth upon the farm, attending the 
district school in the winter season. \\'liile a resi- 
dent of his native State, he w.as unitec' in niairi.age 
with Miss Jlary M. Philbro(;k, their wedding tak- 
ing place at the home of the bride's parents on the 
Gth of April, 1871. Mrs. I'orter is a native of the 
same State as her liusb;iii<l, aiul was born A|)ril 29, 
1849. lltr parents, I5arnab;is and Mary (.Smith) 
Philbrook. n.-itives of Ohio, in about 18(19 removed 
from that State to Illinois and are now residents of 
Champaign County. The six living children of 
the household were named respectively Mary M., 
James B., Cyrus W., Annie M., John d. and Al- 



'i 



I 



t 



548 



►^m-^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



bei y. One died in infancy nnnanied. The chil- 
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Purler are Mary E.. Edwin 
P., Robert L., Bertha E., Cora L., Luther A., Ar- 
thur C, Annie L. ami Fred G. 

Mr. Porter came to this State with his parents in 
1851), and in 180.') located near where he now lives. 
He took possession of his present home in 1872. 
Duiing a period of nearly thirty years our subject 
h.as watched witii interest the rapid growth of the 
Prairie State, and altliongii not the iiero perhaps of 
any remarkable events, has pursued the even tenor 
of his way .as an honest man and a good citizen, 
performing as he liad opportunity those duties tend- 
ing to the encouragement of mor.ality and religion. 
Both our subject and his wife .are connected with 
the Baptist Church, .and Mr. P. ]i.as served as School 
Director and Postmaster, casting iiis political in- 
fluence with the Republican party. 



^^^ biography, a representative farmer of Ogde 
5^W Tovvnshi|), has a fine estate of 300 .acres ( 



THOMAS HARMESON. The subject of this 

leu 
of 

land, with a handsome residence and other suita- 
ble buildings on section 21, l)esides seventeen .acres 
of timber. The bal.ance is laid out in pasture and 
grain fields which, under the careful supervision of 
tiie proprietor, who su|)erintends tlieircare and cul- 
tivation, present a beautiful picture during the 
summer season of peaceful countiy life, where 
plenty leigns and where thrift and intelligence .are 
the distinctive features. 

Mr. llarmesou became a resident of the Prairie 
St.atc in 18.52, locating at once upon the land in- 
cluded in his present homestead. lie is a native of 
Marion County, Ohio, born April 10, 1829, and the 
sou of William and Elizabeth (Karnsworth) Ilarrae- 
son, the former a native of \'irginia and the latter 
of Ohio. William llarmesou was born in 1802, 
and followed fanning as an occuiiation, and during 
the latter years of his life made his liouie in Homer 
Townsiiip, this county, where he rested from his 
earthly labors in 1870. He was Democratic in 
politics, and religiousl.y » h.ard-shell Baptist. The 
mother was l)o]-n in l.sil,;inil died twenty years 
before the death of her husband, in ISTiO. She was 



r 



a member of the German-Baptist Church, .and a 
lady of strong character, who impressed upon her 
children the strictest mor.al principles, and a rigid 
honesty .and integrity, which formed the basis of 
their charjicter in .after life. The household vv.as 
completed by the birth of twelve children, .all, with . 
one exception, living to m.ature ye.ars. They were 
named respectively, Isaiah, .Tohn, Thomas, Robert, 
Willi.am, Nancy, Elizabeth, Sarah .1., Esther A., Al- 
vira, Washington M., and one who died in infancy. 
The life of young H.armeson began on the farm, 
and he has continued in the midst of rural scenes 
since his first introduction to the busy world. He 
remained under the home roof until after reaching 
his ra.ajority, occupied with his father and brothers 
in sowing and reaping, and the v.aried employments 
incident to life upon the f.arm. On the 10th of 
April, 18.')1, he w.as united in marriage with Miss 
.S.ar.ah Perkins, the wedding taking place at the 
home of the bride's parents, in M.adison County, 
Ind., where Mrs. H. was born Oct. 21, 1832. She 
was the daughter of George and Agues (Allen) Per- 
kins, who spent the greater [xart of their lives in 
Indiana. The mother died in 1885, in Cl.ark Coun- 
ty, 111., where the father is still living, being sev- 
entj^-nine years of age, and making his home with 
his son Henry. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. 
Harmescm, twelve in number, were Melissa, Ma- 
tilda, Sarah Ann, .Jane, .lohn, Burke, Henry, Frank, 
Lueiuda, L^dia, Susan and Adam. 

After marriage Mr. and Mrt. Harmeson went to 
housekeeping on a farm in Indiana, where our sub- 
ject attended to the outdoor work, and the wife 
faithfully performed her share inside. In due time 
there came a third member into the family, who was 
followed by twelve more, and to whom were given 
the names of William P., Albert F., George W.,' 
.Toiin A., Agnes S., diaries C, Robert L., Cynthia 
A., Celia A.. M.ary E., Fannie, Noah .and ]>ydia. 
Agnes S., Charles C. and Mary E. are deceased. 
The eldest son. AVilliam, is married and has 
three children; his wife was formerly Miss Mary 
Shreeves; Albert married Miss Mary E. Gordon, 
and they became the parents of one child, who died 
young; (leorge W. married Miss Ellio U. Biggs. 

In addition to the ordin.iiy employments of 
mixed husbandry Mr. Harmeson lias of late years 

•► 



* 



' -^^l^^ 



_t 



. 1 



CHAMPAIRN COUNTY. 



551 




given consiilerablc attention to the raising of fine 
stock. Politically he atliliates with the Democratic 
party, anfl in his religious tendencies adheres to 
the German- Baptist doctrines. Mrs. Ilarmeson died 
of quick consumption on the 30th of August, 1886. 
She was a lad}' of much personal worth, and had 
been connected with tiie (ierman-lJaptist Church 
for a period of sixteen years. 

ATHEW E. .STAMEY. In IlensleyTowu. 
ship, located on section 30, the farm ol 
/« 15) our subject invariably attracts the atten- 
tion of the passer-by as the home of peace 
and plenty, whose foundations were laid in the pio- 
neer daj's, and whose inmates are now surrounded 
by all the comforts .and manj' of the luxuries of 
modern life. The subject of this history' learned 
in early j^ears those habits of industry and economy 
which have proved the success of his later life. 
He commenced in a modest way to do for himself, 
and after years of persevering labor, now finds 
himself the owner of 825 acres of valuable land, 
furnished with a handsome and substantial set of 
farm buildings, and all the appliances required b}' 
the intelligent and progressive modern agricultur- 
ist. This, of course, has involved an outhiy of 
thousands of dollars, but the result has fuUy justi- 
fied the expenditure. The farm of Mr. Stame}' is 
acknowledged by all to be one of the most attr.act- 
ivc spots in this section, and its proprietor is held 
in the higliest res|)ect for liis excellent qualities as 
a citizen and a business man. To such men as he 
is this county indebted for the position wliich she 
now holds in one of the wealthiest States in the 
Union. He has, by his own enterprise and energj', 
encouraged those elements in others, and the whole 
working together, have brought about the result 
wiiifh we see all over this beautiful stretch of 
country. 

Mr. Stanley was born in what is now Sonier 
Townsliip, this county, Nov. l(i, 1S3.''). His father, 
Elias Stamcy, a native of North Carolina, was of 
Cerman and Irish ancestry. Tlie latter grew to 
manli(R)d In his native State, of which lu' remained 
a resident until 1832. In that year, while still a 



single man, he started for the West overland on 
horseback, and landed in this county. Liking the 
outhwk, wliich gave evidence of good things for 
tlic futui'e if the soil were properly cultivated and 
tlie cuiintry settled up by a good class of people, 
he concluded to tarry. Not long afterward he 
was united in marriage with Miss Drusilla, daugh- 
ter of Mathew E. Busey, also one of the ])ioneers 
of the county. The young couple lived for a time 
in Somer Township, whence tliey removed to Ur- 
bana Township, settling upon a tract of land which 
the father of Mrs. Stanley had given them, and 
where the death of Elias Stanley occurred, in 1845. 
His family included four children, namely, Mathew 
E. of our sketch; Daniel W., wlio is now a resident 
of Rantoul Township ; .Tames W., on the old home- 
stead, and John C. in Rantoul. After the death 
of her husband, Mrs. Stanley kept her family to- 
gether until tliey were old enough to provide for 
themselves. She still resides at the old homestead, 
respected by all who know her. 

The subject of our sketch was three years old 
when his parents became residents of Urbana Town- 
ship. His early education was conducted in the 
pioneer log school-house, with its puncheon floor 
and slabs for seats and writing-desks, with its huge 
fireplace, mud and stick chimney, and the excuse 
for a window, which was formed by cutting out 
one log. This building stood on the land of Grand- 
father Busey, and the S3'stem of education was con- 
ducted by a teacher who corresponded with all 
the other appliances, in point of erudition at least. 
Afterward our subject attended school a part of 
the time at Urbana, and being ambitious to learn, 
secured a very good education for those days. He 
made his home with his mother until his marriage. 
After reaching his majority, she presented hira 
with a tract of land in Hensley Townshi|), which 
he cultivated and improved, and which constitutes 
a part of his present homestead. After his mar- 
riage he located on this place, which he has now 
brought to a fine state of cultivation, and raises the 
best crops in this section. His stock is all of good 
breeds, and the farm machinery is of the most 
modern and improved style. 

The marriage of Mr. Stamey took place in the 
spring of 1805, the lady of his choice being Miss 



t 



I 



(1 552 



A- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Ida O. (;ra\', wlio was born in Pennsylvania. Of 
this union there was one child, a son. named Will- 
iam. Mrs. Ida (). Stamcj' departed this life at the 
home of her husband in January, 1872. Mr. 
iStaniey was the second time married, the lad^' of 
his choice being Miss Mary, the daughter of 
Levi and Jane Broshair, born in Indiana Oct. 26, 
18,')1. Of this uiiiim there have been born three 
children — Frank, Belle and Dai.sy. 

Formerly Mr. Staraey voted with the Demo- 
cratic party, l)nt considers that he has had reason 
to change his views, and is now a stanch adherent 
of Republicanism. Mrs. Stamey is a lady who is 
greatly respected in her comnuinit^v, and a worthy 
menil)er of the Congregational Church. In addi- 
tion to his property interests in this State, Mr. 
Stanley owns 1,5(10 acres of land in Louisiana and 
280 acres in Florida. 

The portrait of Mr. Stamey, given on a contig- 
uous page, occu|)ies its riglitful jdaee among the 
pictured lineaments of the honored men by whose 
labors the wilderness has been made to lilossom as 
the rose, and under whose management a once wild 
stretch of prairie has been transformed into the 
" Garden State." 



ylLLIAM M. WAY, retired capitalist, has 
been a resident of this county .since 1861, 
and has assisted material!}' in building up 
its agricultural and industrial interests. His life has 
been one of great activity, and as the result of 
many years energetically engaged in agricultural 
and mercantile pursuits, he has become the pos- 
sessor of a handsome compctenc}'. At the same 
time, bj' his conscientious and upright methods, he 
has won for himself the respect and confidence of 
his fellow-citizens. 

Mr. Way is a native of South Carolina, and was 
born in Marlboro County, Jan. 18, 1810. He 
is the son of Paul W. and Achsah (IMoorraan) 
Way, who were natives of that State. In 1815 
Paul Way secured a tract of land on White River. 
Ind., which lay in what was called the Twelve-Mile 
Purchase, where he erected a log cabin, and in 



•^--ft^ 



1816 removed there with his family. The trip was 
made overland, and occupied three months. Their 
outfit consisted of a large Virginia wagon and three 
span, of horses. They saw plenty of Indians along 
the route, a part of which lay through the towns 
scattered along the White River. Mr. ^Vay was a 
man of great energy and business ability, and his 
talents were at once recognized bj' the pioneer set- 
tlers. He had been fairlj^ educated, and was often 
employed as a surveyor in the new country, among 
his labors being the survej' of the first State ro.ad 
which ran from Greenfield, Ohio, to Indianapolis, 
Ind., and which was the second laid off bj' the 
State. His land, which was 320 acres in extent, 
was mostly heavy timber. Of this he cleared 
eighty acres, and lived there until his removal to 
Winchester, Ind.. where he spent the remaining 
j-cars of his life. In this latter place he was em- 
ployed a« one of the County Agents for sui-vej'ing, 
la}'ing out lots and making deeds. He also held 
the otHces of Postmaster, and Justice of the Peace 
for manj' years. The p.arental household included 
four children, of whom the subject of this sketch is 
the only survivor. 

Young Way began life for himself, first as clerk 
in a store at Winchester, and remained a resident 
of that vicinity until the spring of 18(il. He in- 
herited, in a marked degree, the business talents of 
his father, and through his own exertions had ob- 
tained a useful fund of information in regard to 
general business matters. He began the accumula- 
tion of land, and as years passed on, dealt Largely 
in live-stock. In 1847 he was appointed by the 
State Legislature, Director, Solicitor and Collector 
of the building of the Indianapolis Railro.ad, which 
ran from that city to Bellefontaine, Ohio. Prior to 
becoming a resident of this county he had pur- 
chased 2C8 acres of land in Homer Township. This 
he afterward traded for a farm of 217i acres in 
Vermilion Countj'. He also bought other lands, 
and in 1853 was the owner of 2,000 acres near Des 
Moines, Iowa. He also interested himself in city 
property, and manj' of the buildings of Champaign, 
with other improvements which he brought about, 
stand as silent witnesses of his enterprise and gen- 
erosity. He was one of the original stockholders 
and organizers of the First National Bank of Cham- 



■*^^i 



i 



w 



"ffi 




^.-in.-.iU».vj»!>Bi;a^*^ij--Sg.Bj.v.- 



RESIDENCE OF A .W . 5TR N G , 5EC . 1 7. 5T . J05EPH TP 




■e^-si,>^'aRgii;aaias3(aaa;;i^^fe<gai^--: 



RESrOENCE OF E . 5 . Fl 5 H E R , S EC . 17, (T-19 - N) , OSDEN T P. 




itef-'g> -rB-' 



.lftl^J^ j-:.y^jy,'SaKV>": jr>».^- - - .'- ■'- :-, r- - -.■■- - 



■■^•jjytnia^^-vy'f 



ffi. 



RESIDENCE OF J.J.fVlUMM,SEC.20,SIDNEY TP. 



3d 



•>-*^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



553 



t 



paign, and tlierc arc few worthy entcvpriscs wliich 
he has not encouraged bj' his means and intiuencc. 

The marriage of William M. Way and Miss 
Phcbe Wright was celebrated in Winchester, Ind.. 
in 1830. Mrs. W. was the daughter of Hon. J. B. 
and Elizabeth (Stephens) Wright, natives respect- 
ivelj' of Virginia and Pennsylvania. In 181 (! tliey 
removed to Indiana and purchased a tract of land, 
a part of which is now occnpied by the little city of 
Winchester. Of this Mr. Wright contributed fifty 
acres for the purpose of securing Winchester as the 
county seat of Randolph County. He also opened 
up a fine farm, and became a citizen of note in that 
localitj'. He was the first Representative of Ran- 
dolph County to the State Legislature, in which he 
served three terms, and was afterward elected 
County Treasurer. He removed from Indiana to 
Illinois in 1830, first locating in Vermilion County, 
whence he afterward came to this county, and died 
in 1869. Of their nine children four are now living, 
namelj-, Mrs. William Way, Hon. James S., Re- 
becca, Mrs. Butler, and Mrs. Swearingen. 

Mr. Way uniforml}' casts his vote in support of 
Republican principles. The residence of our sub- 
ject and his amiable wife is pleasantly located on 
Jlast Clark street. Champaign, and they enjoy the 
society of the best people of the city. 

A fine lithograiihic portrait of Mr. W.aj' is pre- 
sented as a proper accompaniment of this brief 
outline of his life. 



-»-- 0i ° »= 



t 



r/AMKS KARR, .Iii., is prosperously engaged 
with his partner, Robert Johnston, in the 
grain and stock business at Seymour, which 
they established in 1882. He has been a 
resident of Cliampaign Count}' since two years of 
age, where he pursued his primary studies, which 
were completed in the University at Valparaiso, 
Ind. He was attentive to his books, and after com- 
pleting his university course emploj'ed his even- 
ings in study, and afterwai'd taught school seven 
3'ears in Ford and Champaign Counties. 

Our subject is tlie son of James and Esther 
Karr. His mother was fornuMJy the widow of 
George Johnston, and both parents were born in 




Ireland, where their marriage also took place. They 
soon afterward emigrated to America, and the 
mother died near Mahomet, this county, in about 
\Hi>:^. James Karr, Sr., is still living, and a resi- 
dent of Colfax Township. 

James Karr, Jr., was married at Bondvillc, 111., 
July 22, IHS.'), to Miss Laura Cade, a native of 
Illinois, and the daughter of Simon and Sarah A. 
(Ashcroft) Cade, the former a native of England, 
and the latter of America. Their famil}- consisted 
of seven children — Ezra, Albert, Ella, Laura, Frank, 
Charles and Ida. Mr. and Mrs. Karr have but one 
child, Ella. Our subject affiliates with the Repub- 
lican party, and socially is a member of Lodge No. 
597, I. O. O. F. 



!k.A\ ILES SUNDERLAND. The subject of the 
following biography is one of the finest 
rejjresentatives of a class of foreign-born 
citizens, who, in years gone by, brought 
the thrift and energy, which was their onl}' heri- 
tage in their native land, to this country with its 
great possibilities, and have accomplished the best 
results in their application under the influence of 
American institutions. Mr. Sunderland is a native 
of AVexford County, Ireland, l)orn in 1837, and 
spent his early j-ears in the land which gave him 
birth. His father died when he was a lad six years 
old, and with the exception of the limited time 
spent in school, he was principally engaged in as- 
sisting his widowed mother on their farm. 

There were six children in the parental family, 
namely, John. ]\Iargaret, Ann, Miles, Thomas and 
James. When our subject became of age, being 
deeply desirous of bettering his condition, and as a 
possible result, being of some service to his mother's 
family, he left them in charge of an elder brother, 
and setting sail at Liverpool started for the laud 
which promised so much to the enterprising emi- 
grant. The voyage was made in a sailing-vessel, 
and after nine vveeks spent on the ocean, he landed 
in New York City on the 4tli of April, 185('i. 
From there he proceeded directlj' westward to 
Auroia, III., and after arriving found he had 
capital of ^;j with which to commence life 



id a cash 

e in the I 

— ■*5f- 



i 



u 



554 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






New World. His frank, open countenance, and 
his evident energy and iudustry soon procured iiim 
a situation, and he engaged with tlic C. B. & Q. 
R. R. Co. After a short time, liowever, he left the 
railroad for a farm, where he received ^^20 per 
inontii during the harvest season. 

In .September, l.sCO, Sir. Sunderland went to 
New Orleans, where he engaged as a contractor, 
building levees, and remained there until the Sep- 
tember following, when he was driven out by the 
rebels because he would not join them. He being 
at that time a Britisli sultject, thej' could not press 
him into service. He went to Chicago, thence to 
Aurora, 111., and after being variously employed 
for years, and by tiie strictest econom3^ having se- 
cured a little ca|)ital, he commenced dealing in 
stock, buying and selling and increasing his trans- 
actions gradual!}', until he had l)uilt up quite a 
good business in this line. His operations were 
principally carried on in Kane Countj^ where he 
continued until tlie spring of 18C8, and then de- 
cided to change his location and business. 

Our subject accordingly came into this count3% 
arriving in Rantoul on the 17th of May, and [lur- 
chased 1(50 acres of land in Compromise Township. 
He at once broke sixty acres of this, upon which 
he sowed wheat, and after its harvest in the fall, 
there being a good oi>portunit_y to sell, he availed 
himself of it and moved upon a tract of land which 
he entered the following year. In the fall of 18G9 
he purchased KlOaci'cs in the same township, which 
he occupied five years, then sold and purchased a 
like amount. This he cultivated for tln-ee years 
following, then sold tiiis also, renting the succeed- 
ing two ye.ars. and in the fall of 1880 purchased 
his present farm. Tliis contains 240 acres on sec- 
tion C), of some r)f tlie choicest land in Comi)romise 
Townsliip. It is linely improved, tiioroughly 
drained with tile, and supplied with a good set of 
modern farm liuildings. 

Having no one to look after but liiniself, Mr. 
Sunderland, after occu|)ying liis farm a year .and 
getting it into good ruiniing (•t)ndition, i)]aced it 
in tlie hands of a tenant .■md retired from active 
labor. He is now taking life easy, i)oarding at the 
Central House .at Clifford, and takes his e.xercise 
nearly eveiy d.i}' in the shape of a walk to his farm. 

4» 



He is continually making improvements, and 
w.atches with an observant eye ever3'thing about 
the place, insisting upon having all kept in first- 
class condition. He is of that genial temiterament 
which has .secured him hosts of friends, and is a 
general favorite with all classes. In religious faith 
he adheres to the belief of his parents, and is a 
member of Penfield Catholic Church, He votes 
with the Democratic party. The <jnly member of 
his father's family in this country is a brother who 
lives in Kerr Township, this count}'. 

The parents of our suljject were Patrick and 
Catherine (Durrix) Sunderland. The mother fol- 
lowed her husband to her long home in 1 875, h.av- 
ing passed her entire life in her native land. In 
1870 Mr. Sunderland made a trip to his native 
land, where he spent one year, visiting old friends 
and the scenes of his childhood, I5y his industry 
and energy, he has accumulated a property valued 
at .about *20,000, 



Es 



DWARD FRY, who is pleasantly located on 
section 24, Scott Townsliip, is the .son of 
'heodore and Lucy A. (Dryer) Fry, a 
sketch of whom appears elsewiiere in this volume. 
He vvas born in Tippecanoe County, Ind., Oct. 14, 
1848, spent his childhood and youtii on his father's 
farm, and received a fair education in the common 
schools. When seventeen 3'e.ars of .age he visited 
Champaign County, and three years later took pos- 
session of eighty .acres in Scott Township, wliicii 
has remained his homestead since tliat time. His 
land is linely improved .and yields in abundance 
the rich crops of the Prairie State. He h.as a fine 
dwelling and all other necessary buildings for tlie 
carrying on of the f;irin in a first-class manner. 

Mr. Fry w.as married in Cliampaign Township 
Sept. 1, 18C0,to Miss Charlotte A. Crosier, who was 
born in Clermont County, Ohio, May 11,^1850, 
and is the daugliter of Niciiolas and Eli/.a (Hog- 
gess) Crosier, natives of New .Terscy and Ohio re- 
spectively, Iler parents after their marriage set- 
tled in Clermont County, Oiiio, where tlie f.ather 
died in 187;"). 'i"he motiier is in Hodgeman County, 
Kan. Mr. and Mrs. Fry became the parents of 



i 



i 



u 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



555 



u 




*-l- 

V 



four fliiklren — II. 15., Fannie 15., Lucy M. and Edic 
A. The latter (lied .Sept. 8, 1885, when two years 
of age. 

Our subject and liis wife are connected with the 
.Methodist Kpiscoiial C'liurch, to the support of 
wliiih they eontribulc liliendly and cheerfully, and 
politically Mr. F. votes the Republican ticket. He 
has served as Sehool Director in his towushij), and 
been the encourager and supporter of every object 
calculated to increase the prosi)erity and welfare of 
his conmiunity. 



' LBKRT R. PRATT. The subject of the 
following sketch occupies a i)roniinent 
position in the farming coniniuuity of 
(®^' Champaign Tuwnshi|), where he lias a snug 

homestead located on section '.), a view of which 
will be found on another page. He is a native of 
the t)ld (iranite .State, and was born in Nashua, 
Hillsljoro County, .Sept. 19, 1812. His paients were 
Dura 1>. and i\Iary (Ra^'uiond) I'ratt, the former a 
native of Marlboro, A^t., and the latter of Mt. Ver- 
non, N. H. 

Dura D. Pratt w.as reared on a farm in his native 
county, but when a young man learned the trade of 
a carpenter and joiner. Beyond serving his ap- 
prcnticeshi|), however, he did nothing at his trade. 
lie was of a deeply religious turn of mind and had 
become a member of the Bai)tist Church in his 
youth. While working as a carpcMiter he employed 
his leisure time in the stud}' of tlieolog}', and when 
twenty-six years of age couimenced preaching at 
Nashua, where he was soon installed as pastor of 
the Baptist Church, remaining thus for a period of 
about twenty-three 3'cars and until his death, which 
occurred in ix'ti). The mother is still living, and 
resides with her daughter, Harriett IS., in Chicago. 
Of the fourchildren comprising the parental family', 
Albert R. w.as the eldest; Ahny became the wife 
of George C. Urann, and lives in Penacook, N. H.; 
George D. died in Burlington. \'t., when tweuty- 
oue years of age; Harriett S. is unmarried, and lives 
in Chicago. 

.Mlicrt R. Pratt was but thirteen years old when 
his father died. He was educated in the district 
-^•— . 



school and .lived in the town of Nashua until ISfiS. 
While not in school he was engaged in agricultural 
pursuits on the farm which his mother had pur- 
chased after becoming a wid(;w. In 18()8 he came 
to Champaign County, and purchased 120 acres of 
land near Mahomet, which he occupied three years. 
Subsc(iuently he purchased 100 acres in Colfax 
Township, uj)on which he removed and lived until 
1881, when he ijurchased the farm in Champaign 
Townshii) which he now owns and occupies. His 
land is in a good state of cultivation and supplied 
with a handsiime and substantial set of frame build- 
ings. Everything about the homestead is kept in 
first-class order and evinces on all hands the thrift 
and intelligence of the proprietor. 

The marriage of our subject occurred on the 31st 
of May, 1870, the lady of his choice l)eing .Aliss 
Rose Barber, who was born in Kiigland, Nov. 15, 
1841). Her parents, Benjamin and Eliza (Bower) 
Barber, both natives of England, came to Anuu'ica 
in 1852, when the wife of our subject was a child 
but three years old. They located first in Cuya- 
hoga County, (Jhio, near the citj' of Cleveland, where 
Mr. B. was first emplo3'ed on a farm, but soon 
afterward rented a tract of land, the cultivation of 
which he carried on until 1858. In the spring of 
that year he came to this county, settling first in 
Champaign Township. Afterward he purchased a 
farm in Mahomet Township, where he remained a 
resident for nearly- twenty years, and thence re- 
moved to .Scott Township in about 1870, where he 
still resides. He is the owner of 212 acres of im- 
proved land and is numbered among the first-class 
citizens of that locality. 

Mrs. Eliza Barber was boin in England in about 
1823 and lived with heri>arenfs until about twenty 
years of age, when she became the wife of Benja- 
min Barber. Of their union there were born eleven 
children, eight now living, as follows: Thirza E., 
Alfred C, Ro.sanna, .Sarah, Samuel, William M., 
Frederick J. and Mary. Thirza is the wife of Free- 
man Adams, of Nashua, N. II.; Alfred C. married 
Mi.ss Louisa Peters, and is farming in Ccilfax Town- 
ship, this county; Rosanna became the wife of our 
subject, ami resides in ('ham|)aigii Township; 
Sarah, Mrs. Samuel Fox, lives with her lnisl)and in 
Kansas; William ^I. married i\Iiss Ilattie Kemp, 
■► 



i 



556 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



and is a resident of Kansas ; Frederick married Miss 
Ella Wriglit, and thej- occup}- a farm in JMalioraet 
Townsliii); Mary, Mrs. Asa Franklin, is a resident 
of Sherman County, Kan. Mr. and Mrs. Barber are 
consistent members of tiie Baptist Church, and Mr. 
B. is Democratic in politics. Both are living at 
present in Bondville, this county. 

Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Pratt there have 
been born four children — Josephine R., George W!, 
Minnie C. and Frank H. Our subject and his wife 
are prominently connected with the Baptist Church 
at Bondville, and politically Mr. P. is a firm ad- 
herent of the Republican party. 




ILLIAM XEU. This gentleman, who oc- 
cupies a prominent position among the 
business interests of Tolono, deals in agri- 
cultural implements, in Norman and Percheron 
horses, and also carries on a thriving livery. He 
is a wide-awake, energetic member of the com- 
munity, just such a man as is needed in ever}' de- 
partment of business to insure that competition 
which is the life of trade. He was born in Peru, 
this State, on the 7th of .June, 1857, and is the son 
of John and Christina Neu, natives of Prussia. 
The birth of the father took place Oct. 18, 1822, 
and he is the son of Anthony .and Christina Neu, 
who became the parents of ten children, six of 
whom grew to mature years, and three emigrated 
to the United States. Of the latter, Theodore re- 
mained here about two years, then returned to 
Germany and died there in about 1873; Joseph is 
a resident of Peru, La .Salle County, this State, and 
John lives in the city of Cliami)aign. 

Our subject remained with his parents in his na- 
tive town until twelve years of age, when the fam- 
ily came to this count}' and located on a farm in 
Colfa.\ Township. After four years they took up 
their abode in Tolono, where William completed 
his education at the High School in l.s7S. Then, 
in company with his father he engaged in the ag- 
ricultural implement trade until 1884, when the 
latter removed to Indianapolis, leaving the son in 
charge of the busine.ss. Previous to this, however, 
the elder Neu had become proprietor of a livery 



stable at Tolono, which our subject also conducted 
after his father had removed. John Neu returned 
to this county in 1 887, and is now a resident of 
Champaign City. He is a man of fine business 
capacity. Upon coming to La .Salle he was not 
only without anj' property, but was §23 in debt. 
He carried on a furniture business until 18G9, and 
from the first was successful in his operations. He 
still owns the farm in Colfax Township, and the 
livery business at Tolono, including a number of 
fine horses. On coming to this country, he made 
the ocean trip in a sailing-vessel, the vo3'age occu- 
pying thirty-two da^'s. 

John Neu was married, in 185(i, to Miss Chris- 
tina Miebach. She was also born in Prussia, and 
came to the United States with her parents when a 
young woman, in 1854. The paternal family' con- 
sisted of five children, of whom Joseph died in 
1882, when twenty-two years old. Those surviv- 
ing are, William of our sketch, Louise, Emma and 
John. The family are lo^'al adherents of the Cath- 
olic faith, and politically the sons atliliate with the 
Democratic part}-. 

^ACIIARIAH HENNESS,uf Scott Township, 
is the owner of a snug homestead located on 
section 10, comprising eighty acres of im- 
proved land and a good set of farm buildings, of 
which he has been in possession for the last twenty 
.years. He is a native of Ross County, Ohio, born 
Jan. 5, 1817, and the son oi William and Nancy 
(Hendrick) Henness, natives of the Uld Dominion. 
They removed from Virginia to Ohio in earlj- life, 
and p.assed the remainder of their days in the Buck- 
eye State. Their famil}' included six sons and 
fuui' (laughters, all of whom were trained to habits 
of industry and principles of honor, and most of 
whom became occupied in farm pursuits. 

Our subject remained in Ross County, Ohio, 
some years after his marriage, tiiis event taking 
place on the 27tli of M.ay, 1841. The maiden of 
his choice, IMiss Sally A. McCoy, was a native of 
his own county, and born April 15, 1819. They 
became the parents of nine children — John M., 
William B., James A., Margaret K., Martha J., 




T 



■•>■ 



i 



L. 



t 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



557 



Sarah A., Edmund, David W. and Charles S. The 
children, who are all living, have become highly 
res|)ectcd residents of this State, several of them 
being located in this county, and the names of 
some will be found elsewhere in this work. Mr. 
Henness has always cast his inrtiiencc on the side 
of honesty and justice, and politically labors in 
support of Republican principles. 



--S" 



#"# 







IkM ALCOLM KOC'lI. Among the pleasant 
homesteads in Stanton Township, the 240 
.acres belonging to this gentleman occupy a 
conspicuous position and are distinguished 
for (irst-dass improvements, and what is best of all, 
the property is unencumbered, the proprietor, like 
Longfellow's Village Blacksmith, being able to "look 
the whole world in the face, for he owes not any 
man." One of the most attractive features of the 
farm is a stable of fine horses, among hem being 
three imported English Clydes in which Mr.'K. has 
a half interest, and which are magnificent specimens 
of the noblest animal in the world. To this depart- 
ment of agriculture our subject has given particular 
attention and seems peculiarly adapted to it, ixs he 
has been remarkably successful in his operations. 

Mr. Koch is a native of Berks County, Pa., born 
near Reading, July 5. 1837. He is the son of Adam 
and Mary A. (Gicker) Koch, the former born in 
1785 and the latter in 1805. They were married in 
about 1833, and the father all his life was engaged 
in farming pursuits. Adam Koch remained a mem- 
ber of the parental household until the de.ith of his 
father, when he was placed at the head of affairs, 
settled up the estate, bought a snug home for his 
mother and si-'ers near Reading, and provided for 
their future comfort and welfare. The death of 
the father took place in October, 1 841 , when he was 
fifty-six years of age. The mother survived her 
►husband thirty-four years an<l died at the advanced 
age of seventy years in Fairfield Countj', Ohio. 
The maternal grandparents of our subject were of 
German origin and the}- also passed their last days 
in Berks County, near Reading. 

Adam Koch and family moved to Kairlield 
County, Ohio, iu 183t). Their family consisted of 

4» 



six sons and one daughter: Edwin was drowned 
when eighteen months old; R. C. married Miss 
Amanda C. Dresback, of Fairfield County, Ohio, and 
afterward removed to Champaign County, 111., his 
death occurred in this county in March, 187(i; and 
his widow is living at St. Joseph. Malcolm of this 
sketch was the third child. Adam, who w.as born in 
Fairfield County, Ohio, enlisted as a Union soldier 
in the 21st Ohio Infantry; he was captured by 
the rebels at Chickamaugua and confined in both 
Libby and Andersonville for several months, and 
died in the latter prison a few days liefore the sur- 
render of the Confederate army. Alfred entered 
the army in 1861, having enlisted in an Ohio regi- 
ment, and at the battle of Pittsburg Landing was 
wounded and sent to the hospital. As soon as able 
to travel he was sent home on a furlough of thirty 
da3'S, after which he returned to his regiment. lie 
w.as then attacked with serious illness and confined 
in the hospital at .Memphis, Teun., for ten or eleven 
months. When partially recovered he was appointed 
Ward Master in the hospital, and while in the dis- 
charge of his duties was taken with small-pox and 
soon afterward died; his decease occurred in tiie 
fall of 18G3. Ann N. became the wife of Robert 
Hudson of this county on the 1st of January, 1865, 
and died ui February, 1866; Jonah married Miss 
Susan Foor, of Fairfield County, Ohio, and they are 
now living in St. Joseph Townshii), this county. 

Our subject, after leaving his native State, so- 
journed for a time in Ohio, coming to this State in 
1864. Before he had perfected his arrangements 
for establishing himself in the ^\'est, he provided 
himself with a companion, namely, i\Iiss Mercella E. 
Peer, to whom he was married in Franklin County, 
Ohio, Sept. 29, 185'J. Of this union there were 
born four children, three dying in infancy; M;iry, 
after reaching years of w<.)manhood, passed aw.ay on 
tiie 5th of December, 1880. The wife and mother 
departed this life in Franklin County, Ohio, Jan. (i, 
1864. She was the (laughter of William and .Sarah 
Peer. The second wife of our subject, to whom he 
was married April 7, 1864, was Miss Marj' E. 
Thrush, a native of Hancock County, Ohio, born 
iu 1834, and the daughter of Jacob and Olivia 
(Spurgeon) Thrush, also natives of the Buckeye 
State. The mother died young, being only twent}'- 



t 



-I- 

|i' 558 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



f 



t 



five years of age. Jacob Thrush is still living and 
a resident of Cornell, Livingston County, this State, 
being sixty-nine years of age. The children of this 
marriage, five in number, are recorded as ft>llo\vs: 
Olivia .J., is the wife of James White, a prosperous 
farmer of Stanton Township; Medelphia A., Lloj'd 
M., George L. and Cora A. are at home with their 
parents. 

Mr. Koch sold out his interests in Franldin 
County, Ohio, in October, 1«G4, and coming to" 
this State, located first in St. Joseph Township. 
He purchased his present farm in Stanton Township 
on the lOth of April, 18G0. It included eighty 
acres of uncultivated prairie, for which he paid 
$6.87^ per acre. His first business was to com- 
mence the erection of the dwelling which, however, 
cost more than he anticipated, and the finances 
running low it was not completeil for some time 
afterward. He had no money to buy shingles and 
windows, but the family took possession of it and 
managed to live quite comfortabl}' during the sum- 
mer season and in the meantime he worked at it by 
degrees, hiying aside a dollar for the purpose of 
buying what was needed until it was finally flnisiied. 
That time was quite in contrast with the present, as 
he now has a fine house, a large barn, and every- 
thing required for the comfort and convenience of 
the modern farmer. His ijerscvering industry- and 
excellent judgment served iiim well and a few 
years brought a great change in his financial con- 
dition. He added to his purchase as time progressed 
and now, in viewing the result of his labors and 
realizing the comforts and luxuries of his home, 
feels amply repaid for the dillicullies and anxieties 
through which he passed in the earlier years. He 
and his family are connected with tiie Friends' 
Church, and at the polls he assists to the best of his 
ability in the election of Democratic candidates. 

?)RUMAN CO^'I•;Ir^, a well-to-do resident of 
East Bend Township, (jwns a farm of eighty 
acres on section 30. He is a native of the 
Empire State, born in the town of (Jreece, Monroe 
County, Aug. H, 18;!iS. llis fallier, Mathias, and 
his grandfather, Bunn Covert, were natives of New 
4« 




Jersey. It is supposed that the family originated 
in Holland. Its first representative in America lo- 
cated first on Manhattan Island and became poses- 
sor of a large tract of land which is now included 
in New York City. The grandfather of our sub- 
ject, who w.as a farmer by occupation, removed 
from New Jersey to Seneca Count}', N. Y., when a 
3-oung man, and there spent his last days. His son, 
Mathias, remained on the farm until eighteen j'cars 
old and then learned the carpenter's trade. When 
ready to establish a home for himself he purchased 
a small tract of land near the town of Greece, but 
devoted the greater part t>l his time to his trade. 
In 1842 he traded his land for a farm in "Wilson, 
Niagara County, which he occupied until 1870. 
He then sold out and came to this county, locating 
in Rantoul, where he lived retired from active busi- 
ness, until departing this life on the Cth of October, 
188G, having reached the advanced age of eighty- 
five years. He had married in earl}' manhood Miss 
Jemima Duckworth, a native of his own .State. 
This lad}' died in Niagara County, N. Y., in 1857. 

Of this marriage there were born eleven children, 
of whom nine grew to mature years and are still 
living. The record is as follows: Elvira, now Mrs. 
Gushing, lives in Wilson, Niagara Co., N. Y. ; Lo- 
viiia Tabor is a resident of Stevcnsvillc, Wis.; 
Alvin, of Rantoul, this count}' ; Albert lives in 
Ingham County, Mich. ; Melissa, Mrs. Stone, died 
in Wilson, N. Y. ; Tr;;man, of our sketch, was tiie 
sixth ciiild; May J. McKee lives in Rantoul, this 
county, and William in East Bend Township, which 
is also the residence of Bertha, Dillman and Fred- 
erick. Mathias Covert, for his second wife, married 
Mrs. Martha Jenny, in April, 1859. She departed 
this life July o, 188G. 

Truman Covert, of our sketch, was reared on 
the home farm in Niagara County, N. Y., received 
his education in the district school, and remained a 
resident of his native county until 1800. He then 
located on a farm of his cousin in Ingham County,* 
Mich., until enlisting in the army in December, 
18G3. He served as a soldier in the 1st Michigan 
Light Artillery until after the close of the war, 
being under command of (ien. Sherman, at Chat- 
tanooga, marching from Atlanta to the sea, and 
participating in many of the important battles of 



■•► 










^- —:^^TL:4^x.f<)^ .- 



Res. ofTruman Covert, Sec. 30 .East Bend Township 







'Son-s'Wes OH Sec. e.'^'i^ ^^ii^ 



i^^^^MM 



SS&a^vas^^tf^fi^^^aitaiK^^^iairtaa^^ 




Mfii-'ii Yr riv ^n-iri^inilinaiMrlTinillliiifTiTiiiiiiiTiiiyiiili^^ 



Res. AND Farm Property of Si las Pettit.Sec*. 6«^8 .Crittenden Townsh ip. 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



561 i^ 



that campaign. He was taken seriously ill at 
Goldsboro, N. C, whence he was sent to Beaufort 
and from there to New York City, and was mus- 
tered out at Ft. Schuyler in June following. Him- 
self and twenty-six Of his comrades enlisted at Les- 
lie, Mich., and of these thirteen died in the service. 

Our subject after leaving the arm}' was unable 
to do manual labor, and returning to his native town 
served as Constable and Collector until 1870, when 
the family came to this State and located on the 
farm which he now owns. The land at the time 
they took possession of it, was uncultivated prairie, 
and the nearest market was Rantoul, ten miles dis- 
tant. The face of the country has been greatly 
changed since that time. The prairie has been 
transformed into cultivated fields, enclosed with 
neat hedges and substantial fences, and a good resi- 
dence affords a pleasant home for our subject and 
his household. Adjacent to it are all the necessary 
out-buildings required for the proper shelter of 
stock and the other products of the farm. 

Mr. Covert was married in Niagara Count}', N. 
Y., Nov. 24, 1859, to Miss .Jane Robbins, and they 
had five interesting children — Maude, Ida and 
Charles, living, and two, Ticey and Jennie, de- 
censed. Mrs. Covert was born in Locki)ort, N. Y., 
May 11, 1842. Her father, Cephas Robbins, of 
Vermont, became a resident of the Kmpire Stale 
when a yciuiig man, and was there married to Miss 
Drusella I'Mnch. Mr. Covert is a member of the 
G. A. R., and is a stanch Republican in [)()litics. 

The thrift and industry' which have characterized 
the life of .Mr. Covert arc perhaps illustrated in the 
most forcible manner by the homestead which he 
has built up from the wild prairie, and a view of 
which has l)een failhfull}- lithographed on an adja- 
cent i)age. It forms a picture which iiis children 
will be proud to cherish in future years. 

ILAS PETTIT, a native of Greene County, 

Pa., came to Illinois in the spring of 18(; 1, 

soon after his marri.age, locating lir>t in 

Warren County. Thence he removed to 

Putnam County, and afteiw.nil lived in Marshall 

County, whence in December, 18G8, he came into 







Crittenden Township, this county, and purchased 
eighty acres of land which is now included in his 
present homestead on section 8. To this he after- 
ward added and redeemed the whole from its un- 
improved condition. He now has a valuable home- 
stead of 257 acres, thoroughly cultivated and im- 
proved, supplied with all necessary buildings, and, 
with his family, is surrounded by all the comforts 
and many of the luxuries of life. 

The birth of our subject took place on the 1 '.)th 
of September, 18;54. His father, John, and liis 
mother, Helena (Sherman) Pettit, were natives re- 
spectively of Pennsylvania and Maryland. John 
Pettit when a young man served as a soldier in the 
War of 1812, and after the close of this struggle 
settled down to farming pursuits in Greene County, 
Pa., where he departed this life in about 1848. 
His first wife was Miss Mary Warfurd, who be- 
came the mother of eight children. Of these Jesse, 
William, Lila and Nancy are deceased. Rachel be- 
came the wife of John Roach; .Martha married Jo- 
seph Hartley, and Mary married James Ivughn; Sa- 
rah is deceased. Of the second marriage there 
were born Lydia, Mrs. Sjiragg; Helena, the wife of 
Jolni ^^'hile, antl Silas, of our sketch. 

The subject of this biogiaphy was the only son 
and eldest ciiild of the st-cond marriage of his fa- 
ther. He grew to manhood in his native State, re- 
ceived a common-school education, and engaged in 
labor on the farm until reaching his majority. He 
was then united in marriage with Miss Ehnira Dri- 
ver, a native of West Virginia, and the daughter 
of (Gideon and l>cah (Deval) Driver. .Mrs. P. was 
horn March I'J, 1 S.'i5. They remained in I'eniisyl- 
vania until tiie sjjring of 18<'il, and then started for 
the West. In the meantime they had l)econie the 
parents of four children. William died of spotted 
fever in tiiis county. Those living are John, 
Emma and Charles W. Our subject is Democratic 
in politics, but has been too busy with his fanning 
affairs to devote any lime to ofllcc-seeking. He 
and his family are regular alleudants of ,.he l!ap- 
tist Church, of which he has been an active member 
since 18C{;. He is a skillful agiiculturisl and thor- 
ohgh business man, and ranks among the represent- 
ative citizens of Crittenden Towiishii). 

It is (juite natural, in reliecting u|)on the life 



■•^^■-^ 



^ 






■*► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



\ 



and character of a man who has lived worthily and 
presented an example of thrift and industry worthy 
of imitation, to picture in tiic mind's eye his proba- 
ble surroundings, and in order that our readers 
shall not be obliged to draw too uhk-Ii upon tlie 
imagination we present, as near as |)ossilile, a 
truthful i)icture of the place which Mr. I'ettit now 
calls home, and which in all its appointments is one 
in which lie may justly take pride. 

<^OnN \\. LAWKKNCK was burn .lidy 10, 
11S4(;, in r.caver Count}-, I'a., and was the 
youngest of eight children, the offspring of 
.John and Mary (Calvin) Lawrence, natives 
of the same State, where the father was engaged in 
farming pursuits. In about lS.5.j, .lohu Lawrence 
removed with his family to Hardin County, Ohio, 
where he purchased a farm of forty acres which he 
lived upon for eleven years following. He then 
sold out, and coming to this State purchased 100 
acres of wild land on section ;34, in Harwood Town- 
ship, and occupied it until the time of his death, 
which occurred .Ian. !), lsis7. The UKjther de- 
parted this life on the 1st of December. 1885. 
Our subject and his brother Samuel now operate 
the home farm, and are rated among the peaceful 
and law-abiding citizens of their communit}', ful- 
filling in a praiseworthy manner all their obliga- 
tions as honest men and good citizens. 

The outbreak of the late wai- took pl.ace before 
the removal of the Lawrence family from Ohio. 
John W., although at that time but eighteen years 
of age, enlisted in Co. F, IDOth Oliio Vol. Inf., un- 
der command of Capt. Z. C. Andrews. The Col- 
onel of the regiment was Robert P. Canad}'. This 
regiment was organized and drilled at Camp Chase, 
Ohio, and when ready for service was sent through 
by rail to Harper's Ferry, whence they marched to 
Winchester. From there they went to Federal 
Hill near Baltimore, b}' way of Sandy Hook. A 
few days later thej' were sent down the coast to 
Ft. Delaware, of which they remained in charge 
three months, and were then returned to Camp 
Chase where they were discharged, after having 



been in service seven months, and without engag- 
ing in any fight. In tlie meantime the parents of 
our subject liad removed U> Illinois, and after be- 
ing mustered out he joined them there. 

He worked on his father's farm until is.st, and 
on the 1st of November, that year, took his first 
step toward the establishment of domestic ties of 
his own. He was married to Miss Mattie J. Wood, 
fourth child of Noah and Sarah (.lulick) Wood, 
natives of Ohio, where the father followed farming 
until their removal to this State in 1 856. The par- 
ents of Mrs. Lawrence are still living, making their 
home in Rantoul, and retired fi'om the active la- 
bors of life. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence have had two 
children; the eldest, an infant daughter, is deceased, 
and the oidy son, Charles W. Lawrence, was born 
Dec. 15, 188C. 

Our subject and his wife, after their uuirri.age 
located on his father's farm, of which they .assumed 
the management, and where they still live. The 
only sister of our subject now living, is the wife 
of Charles Runsur, a farmer, and the County Com- 
missioner of Hardin County, Ohio. The other 
members of the family have passed to their long 
home. 



.-^»^ -o 1 



.<^i>f— 



jOHN L. KELLER, a prosperous German far- 
mer of Scott Township, is the owner of 200 
acres of fiucly improved laud, located on 
section 34. He has been a resident of Cham- 
paign Count}' since the fall of 1868, when he pur- 
chased 120 acres of land which is now included in 
his present homestead. He commenced life at the 
foot of the ladder and has accumulated a compe- 
tenc}' through the exercise of his natural industry 
and good judgment. He was born in Germany, 
May (i, 1835. and was brought to America when 
about one and one-half years old by his parents, 
George A. and Catherine Keller. The}' enugrated 
from the Fatherland in 1837, settling first in Hock- 
ing County, (Jhio, where the father died in Febru- 
ary, 1883. The mother still survives. Their family 
included live sons and four daughters, of wimm 
.John L. vv.as the third in order of birth. 

John L. Keller was I'earcd to farming pursuits 




f 



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,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



563 



and rcniaincil with his parents until twcMit\-t\v() 
3'ears of age, when he purchased a farm in 1 lucking 
County, which he occupied untill selling out pre- 
paratory to stiirting for the AVest. Before leaving, 
however, he was married in Hocking County on the 
loth of April, 1858, to Miss Louisa Stoker, who 
was a native of that county, and born Nov. 20, 
1839. Her parents were John <J. and Henrietta 
(Rohberg) Stoker, who emigrated from their native 
German^' and located llrst in INlii.skingum Counts', 
Ohio, whence the^' afterward removed to Hocking 
Couuty, where they passed the remainder of their 
days. Their famil}- included eight children, .six 
sons and two daughters. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Keller resulted in 
the birth of eight children, namely, George A., 
John W., Peter, Charles J., Ely M., Lewis B. and 
Henry C. Ely M. and a child unnamed died in in- 
fancy. George married Miss Estella Cobb, and is 
a resident of Piatt County', this State ; John, who 
married Miss Catherine Hensiej-, is farming in 
Scott Township. Mr. and Mrs. Keller belong to 
the Lutheran Church, and politically our subject 
casts his vote with the Democratic party. He has 
held some of the miner offlces of his township and 
is regarded by his fellow-citizens as a reliable man 
and a useful member of the communitv. 



-#*-B 




IDWIN C. SALE, Supervisor of East Bend 
Township, is a resident of Dewey, where he 
carries on a lucrative trade in grain, lumber, 
coal and agricultural implements. He has been a 
resident of the Prairie State, and of this county, 
since the fall of 1853. His father, F. B. Sale, dur- 
ing his early years assisted on tlie farm, and has 
the greater part of his life been engaged in agri- 
cultural pursuits, although since 1857 he has been 
greatly interested in religious matters, and otiici.ated 
as a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He was ordained Deacon at Bloomington in 186(), 
and during that same year labored as an agent for 
the American Bible Society, traveling tlirougii the 
district composed of the counties of Champaign, 
Iroquois, Piatt and Macon. In 1871 he was ordained 



by Bishop Scott as Elder at Jacksonville, where he 
seived the interests of his churcli faithfully and 
with satisfaction to all. Ills record as a liusiness 
man and member of society is ecpiall}' worthy of 
imitation. 

Edwin Sale was boin in Xenia, ( ireene C'o., Ohio, 
May 2-2, 1817, and is the son of Capt. F. B. Sale, 
a resident of Condit Township. The latter was also 
born in thtit county and State, June D, 1822. The 
grandfather of our subject, John Sale, was the son 
of Anthony Sale, and was a native of N'irginia. and 
a preacher in the Methodist Church. He removed 
to Ohio in early life, and took an active part in 
spreading the (lospel truths, and in the organiza- 
tion of Methodist societies in the pioneer dax's of 
the Buckeye State. He linally located near Picka- 
way, in Miami County, where he was Presiding El- 
der, and where his death occurred Jan. !), 1 827. In 
earl3' manhood he was united in marriage with Miss 
Nancy Bonner, who died in Greene County, Ohio, 
Feb. 5, 18G5. Her father was Frederick Bonner, 
also born in Virginia, whence ho emigratefl to Ohio 
in 1802. He also was a devoted Methodist, and in- 
duced many of his brethen to emigrate to the new 
country. He became the proprietor of about 
2,000 acres of land in the Military Tract, and 
greatly assisted in the development of the country. 
There also he reared a family. His death took place 
on the homestead which lie had established, and 
where he spent so many j'ears enjoying the resi)ect 
and association of the best residents of that section- 

Capt. F. B. Sale, the father of our subject, pur- 
sued his early studies in the pioneer schools, and 
assisted in the labors of the homestead until 1853, 
when he decided to seek his fortunes in the West. 
During the progress of the late war, he, in 18G2, 
enlisted in the 125th Illinois Infantry, under the 
comiuand of Col. Harmon. He was mustered in at 
Danville, on the 3d of Sei)tember, and determined 
to follow the fortnnes of his comrades until the 
preservation of the Union was secured. He was a 
brave and resolute soldier, and in due time was 
elected Captain of his c()UH)auy, which he com- 
manded with ability, and was the favorite alike of 
his superior ollicers as well as the soldiers under 
him. The long marches, with the hardships and 
privations incident to a soldier's life, undermined 



-^»- 



i 



4 



t 



,t 



V 564 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



I 



his health, and although greatly regretting the ne- 
cessity, he was C(jnii)elled to resign. He did what 
he could, however, to save his country at home, 
encouraging and sustaining the Union spirit, and 
obtaining recruits for the service. 

The marriage of Capt. F. B. Sale tool< phice in 
Greene County, Ohio, in 1844, the maiden of his 
choice being Miss Maria Cramer, a native of the 
same county, and the daughter of Solomon and Ket- 
ticli Cramer, and they became the parents of eight 
children, namely: Willis George, a resident of 
Indianapolis; Edwin C, of our sketch; Ciiarles E., 
now living in East Bend; John A., of liantoul; 
8. B.,a merchant of Fisher; Frank C, a resident of 
Huron, Dak. ; .lames P. and Fannie. 

The subject of this biography was a lad of seven 
years old when lie came to this county vvitli his par- 
ents. His early studies were conducted in the dis- 
trict schools and at Urbana, after which he .at- 
tended a term of college at the seminar3' in Onarga. 
When twenty years of age he commenced teaching, 
which he followed during the winter seasons ten 
successive terms, and during the summer engaged in 
farming. The first year after his marriage lie rented 
land in Newet)nib T<iwnshii5, and the 3'ear following 
in Ilensley. In 1871 lie purciiased eighty acres of 
wild prairie on section 20, of East Bend Township, 
entering at once upon its improvement and cnlti- 
v.ation. He occupied this until the fall of 1877, 
then decided to abandon farming. Taking u[) his 
abode in Ucwey he eng.agert in the grain business, 
and for five years operated for Mr. Hall, of Paxton. 
For the last four years he has been associated with 
Mr. Ricketts, of Fisher. He has operated as a lum- 
ber ilcalcr for the past four years, and built up a 
good trade in coal and agricultural im|)!onicnls. As a 
business man and citizen, he is jn'ompl and reliable, 
and in all respects a worthy representative of tiie 
business community. 

The marriage of Edwin C. Sale and Miss Mary 
Ferris took place in January, 180!), at the home of 
the bride's parents in Condit Township. Mrs. Sale 
was born in Franklin County, Ohio, Nov. H), 1847, 
and is the daughter of John M.and Lucretia (Case) 
Ferris. Their five children are Minnie, Leslie, 
Walter, Eva and Russell. Our subject, iiolitically, 
is a decided Republican, and with his wife has been 
4*— 



connected with the Methodist Episcoi)al Church 
since 1870. He was elected Supervisor in the spring 
of 1876, and has served as such seven years in suc- 
ceission, and as School Trustee eight terms. He 
takes a genuine interest in tlie intellectual and 
moral growth of his community, and has been the 
encourager of every enterprise tending to its ad- 
vancement. 



■♦K.Cfi'©^-" 



-»<-®f®<OT^»»v 




']L^. ENRY WILLEY RENNER. In perusing a 
biography, whether in book form to be 
handed down to future generations, or in 
!^ the newspaper, which is usually thrown 
away and forgotten, the natural question of the 
mind of the reader concerning the subject treated 
of, is as to where he drew his origin, and what were 
tiie characteristics of his family. Especially is this 
the case when the person we read of is prominent 
in business and social circles, and when by his 
marked traits of character he has distinguished him- 
self as possessing more than ordinary ability as a 
financier and a citizen. Of this latter class our sub- 
ject may be included .as a member wurthy of ad- 
miration and resi)cct. We at once turn back to the 
few pages whereon has been briefly traced the 
record of his fathers before him, which, as near .as 
we can learn, is as follows: The parents of <>ur sub- 
ject, Henrj' and Mary M. (Willey) Rennor, wore 
natives respectively of Frederick and Shenandoah 
Counties. Va., the former born May (i, 171)0, and 
the latter, June 29, 1800. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject, Isaac 
Renner, was of stanch old Pcnusylvania stock, and 
his grandfather on his mother's side, whose name 
was Ilelzi'l, was a Huguenot. The maternal grand- 
father of our subject, Willey, came to America from 
Swit/.erl;uid as a niissionarv of the German Re- 
formed Presliyterian Church. He possessed in a 
markeil ilegrc the stern and resolute c'haracter of 
that people, who endured with cheerful couriige the 
loss of home, friends and country for the sake of 
their religiiiu. 'i'lie parents of our subject weiv 
married April 18, 1820, and located on a farm in 
Frederick County, Va., where they remained until 



!^r#^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



565 



t 



1840. That j'car thc_y feni()ve<I to Woodstock, the 
county seat of Shenandoah Cuiinty, \'a., where they 
resided twelve years, and thence removed to Ohio, 
taking u[) their abode in Licking' County. In ISOO 
thej' dis[)0scd vf their farm projjert}' in tluit sec- 
tion, and coming to Illinois located in UantonI, 
this county, where the mother de|)arted this life 
Dec. 20, 1870. Mrs. Renner was frail in body 
but strong in mind and character, and possessed of 
all womanl}' and Christian virtues. Slie looked 
well to the ways of her household, and trained her 
children in those principles which have made them 
noble in their minds and character, with the steady 
purpose in view to emulate her and her beautiful 
and upright life. Her name is held by them in ten- 
der remembrance, as being one of those spoken of 
in the Scriptures whose children "rise up and call 
her blessed." Henr3' Renner survived his beloved 
partner for a period of twelve years, and then 
joined her in the land of the hereafter, his death tak- 
ing place Jan. 21, 1882, when he was nearly eighty- 
six 3'ears old. 

Ilenrj' Willey Renner w.as born fifty miles south 
of Harper's Ferry, in Shenandoah County, Va., 
March .'J, 1830. He remained with his parents dur- 
ing his boyhood and yoiith, and after his marriage, 
in 1857, came from Ohio to this State. He was 
married in Licking County, Ohio, to Miss Phebe 
A., daughter of Hon. E. O. Williams. The bride 
and groom soon afterward packed their effects into 
a wagon and started westward. After a drive of 
two weeks they arrived upon the present site of 
Newconib, now in Condit Township, (^n the 25th 
of May, 1857, when our subject purchased a tract 
of land on section 4. They set up housekee|)ing in 
the one building located upon this land, and occu- 
pied the property for eight years afterward. In 
1 805 Mr. Renner purchased the present homestead, 
in Rantonl Township, where his family yet reside. 
Mrs. Renner wjis the eldest child of her father's fam- 
ily and became motlierlcss when a 3'oung girl thir- 
teen years old. Iler childliood pleasures were lim- 
ited by cares which naturally devolve upon older 
persons, and she filled a mother's place to her 
j-ounger brothers and sisters. She was thoughtful 
and serious beyond her years, and at .an early pe- 
riod in life gave evidence of the spirit of piet}' 



which afterward intluenced her. She became a 
member of the Presbyterian Church while in Jersey 
Township, Ohio, and continued an active worker 
in the cause of Christ since th.at time. A large 
share of ]wr time was given to the Sundaj-school, 
and she hiid llie peculiar and happy faculty of inter- 
esting the young in religious subjects. 

To Mr. Renner and his first wife there 
were born five children, namely: Enos Henrj- : 
Anmi Lucinda, wife of William A. Rusk; .S^dvester 
Wille3-, Mary C. and Lil)l)y S. The sons are now 
dealers in coal and agricultural implements, and op- 
erate a livery stable in Champaign. The mother of 
these ciiildren departed this life at the home of her 
husband in Rantoul Township, Nov. 20, 1873. 

Tiie mother of Mrs. Phebe A. Renner, who be- 
fore her marriage was Miss Emeline Smith, vvas 
born in AVaterford, lirie Co., Pa., May 1. isill. 
Her parents, William and Elizabetli Smith, were 
natives of tlie North of Ireland, and emigrating to 
America before their marriage located in Erie 
Count}', where they afterward became acquainted, 
and where their hands and fortunes were united. 
After marriage they located in another part of Erie 
County, where they spent the remainder of their 
lives, the grandmother living to the advanced age 
of ninety-nine j'e.irs. 

The second wife of our subject, to wliom he was 
m.arried Sept. 28, 1876, was Miss Juli:i, eldest 
daughter of James D; Smith, Esq., of Waj'iie, Pa. 
Mrs. Julia Renner was born Dec. 7, 1840. and com- 
menced her education by .attendance at the common 
schools in her native town. Later she entered the 
High School at Waterford, and finally graduating, 
studied and taught thereafter until 1803. Heing 
desirous of still further .adding to her store of 
knowledge, she entered upon a course of study in 
Western Female Seminary, at Oxford, Ohio, from 
which she graduated in 1.S05. She then commenced 
t(!aching in the Seminary, and pursued a profession 
both pleasant and profitable to her until admon- 
islied l)y failing liealth that she must abandon it. 
Slie then returned to her parents in Pennsylvania, 
where she rcmaineil for a time, teaching in Erie and 
Crawford Counties until her marriage with our sub- 
ject. The one child of this union, Charles Ashle}', 
born Oct. 4, 1881, died on the 5th of April, 1882. 



t- 



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1 



i 



4 



566 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



James D. Smith, the father of Mrs. Julia 
Reiiner, was born in Erie Count}', Pa., Sept. 
21), 1S17, .an<] w.a.s the son of Samuel Sniitli, who 
tr.aced his ancestry directlj' to Scotland, whence 
they removed to the North of Irclancl. Directly 
after the marriage of Samuel Smith he emigrated to 
America and settled in U'ayne Township, Erie Co., 
Pa., at an early period in the iiistory of that sec- 
tii)n. He purchased a tract of timber land, cleared 
a farm from the wilderness, and resided there until 
going the way of .nil the earth. His s<jn, tlie fa- 
ther of Mrs. Henuer, has spent his life so far in his 
native townsliip, and is prosperous as a business 
man, besides being greatly respected as a citizen. 
His property, consisting of a fine farm thirty-one 
miles southeast of the cit}' of Erie, and seven miles 
northvvest of Corry, includes a valuable mill. 

Mr. Reiuier, when but a youth, became a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church in Woodstock, and 
assisted in conducting the Sunday-school, remain- 
ing a zealous worker there. He was one of the orig- 
inal members of the Jersey Presbyterian Church 
in Condit Township, holding the positions of 
Trustee, Secretar}' and Ruling Elder. In the First 
Congregational Church of Rantoul he was Trustee, 
Secretary and Senior Deacon, and a member of the 
Onici.nl Board, also of the committee on Chnrcth 
E.xtension and Church Records, "and District Stew- 
ard in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Rantoul. 
He is also a life memljer of the County liible So- 
ciety, and became I'rosident of the Rantoul Sunday- 
School Association in 1.SU7, which position he still 
holds. In 1,S72 he w.as elected a member of the 
County Sunday-School Executive Committee, of 
which he was President four years later. 

Until 187.'5, in wliich year the Grange movement 
began in the agricultural districts, Mr. Renner had 
voted tiie Democratic ticket. During tlie time of 
tlie agit.'ition mentioned, however, he considered 
liiniself justilied in clianging his views, and since 
tlien identilied hiuisclf with the Greenback party, 
.and until the Prohibition movement originated, 
when he w.as elected President of tlie Proliibition 
C'liili at Hnulonl, ;ind at the last election was a can- 
did.ite for County .liidge on that ticket. In addi- 
tion to the multiplicity of other [lublic duties 
which his townsmen li.ave called on iiim to per- 



] form, he has served as Township Trustee, Commis- 
j sioner of Highways, Assessor and Justice of the 
' Peace. In 18C2 he w.as elected a member of the 
Board of .Supervisors from Condit Township. 

Mr. Renner was trained by excellent parents to 
habits of industry, and when setting out in life 
learned the blacksmith's trade in Woodstock, under 
his father, and being a natural mechanic, this further 
acquaintance with the use of tools h.as proved of 
great value, and" the saving of hundreds of dollars 
oo the farm. Ills energy is proverbial, and he lias 
an honest contempt for people who consider tliem- 
selves too nice to be of any practical use in the 
World. He began teaching at the age of twenty- 
one, in Virginia, taught one year there, five years 
I in Ohio, and one year in Illinois. He has taken a 
I genuine delight in conducting the operations of the 
! farm, being fond of domestic animals, and has sur- 
rounded himself with herds of tine cattle, besides 
having stables tenanted by thoroughbred horses; 
! among these latter is a Norman st.allion imported 
from France, a creature of magnificent proportions 
and of great value. His herd of cattle includes 
three fidl-blooded Short-horns. He al.so breeds the 
Pohmd-China hogs anil full-blooded Brahma poul- 
try. 



^p^ILBERT L. T 

II (— -, seutative of t 
^^^ paigu Count 



GILBERT L. TAYLOR is an honored repre- 
tlie pioneer farmers of Cham- 
ity, and one of the self-made 
men of Illinois. He was Ijorn Sept. 28, 1841, in 
this count}', and just south vf tlic town of Ma- 
homet. His parents were AVilliam and Harriet 
(Leland) Tayloi'. The father w.as a native of 
Scotland, and on coming to America he first made 
his way to Ohio and thence to Illinois, settling in 
Cham[)aign County, where he subsequently married 
Miss Leland. Her family were among the early 
settlers of the county. When their son (iilbert 
w.as about five years of age, his mother was taken 
from her home and family by death. 

Desirous of making a change after the death of 
his wife, Mr. Taylor sold his farm :it iM.ahomet and 
went to Tex.as, where he investe<l in a large tract 
of land with the intention of engaging extensively 



t 



f 



»» "■ ^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, 



oC7 



in stock-raising, lie was a clcar-hpadcd, energetic, 
active man, and carried on a large trade in cattle, 
selling his stock to drovers. Some liusiness affairs 
requiring his presence, he carae to Ciianipaign 
County, and while here, was stricken down h}' se- 
vere illness, and died in March, 1855, leaving his 
son Gilbert an orphan, at the age of fourteen. 
Their other children having died in infancy, (!il- 
bert was the sole survivor of the family. After 
the deatii of his father, he bravely started out tf) 
fight his way in the world. 

When the Civil War broke out, Gilbert L. Tay- 
lor enlisted in Co. I, lOtli 111. C'av.,and was sent to 
the division of the army west of the Mississippi. He 
remained in the service until the close of the war, 
having |)assed through its dangers and vieifesitudes 
without being wounded, and in 1865 was mustered 
out at Springfield, 111. After having been honor- 
ably discharged he returned to Champaign County, 
and engaged in cultiTating a rented farm, at which 
business he continued for a i)eriod of fifteen years, 
when, having acquired some capital, ho purchased 
his present property, located on section 28, which 
contains 400 acres of valuable land, and is known 
as the George Burton Farm. He has been very 
successful in conducting this farm, and has given 
special attention to stock-raising. 

On the !)th of December, 1866, Mr. Taylor was 
raarrie<l to Miss Frances Adkins, daughter of John 
and Eliza Adkins, of Champaign Count3', where 
she was born and reared. 'I'liey have had seven 
children, six of whom are living. Mr. Ta^ior and 
his wife are both members of tlic Methodist Church, 
of which he is also one of the Trustees. He is a 
Republican in politics, and socially belongs to the 
I. O. O. F., holding fellowship with Lodge No. 3;i3, 
of Ciianipaign. 



.5^:|;^?» 



riei 



EDGAR G. CONKLING, Postmaster of Spy- 
niour, also conducts a store of general 
merchandise, and occupies a prominent 
place in the affairs of his town, both in social and 
financial circles. He is anative of Hudson, McLean 
Co., III., born Nov. 16, 1854, and the son of Dr. 
Henry and Kliza Conkling, the former a native 



of New Jersey, and the latter of Ohio. Mrs. C. be- 
fore her marriage to the father of our subject was 
the widow of L. A. Sampson. The parental 
family included five children — Ileiny ()., Kd- 
gar G. of our sketch, Frank W., William A. and 
Belinda C. 

The subject of this history spent his childli 1 

and j'outh in his native village, pursuing his stud- 
ies in the common schools, and afterward attended 
Wesleyan University at Bloomington. When his 
school da^'s were over he learned to operate the 
telegraph .and obtained a position with the I. B. & 
W. R. R. Co., at Ilallsville, in Do Witt County, 
where he was employed several months. He came 
to Seymour in June, 1 876, .and entered the employ 
of the I. P.. & W. R. R. Co., as operator and agent, 
in which position he continued for four or five 
years, when he embiirked in mercantile business 
which he has since followed. He carries a complete 
stock of general merchandise and h.as built up a 
good patronage. He was appointed Postmaster 
during the .administration of President Arthur and 
h.as held the olHce since that time. 

Mr. Conkling was married in Scott Township, 
this countj', Oct. 17, 1878, to Miss O. .1. Koogler,- 
who is a native of this township, born Oct. :J(), 1859. 
Her parents were .Samuel and Lucy A. Koogler, of 
whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. 
Mr. .and Mrs. C. have two children — Frank .and 
Helen. Our subject is a member in good standing 
of the Presbj'terian Church, and politically casts 
his vote with the Republican p.artj'. 



y;ILLIS STONE, residing on his fiiu> f.uui in- 
side the village limits of Tolono, and a na- 
tive of Gibson County, Ind., was born on 
the yth of M.arch, 18;il. His father, .Samuel M. 
Stone, whose birth took place in 1810, in Lincoln 
County, Ky., w.as but a year old when his f.ather's 
family removed to Gibson County-, Ind., where lie 
was reared to manhood. The grandparents of our 
subject were Thom.as and Dorcas .Stone. The father 
of our subject departed this life upon the home- 
stead wliicli he had established in (iibson County, 
at the age of seventj'-two years. The mother is 



■i 



-U. 



568 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4: 



still living, and is now seventy-four years old. 

After arriving at years of manhood Samuel M. 
Stone w.as ni.arricd to Miss Lucy W. Maddox, and 
they became the parents of twelve children, all liv- 
ing in Clibson Count\', with the exception of New- 
ton, Willis, of our sketch, and Thomas. The latter 
is a resident of this county. Sept. 2(1, 1882, the 
parents with their twelve children were photo- 
graplied in one group, and make a picture which 
will be preserved l)y tlieir descendants probably for 
generations to come. Of this family, Willis, of our 
sketch, is the oldest. The others are Mary J., 
the wife of .Tames Crow; Margaret, who married 
Rev. William Clark; Henry; Nancy, Mrs. .James 
Spore ; Thomas; Ellon, Mrs. James Burke; Eliza- 
beth, the wife of .lames Pruitt; Newton ; Martha, 
Mrs. William Gordon; Dorcas, Mrs. Thomas Spore, 
and George C. Newton resides in Southern Illi- 
nois, and Henry in Posey County, Ind. 

Willis Stone spent his childhood and youth on 
his fatlier's farm and juirsiied his studies in the 
common schools. After reaching manhood, in 1852, 
he came to Illinois and purchased a tract of land 
in Menard County, which he cultivated until 18(;5. 
During that year he became a resident of Cham- 
paign County, and purchased eighty-one acres of 
land which now lies within the village limits of 
Tolono. He has proved himself a valuable addi- 
tion to his community and enjoys the confidence of 
his fellow-citizens. He has been entrusted with 
various oflices in the township, serving as Assessor 
one term and Town Trustee for a i)eriod of nine 
years. He has always been greatly interested in 
the estalilisiimeut and maintenance of schools and 
taken jiicasurc in noting the advancement morally 
and intellectually of his county and township. Al- 
though a supporter- of Democratic jirinciples, in 
casting his vote he does not confine luinself to party 
candidates l>ut aims to assist in ])laciugin office the 
men best (pialHi<Ml to serve the interests of the 
community. Tiic temperance movement h.as in 
liiin a lirm advocate and friend, and in religious 
matters he leans to liie doctrines of the Baptist de- 
nomination. 

During his resulence in Menard County Mr. 
Stone became ac(piaiiited wilii his future wife. Miss 
■i r Margaret Baker, a nlilive of Scott County, Ind., to 



whom he was married in 1854, .at tlie residence of 
her parents in Meuard County. Mrs. Stone is the 
daughter of John and Martha (Estill) Baker, and 
was born Sept. 30, 1831. Her |)arents were natives 
of Kentuek3' and removed from the Blue (irass 
regions to Menard County, 111., in the i)ioneer days. 
There they spent the remainder of tlieir lives and 
closed their eyes finally upon the scenes of earth. 
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Stone resulted in the 
birth of five children — John B. ; Eva, the wife of 
Charles D. [Merrj'; M.ary; Luc.y, Mrs. John Pettit; 
Anna and Edith. Thefarail3' residence is pleasantly 
located in the vill.age of Tolono, and its inmates 
enjoj' the society of the best people in that locality. 

W>ILLIAM R. HAVARD, a worthy represent- 
ative of the farming interests of Homer 
^ ^ 'i'ownsiiip, cultivates 170 acres of land on 
section 32, which is finely' stocked with graded 
Short-horn cattle, Norman and Cl3'de horses, and 
large numbers of Poland-China hogs. He has a 
fine farm residence which, with the substantial barn 
and adjacent out-buildings, is located on a gentle 
rise of ground, and forms a handsome picture with 
its background of grain fields and pasture lands. 

The birth of our subject took place on the other 
side of the Atlantic, in the southern part of Wales, 
March 25, 1829. At an earlj' .age he left his fa- 
ther's farm, and for three years was employed in a 
coal office not far aw.ay. He subsequently, how- 
ever, returned to the homestead, and in 185() set 
sail for America. In the meantime he had been 
married, and w.as accompanied to the New World 
bj' his wife. Upon landing in New York he had 
but $100 in cash, and proceeding directly west- 
ward located on a tract of land in Vermilion Coun- 
ty, 111. His industry soon gained him the respect 
of his neighbors, and in due time he found himself 
on the road to prosperity, and was enabled to be- 
come the possessor of re.al estate, his first i)urchase 
consisting of eighty acres on section 32, Homer 
Townshii). He has steadilj' advanced financially 
and in the esteem of his fellow-citizens, becoming 
prominently identified with local affairs. He held 
the office of Township Commissioner for six years, 



r 



t 




M 



















RE5IDENCE0F A . G . P O RT E R F I E L D , S E C . 9 , R AYM ON D TP, 




RESIDENCE OF WM. WHITE ,5EC. 31 ,5T. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP. 




ffi 



RESIDENCE OF AQUILLA PALMER, 5EC1 



1. . W;), HOMER TP 



5H 



-4* 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-^-mr^ 



571 



t 



ami has been School Director several terms. Both 
he and Mrs. H. are members of the Christian 
Church, with which they became connected in 
1863. 

After becoming a naturalized citizen Mr. lla- 
vard identified himself with the Republican party, 
of which he has remained a loyal adherent since 
that time. Mrs. Ilavard, formerly Miss Rachel 
Jones, was born in Monmouthshire, Wales, July 
27, 1 .S28. She is the daughter of Seth Jones, who 
spent his entire life in his native Wales. The 
mother died of heart disease many years ago, leav- 
ing live children, viz., Mary, John, Rachel, Sarah 
and Seth. Plnos died in Vermilion County raanj^ 
years ago. Jliss Jones became the wife of our 
subject April 27, 1856, their marriage taking place 
in Monmouthshire, Wales. The union of Mr and 
Mrs. Ilavard resulted in the birth of eight children, 
namely, John, who died at Pike's Peak in 1881 : 
Sarah A., the wife of M. F. Colwell; Seth, deceased; 
Mary, Elon, Albert, Jennie and Oliver. 

eL. KUDER was born Feb. :?, 18(;i, in Kerr 
Township, this county, in the house where 
his fatiier still resides. He was the eighth 
in order of birth in a family of nine children. (See 
sketch of Lewis Kuder.) Our subject remained at 
home acquiring all the experience and advantages 
for education which the country schools afforded, 
until the age of twenty-two. 

March 8, 1883, Mr. Kuder married Miss Julia 
J. Ilagernian, tlio daughter of Samuel and Saraii S. 
(Maloney) Hagerman. She was tlie fourth in a 
family of eight children. Her father was a native of 
Pennsylvania, and the son of Samuel Hagerman, Sr. 
Her mother was a native of Ohio, the daughter of 
Wliiting and Sarah Mahjney. Mrs. Kuder was 
born Feb. 22, 1 801, in Logan County, 111. Her 
fatiicr had removed to Illinois at a very early day 
and settled in Tazewell Count}', where he lived un- 
til his marriage, when he removed to Logan Coun- 
ty. He now resides in St. John, Stafford Co., Kan. 
Mr. Kuder is the owner of 120 acres of im- 
proved land (Ml section 32, Kerr Township, where 
he is extensivelj- engaged in fanning and stock- 



raising. He gives s|>ecial attention to graded cat- 
tle and Chester-White hogs. Mr. Kuder and wife 
arc the parents of two children — Maude R. and 
Lulu Pearl. He is a Republican, and has been 
Town Clerk for three years, but his own business 
affairs occupy his attention so exclusively that he 
has not taken an active interest in politics. 



ii 



^- 




^i^ W. MATHEWS. The journalistic pro- 
fession is of such a peculiar nature, so 
complicated in its literary and business 
channels, and withal one of the most diffi- 
cult in which to acquire success, that but few attain 
any eminence in it. Our State has developed 
some, however, wht) have acquired distinction in 
this line, and prominent among the number is M. 
W. Matliews, editor and proprietor of the Cham- 
paiyn County Herald. He came to Mrbana in 1867 
and for years took a prominent position in the 
legal, political and business circles of the county. 
In 1879 he purchased the Herald, which had onlj' 
been called into existence two years previously. 
He had won distinction at the bar and on the stump 
and consequently much was expected of him in his 
new role as a journalist. His career has justified 
the expectations of his friends, for it has been a 
distinguished one, proving him to be a forcible 
and able writer and a business manager of rare 
ability. 

Mr. Mathews was born in Clark County, 111., 
March 1, 1840, and is the sou of John R. and Mary 
(McNeil) Mathews, natives of Coshocton County, 
Ohio. John R. Matliews was l)orn in 1820, and 
was the son of Alexander and Prudence (Laugliliii) 
Mathews, who were descended from excellent Irish 
ancestry. He was reared to farming pursuits and 
served an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade, 
which lie followed in this State until 1852. He tlien 
look a trip across the |)lains to California, and re- 
mained two 3'ears enqiloyed in mining and black- 
smithing. In the meantime, on the 12th of August, 
IS."")!, the wife and mother died. Five years later 
the father of our subject removed to Wayne Coun- 
ty, Ind., where he followed bl.icksmithing until 



I 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



ing assumed alarming proportions, lie responded to 
tlie call for volunteers and enlisted as a private in 
Co. F, SGtli Ind. Vol. Inf. He was only permitted 
to serve one year, however, being discharged on 
account of disability. Upon returning home he 
received a commission from Gov. Jlorton as re- 
cruiting officer, but we soon find him again going 
to the front. This time he enlisted in an Indiana 
battery with which he went to Harper's Ferry. Here 
he was discharged a second time on account of ill- 
health. He returned to Indiana, remaining a resi- 
dent there until 1864, when he came to this county 
and located up(jn a faim, engaging in agricultural 
pursuits, which he prosecuted until his death, wliieh 
occuired Oct. l;3, 1H84. The parental family in- 
cluded four children, one of whom is now de- 
ceased. Samuel A., the eldest, remained upon the 
farm until 1801. and at the age of seventeen years 
enlisted as a soldier in the otith Indiana Infantry. 
He was promoted for bravery at the battle of Stone 
River. He died July 9, 1803, in the Field Hospital, 
in Tennessee, of disease contracted during his serv- 
ice. M. W. of our sketch was the second son; Will- 
iam E., a stationary engineer, is a resident of Knt- 
tawa, Kj'. ; Louise H., Mrs. J. S. Little, is in Hills- 
boro County, Fla. 

The subject of this biography remained on the 
until 1800, and during the years following, 
when the eouutry was in the throes of Civil War, 
he worked on a farm and attended school alter- 
nately. He completed his studies under the tutor- 
ship of Prof, .luhn C(x>per at the Dublin Academy. 
In tliis institution lie afterward became assistant 
teachei'. Tiie day following the assassination of 
President Lincoln young Mathews started for Illi- 
nois, and taking up his al)ode in Philo, this ccjunt}', 
commenced leaching near what was known as Yan- 
kee Ridge. While teaching lie had improved his 
leisure moments in the study of law, and two years 
later, when he came to Urbana, he gave to it his 
more serious attention under the instruction of G. 
W. (Jeie, and was a<lmittcd to practice in August, 
1867. Shortly afterward he became the partner of 
Mr. Gere, and they operated together for two 
years, after which .Mr. Mathews continued alone. 
In IHl'.i he was appointed .Master in C'hanceiy, 
which [Hjsition lie held for nine years, when he re- 



signed. He was elected .States Attorney in 1 876, 
and served with abilitj' for eight ye.ars. Since be- 
coming a resident of this county he has been 
closely identified with its business interests. He is 
a stockholder and Director in the First Nation.al 
Bank of Urbana, and owns the Herald Block, in 
which the bank and post-office are located. The es- 
tablishment of the Loan and Building Association 
was largely due to his enterprise and encoiir.agemeiit, 
and he is now its President. Politically Mr. Mathews 
affiliates with the Republican party, the principles 
of which he most sincerely and honestly upholds. 
Soci.all}^ he is a member of the I. O. O. F. and of 
the Independent Order of Mutual Aid, of Illinois. 

The marriage of M. W. Mathews and Miss Julia 
Foote took place in 1809 at the residence of the 
bride's parents in LTrbana. Mrs. M. is a native of 
Ohio, and the daughter of William J. and Lucy M. 
(Alcott) Foote. Of this union there have been 
born two children — Mae and Clyde. The residence 
of our subject is pleas.antly located on Elm street, 
and Mr. Mathews and liis family enjoy the friend- 
ship and confidence of the best people of this lo- 
cality. 

We take pleasure in presenting the ])ortrait of 
Milton W. Mathews in this volume, as not only one . 
of the representative citizens of the county, but as 
that of a leading and prominent journalist of the 
State. 




OBERT JOHNSTON, of the firm of Johnston 
& Karr, dealers in grain and stock, and lo- 
;'ii \\\ cated at Seymour, 111., is a native of Ireland, 
whence he emigrated with his parents to 
the United States when a boy. They first located 
in Canada, where they remained five years .and be- 
came residents of Champaign County in about 
1859. Mr. J. is tlie son of George and Esther 
(Ervin) Johnston, natives of Ireland, where the 
father died. The mother afterward emignited to 
America with her family, and departed this life 
four miles north of Seymour, this county, in about 
the year 1863. 

Our subject, during his earlier years worked on 
a farm in this coiinty, and in about 1871 settled 
ill what Is now the village of Sevmonr, wIumo he 



T= 



i 



4 



<^ 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



573 



t 



has since lived. Later lie engaged in tlie grain 
and stofic business, and in .Inl}', 1882, formed a 
partnership with James Karr, with whnm he h.as 
since conducted business profitably, and witli a 
steadily increasing trade. They handle most of 
the grain which is brought to the market in Sey- 
mour. Mr. J. owns eiglity acres of improved land, 
besides his village property. 

Mr. .Tohnston was married, in Mahomet, 111., to 
Miss Rachel A. Hume, who was born in Shelby Coun- 
ty, Ohio, Feb. 28, 1858. She is the daughter of 
John and Martha (Reed) Hume, the former of whom 
died in Juniata, Neb., while there on business. The 
mother still survives, and is a resident of Jlahomet. 
There were seven children in the household, Mrs. 
J. being the fourth in order of birth. Her parents 
removed to Mahomet when she was quite young, 
where she was reared and educated. Mr. and Mrs. 
J. have five children — Nina, Maude, Jessie, Win- 
nie and Robert H. Our subject was Postmaster at 
Seymour for sevei-al years. Politically he is a Re- 
publican, and religiously a member in good stand- 
ing of the Methodist Church. 



'j=^RANCIS M. YOUNG, of Scott Township, 
|>=^gj owns and occupies a good homestead on 
^ section 28. This comprises 240 acres of 
improved land, with a substantial set of frame 
buildings. Our subject came to this vicinity in 
tiie winter of 1867, and soon afterward located in 
.Scott Townsiiip, of which he has been a resident 
for nearly twenty' years. He is a native of Davis 
County, Iiid., born Jan. 28, 1840, and the eighth 
child of Larkin and Elizabeth (Ilaun)* Young. 
LarkiTi Young was born in Tennessee, and his wife, 
Kli/.abeth, in Kentucky. After their marriage 
they located on Kane Creek, at the he.id of the 
IJlue Grass region, where they remained several 
years, tlien removed to Davis County, an<l after- 
ward to Greene County, Ind., where tlie father 
died. Mrs. Young departed this life in Henderson 
Count}', 111. The family circle included eleven 
children, six sons and five daugliters. 

The subject of our sketch remained on tiic farm 
with his parents until twenty years of age. He then 
•4* 



¥ 



took a trip to the North western Territory, Wash- 
ington, Idaho and Oregon, and in the latter State 
was eng.aged in mining, farming and freighting. 
He staid in that region six years, and then returning 
to Illinois located in Henderson County, whence 
he removed soon afterward to this county, where 
he has since lived. 

The marriage of Francis M. Young and Miss 
Sarah A. Perkins, of Indiana, took place in Davis 
County, that State, on the 3d of November, 1870. 
Of this union there were born seven children — 
Eugene, Theodore, Norah E., Etta, Jesse R., Delia 
A. and Grover C. Mr. Y^oung is independent in 
politics, and has served in his township as School 
Director and Road Commissioner. 

ILLIAM HAWKER, a prosperous farmer 
of Urbana Township, was born near Daj'- 
ton, Greene Co., Ohio, Jan. 12, 1837. His 
parents were David and Sarah (Odafifer) H.awker, 
one a native of Pennsylvania and the other of 
Maryland. In 1820 they removed to Ohio, which 
was at that time considered the far West, where 
they settled in Greene County, and engaged ex- 
tensively' in farming, cultivating about 500 acres. 
His father died there in 1865, and his mother, who 
survived him for some time, died in her eighty- 
third year. She had a family of nine children, 
three boys and six girls. The record is as follows: 
Catherine married . Abram Darst, and is now de- 
ceased; J(jhn T. lives in Ohio; Mary A. married 
Jonas Lesher, a resident of Ohio; Elizabetli mar- 
ried Abram Darst, husband of Catherine ; Sarah J. 
married E. Burrows; William is our subject; David 
is a resident of Dayton, Ohio; Martha married 
Clay Kyler, and they live in Dayton ; Harriet mar- 
ried J. F. Levy, and they live in Urbana. 

William Hawker, in his early bojdiood, attended 
the district school, but later had the advantage of 
pursuing his limited education in the graded 
schools. He remained with his parents until he 
had attained to manhood, when, in 1 867, he came 
West and located on section 28, Urb.ana Township, 
purch.'isiu'g 210 acres of land, wiiich lie cultivated 
and imi)roved until 1878, when he sold off 160 



^ 



-' 574 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



acres, reserving eiglit3' acres for Iiis own farm resi- 
dence, where lie is engaged in stocii-raising, giving 
his attention chiefly to the best Ijreed of liogs. 

On Dec. 24, 1868, 5Ir. Hawker was married to 
Miss Martha Allen, daughter of Stephen and Eliza- 
beth Allen. Her mother's name before marriage 
■was Jackson, and her famil3' were formerly from 
Kentucky, where her f.ather died in 18oG. After 
his death her family moved to Champaign CountJ^ 

Mr. and Mrs. Hawker have a family of six chil- 
dren — Charles T., David W.. Franklin A., Stejihen 
A., Lillie Pearl and Otho W. Mr. Hawker is in- 
terested in the public affairs of the countj', and has 
held the office of School Director for several j^ears. 
Himself, his wife and four of their children are 
members of the First Baptist Church, in wliicli so- 
ciety they are regarded with much esteem. Politi- 
cal Iv Mr. Ilawker is a Jefifersonian Democr.at. 



■'^^W '/N^fij^^/®^^^ 



l->i/^^)/i7?nrr^-\/yn^ 



.^ 



/^l\ ^'''' <^'-^^-'^NDRA MARRIOTT, who has 
I \l\ been a resident of Somer Township since 
I IS 18.56, was born in Anne Arundel County, 
^ Md., June 17, 1820, and is the daughter 

of Joseph and Keturah Sim. She removed with her 
parents to Knox County, Ohio, and was there mar- 
ried to Richard Marriott. Feb. 4, 1840. Mr. M. 
was born Aug. 6, 1818, in Baltimore Count}-, Md., 
whence his father emigrated to Ohio and settled in 
Knox Count}' in 18;51. the same year in ivhich the 
parents of his wife located there. Richard Marri- 
ott wa-s a farmer by occupation, and after his mar- 
ri.age with our subject removed to Illiuf)is and pur- 
chased the farm which is now owned by Iconic 
Birely, and on which lie erected a brick residence, 
one of the first in Champaign County. Here Mrs. 
M. and her husband made their home until his 
death, which occurred in February, 1870. After 
the <leath of her husband .Mrs. M. removed to Ur- 
bana and lived with a daughter until the death of 
the latter. Since that time she has lived with her 
son-in-law, C. C. Wilson, in Somer Township. 

Mr. and Mrs. Marriott became the parents of six 
children, three boys and three girls, of whom the 
record is as follows: Cordelia became the wife of 



L. R. Birely ; Franklin married Miss Lydia Yearsly ; 
Marj' is the wife of Cassius C. Wilson, and lives in 
Champaign County ; Oscar 1'. married Miss Retta 
Hill; Joseph died when twenty-four years of age; 
Jessie E. became the wife of Homer Prather, and 
died in 1 883, leaving two children, a son and daugh- 
ter — Benjamin Paul and Carolina Maude. 

Mr. Marriott in early days wjis a Whig, politi- 
cally, but upon the abandonment of the old party 
became a stanch Republican. Mrs. M. is a consist- 
ent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and now, although sixty-seven years of .age, is a 
strong, healthy and happy old lady, beloved by 
her family and neighbors, and an honor to her 
children. 



JAMES H. HUNT, of .Stant 
who spent his boj'hood on 
County, N. Y., came to 
, .^ his fortunes when a youufi 



AMES H. HUNT, of .Stanton Township, and 
on a farm in Erie 
the West to seek 
man of sixteen 
years, and in the fall of 18.57 landed in Champaign 
County. He arrived here with liigh hopes and ex- 
pectations, and probably can truthfully say th.-it he 
has been in nowise disappointed with the results of 
his venture. His early years were spent in honor- 
able labor, but he did not consider that any mis- 
fortune or disgrace. The prairies of the West, at 
the time of his coming, were waiting for just such 
industrious hands .and were ready to reward them 
with liomes and a competency whenever there was 
an effort put forth with this end in view. Young 
Hunt entered heartily into this arrangement and 
tlie result has fully e<|ualed, if not exceeded, 
his expectations. He commenced without means, 
having iTnly his strong hands and willing dispo- 
sition, and now after the lapse of thirty j'cars looks 
around him upon a comfortable homestead where 
peace and plenty reign, and with barn and cellar 
ovei'llowing with good things for man and lioast. 
His property is located on the southwest quarter of 
section 3.'5, in Stanton Township, where he h.as 
walked in and out among the people worthily for 
over a quarter of a century and enjoys in a marked 
degree their confidence and esteem. 

The family history of Mr. Hunt will be perused 
with interest b\' those who have watched his later 






t 



■«•• 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



575 



f 



career, niul we present it as follows: The great- 
grandfather of our subject, .Jonathan Hunt, was a 
native of New Jersey, born in 17GG, and died in 
.September, ISll). He married Miss Rebecca E<idy, 
who was born on Long Island, N. V., and died 
(luring the jeHi-18I8. They raised a fine family 
of children, their son Noah being the grandfather 
of our subject. He was born Oct. 2!), 1790, in 
Sussex County, N. J., and afterward removed to 
Krie County, N. Y., where his death took place on 
the 1st of December, 1869. He married Miss Sallie 
Hunt, who was born in New Jersey, July 12, 1792, 
and died at the homestead in Erie County, N. Y., 
Se[)t. 13, 1879. ten j-ears after the decease of her 
husband. The marriage of the grandparents took 
place in Byron Township, Sussex Co., N. J., May 1, 
1812. Their son Jor.athan, the father of our sub- 
ject, was born Feb. Hi, 1 81 :i, in the township where 
his parents were married. The}' left New Jersey 
when he was six j'ears of age and located in PIrie 
County, N. Y., where he I'eniained with them until 
twenty-one years of age. Upon starting out on his 
own account he first [)urcliased a tract of land near 
the homestead, which he occupied until 18.58, and 
when not actively engaged in farm work, followed 
surveying, for which he had been well fitted by a 
good education and more than ordinary natural 
abilit\". He was married in the town of Bnnit, 
Erie Co., N. Y., Jan. 29, 1837, to Miss Caroline 
West. The mother of our subject was born in 
Erie County, N. Y., Feb. 27, 1«1.'). Tiic paronlnl 
household included eight children, of whom one 
died in infancy. The others are still living. They 
are named James II., Fillmore, Augustus, Lero}', 
Carrie A., JIary L. and Alfred. 

The subject of this biography was burn Aug. 1, 
1839, in Kden, Erie Co., N. Y., where he remained 
with his father's family until eighteen 3ears of age. 
Earl}' in life he began to lav his plans for the 
future, and at this time having heard nHicli of tiie 
far West, started out, accompanied b.v a friend, to 
seek a location. They proceeded on their jonrnej' 
until reaching Toledo, Ohio, where they looked 
around considerably, but not finding anything to 
suit their fancy, pushed <jn to tlhicago. The city 
thirty years ago presented a vasti}' different appear- 
ance from that of to-day, and gave little indication 

4' 



of its future importance. They saw no reason for 
locating there and concluded to move on. Young 
Hunt happened to get hold of an Illinois Central 
time table in which was depicted in glowing terms 
the prospect held out to the enterprising emigrant 
to Champaign County, and to that point they at 
once proceeded. He first procured work, on the 
railrortd, having landed in this locality without 
means and being compelled to accept the first thing 
offei-ed. Thiee weeks later the "boss" left for parts 
unknown, -'forgetting" in his haste to pay his men. 
Young Hunt was without money, having nothing to 
even pay his board, and his ''chum" was in the 
same condition. They managed however, to secure 
enough eatables to keep soul and body together, 
and going into the country, Mr. H. worked a few 
daj's which brought in a few dollars. He was after- 
ward employed by Gardener Mott in Urbana Town- 
ship, to whom, however, he did not become very 
warmly attached, and left him to engage with a 
ncighlior. His partner in the meantime located in 
Urbana Township, and he made his home with him 
until the outbreak of the Civil War. 

The Rebellion furnished employment to hun- 
dreds of idle men, too many of whom perhaps en- 
listed with more regard for the 113 per month than 
for the preservation of the Union. This, however, 
was not the case with young Hunt, for he had laid 
his plans and had no doubt that in time he would 
succeed in building uj) a home in the West and se- 
curing a competency. These plans, however, he 
was willing to lay .aside, and with the true spirit of 
patriotism and a desire to be of service in the 
pressing confiict, enlisted in Co. A, 20th 111. Vol. 
Inf., taking his pl.ace in the ranks April 22, 18tjl. 
t)ne of his first encounters vvith the eneni}' wiis at 
Ft. Donelson, and he afterward participated in the 
siege and capture of Vicksburg, the battle of Pitts- 
burg Landing, and many other important engage- 
ments of the war. For three years following he 
experienced all the vicissitudes of a soldier's life, 
the weary marches, the "hard tack" fare, the 
harrassing skirmishes and more serious encounters 
with the rebels. After building n[) a good record 
a-s a soldier he received his honorable di.seb:uge at 
the close of his term of enlistment and was mus- 
tered out at C'hattanooga. July ICi, 18(i-l. 



t 



^ 



576 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



After becoming a civilian once more, Mr. Hunt 
returned to C'liarapaign County and farmed on a 
tract of rented land for a few years, living- eco- 
nomically and laying aside a small sum annuall.y. 
In January, 18G7, he purchased eighty acres of his 
present farm, which he improved and cultivated 
with success and some years later doubled the 
amount of his landed estate. The quarter section 
which he now possesses constitutes a fine and fertile 
farm, conveniently laid off into pasture lands and 
grain fields, supplied with good buildings and ma- 
chiner3-, and is in all respects the model homestead 
of a progressive decade. Afler the purchase of his 
first land he began to prepare for the maintenance 
of a family, putting up a frame house and adding 
other necessary buildings. On the 24th of Decem- 
ber, 1868, he was made the husband of Miss Katie 
Feely, who was the daughter of John and Anna 
Feely, of New York City, the wedding taking- 
place in St. Joseph Township. To the home thus 
established, in due time there came a family of six 
children, who were named respectively, Guy T., 
Gertie M., Tessie, S. Maude, W. Fay and Minnie 
Opal. Mrs. Hunt is a consistent member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and our subject so- 
cially belongs to .St. Joseph Post No. 129, G. A. K. 
He cast his first jiresidential vote for Abraham 
Lincoln and since tliat time has remained a decided 
Republican. 



>-v\/V «\4C££/©^^^ 



>>«/S5#5!/OT7n>v -vvrv 




AVID MEAD. The fine farm of tliis 
gentleman, located on section 29, in Homer 
Township, of late years has chiefly been 
devoted to stock-raising and the grain 
consumed by the stock. He h;w KiO acres of land, 
with handsome and conveniently arranged build- 
ings, and in his operations has evinced the skill and 
good judgment of the intelligent ;<ud progressive 
agriculturist. The birthplace of Mr. Mead was on 
Mill Creek, in Franklin County, Ohio, near wliere 
the main part of the city of Cincinnati now stands, 
and the date thereof Aug. 24, 1824. 

The parents of our subject, Nathaniel and Maria 
(Crane) Mead, were natives respectively of New 
York nnd Indiana; the former was born in fSOl 



' ^ "M^- 



and is still living. He engaged in farming pursuits 
nearly all his life and is novv a resident of Vermil- 
ion County, III. The mother, born the same 3'ear 
as her husband, died at their home in Vermilion 
County in 1802. Both parents in early life united 
with' the Methodist Episcopal Church. The house- 
hold included seven children: Sarah A., Mrs. Cod- 
dington, lives in Indiana; William, a farmer of 
Vermilion Count}', married Miss Margaret Turner; 
David, of our sketch, was the third child; George 
married Miss Tanner, and is now residing in Ver- 
milion County; James married Miss Iluldah Coffin; 
Mary J., Mrs. Cromwell, lives in Vermilion Countj-; 
Anna M. married John Bales. After the death of 
the mother of these children, Nathaniel Mead nuir- 
rie.d Mrs. Mary Bogoot, who was a native of New 
Hampshire, born in 1800, and died in 1868. 

David Mead was reared bj- his parents, remain- 
ing with them during his boyhood and 3'outh. 
After coming to Vermilion County, this .State, he 
worked on the farm and attended the common 
school, and .after reaching his majority made his 
first purchase of land in \'ermilion Coiuity. He 
had already married, and with his young wife went 
to housckee[)ing on his new purchase. This lady, 
formerly Miss Mary Freeman, to whom he was 
married Oct. 25, 1846, was a native of Ohio, her 
birth taking place April 1, 1826. She became the 
mother of seven children, and died at tlic home- 
stead in Homer Township, on the 1st of August, 
1874, leaving a large circle of friends to mourn 
their loss. She was a lady highly respected, and a 
consistent member of the Christian Church. The 
record of her children is as follows: Thomas mar- 
ried Miss Clementine McKnight, and is eng.agcd in 
farming in Ogdcn Township; Matilda married Isaac 
Ogden, o{ Ogdcn Township; Lvdia died Sept. 5, 
1878; Ruth J. is the wile of John McCulhuii, of 
Ogden Townshi|); Freeman married IMiss E. John- 
son, and they aic living in Homer Township; James 
L. married Miss Mary Judd, of Homer Township; 
Martha is the wife of Christian S. Parrett, of Ogden 
Township. 

In 1875 Mr. Mead w.as united in marri.nge with 
Miss Jemima ^IcKnight, who only lived six months 
afterward. She also was a member of the Ciiristian 
Church. The present wife of our subject, for- 






,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



577 



inerly Mrs. Malimla (Bruce) Onike. \v:i.>; born in tlie 
State of New York in lS"22,ai)d was married lo our 
subject June 20, IsTs. Her first husband, Allen 
Drake, also a native of tbe Knipire State, was born 
iu ISIG, and tliej' were married on the 7th of 
August, 1841. -Mr. Drake departed this life in 
1851). Of this union there were born two cliildren 
— Elizabeth and Captain F.. 

The latter, Captain F., enlisted in tbe lOTlb Illi- 
nois liifantrv, and died (^f typhoid fever in 18C3, 
when but nineteen years of age. At the time 
Southern Ohio was raided by Gen. Morgan, the 
young Captain was taken prisoner at Klizabetlitown, 
K3'., during iiis illness, and while his mother was at- 
tending at his bedside. She was also taken with 
her son and held for twent3'-four hours, after wliich 
he was paroled and they returned to lier home in 
Illinois, where his death took place. The widowed 
mother, after the death of her son, drew a pension 
until her subsequent marriage with our subject. 
Mr. Mead at one time was the owner of 500 acres 
of land in Homer Townsiiip, a good share of which 
lie divided up among his children, reserving but a 
quarter section for his own use. 



^•# 



-V 



ellAHLFS W. I'EClv, a prosperous farmer of 
Stanton Townshi|), is located on section 26) 
where, with his wife-smd seven children, he 
lives in tlie enjoj'ment of a home of more than or- 
dinary comfort and surrounded b}' the good things 
of life. lie h.as been a resident of this vicinity 
since 184'J, iu which year his parents removed by 
wagon from Terre Haute, Ind., to Somer Townsiiip, 
this county. Our subject was born in the first 
uientioiled place March U!, 1845, and is the son of 
Cliarles and Margaret I'eck. The mother onlj' lived 
nine years after the removal, and the fatlier with 
his family afterward moved into Warren County, 
III., occujjying a farm there four years. In 180.'! 
tiiey came back to this county and located in Homer, 
where the3' remained until tlic spring of 1866. The 
father then took up his abode in Vermilion County, 
where his death occurred six months later. He 
was a native of New York Stale and all his life 
engaged in farming pursuits. The children of 

~^4» 



the iiarentul famih' are recorded as follows: Marie, 
the eldest daughter, became the wife of James 
Jnlick, and is a resident of Urbaiia; Kli/.abetii, the 
wife of Peter Ricliter, lives in Urbana; William 
married Miss Mary ^Vcaver, and they became the 
parents of two children, and they and their chil- 
dren have all passed to their long home; John mar- 
ried Miss Ann Kirb^-. and is a resident of Adair 
County, Iowa; Ann, the wife of William Richter, 
is now deceased ; Sarah married Daniel Aholtz ; both 
are deceased, but their one child is living; Charles 
W., of our sketch, is the youngest of the family-. 

When our subject first ventured out from under 
tiie home roof he did so for the purpose of enlist- 
ing as a soldier iu the Union array. He was then 
but seventeen years and six months old, but was 
filled with patriotism, and nothing could prevent 
his entering the ranks. He enlisted in Co. G, 84th 
III. Vol. Inf., was enrolled on the 16th of July, 1862, - 
.and after a creditable record received his honorable 
discharge on the 8th of June, 1865, when the war w.as 
practically ended. He had been promoted Cori)ural 
and was in a large number of the important battles 
of the war, including that of Stone River, Chicka- 
mauga. Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, the siege 
of Atlanta, and in various other minor engagements, 
of which he has preserved a long list and the dates 
thereof. He was remarkably fortunate, and al- 
though experiencing man\' hairbreadth escapes, 
was never wounded and never in the hospitsd. His 
regiment belonged to the 4th Corps of the 3d 
Brigade, and his company went out of service with 
onl^- thirty of the original number enrolled. 

After retiring from the army Mr. Peek returned 
to Homer, 111., and on the 25th of December fol- 
lowing, fulfilled the pledges which he had made 
Miss Klizabeth E. Noyes, of Indiana, b}- making 
her his wedded wife. In less than two short years 
she passed from the scenes of earth, her death tak- 
ing place Dec. 4, 1867. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom lie w.as 
marrieil Nov. 8, 1870, was formerly Mrs. Mary A. 
McKiuuey, daughter of Simon and Sarah Helton, 
formerly' of Bath County', Ky.. and widow of M. 
W. McKinney. This marriage took place in Cham- 
paign County, where the}' located and have since 
lived. The farm includes 120 acres of land and is 



h 



-U 



#•■ 



■•► 



/i 578 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



supplied with good buildings and everything neces- 
sary for conducting its operations in the most ap- 
proved'manner. The father of Mrs. Peck departed 
this life Dec. 23, 1872, when fift3'-seven years of 
age, and the mother four years later, on the 10th 
of July, 1876. aged fifty-four. Mr. and Mrs. 1'. 
are members in good standing of the Christian 
Church, and politically our subject is identified 
with the Republican part}'. The seven children of 
the household, four sons and three daughters, are 
all living and named as follows: Lizzie, Willie, 
Frank. Lillie, Albert and Charlie (twins) and Iv\\ 

ylLLIAM WOOD, a successful youn| farmer 
of Philo Township, owns and operates a 
fine countrj' estate of eighty acres with an 
abundance of choice fruits and tlie various other 
luxuries and improvements of a first-class modern 
farm. He comes from an excellent family, being 
the son of Oliver and Jlary (Winn) Wood, and was 
born in Edgar County, this State, May 25, 1857. 
His parents became residents of Edgar County, in 
the pioneer days, and until our subject was eight- 
een years of age, the time of his father was about 
equally divided between Edgar and Champaign 
Counties. 

Oliver Wood was trained to habits of industry 
by his excellent parents, and being naturally bright 
and ambitious, attained to more than the average 
in mental capacity and business ability. His first 
visit to this county' occurred while the now flourish- 
ing cities of Champaign and Urbana were mere 
hamlets. Before he was twentj- years old lie was 
attacked by the California gold fever, and in com- 
pany with a boy friend, Mr. Abe Ordell, of whom a 
sketch appears in another part of this work, joined 
a party en route for the Pacific sloi)e. l^pon reach- 
ing St. Joseph, Mo., they became involved in a dis- 
pute with one of the leaders of the company and 
they both returned to Chami)aign County. Oliver 
Woo<l for some time afterward was eniployed in a 
brickyard but never abandoned his idea of visiting 
California. In al)out lsr)2, lie set out a second time 
and succeeded in reaching his destination. He en- 
tered the mines as a laborer, and soon afterward 



met with a terril)le affliction by the premature ex- 
plosion of a blast, wliich destro\'ed his ej'es. Of the 
man who operated this there was not even found a 
bone. 

Mr. Wood at this time had accumulated about 
*800 worth of gold dust which he intrusted with a 
friend during his confinement of six weeks in tlie 
iiospital. As soon as able he set out on his return 
home alone, with his gold and other baggage, via the 
water route. Thej' had not proceeded far on the 
vo3^age when the ship was disabled and pronounced 
in sinking condition. Mr. Wood lashed himself to 
his trunk, and with his gold firmly secured around 
his body, leaped into the water and swam around 
until the vessel had been righted and was deemed 
safe enougli to proceed with. Some of the crew 
tlien [licked Mr. AN'ood out of the water, together 
with his effects, when he was entirely' exhausted 
and nearly ready to sink. He returned to Edgar 
Count}', 111., where he engaged in merchandising, 
and a little later was married to the noble-hearted 
Woman who was willing to take him with his alHic- 
tion. Tills lady, Mrs. Marj- (Winn) Hubbell, was 
born, reared and first married in Greenville, Ind. 
Mr. Hubbell died in Edgar Count}- of cholera, to- 
gether with four of their six children. After the 
marriage of Mr. Wood with Mrs. Hubbell they 
united their efforts in the establishment of a home, in 
which they met with success and remained residents 
of Edgar County until "1867. In that 3'car, with 
their new-born son, our subject, and the two chil- 
dren of Mrs. Wood by her former husband, they 
came to Philo Mll.age, where Mr. Wood eng.aged in 
merchandising as before, and with the assistance of 
his faniil}' built up a good trade, although never re- 
covering the loss of his sight. In due time he pur- 
chased a tract of laud on section 27, in Philo Town- 
ship, which became his permanent home, and upon 
which he brought about many improvements, in- 
cluding a comfortable dwelling and all necessary 
out-buildings. Here his death occurred April 18, 
1884, when he was fifty-two years old. Notwith- 
standing his allliction he was quite skillful in the 
use of tools, ix)ssessing more thanordinar}' mechani- 
cal genius. His kindness of heart secured for him 
a large circle vf friends and acquaintances, 1)}' whom 
he was universally regretted when called from eTirth. 



f 



-4*- 



■i>^l-#. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



581 



^ 



He accepted cheerfully the liiml riiiininons ia the 
hope of a lictter life beyond the tonil). lie died 
a consistent meinher of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, with which lie h:id united in nliuul 1884. 
Mrs. Wood survived her hiisl).in<l only about one 
j'car, dj'iug of consumption Jlay 12, 188.'). She 
performed her duties nobl^' as a wife and mother, 
and her name is held in affectionate reniendjrance 
by all who knew her. 

William, the only sou <>f Oliver and Mar>' W. 
Wood, and the subject of this history, was born in 
Edg.ar County, this State, Ma^- 25, 1857, and w.as 
ten years old when his parents became residents of 
Philo Township. Ue received his education in the 
common schools and never left his blind father 
while the latter was living. I^ike him lie is pos- 
sessed of that social and genial temperament which 
renders him a favorite among his friends and ac- 
quaintances, and in his business dealings he is the 
soul of honor. Besides property in Urbana he owns 
the homestead, which at one time included the larg- 
est api>lc orchard in this county. 

Mr. Wood was married at his home in Philo 
Township to Miss Isabelle Roe, June 13, 1880, the 
ceremony being performed by llev. Mr. Orr, of 
Philo. Mrs. Wood is a native of Missouri, and was 
born Feb. 3, 1859. She came when a child with 
her parents to Illinois. They located in Douglas 
County, where her father, Hugh D. Roe, died in 
1871. He was born and reared in Bath County, 
Ky., and there met and married Miss Ann K. Ho[)- 
kins, a native of his own county. They removed 
to Missouri soon afterward, whence they emigrated 
to Douglas County, 111., and where the mother 
is still living, having married again. Mrs. Wood 
after the death of her father, who was a farmer b^' 
occupation, earned her own living and was a young 
lady greatly respected wherever known. By her 
marriage with our subject she became the mother of 
three children — Mary K., Ethel, and one who died 
in infanc}'. ]\Ir. Wood, like his father befo»"e him, 
is a firm adherent of the Democratic party. -Mi's. 
W. is a member in good standing of the Methodist 
Ejiiscopal Church. A view of the old Wood home- 
stead is quite essential in completing the review of 
the |)ioneers of Philo Township, and it will ac- 
cordingly be found on another page. Its honored 
^•- 



founder has passed to liis reward, but his son Will- 
iam will not suffer it to lose any of its intrinsic 
value, either for its coiuieclicjn with tiie past, or as 
the abiding-place of a motleiii and progressive 
citizen. 



E^ NES M. MfKEE, a prominent and highly 
respected resident of Brown Township, be- 
; came a resident of this county in 1808. He 

had. however, in 1855, i)urchased a tract of land 
in Isewconib Township, and began its improve- 
ment in l.S(il. He occupied this until IsCiO, then 
sold out and removed to Champaign, of which he 
was a resident a year and a half. At the expira- 
tion of this time he purchased a part of his present 
homestead on section 33, where, about four years 
ago, he put up a fine residence which is said to be 
the best in the townshii), and of whose merits itnr 
readers can partially- judge from the tine litho- 
graphic view presented on another page in connec- 
tion with this sketch, and is now the owner of IGO 
acres of land. This is thoroughly drained with 
upward of 3,000 rods of tile, is all enclosed, and 
under a good state of cultivation. The farm in all 
its appointments presents a [jicture of the model 
countr3' estate, superintended by a man of more 
than ordinary' ability and of ample means. 

Our subject w.as born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Uet. 
l(i, 1830. He is the son of Ely C. and Nancy II. 
(Grillin) McKee, the former a native of IIamilt(.>n 
County, Ohio, and the latter of Rush County, Ind. 
The paternal grandfather of our subject, Samuel 
McKee, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, 
and served for a time under the command of CJen. 
Anthony Wayne. He was Scotch-Irish by birth, 
and came to America with his brother prior to the 
Revolutionary War. At its close he settled on a 
farm within six miles of Cineiiuiati, and which he 
owned and occupied until his death. The parents 
of our subject located in Indiana after their mar- 
riage, and thence returned southeastward to Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. Ely McKee was a blacksmith by 
trade, which he pursued in the t^ueen Cit^' for a 
number of years, and then removing to Tippecanoe 
County, Ind., with his wife, there sjient the re- 



h 



t 




582 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






iiiainder of his days. The hoiiseliold circle in- 
chided ten chihlren. live boys and live girls. 

Our sul)joct, in common with his brotliors and 
sisters, was educated in the public schools and 
reared to farming inustiits. After reachiui;- nian- 
ht)(jd, he engagred as a stock-dealer, buying and 
shipping with consideralile success. He was mar- 
ried, in Tippecanoe County, Ind., Feb. 22. 18G8, 
to Miss .Sarah M. lliatt, who was born in Vigo 
County, Ind., March 27. 183'J, and is the daughter 
of Josiah and Mary .1. (Shaffer) lliatt. -losiah 
Hiatt was a native of North Carolina, of Welsh an- 
cestry, and the mother, who was born in Ohio, was 
of German and French descent. They lived in 
different States, finally settling in Ti|)pecanoe 
County, Ind., where Mr. Hiatt died in l.s4;i. The 
mother, wlio was born May IS, 1 SI. j. stijl survives, 
and is now making her home with her daughter, 
Mrs. McKee. Their family consisted of three girls 
and one boy, of whom Mrs. McKee of our sketch 
was the eldest. She was first married in Greene 
County, Ind.. to Paul Harney, a native of Indiana 
and of German descent. Of that marriage there 
was born one child, a daughter, Maude, who is now 
the wife of (.ieorge W. Halleek, of Brown Town- 
ship, this county. Mr. Harney died in Missouri. 

Mr. and Mrs. McKee became the parents of five 
children, of whtim only two are now living — 
Thomas C. and ( Irace P. Those deceased are, Min- 
nie W., Nancy II. and Gertrude H. Mr. McKee 
has been Commissioner of Highways, .and h.as held 
various other olficcs in this towiisliii). He is Re- 
publican in politics, and a member of the Masonic 
fraternity. His worthy wife is connected with the 
Christian Church. 



UKL S. SCOTT, who is comfortably located 
on section S, Scott Townslii|i, has been a 
resident there since the sjjring of 1SG7. 
^J He is the owner of 500 acres of choice land, 

all improved and under a good state of cultivation. 
He has erected good buildings on his farm, has 
choice grades of stock, valuable farm machinery, 
and in all respects is fully equii)[)ed as a (irsl-class 
progressive agriculturist. 




Our subject was born in Hardy County, W. Va., 
Aug. 31, 1839. and is the son of Alexander and 
l\Iar3- (Seymour) Scott, natives of the same .State 
and county, where they were married and spent 
their entire lives. Their family consisted of three 
children, one son and two daughters. Abel .S. re- 
mained at home until the beginning of the war, 
receiving a common-school education and attend- 
ing the Military Institute in Lexington, for a 
period f)f four years. Here he was under the tutor- 
ship of Stonewall .laekson. and graduated in ISIJO. 
He then eidisted in the l.'Uh \'ii-ginia Infantry, C. 
S. A., in which he served until the close of the war. 
During the latter year of the contlicl lie was taken 
prisoner but held, however, onl}' a short time. 
After his return to civil life he proceeded to Uoss 
County, Ohio, on a visit, and from there went to 
Louisiana, where he eng.iged one year in raising 
cotton. In 18G7 he came to tliis county, which has 
since been his home. 

Mr. Scott was married in this count3', April 30, 
1872, to .Miss S.allie .1., daughter of Abel K. and 
Jane (Dill) Seymour, a sketch of whom appears 
elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Scott was born in 
Ross County, Ohio, Feb. 25, 184U, and by her 
union with our subject has become the mother of 
four children — Anna, Robert S., William R. and a 
babe unnamed. Mr. Scott, p(4itically, atliliates with 
the Democratic part}'. He lias held the offices of 
School Director and Road Commissioner, and so- 
ciall}' is a worthy member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. 

J' W. AND R. A. PARRKTT. familiarly known 
as Parrett Uros., and [irominently identified 
with the agricultural interests of Ogden 
Townsliii>, are located on section 30, where 
they have charge of 28o acres of their father's 
land and are principally engaged in stock-raising. 
These ujentlemen are the sons of John and Soi)hia 
(Cochran) Parrett, natives of Ohio. Their father 
was born in 1S27, and the mother in 1S31. .lohn 
Parrett is also engaged in farming, occupying with 
his excellent and worthy wife, a good homestead 
in Ro.ss County, Ohio. They are people highly re- 
spected wherever known, and members in good 



^►-*M* 



f 



-4»- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



583 






stniiding of the I'restjytcrian CIiihtIi. The father 
of John I'anett, Frederick A. by name, who was 
born in Ohio, came to Illinois in the pioneer days, 
and took up the land now owned b3' his descend- 
ants, and where his death occurred in 18G5. His 
wife had died many years before. The children of 
.lolin and Sophia Parrett were named respectively', 
Wallace, Florence, William A., Hol)ert A., Eliza- 
beth, Mary B., Arthur, M. C. and Estella M. 

The marriage of J. \V. Parrett and Miss Susan 
Peters took place on the .'iOth of December, 1885. 
Mrs. Parrett was born July 18, 1862, and is the' 
daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Swearinger) 
Peters, the father a native of Illinois, and the 
mother of Ohio. Both are living and residing in 
St. Joseph Townshii). 

Mr. Parrett came to Illinois in 1880. and in com- 
pan}' with his brother, who came in 1 882, has fol- 
lowed farming since that time. They are enter- 
prising and energetic j'oung men, and valued fac- 
tors in the farming interests of this section. Their 
stock consists prineii)ally of fine hogs and cows. 
Mr. Parrett takes a genuine interest in local affairs, 
and votes the Ivepublicaii ticket. lie is still a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church in Ohio, and so- 
cially belongs to Lodge No. 252, I. O. O. F., at 
Homer, with which he became connected fcnir 3'ears 
ago. Mrs. Parrett belongs to the Christian C'luircli. 
Thc3' have one child, a daughter, Florence, born 
Nov. 22, 188C. 

ylLLIAM II. OWENS, of Urbana, is senior 
member of the firm of Owens & Shriver, 
which is engaged in the agricultural imple- 
ment trade on Market street. He has been a resi- 
dent of Urbana since the spring of 185(j, commenc- 
ing his mercantile experience as a clerk for Mr. 
llalberstadt. After an experience of liftcen j'ears 
he set up in business for himself, in which he con- 
tinued until March, 1887, then sold out and became 
a member of the present firm. He possesses excel- 
lent business capacity, and has been uniformly suc- 
cessful in his effort-s to obtain a good position 
among his fellow-citizens, both socially and finan- 
cially-. 

Mr. Owens was Ijorn in Baltimore County, Md., 

■-4a— 



I 



Dec. 22, 183.*?, and is the son of Samuel and Eliza 
(Brooks) Owens, both natives of JIar3'land. His 
father was engaged as a merchant in his native 
.State the greater part of his life, and died there Jan. 
21, 184'J. After his decease his widow continued 
the business until her death, which took place on 
the 12th of December, 1872. The |)arental house- 
hold included four children: Joshua, of Baltimore, 
Md. ; William H., of our sketch; Sarah A., Mrs. 
Hoover, of Baltimore. Md., antl Samuel W'., of Ca- 
tonsville, Md. 

Our subject was reared to mercantile business, 
receiving a practical education, and remained at 
home until twenty-two years of age. He then emi- 
grated to Ohio, and locating in Miami Count}', was 
engaged in railroading and butclieiing. Hissub.sc- 
quent course, until 1873, we have already dctailetjj 
That year he purch.ased 120 acres of land in Ma- 
homet Township, vvhich is now operated by a ten- 
ant. Upon his farm he li.-is a fine assortment of 
live-stock, and in the city of Urbana he has a stable 
of Norman, Morgan and Spr-ague horses. His Nor- 
man stallion is an imported animal, valued at 
:fe2,500, and the Morgan is valued at ^1,000. Mr. 
Owens carries on the operations of his farm with 
the same good judgment which he exercises in his 
mercantile business, and has upon it the various 
improvements indispensable to tiie modern coun- 
try estate. 

Mr. Owens w.as married in 1858, to Miss Sarah 
A. Wolfe, who is a native of Knox County, Ohio, 
and daughter of Rev. Joseph and Harriet (Doan) 
Wolfe. Her [jarents wore natives of Pennsylvania, 
and the father a minister of the Methodist Church. 
Of this union there have been bijrn five children : 
Joseph D. is Agent for the United States and Pacific 
Express Company at Urbana; Bessie W.,. in 1885, 
graduated from the Illinois State University ; Lucy 
D., Katie and Daisvareat home with tiieir parents. 
The handsome and substanti.nl family residence is 
pleasantly located, and its inmates enjoy the so- 
ciety and esteem of the best people of the city. 

Mr. Owens has always been greatly interested in 
the establishment and maintenance of educational 
and religious institutions, and with his wife and 
children, is a member of the .Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Ill this he has served as Class- Leader for 

■► 



'4 






■*► 



,t 



584 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



'i 



a i)eriod of tliirtj'-one years, and is a regular at- 
teinlaiit of tlie Sabbath-school. He assisted in the 
first organization of the society, and in the erection 
of the church I)iiilding, and has contributed regu- 
larity and ciieerfully of his means to the support of 
every measure calculated to increase the welfare of 
his township and county. 

LISHA CORK A V, favorably known .as a 

E worthy' resident of Si.uuer Townsiiip, is a na- 
tive of Pike County, Ohio, born Feb. 27, 
1822. His father, Isatnh Corray, a native of Bed- 
ford, Pa., was born in about 17t<5, and removed 
when a young man to Pike Count}', Ohio, in 1810. 
tJe was there married to Miss Elizabeth Leeth, and 
they became the parents of twelve children, nine 
of whom survived to become men and women. 
These were John, Rachel, Elizabeth, Elisha, Mary, 
Eliza, Jane, Nancy and Isaiah. Of those now liv- 
ing Jane is a resident of Iowa; Mary, of St. Joseph 
Township, this county, and Elisha, of Somer Town- 
ship. 

Our subject remained under the home roof until 
he had arrived at years of manhood, and was then 
united in marriage with Miss Susannah Clements, 
their wedding taking place July I, 1847. Of this 
union there were born twelve children, of whom 
nine are still living. One died in infancy; Eliza- 
beth, who became the wife of Richard Oilman, died 
Feb. iO, 1877; Lucinda, who married James M. 
Johnston, died June 6, 1883. Those surviving are 
Melinda, the wife of William Stephens; George; 
Rachel, Mrs. William Florence: James A., a resi- 
dent of Zodiac .Springs, Mo. ; Etta 1). and Ilettie 
B. (twins); Luetta, the wife of James Berry, who 
resides on the old homeste.id, and Carrie, the young- 
est. Howard Oilman, the grandson of our subject, 
was taken into the family- after the death of his 
father, and is as near to his grandparents .as one of 
their own children. 

Mr. Corraj' came to the West a fjoor man, but is 
now in possession of a line homestead of 240 acres 
finelj- located on section 25. He has man.aged his 
liusiness and farming operations with rare judg- 
ment and forethought, and at an early day was 

4 » 



' recognized by his fellow-townsmen as a man of 
more than ordinary ability and one eminently able 
to beconie a leader in his comraunitv. He is a firm 
, adherent of the Oemocratic party, li.os been School 
' Oirector and Trustee in his township, and was As- 
, sessor for a number of years. Ouring the war his 
sympathies were entirely with the Union, and al- 
though not eng.Tging in active service, he was in- 
strumental in raising recruits, and encour.aged by 
his voice and means the success of the Union army. 
He has been engaged of late jx-ars in the raising 
of fine stock, including cattle, horses and swine. 
He is now si.\ty-five s-ears old. but hale and heart}', 
' and bids fair to continue the industrious citizen 
which he has been, for manj- ^-ears to come. 



u 



II.LIAM SKINNER. The subject of the 
following biography, who is a native of the 

yxy Buckc^'e State, owns and occupies a good 
farm of 130 acres on section 35, Tolono Townshjj). 
His residence, however, is within the town limits. 
He is a native of Warren County, Ohio, born 
March 3, 1842, and the son of Thomas and Lu- 
cinda (Miller) Skinner. The former was a native 
of Warren County, Ohio, and the latter of Hamil- 
ton County, that State. 

.\fter their marriage the parents located upon a 
farm. The father, who in early life had learned 
the trades of a shoemaker and carpenter, worked 
at these, in connection with his farming, as oppor- 
tunity afforded, and the parents occupied the home- 
stead on which they first settled until their decease, 
in 1863, the father d3Mng February 10, and the 
mother two da^'S afterward. Their family consisted 
of six children, one of whom died in infauc}' and 
one at the age of sixteen j-ears. The hitter's death 
occurred three days after the mother, Feb. 15, 18G3. 
Four lived to attain their m.ajorit}'. Daniel is a 
plasterer by trade and resides in his native county, 
in Ohio; xVbraham O. is farming in Tolono Town- 
ship; William is the subject of this sketch; Thomas 
N., the youngest, is unmarried and a resident of 
Kans.as. 

Vv'illiam Skinner was reared to farming pursuits 



i 



^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



585 



and received his education in the coniin<jn schools 
of the Huckcj-e State. lie remained witii his par- 
ents as long as thej^ lived, and in ISfi.S was united 
in marriage with Miss Martiia Hicli, who was 
born in Hamilton Conntj", Ohio, Aug. 30, 1847, 
and is the daughter of John and Mary Rich. The 
following spring he came w itii his bride to Illinois, 
and in company with liis lirotlier, Al)raham, pur- 
chased ICO acres of land in Tolono Township, 
which they cultivated together for five j'ears fol- 
lowing. Our subject then disposed of his interest 
in the property and purchased of a 3'oungei' l)ruther 
eighty acres in the same township, which he culti- 
vated also five years. He then sold out and re- 
moved into town. He alw.iys believed, however, 
that real estate was a good investment, and soon 
afterward purchased 210 acres lying on section .">."), 
in Tolono Township. In June, 1884, he traded 
eigiity acres of said land foi- his present commo- 
dious and conveniently arranged residence in the 
village. He still owns 130 acres, the cultivation of 
which he superintends and which embraces a fine 
fertile tr.act of land, prolific of tlie various choice 
crops indigenous to the st>il of Illinois. 

Our subject and his wife became llie ))arents of 
three children, of whom one died in infancy. Those 
surviving are Cortland and Pearl. Mr. S. is He- 
publican in jiolitics, a member in good st;inding of 
the I. O. O. F., and with his family, is a regular at- 
tendant of the Presliylerian C'hurcli. 



V 




t 



AVID MICHKNKR. That which forms the 
chief object of attraction' in passing through 
tlie Prairie State is the evident wealth and 
pros|)erity of a large proportion of the 
f.arniing community. There is no fairer i)ieturo in 
the World during the summer season tlian the bin.id 
stretches of cultivated prairie which beautify the 
landscape of Central Illinois, and whieli is divided 
between grain fields and pasture lands, tlie yellow 
corn embellishing the one and the fine cattle roam- 
ing in c<jnteiitnient over the other. 
, Looking upon what has been accomplished dur- 
ing the last twent3'-fivc years the mind naturally 



reverts to those who have been instrumental in 
redeeming the soil from its original condition. The 
cour.age and perseverance with which they labored 
can scajx'el3' be realized except by themselves, and 
no more enduring monument can be reared to their 
worth as citizens and .is agriculturists than the 
written biograpliy which may be perused by their 
descendants and others who shall come after them. 
Among those who have been esteemed worth}' of 
especial notice in the Alhtm, whose facts and figures 
have been gathcd after great labor and forethought. 
David Michcner, of Homer Township, should oc- 
cu|)y no unimportant place. He comes of good 
parentage, but when starting out for himself in life, 
possessed no means, except his two hands and in- 
domitable courage. 

The parents of our subject, Benjamin and AI>igail 
(Staton) IMichener, at the time of his birth were 
living on a farm in .left'erson County, Ohio, David 
being added to the iiousehold on the ir)tliday of 
March, 1818. His father was a native of Pennsyl- 
\ania and his mother of North Carolin.a. The 
former, who was ))orM in 1781, spent the early years 
of his life in Philadelphia, where, after becoming 
of suitable age he learned the trade of a hatter, 
which, however, he linally abandoned for the more 
congenial pursuits of farm life. He selected for 
the scene of his future operations a tract of land in 
Jefferson County, Ohio, where he removed in 1804, 
and four years latc^r was married to the mother of 
our subject. This excellent lady was born in 1787, 
of parents who descended from the Knglish, and 
after performing well her i)art in life .as wife, 
mother, sister and friend, rested from lier earthly 
labors in 1840, aged fifty-three years. Her husband 
survived her until in March, 18.")4, and then he, too, 
closed his eyes ni>on the scenes of earth. They 
were members of tlie Society of Friends, in which 
denomination the father of our snl)ject was one of 
tlie select ministers and Elders for many years, and 
tlie motlier was especially active in advoeating the 
doctrines of her faith and using her inllueiice in 
gathering the young into the fold. The ten chil- 
dren of this congenial union w^ere named respect- 
ively Levi, Susanna. John, Lydia, Henry, David, 
Isa.a(!, Kdwiii, .Marthii and Flma. 

Our subject during his bo3hood and 3'outh, 



^ 



f 



4- 



586 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



which was interspersed with attendance at the com- 
mon schools in the winter seasons, labored con- 
tentedly witii his father and brotiiers on their farm 
>n the Buckeye State until after reaching iiis ma- 
jority. When laying his plans for the future he in- 
cluded in them the establishment of a home and the 
maintenance of a family, and on the 2d of October, 
1842, was united in mari'iage with Miss Lisetta 
Smith, the wedding taking place at the home of the 
bride's parents in Zanesfield, Ohio. Mrs. M. is a 
native of Logan Country, Ohio, and the daughter of 
Benjamin and Cynthia Netta (Garwood) Smith. 
Her birth took place in 1824. Her father was a 
native of Ohio, and a tanner and currier by trade, 
to which he also added the business of a merchant, 
and was in fact interested in various projects, being 
wide-awake, enteri)rising and i)rosperous. The par- 
ents arc now deceased. The^ children of the par- 
ental household were named respectivelj' Lisetta, 
Eliza, Amanda, Sarah A., Samuel B., Mary, John 
C, Cynthia Netta, Franklin and Kudura ; a daughter 
died in infancy unnamed. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Michener 
remained in Ohio until l.S(;4, whore their eight 
children were born. Of these the record is as fol- 
lows: Edwin R. married Miss Catherine Johnson, 
of Homer Township, Feb. 4, 1886; Abigail became 
the wife of Nathan W. Cockayne; Minnie marrie<l 
Nathan Smoot, of \'ermilion County; Earl S. mar- 
ried Miss Caroline Beals, who only lived a short 
time; his second wife was Miss Am3' Griffith. 
Williani IL is deceased; Ava is at home with her 
parents; Benjamin Dell married Miss Margaret 
Eglestein; Lulu is Mrs. Frank Toney. 




located in Homer Township, Champaign County, 
purchasing 212 acres of land, upon which ho has 
since Inlxjred, improving and boaulifying the farm 
and making it one of the most valuable in this 
locality. The fine residence, erected in 1884, is the 
admiration of the passer-by, and all its surround- 
ings indicate jjlenty, with a near ajjproach to hixnry. 
Mr. Michener is highly esteemed as a citizen, and 
each year at the general elections drives to town 
and deposits his ballot in sup|)ort of Uepublican 
candidates willing to serve as ollice holders and 
Otherwise iu conducting the affairs of government. 



His family is one eminently to be proud of, tlie 
sons being industrious and enterprising, and en- 
gaged, like their father, in fai'ming pursuits. Ed- 
win R., the eldest, owns 160 acres, and Earl S. 
owns 140 acres, both farms lying in Vermilion 
Count3'. 

•ILLIAM S. VANCE, a worthy member of 
the farming community of Brown Town- 
ship, occupies 374 acres on sections 3, 10 
and 1 1 , and is pursuing his chosen calling in .an in- 
telligent and effective manner. He is also engaged 
in stock-raising. Mr. Vance is a native of Tondle- 
ton Countj', W. Va., born Oct. 12, 1844, and the 
son of Wilson and Mary (Parker) Vance, natives 
of the Old Dominion, where they were reared, mar- 
ried and settled. In about 1850 they came to Illi- 
nois, locating in Empire Township, McLean Coun- 
ty', where they still reside. Of their children, nine 
in number, seven still survive. 

AVilliam S., of our sketch, w.as the eldest of the 
family, and was about twelve years old when the}- 
came to the Prairie State. He received a fair edu- 
cation in the common schools, and remained under 
the home roof until twonty-flve years of age. 
After leaving home he lived one year in De Witt 
County, and in the spring of 1861) took up his 
abode in Brown Township, this county, whore he 
has since remained, engaged in farming pursuits. 
His broad acres are all finely adapted to the raising 
of grain and other products of the Mississippi Val- 
ley, while his residence and farm buildings compare 
favorably with any in this part of the count}', and 



lIj)on coining to this .State onr subject at once f are amoug the best in the township, as will bo seen 



by examining the view of them wiiich is to be 
seen in this w(>rk. 

While a resident of De Witt Count}' our subject 
w.as united in marriage with Miss Eliza Helmick, 
their wedding taking i)lace on the KUh of Sojjtom- 
ber, 1H67. Mrs. \'anco was the daughter of Elislia 
and Mary Helmick, and was born Oct. 19, 1848, in 
De Witt County, where her parents now reside. Of 
this union there were born four children — Willis F., 
Fannie E., Clara O. and Walter E. The wife and 
mothoi- do|)arted this life at the home of her liuu- 
band in Brown Township, .Sept. 28, 1884. She was 




•-•-* 



i 



f 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



587 



a worth}' Christian hvdy. a oonsistcnt moiiil>er of 
the United Brethren Churcii, and greatly respected 
by her friends and acquaintances. The present wife 
of our subject, to whom he was married in this 
county, June 22, 1886, was formerly Miss Alice 
Bland, a native of Ohio, born Nov. 23, 1860, and 
the daughter of Amos and Mary (lleavner) Bland. 
Both our subject and his wife are members of the 
United Brethren Church, and when called upon to 
east his ballot Mr. V. gives his support to Demo- 
cratic candidates. The products of liis farm add ma- 
terially to the ainiual report of the grain [)roducing 
section of the State, anil as a member of the busi- 
ness community no man stands higher. He started 
in life witii nothing but a determined will and 
strong arms, and while reviewing the result uf his 
lal>ors may justl}- feel pride in his possessions and 
the means by which he has obtained them. 



■^fr- 



-^ 



I 



<i^LI BARRETT, an intelligent and wcll-edu- 
fe) cated citizen of Brown Township, owns a 
/^*— ^ ' good farm of 160 acres on section 22, a 
view of which is presented in this work. The land 
is highly cultivated, and the buildings valuable and 
attractive, including a handsome residence, winch 
our subject occupies with his wife and six children, 
and in the adornment of which he has taken great 
pleasure and pride. Mr. Barrett began the struggle 
of life without means or inllueiitial friends, and his 
liresent unincumbered property is the result of his 
own industry and perseverance. Ilis high moral 
principles, together with his uniform kindness of 
lieart, have won for him the [jrofimnd res])ect aiid 
esteem of all who know him. 

Our subject is the son of Kdward and I'lliza (Kn- 
sor) Barrett, natives of Maryland, and the parents 
of four children. Eli being the thinl. lie also is a 
native of the same State, born in Baltimore County, 
March 7, 1826. When nine years of age, after the 
death of his father, he went to live with .'in uncle 
in Fairfield County, Ohio, with whom he remained 
until reaching his majority in the spring of 1X17. 
lie then returned to his old home in M;uyl:ind, 
where he remained until Ilie fall of I SCO, wlien, ac- 
companied bj- his wife and four children, he enii- 
4*~. 



grated to Logan County, 111., and eng.aged in farm- 
ing for a period of twelve years. From there he 
removed, in 1S72, to this county, locating in Brown 
Tt)wnship upon the land which constitutes his 
present farm. This he has v.astly improved since 
taking possession of it, it having then received but 
little attention .at the hands of the agriculturist. 
He is also engaged in the breeding of high-grade 
Shf)rt-hortis. 

The marriage of Mr. Barrett took place in P\air- 
field County, Ohio, Oct. 7, 18.'j2, the lady of his 
choice being Miss Amanda Miller, a native of We-st 
Virginia. She was the daughter of William and 
Lucinda (Woods) Miller, natives of Virginia. After 
their marriage they moved to Ohio, Mrs. Barrett 
being then about three years of age. The children 
of our subject and wife are: Marion W., who lives 
in Nuckolls County, Neb. ; Emma L. ; Frank M. mar- 
ried Louisa Schenck, and they live In Audubon 
C'onnty, Iowa; Addie E. is the wife of Samuel II. 
Taylor, and they live in Brt)wu Township; Amanda 
I'], and Myrtle. 

Mr. Barrett h.TS been prominent in the affairs of 
his township since becoininga resident of it, holding 
the offices of Assessor. Collector and School Direc- 
tor, and otherwise being called to officiate in mat- 
ters of importance. Politically he is an uneonipro- 
niising Democrat. 



p?ii]l)MUND FREEMAN, a highly resiiected 
1^ farmer, and one of the pioneers of Ogden 
1 1 — --^ Township, where he now lives, came to Illi- 



nois in 1 8;i0. His birth took place in Belmont 
County, Ohio, on the .'id of May, 1828, and his 
parents were .lames and Rebecca (Ogden) Freeman, 
natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Ohio. 
,I:imes Freeman was born .Ian. 21, I SOI, followed 
farming the greater |)art of his life :)n<l w:is es- 
sentially a self-nuule man, who from an humble posi- 
tion in life, made his w.ay upward, secured by his 
own efforts a good education and h;id the honor of 
conilucting the first school taught in Champaign 
County, for the purpose of which he devoteila cor- 
ner of his own <hvelling. He himself Iiail been edu- 
cated i)riucipally by his father, Tliomas F'reeman, 



H 



'► J l f ^ 



588 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



'*^V 



who also was a sclf-uiade man and who accumulated 
a fine propert}', which he left to his family' at liis 
death. Tie was Constable four j'ears in O^den 
Town.shi]), and with lii.s wife, Rebecca, a member of 
the Christian Church. .lames Freeman departed this 
life in Ogden Township in ISfiT. The mother of 
our subject, who was born in 1804, had passed away 
previous to the death of her husband, her decease 
occurring in 1H.54. The household included ten 
children, who were named as follows: Thomas and 
Mary (twins), Edmund, Lydia A., Eleazer, An- 
drew .1.. Rebecca, who died in infancj'. Angeline, 
Martha, who died in infancj\ and .James L. 

The boyhood d.'i3's of Mr. Freeman were passed 
on the farm in Oliio, whence he removed with his 
parents to Illinois. Soon after reaching his major- 
ity he was married in Vermilion County, to Miss 
Jemima Rusli, their wedding taking place in the 
spring of 1853. Mrs. F. was born April 20, 1834, 
and after remaining the comi)anion of her husband 
for a period of thirty-three years, departed this 
life at the homestead in Ogden Township in Janu- 
ary, 188C. She was the daughter of Samuel and 
Catherine (Wright) Rush, who were excellent peo- 
ple and members in good standing of the Baptist 
Church. They are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. 
Freeman became the parents of eleven children; 
Kliy.abetli w.ns born July 31, 1854; Thomas M., Dec. 
23, 1855; Elias, who was born June 22, 1857, mar- 
ried Miss Nancy J. Fisher; Reuben was born Feb. 
IG, 1859; Levi, born Sept. 27, 18G0, married Miss 
Susan E. Harmison; Nancy E., born Jul}' 5. 18()2, 
died July 12, 18G3; James was born Ajiril 27, 1864; 
Jessie, born Oct. 1, 180G, died when seven years of 
.age, in 1873; John M. w.as born March 12. 18G8; 
George W., born July 4. 1875, died the fullowing 
day; Cora M.ay was born July 31, 1879. 

Mr. Freeman made his first [lurchase of land in 
about 1850, entering it from the Goveriiment. 
This was unimproved, and the few years afterward 
were employed in th<' careful cultivation of the soil 
and planting the crops it was the most likely to pro- 
duce. He gained a little better foothold each year, 
and as his means .•iccuinulated added to his real 
estate so th;it he is now the posssessor of 438 broad 
acres, part of it devoted to pasturage and the balance 
produi-iug the richest crops of the Prairie State. 



^ 



In 1877 Mr. Freeman erected the line frame dwell- 
ing now occupied by the family, which is flanked by 
substantial barns and other necessary farm Iniild- 
ings and is kept in good repair, while the implements 
of husbandry' and the entire machinery of the farm, 
of first-class descri|>tion and kept in fine order, 
give evidence of the enterprising character of the 
proprietor. He labored with willing hands and 
cheerful heart during his early manhood and is now 
reaping the rightful reward of his industry'. He 
delights in noting the march of progress and pros- 
peritj- in his township, and has been no unimpor- 
tant factor in establishing its present position 
among the surrounding commnnities. .Since ex- 
ercising the rights of .an American born citizen he 
has cast his influence in support of Rejiublican 
princijJes. 

■if/ AMES W. CHAMP, of Condit Township, 
was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, on the 
22d of February, 1822, and is the sou of 
John William and Mary (Shanton) Champ, 
the former a native of Virginia and the latter of 
Kentucky. The paternal grandfather of our sub- 
ject, William Champ, removed from the Old Do- 
minion to Ohio at an early day, settling first in 
Pickaw.ay County, whence he removed to Ross 
County, and there spent the remainder of his life. 
His son John, the father of our subject, removed 
with the family to Ohio, where he married, be- 
came the father of nine children, and in the midst 
of an interesting family w.as cut down in the prime 
of life, dying in Pickaway County in 1832. The 
mother was thus left a widow with j'<mng children 
and a farm of 125 acres somewhat encumbered. 
With heroic resolution she kept her family together 
until they were old enough to provide for them- 
.selves, they in the meanwhile assisting her in the 
improvement and cultiv.ation of the homestead. 
This she occupied until the close of her life in 18G7. 
Mr. Champ was the sixth child of his parents 
and lived with his mother until nineteen years old. 
He then went out to work by the day or month as 
he could secure employment, and w.as thus occu- 
pied five years following. At the expiration of 
this time, with the small sum he h.-id saved bj' the 



■^ 



i 



■<^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 

589 , . 



closest ecoiiomj'. ho took unto liiinsi'lf ;\ cuiiipaiiioii 
.■111(1 lielpuicet, and renting a farm in Russ Cunnty, 
Ohio, resided there until 18.'),'i. In the spring of 
that year he came to Illinois, locating first in Logan 
County, where he operated on rented land until 
1.S70. He was successful in his labors, and then 
coming into tliis county i)urcliased the farm whicii 
he now owns and occupies. It was a wild, uncul- 
tivated tract of [irairie, and its present finely im- 
proved condition is the result of his uninterrupted 
labor since t^iat time. It is now enclosed, ;dl un- 
der the plow, and supplied with handsome and sub- 
stantial frame buildings, as will be seen by a glance 
at the view presented on another page. 

The marriage of Mr. Champ and Miss Sarah A. 
Hobbs took place on the 23d of May, 1847. Mrs. 
Champ is n native of Ross County, Ohio, born Oct. 
28, 182(>, and the daughter of Ephraim and Sarah 
(Chasteen) Hobbs. Her parents were born in N'ir- 
ginia, whence they removed to Ross Couut^y, Ohio, 
at an early period in the settlement of that State. 
The seven children born of this marriage are re- 
corded as follows: Zachariah T. and Francis Ma- 
rion are residents of G.'ige County, Neb.; Marj', 
the wife of H. H. Woods, lives on the home farm; 
Abraham, in KIk County, Kan.; Sarah Ann, Mrs. 
A. C. Hatch, in Oage County, Neb.; Maria, Mrs. 
John Parnell, in Newton Township, this county, 
and John A. on the homestead. 

Our subject is Republican in politics, and with 
his excellent wife is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. During the long period in 
which they have moved in and out among the peo- 
ple of Condit Township, few have " named them 
but to praise." 



-:^--^—z. 




\ 



ANIEL NISEWANDEK, one of the hon- 
ored pioneers of Illinois, came to Cham- 
paign County ill 18.')0, and was among the 
earliest settlers of Mahomet Township, 
whence he afterward removed to Hensley, where 
he h.as since resided. He owns and occupies a fine 
estate consisting of 401 acres of land, a handsoine 
and substantial set of frame buildings, and all the 
appliances of a first-class agriculturist. He has 



witnessed with satisfaction the growth and develop- 
ment of his adopted State, and has contributed in 
no small degree to the present prosperity of Cham- 
paign Countj-. He has for many years been dosel}' 
identified with its agricultural and business inter- 
ests, and has contributed liberally and chcerfull}- 
of his time and means for the encoiir.'igement of 
every worthy project. 

Our subject was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 
18, 1819. His father, Joseph Nisewander, was a 
n.ative of Washington County, Md., and his grand- 
father was born in Switzerland. The latter emi- 
grated to the United States when a 3'oung man, 
settling ill Washington Countj', Md., where he 
spent the remainder of his life. There his son 
Joseph, the father of our subject, grew to man- 
hood and was united in marriage with Mi.ss 
Lydia Avej'. She was l)orn in Maryland, of Ger- 
man parentage. After their marriage the young 
people removed to Ohio, and settled on a part of 
the present site of thi; (^ueen City. It was at 
that time but a small village. Joseph Nisewander 
bought eighty acres of laml which now lies in the 
heart of the city. Disposing of this in 1821 he re- 
moved to Montgomery County, of whicli he re- 
mained a resident seven years, then, emigrating to 
Indi.ana located in Tippecanoe County, and was 
among the earliest settlers of that section. He pur- 
chased a tract of timber land, a portion of which he 
cleared and to which he added later a small area of 
prairie. He remained a native of that county un- 
til his death in 18;)9. The wife and mother sur- 
vived but a few years, then joined her husband on 
the other shore, her death also taking place on the 
homestead which thej- had unitedly established. 

Of the nine children comprising the parental 
family Daniel was the fourth. He was but two 
years old when his parents removed to Cincinnati, 
and nine years old when they left the Buckeye 
State for Indiana. He remained under the par- 
ental roof until 1850, then came to this county dur- 
ing the early settlement of Mahomet Townshii). 
The greater part of the prairie around Wiis unten- 
anted save by wild animals, and deer roamed at 
will over the long gniss. The nearest markets 
were the towns on the Illinois and Waliash Rivers. 

Our subject was variously eng.Hged for nine 



i' 



^^ 



•► m ^"' 



-•► 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



years following his arrival in Mahomet Township, 
during which time he harl saved what he could of 
his limited earnings, and inT8')9 purcliased a part 
of the land which constitutes his present iioinestead. 
It is hardly necessary to say that the years since 
that time have been industriously employed in the 
cultivation and improvement of the homestead, 
which now in all respects indicates the supervision 
of the progressive and intelligent farmer and busi- 
ness man. The course of Mr. Nisewander has been 
uniformly upright and praiseworthy, and he enjoys 
in a marked degree the confidence and respect of 
his fellow-townsmen. 

The marriage of our subject and Miss Sarah 
Breace took place in Lafayette, Ind., in 1849. 
Mrs. N. was born in Ohio, and departed this life at 
the liome of her husband in Hensley Township, 
Feb. 12, 1873. The children of this union were : 
Sarah, now the wife of George Lutz, of Champaign ; 
William, who lives in Hensley Township, and one 
deceased. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he 
was married June 12, 1875, was formerly Miss 
Alice Morris, who was born in Brown County, Ohio, 
Jan. 12, 18.59. Of this marriage there have been 
born Edgar, Jennie, Merritt and Ira. Our subject 
is Democratic in politics, a man of decided views 
and opinions and fearless in the expression of his 
sentiments. 

The home i^f Mr. Nisewander makes a pleasant 
picture in tlie landscape of Hensley Townshiji, and 
the view is reprcjduced on another page of this 
work. 



yK. HANDV, Agent of tl 
Telegraph Company, al 
cated in this place on 



K. HANDV, Agent of the Western Union 
at Tolono. He lo- 
piace on the lOtii of May, 
187?. He is an expert operator, and commenced 
to learn the business in 1H78, at Perry Springs, 
Pike County, this State. He is a native of Cam- 
eron, Mo., and was born Sept. 2, 18G0. He is the 
son of John W. and Hepsy H. (High) Ilamly, the 
former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Ohio. 
The parents soon after marriage located in Cam- 
eron, Mo., where tiie father died in 1801. The^'ear 
following the mother with her only son removed 



k~ 



to Illinois and located at Chambersburg, in Pike 
County, where she still resides. She was married the 
second time, in September, 1880, to Mr. J. W. Smith, 
a prominent and successful fruit-grower of that 
section. 

Our sul)ject began his education in the common 
schools of his native county and completed it in 
Wesleyan Tniversity at Bloomington. He com- 
menced to learn the art of telegraphy in 1878, as 
we have stated, and has operated successfully since 
that time. He was married in January, 1880, to 
Jennie M., daughter of O. E. and Jane B. Culbert- 
son, of Tolono. Mrs. Hand\' was born in Tolono 
in 1861, and by her marriage with our subject has 
become the mother of two cliildren — Charles E. 
and Alice. 

Mr. H., politically, affiliates with the Democratic 
party, and ha? been quite prominent in local poli- 
tics, serving as Chairman of the Township Central 
Committee. He has also been "N'ill.age Clerk. So- 
cially he is n member of Tolono Lodge No. 391, 
A. F. (fe A. M., in which he has been Master for 
three years. He also belongs to the Chapter at 
Champaign, and Commandery No. 16, at Urbana, 
and is a most exemplar}' young man, gifted with 
excellent business judgment, and an affable disposi- 
tion. 

J^OHN T. MILLER. Among tlie pleasant 
homesteads in Ludlow Township, that of 
our subject invariably attracts the attention 
of the passing traveler. It is located one 
and onc-lialf miles from the rtourishing city of 
Kantoul, which furnishes a convenient market and 
a point easily accessible for tr.ading purposes. The 
farm comprises 160 .acres of land finely located, 
and enclosed and improved with a convenient and 
tasteful residence, a good barn, and all other build- 
ings required by the modern and progressive agri- 
culturist. Our suliject has been a resident of this 
county since 1880, in whicii year he took posses- 
sion of his farm. He is a native of the Buckeye 
State, born in Clarke County, June 28, 1841. His 
father, Daniel. ;ind his grandfather, Frederick Mil- 
ler, were both natives of Virgini.-i, and the latter of 
Cierman ancestry. He occupied hin)self in farm- 



\ 



* ► JT 'i- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-; 



591 



iiig the greater p;H-t of liis litV, ieiii;iiiiiiig h resident 
i>f the Old Doiiiiriioii until 1^18, iind then enii'- 
grated to Oliio. He i)iiichased a tract of timber 
land, opened up a good farm from the uihlerness, 
and on the iiomeslead thus established by the labor 
and industr3' of j'ears, passed his last days in the 
enjoyment of an honest competency'. 

The father of our subject was a lad of fourteen 
j'ears when his parents removed to Ohio. The 
journey was made overland with teams, and they 
carried their provisions, cooking by the wayside 
and sleeping in their wagons at night. Daniel as- 
sisted his father in clearing the farm, and learned 
tiie trade of a blacksmith. I'pon reaching man- 
hood, he purciiased Ave acres and put up a house 
and shop, of logs. At that time Cincinnati was 
but an embryo village, about eighty miles distant, 
and the nearest depot for supplies. During the 
winter season j'oung Miller used to take a load of 
flour and whisky to Cincinnati, and return with 
iron, salt and other necessary articles. After a few 
years, during which he had accumulated a little 
means, he purchased 160 acres of timljer land 
six miles west of Springfield, which he commenced 
to clear, in the meantime carrying on his trade as 
opportunity afforded. After a time he abandoned 
the latter and gave his entire attention to the cul- 
tivation of his land. Me added to his real estate 
until he became possessed of 277 acres, and Ijcfore 
his death had placed it nearly all under a good 
state of cultivation. He erected a substantial 
brick house and frame l)arn, (ilanted orchards, and 
had all the comforts and conveniences of an East- 
ern h(jme. He died there in 1878. He had mar- 
ried, in early manhood, Miss Elizabeth Neff, who 
was born in X'irginia, and became the true com- 
panion and sympathizer of her husl)and in all his 
undertakings. Her death occuricd on the old 
homestead in 1871). 

They had a family of eleven children : M.-uy, the 
eldest daughter, became the wife of George Gor- 
don and died in Clarke County, Ohio, at the age of 
twenty-two years; S.-i rah died in early childhood, 
when nine years old ; Delilah, Mrs. .lames, is a resi- 
dent of McLean County, this State: Leah, Mrs. 
, Pursell. is a resident of Clarke County. Oiiio; Hen- 
jamin lives in Siielby County, 111.; iOnuline, Mrs. 



r 



Hughel, died in Anderson, Iiid.; Willis H., during 
the late war became a .soldier in the 44tii Ohio In- 
fantry, and was killed at the battle of Beverly, W. 
\'n.: Henrietta, .Mrs. Collins, lives in Harrison 
County, Mo.; our subject was the next child; 
Eliza, Mrs. Ellis, lives at Yellow Springs, and Clara, 
Mrs. Deti'ick, in Clarke County, Ohio. 

Our suliject was the youngest son of the family, 
and remained at home attending the district school 
and assisting his parents until the opening of the 
war. In Septendier. 1801, he enlisted in Co. F. 
44th Ohio \'ol. Inf., serving until the expiration of 
his term of enlistment, and veteranizing in .lan- 
uary, 1863, followed the fortunes of his comrades 
in arms until the close of the war. He was pres- 
ent at many of its important battles, including that 
of Lewisburg, W. A'a., and Knoxville, Tenn., and 
joined the command of (ien. .Sheridan in the .Shen- 
andoah \'alley campaign. There were skirmishes 
and other encounters with the enemy too numerous 
to mention. His company was afterward trans- 
ferred to the 8th Ohio Cavalry, and was n)ustered 
out ;it Clarkesburg, W. Va., in August. 186.5. 
Upon his return home Mr. Miller engaged in farm- 
ing with his father on the old homestead for fif- 
teen years following, then came to this .State and 
purchased the farm which he now owns and occu- 
pies. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was mar- 
ried in 1868, was Mi.ss Ella, daughter of Smith and 
Sarah (Stephens) Wallace. She iias borne our sub- 
ject five children — John W., Frank A., Calvin P., 
.Jessie May, and Thomas S., who died in his thir- 
teenth 3'ear. Mr. Miller is Rejiublican in jjolitics, 
and with his wife is (•onne('te<l with the Kaptist 
Church. 



RS. NAHCISSA IIOLADAY. Standing 
back from the road leading to the little 
city of St. Joseph, from which it is two 
and one-half miles distant, is a handsome 
and commodious residence, set in the midst of beau- 
tiful grounds 8urrt)unded by choice shade trees and 
shrubbery, with a fine lawn and numerous winding 
walks, and which is the admiration of every passer- 
by. Adjacent and In the rear of llic dwelling is a ▼ 

— •» * 




i 




592 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



large tiani. inclufling the stibles and carriage house 
which, in (•oiistructioii and size, correspond with the 
residence, and are flanked by the smaller build- 
ings necessary to the well-regulated country estate. 
The fields belonging tu tills li<iniestead stretch away 
over 24(1 acres, the greater pait of which is finely 
cultivated land and yields in abundance the richest 
harvests of tlie Prairie State. This l)eautiful home 
has been occupied by the ladj' above named for a 
])eriod of fourteen years, with the exception of 
eight years spent in Venuilion Grove for the pur- 
pose of educating her children. 

Ttie suljject of tliis biograpliy is the daughter of 
I. T. and Rebecca (Commons) Lewis, late of Stan- 
ton Township, and the widow of .1. P. Holaday, 
who departed this life April 2, 1872. The paternal 
grandparents of Mrs. H., C'aleb Lewis and his wife, 
were natives of Xorth Carolina. After marriage 
the}- removed from tlieir native State to Ohio, 
where they reared tlieir familj' and passed the re- 
mainder of their lives. Their son L T. was born in 
North Carolina, Dec. 19, 1804, and was a bo}' of 
eight years when his parents became residents of 
the Bacjjeye State. He remained with them until 
his marriage with Miss Kachael Waldrip, who was 
a native of Tippecanoe Count}', Ind., 'and born 
March 20, 1809. The}' became husband and wife 
on the ;50th of August, 1827. Eighteen years later, 
after Ijecoming the motlier of six children, the wife 
died, on the 14th of February, 1845. 

The father of Mrs. Holaday, after the death of his 
first wife, was married to Miss Rebecca Commons, in 
Wayne County, Ind., May 11. 1846. This lady 
was tile daiigiiter of William and Sarah Commons, 
of Englisli descent, and of their union there were 
born seven children, four sons and three daughters, 
all of whom grew to liecome men and women : 
Pen-}- is managing tlie farm of his sister, Mrs. Hola- 
day : Oliver married Miss Sue Ellis of Vermilion. 
The father of these children died in Vermilion 
County, 111., in about 1885. 

Mr. Holaday was the first son of William and 
E. .1. Holaday, and remained witli liis parents until 
reaching his majority. When first coming to Stanton 
Township lie purchased IGO acres of railroad land 
on section ."34. for wiiich lie paid ^15 per acre. It 
had never been cultivated, and his first business 



was to break the .sod and fence the fields, at which 
he labored industriously until he had brought it to 
a good state of cultivation. He added to his real 
estate as time progressed and accumulated a hand- 
some property. He had lieen raised in the (Quaker 
faith, and to this he loyall}' adhered during his life. 
Political!}' he voted with the Republican party. 
Mr. aiid Mrs II. l)ecame the parents of two chil- 
dren, namely, Olive M. and Oren P. 

A few months after the death of her husband 
Mrs. Holaday removed to \'ermilion Givive, remain- 
ing there with her children until they had completed 
their education. She returned to the farm in the 
spring of 1880, and liegan to carry out the projects 
of her husband in regard to the further improve- 
ment of their property. The fine residence which 
forms an attractive feature of the estate was built 
under her supervision, and she has in other respects 
added to tlie beauty and value of the property. 
She is living comfortably, in the enjoyment of all 
the conveniences and many of the luxuries of mod- 
ern life, having her two children with her, and vis- 
ited by the best people of tlie community, who ap- 
preciate her intelligence and ability and within 
whose hospitable doors they always find a pleasant 
welcome. 

<34= 



<fl JfelLLIAM B. BRODRICK. Thisgentlenwn, 
who is comfortablv located on a >j;ood farm 




07^^ in Newcomb Township, is a native of Ham- 



ilton County, Ohio, born .May 10, 181.'>. and is the 
son of Anthony and Rachel (Doan) Hrodrick, na- 
tives of New York. The parental household in- 
cluded one son and six daughters. 

William B. Bro<lrick remained in his native 
county until he was fourteen years old, and then 
set out to do for himself. He first went to Dear- 
born County, Ind., where lie lived four years, and 
from there proceeded to Tippecanoe County, and 
there resided until the spring of 1853, when he 
took up his abode in Xewconib Tp., this count}-, 
which has since been his home. He has always been 
engaged in farming pursuits, and at present is the 
owner of 185 acres of good land. Upon this lie has 
erected a tasteful and convenient dwelling which, 



i 



i 



t 



-4*- 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



593 



togetlicr witli his hnvu ami dthci- necessary' out- 
luiildings, forms a comfurtalile hoiiu'ste.id. 

iMr. Biodriok was luarriod in Tippcfaiioe Coun- 
ty, Ind., April l.'i, I!*:}'), to Miss Phebe Keclcr, a 
native of Indiana. The record of the children of 
this union, seven in nuniher, is as follows: Hester 
A. became the wife of ilirani Peai)ody,and met her 
death l>y l)eing poisoned, in I HSo ; William B., Jr., 
during the late war was a member of Co. A, 2()th III. 
\'ol. Inf., and was killed by a shell at the battle of 
Clianipioii Hills, Miss.: John F. at the s:ime time 
was a niemlier of Co. U,.51st III. \'ol. Inf., and died 
in the hospital at Jackson, Tenn. ; Charles W. is 

married, and a resident of Xebraska; Allen ^\' . is 

i 
an artist; Amanda M. became the wife of James M. 

Mitchell, a resident of Gibson, 111., and died while 
on a visit to her parents in Newcomli Township, 
this county; Phebe K.. Mrs. D. H. Lester, resides 
with her hushand on a farm in Newcomli Town- 
shi|i. The wife of our sul)ject, who was a consist- 
ent member of the Jlethodist Kpiscopal Chiu'cb, 
and a lady highlj' esteemed in the community, de- 
parted this life at her home in Newcomb Township, 
Jan, 1;"), lHyo. Mr. Hrodriek is connected with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically is a 
standi Democrat and Prohibitionist. 



JOHNSON OBJRYANT, deceased. The (piai 
ter section of land which in 18.')l becan 
the property of the subject of this sketcl 
forms a p.irtof sectii>n 27, in .Sadorus Towi 



"JOHNSON OBJRYANT, deceased. The (piar- 

unc 

L'tch, 

in- 

ship, where he labored fi)r a i)eriod of fourteen 
years, and Imilt up a good homestead for his fam- 
ily'. The i)eoplo of that communitj- among whom 
he went in and out, honestly and conscientiously, 
bear testimony to the excellence of his character 
:uid the correctness of his quiet and unassuming 
life. Although, perhaps, not the hero of many 
great events, he discharged his dut\' to the best of 
his ability, and was accounted a good and useful 
member of the community. 

The birth of Mr. Obryaiit took place in Pike 
County, Ohio, Nov. 10, l.srj. He was the second 
child of .1,-inu's ;in(l Sarah (Powleson) ()l)iyant. 



also natives of the Bucke3'e State, where the 
father's death took place. In 184(5 the mother came 
to Illinois, and spent the remainder of her days on 
a farm with her son James, in Douglas County. 

Johnson Obryant, when fourteen years of age, 
left home and went into Bainliridge, Ross Countv. 
to learn the tanner's trade, at which he served an 
api)renticeship of nearly six years. A little before 
his twentieth year he was married, Oct. 22, I 840, 
t<> Miss Jane Mcl'nn. daughter of William and 
Nancy McUnn. The young people at once pro- 
ceeded westward, and crossing the Mississippi, set- 
tled near St. Joseph, Mo., where our subject was 
em|)lo3'ed at his trade, and where for a brief time 
they enjoyed the comforts of a modest home. A 
year later his young wife died, leaving him with 
one child, a l)oy, Austin M,, who was afterwanl 
cared for l)y his grandmother. He spent his lioy- 
hood and youth in this county, and although not 
strong physieallj' was bright and intelligent, and 
when grown to manhood bt^came Collector for Sa- 
dorus Township. While holding this office he mys- 
teriously disapjieared, and no trace was afterward 
found of him. It is generally' believed that he was 
murdered for his money, as he was a young man of 
sterling integrity and excellent habits, and his hon- 
esty was never questioned. 

Mr. Olu-^iint followed farming in Missouri ;i lit- 
tle more than two years, and after the death of his 
wife came to Illinois, to the home of his mother 
and brother in Douglas County. He rented land 
ne;ir the farm of the latter, and remained there five 
years. In Jauuar\', 1847, he was married to Miss 
Catharine, the second child of William and Nancy 
(Beavers) Honck. Mr. ()l)ryant remained in 
Douglas County four years after this event, and 
then came to Chami)aign County, where he spent 
the remainder of his d-a^'s, departing this life Feb, 
28, 1808, 

Mrs. Obry:int, after the death of her husband 
remained on the farm with her t'hiUlreii until the 
sjiring of 1887, when she moved north and settled 
on section 1 4, taking possession of 200 acres, which 
came to her from her father's estate, and whore she 
now lives near a married daughter. Of her union 
with our subject there were born six children — Re- 
becca II,, Mary P. and Lemuel R., born in Doug- 



»»-■ <»• 



4 



4 



, i 594 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



*^ ' f . <• 



las County, and Isabel!, Josephine and Emma, na- 
tives of C-hampaign. The eldest daughter, Rebecca, 
became the wife of John Fulicerson, a farmer of 
Pesotura Towusliip, and died Oct. 27, 1868, leav- 
ing one child, a daughter, Minnie B., who followed 
her mother on the 18th of November, not quite a 
month later ; Mary P. married Robert C. Benton, a 
farmer of Sadorus Township, and departed this life 
Feb. 13, 1879, leaving one oliild, a son, Hugh J., 
who is now with his father in Missouri; Lemuel It., 
unmarried, is at home with his mother; Isabell be- 
came the second wife of her brother-in-law. R. C. 
Benton, and died Feb. 10, 1882. leaving u child, 
Ilarr^', who joined the mother in the other life, on 
the 13th of October following'; Josephine is the 
wife of James Cliapman, a harness-maker of Whiting, 
Jackson Co., Kan., where he conducts a harness- 
shop, and owns a farm near by, which is operated 
bj' a tenant; this daughter became the mother of 
four children — Tohn Lemuel (deceased), Ralph B., 
Emma W. and Iva G. The youngest daughter is 
married to William Price, who is carrying on their 
forty-acre farm, and at the same time is aLso man- 
aging the farm properti' belonging to her mother. 
He is an active and enterprising young fanner, fully 
deserving <jf the confidence reposed in him. Mr. 
and Mr.s. Price have two children — Catharieu A. 
and Parker J. Mr. Obr3-aut was a member of the 
Methcjdist Episcopal Church for a quarter of a 
century, and Mrs. Obryaut is a member of the 
same denomination. 






l/_^^ENRY KIRTZ, well and favcnihly known 
^li'i tiu-oughout;Brown Town.ship, is a native of 
Stark County, Ohio, his birtii taking place 
Jan. 18, 1844. He is the son of Henry .and 
Anna (Escliliman) Kurtz, the former a native of 
Ohio, and the latter of Peiuisylvania. Both wej'e 
reared in tlie Buckeye State, where they married, 
and located in Stark County, and there the father 
died in the fall of 1843. Mrs. Kurtz survived her 
husl>and over forty years, her death taking place 
in 1885, in I'iatt County, this State. Their familj^ 
consisted of three cliildreii, two sons and a daugh- 
ter, of whom our subject was the 3'oinigest. 



Henry Kurtz was i-eared on his father's farm, and 
during the winter season attended the district 
school, remaining a resident of his native county 
until 1872, when he was twent3'-eight ^-ears of age. 
He then decided to seek a locality farther west. 
For two 3'ears before leaving Stark County, he had 
been engaged in the lumber business and obtained 
some knowledge of the metiiods of dealing in stock 
and grain. His tastes inclining to this latter branch 
of business, after locating in Piatt County, this 
State, he engaged in l)ii\-ing and shipping stock for 
six years, and for two years afterward followed 
milling. 

Mr. Kiutz came to Brown Town?hip in the spring 
of 1881, and is now the owner of 3()0 acres of im- 
proved land, which he largel3' devotes to stock- 
growing, keeping about thirty head of cattle and 
l.')0 hogs, and h.as fed large numbers of sheep. He 
takes pride in having all his operations carried on 
s^'stematicalh' and in good order, and is always 
full of business, possessing the energ}- required for 
the proper supervision of his extensive interests. 
The residence is a tasteful and convenient struct- 
ure, and the barn excels anything of the kind in 
that section. The home.stead in all its appoint- 
ments forms a model country estate, which its pro- 
prietor ma}- l>e pai<lone(l for viewing with pride 
and satisfaction. 

The marriage of Mr. Kurtz took [liace in Waj'ue 
Count}', Oliio, Fcl). 7. 1.8tj7, his chosen bride be- 
ing Miss Barbara A. Nisewanger, who was the 
3'oungest daughter of Emanuel and Barbara Nise- 
wanger, the former a native of Marj'land and the 
latter of Pennsylvania. To the parents of Mrs. 
Kurtz there were born thirteen children, seven sons 
and six daughters. Her father is deceased, but her 
mother is still living. 

The wife of our subject was born in Wayne 
Count}', Ohio, Sept. 23, 1848, and remained with 
her parents until her marriage, receiving careful 
home training and instruction in all housewifely 
duties. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz, ten 
in number, were named respectively, Leo G., .Sam- 
uel E., Orlando N.. Willis L., Henry H., Jessie M., 
Sylvia A., Ralph E., Barbara M. .and Raymond W. 
,Our subject has been Supervisor of Brown Town- 
ship, besides holding some of the minor odices. 



_. 



i 



.t 



CHAIN! FA ir.N COUNT V. 



595 




I 



Mr. and Mrs. Kiutz are cuiuiet-ted with the Ger- 
iiiaii Baptist Clitirtli, and politirnliy Mr. Kurtz 
viites with the Rrpiililifaii party. 

'l"ho iioniestoad uf Mr. Kurtz invariably attracts 
tiie attention and admiration of the pa.ssing traveler, 
and we liave .selected it to assist in embellishing 
this worii, as will lie seen by referring to another 
page. 

■^*> o♦o..^'5^><^..o♦o <,— 

h.A HS. KLIZABKTll (). :MW:HS, who occu- 
pies a worthy position in the society of 
Homer \'illage. is the widow of John L. 
Myers, and daughter of .lohn and Eleanor 
(Wilson) Ochiltree. She was liorn in (ireenbrier 
County, W. \'a., July G. Ii^l0,and remained a resi- 
dent of tiie Old Donnniou until 1S17. Her father, 
John Ochiltree, was born in 1777, and died in Fa3'- 
ctte County, Ohio, in 18o;>, he having become a 
resident of the latter State in the spring of 1 81 7. 
The mother, also a native of \'irginia, was born in 
1787, and after the death of her husband moved 
further westward, to Illinois, locating near the home 
of Mrs. Myers in tliis county, and departed this 
life in 18.57. Both were members of the JMethodist 
Episcopal Church, and during the years of their 
active life engaged in farming i)ursuits. Their 
nine children were named i-espectively, ilartha, 
Elizabeth, Mary, Eleanor, John R., Jane, Amanda, 
Malinda and America. \Vith the exception of our 
subject, .lohn H. and America, all these children 
have departed to the silent land. 

Mrs. Myers remained under the home .roof re- 
ceiving careful training from her e.xcellent parents, 
being instructed in all womanly and housewifely 
duties, and obtaining a fair education. When 
twenty-three years of age she was married,, first, 
Sept. 12, 1833, to Jacob M. Custer. Mr. C, als<^ a 
native of the Old Dominion, was born in 180G, 
followed farming the greater part of his life and 
rested from his earthly labors on the 17th of Sep- 
tember, 18G.5. Fifteen years after marriage Mr. 
and Mrs. Custer came to Illinois, locating on a 
farm three miles from the present village of Homer. 
In 18,'it Mr. C. built the Homer House in tin' vil- 
l.age, which he occupied about four year>, acting in 

M» '■ 



the meantime as "mine host," and afterward took 
a smaller residence half a mile east, where he re- 
sided with his family until his death. 

Mr. Custer wa.s a gooil man in the broadest mean- 
ing of the word, fulfilling creditalily all his duties 
toward his fannly and his neighbors, and was 
a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church for over twenty years. He was an earnest 
advocate of the temperance movement and greatly 
misseil b}' the society with which he had labored 
for a number of years in building up the sentiment 
against the use of intoxicating drinks. He was 
noted for his honesty and uprightness, and during 
the later j'ears of his life was quite extensively 
engaged as a stock dealer. 

The children of this marriage, nine in numlier, 
are recorded as follows: Margaret died in infancy; 
Martha E. became the wife of Aaron Dolby; Mary 
E. married James Ila^'s; William married Miss 
Marie Noble; John married Miss Dove Noble; 
James enlisted in the Union army during the late 
war and died in the service in 18G2; (ieorge died 
in infancy; Jacob A. married Mrs. Jennie ILaysley, 
and Benjamin married Miss Carrie Radabaugh. 

After the death of Mr. Custer his wife remained 
at Homer and was married to John L. Myers, 
in June, 1M74. Mr. M., a native of Ohio, w;is born 
in 1803, where he remained during the early years 
of his manhood. He was a gentleman of fine abili- 
ties and good education, and in 1874 was elected 
to re])resent his native county in the (General As- 
sembly. He was frequently called to other respon- 
sible positions and possessed the clear head and 
temperate judgment which coidd be relied upon at 
all times. His mind inclined, however, to farming 
pursuits, and for many years he was engaged as a 
dealer in cattle and hogs, of which he made a suc- 
cess. He was greatly interested in current events 
and as a politician exercised much influence in the 
movements of the Hcpublican party of his district. 
He removed to this State in 1875, but died in Ohio 
while on a visit among his old friends and ac- 
(piaintances, in 1883. Kcligiously he had been 
identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

.Mrs. Myers has eight grandchildren and three 
great-grandchildren. She came to Illinois in I84S, 
and has been a member of the Methodist Episco|)al 



i 






596 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 



Church for over forty years. During- the late war 
her two sons, William C. and John M. Custer, served 
three years in the Ihiion army. Besides the hand- 
some vilLage property Mrs. Myers has ninety acres 
of choice land wliich is managed by her son. 
Althougli nearl_v seventy-seven years of age she 
retains her l)right mental faculties to a remarkable 
degree, and is tlie favorite companion of both young 
and old, who delight in liearing her relate incidents 
of the early days and the manner of living before 
the thousand modern conveniences of the present 
time had found their way across the borders of 
what was then considered the wild West, and which 
included the Prairie State. After a worth}- and 
conscientious life she is neaiiug the sunset slope, 
surrounded bv the comforts which rightfully belong 
t" her as one having performed faithfully the duties 
of daughter, wife, mother and friend. 



^S^ 



/AMKS \V. HENDERSON. The record of 
this sterling and energetic citizen of Sadorus 
Township is as follows: He was born in 
Bourbon County, Ky., INIay 8, 1837. and was 
the first child of Samuel G. and Eliza A. (Hender- 
son) Henderson, natives of the same State, who 
followed farming and remained there all their lives. 
Our subject, in 18G2, when a young man of 
twenty-five 3-ears, believing that he could better 
his condition in (juc of the AVcsterii States, i)ro- 
cecded noi'thward, and coming into this county pur- 
chased eight}' acres of land in Sadorus Township, 
and prepared to establish a jjorinanent home. He 
has adhered closely to his first resolution, having 
now his lirst purchase and fifty -four acres which he 
subsequently added. This lies on section 2, and 
in point of cultivation and improveinent bears fair 
comparison with the farms around it. Mr. Hender- 
son hibored indnstriiiusly on his homestead until 
the outbreak of the late war, and then, laying aside 
his personal interests, joined a Kentuck}' regiment, 
the l.'ith Infantry, commanded by (Jen. Pope. He 
was rejected In^wever, at the medical examination, 
and <-i>mpellcd to resume the peaceful vocation of 
■A farmer. In October, 1 Si;.",, desiring a com|)aiii<)U 
who should direct the affairs of his household and 



.sympathize with him in his struggles for a com- 
petency, he became the husband f)f Miss Sophia 
\y. .lones, a native of Jefferson County, Ky., born 
in 1844. Mrs. H. is the daughter of Carter T. and 
Eliza A. (Roberts) .lones, natives of Kentuckj'. 
The j'oung people at first b<jarded with Mr. Swope, 
and the second year Mr. Henderson put up a plain 
but modest dwelling for his family. This still re- 
mains their residence, althougli having been ren- 
ovated, improved, and fitted with the more modern 
aiijiliances. Mr. Henderson devotes the larger part 
of his time to grain-raising and keeps a herd of 
good cattle which consume most of this product. 
He takes pride in his animals and has attained 
quite a reputation as a stock^^raiser. While en- 
gaged in his farming pursuits he has not lost sight 
of the welfare of his township, .and as opportunity 
permitted, has given his time and influence to the 
establishment and maintenance of schools and other 
worthy enterprises. He uniformly votes the Demo- 
cratic ticket and has lieen Tax Collector for three 
years. Both he and his wife are active members 
of the B.-iptist Church. Mr. Henderson frequentl}' 
recalls many interesting incidents of his boyhood 
and recollects hearing his parents relate how the 
manufacture of the genuine and far-famed Old 
Bourbon -.vhisky was carried i)n in his native 
county. This industiy was long since aliolished 
there, Bourbon County now priding itself on the 
fact that not even a saloon exists within its borders. 
Those who examine the accouii)anyiug view of the 
homestead of Mr. Henderson will ackutiwledge that 
it is a fine subject for the |)encil of the artist, as it 
is also the admiration of the traveler i)assing through 
that section of country. 



^^^^— > 




OWARD 1. CLEVENGER, an extensive 
farmer and stock-raiser of Hensley Town- 
ship, is finel}' situated on section :^'^, his 
farm being formerly the homestead of his 
father. It is a beautiful and well-conducted couu- 
liy estate, supplied with modern improvements in 
the way of farm buildings :tnd machinery, and as 
a home and farm combined, is scarcely excelled in 
this county, as may be supposed by those who will 



4 



«4*- 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



599 



J. 



notice tlie carefully executed lithographic view on 
an adjacent page. Our subject is a native of Ip- 
per Freehold Township, Monmouth Co., N. J., and 
was born Sept. 18, 1839. He is the son of Joshua 
and Edith (Larrisen) C'levenger, botli natives of 
the same State and county as their son. Thej' be- 
came the parents of eleven children and were in 
quite limited circumstances. 

The father of our subject when fifteen years of 
age was bound out, but his master dying three 
years later, he purchased his time of the widow, 
paying her $oO in money, which he afterward 
earned, working at §(! per montli. So he started 
out when eighteen years of age $.30 in debt. He 
had, however, inherited the patient perseverance of 
his parents, and at once proceeded to pay it off. 
In due time this was accomplished, and he then 
considered himself his own man. When twenty- 
one j'ears of age he was ui.arried, and commenced 
his career as a farmer like his father before him. 
He first operated on rented land, and after a few 
3ears was enabled to purchase 100 acres in his na- 
tive township. After a further residence of eight- 
een years, he sold out and purchased a faiui in 
Burlington Countj', the same State, which he occu- 
pied until 1809. In the meantime he had visited 
Illinois and Champaign County, and [turchased 390 
acres of land on sections 33 and 34 of Ilensley 
Township. He then rented his farm in New Jer- 
sey, and in the ^'ear named returned to this c(juuty 
and commenced the cultivation of his new pur- 
chase, which was already' imi)roved. He i)ut up a 
good set of frame buildings, and lived here witii 
his familj" until 1882. He then removed to Kver- 
est, Brown Co., Kan., where he bought village 
property, and engaged in bunking, which he still 
continues. 

The subject of this history was the second child 
of the family. He was reared in his native county, 
educated in the public schools, and when twenty- 
two years old commeneeil teaching. He made his 
home with his parents until 1807, and then began 
farming on his own .account. He was still unmar- 
ried, and employed his sister to keep house for 
him. He came to Champaign with iiis father in 
1801). remaining under the home roof until his 
marriage, which took place March 28, 1871, the 



maiden of his choice being Miss Laura A. Frazier. 
Mrs. Clevcnger is a native of Miami County, Ohio, 
and the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Haney) 
Frazier, natives respectively of New Jersey and 
Ohio. After marriage the young people settled 
upon a tract <jf land in Scott Township, where they 
resided, with the exception of one year, until 1883. 
Mr. C'levenger then removed his family to Cham- 
paign where they lived two 3"ears, and thence to 
the old homestead which he now owns and occu- 
pies. Their four children are, Lizzie. George G., 
Melissa JNIay and Ethel. Our subject is Demo- 
cratic in politics, and is highly esteemed both as a 
business man and a citizen. His straightforward 
methods of dealing with his fellow-men, and iiis 
skill in all the departnieuts of agricultuie, have 
placed him in the front ranks among those to whom 
Central Illinois is indebted for its rapid growth 
and development. 



'-^•^ ''i^^- ^-"-^ 

EDWARD 15. CHAl'lN, pulilislicr and i.ro- 
j-^ prietor of the Tolono Herald, is a n.ative of 
jL^-'' Clyde, N. V., and came with his parents to 
this State in 1858, when a child two years of age. 
His birth occurred on the 7tii of May, 1 856, and 
be is the son of Edward J. Chapin, a native of 
Ciiickopee Falls, Mass., who followed the tnide t)f 
a watchmaker toi- many years in his native State. 
He is now a resident of Indianapolis, Ind., engaged 
in manufacturing blacksmiths' and gaslitters' tools. 
'I'ho mother of our subject, Mrs. Kosetla (Smith) 
('liai)in, was born at I'atchogue, L. I., and is still 
living. 'I'he eight childien of the household con- 
sisted of four sons and four <laughters. 

Edward I>. Chapin was the third son in the lauiily 
and completed his education in the High Schools at 
Ottawa and Ashley, this State. l'|)on becoming of 
suitable age he conimeuced to learn watch-making 
mulcr the instruction of his father. This, however, 
was not entirely congenial to his tastes, and in 1872 
he entered ujiou his career as a journalist, by be- 
coming a correspondent tor various papers through- 
out the State. .Mr. Chapin is the founder of the 
'I'olouo //(';■(«/(/, which he esl.'ililished in 1875, and 
has conducted since that time. It is a six-column 






t 



•4^ 

fiOO 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



■H^-Hh-^ 



i 



(liiartf) sheet, is8uerl weekly, and Repiihlicaii in poli- 
ties. It is alily edited, and its business depart- 
ment managed skillfully .ind successfnlly. Its cir- 
culation is steadily increasing, and as a newspaper 
it is lieeoming indispensable to the people of this 
section. 

The marriage of Edward H. Chapin and Miss 
Lucy Pierce was celebrated in Tolono on the 7th 
uf October, 1877. Mrs. C. is the daughter of -lames 
and Louise (Smith) Pierce, who became residents 
of Champaign County during its early settlement. 
Mrs. Chapin was born in Brown County, Ohio, but 
was only an infant when hei- parents came to Illi- 
nois. The household includes five children — Ed- 
ward P., Arlo, George, Lucy and May. 

Mr. Chapin was a|)i>ointed Postmaster at Tolono 
in Decemlier, 1880, and held the otlice until Sep- 
tember, 1885. Both he and his amiable and ac- 
comi)lished wife are members of the ricsl)yterian 
Church and enjoy the society of the cultured peo- 
ple of Tolono. Socially both are niemlicrs of tlie 
K. aud L. of H.. JNIr. C. being at the head of the 
order in this place for several years after its organi- 
zation. He was also one of the organizers and is a 
life member of the Grand Lodge of said order, and 
belongs to the Modern Woodmen. 

n^fe-. — •»• 

■ifSAAC FIELDINCi, of tlie lirni of Smyser, Pow- 
ers & Fielding, is, witii ids i)artners, successfully 
engaged in the publication of the Champaign 
Tiiucti, the only Democratic paper in tliis county. 
He is a native of Wcstport, Conn., born Feb. l(j, 
18.')7, and the son of William and Esther (Nuttell) 
Fielding, natives of England. They emigrated to 
America early in life, and settled in Westport, 
Conn., where William Fielding engaged in the 
nianufucture of cotton goods. He was thus oc- 
cupied until after the close of the war, and then 
coming to Illinois, located in Shelby County and 
engaged in farming. After three years he sold out 
and removed to Sullivan, Mt)ultrie Countj', where 
his death took place in 188;!. 

The parental household included six children, of 
whom only four are now living, namely, Elizabeth 
A., Mrs. Williani Shaffer; Mary E.,Mrs. Danheiser; 

^« ■ — 



Isaac and Alice. The sul)jeet of this biography 
served an ;i|)prenticesiiip in a woolen factory in the 
West, at whicii lie worked until l.S(;:i,;ind then took 
up the jirinter's trade in Sullivan, where lie con- 
tinued for ten years following. At tiie exi)iration 
of that time he became associated with Messrs. 
Smyser & Powers, and they have o|)erated together 
successfully since. 

Mr. Fielding was married in Champaign, in 1 SK4, 
to Miss Alice B. Yates, who is a native of Cham- 
paign Count}', and the daughter of A. .1. Yates. It 
is hardly necessary to say that Mr. Fielding Is 
Democratic in politics. He and his accomplished 
wife are both mendters of the Episcopal Church. 
They number among their friends and associates 
the best citizens of Champaign. 



^-*^ ^ 



\¥(OSIIUA li. McCLELLANl). The home- 
stead of this esteemed gentleman, a litho. 
graphic view of whicli api)ears on another 
) page, lies on the road leading west to the 
village of Foosland, and is one of the finest country 
estates in Brown Township. It consists of 480 broad 
acres, with a fine residence in the midst of hand- 
some grounds, shapely and substantial barns and 
stables, and all the appurtenances of a UKxIern 
country home. Of this property the subject of our 
sketch took i)OSsession in 1874, and since that time 
has devoted his energies to the cultivation of the 
fields and the beautifying of the immediate sur- 
roundings uf the family. One of the attractive 
features of the farm is the fine stock, including 
Norman horses, Short-horn cattle and Poland-China 
hogs. Mr. McClelland has been eminently success- 
fid in tilling the soil, judicious in his disbursement 
of funds, and is ranked among the representative 
farmers and business men of Champaign County. 

Mr. McClelland comes of substantial Pennsyl- 
vania stock, his |)arents, .lames and Nancy (Flanni- 
gan) McClelland, having been natives of the Key- 
stone State, the former a native of Allegheny 
County, and the latter of Washington County. 
After uniting their fortunes they located first in the 
former county, but in 18.'i!) removed to (Jucinse^' 
County, Ohio, where they carried on farming un- 



i 



I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



601 



4- 



! 



til the death of the father, a period of nearly thirty 
years. His decease occurred Nt)v. (>, 18(i8. The 
niotlier, after the death of her husband, continued 
on the homestead in (Juernsey County, but her 
death occurred in Muskingum County' Feb. 28, 
1887, while on a visit to her son residing tlnu'e. 
She was a true jjioneer wife and mother, looking 
well to the ways of her household and the training 
of her family, and lived to an advanced .ige, re- 
spected by all who knew licr. Twelve children 
gathered around the home hearth, ten living to be- 
come men and women. 

The subject of this history, the fifth child of his 
jiarents, was born in Alleghenj- County, Pa., Nov. 
15, 1830. He was nine ye.ars of age when his par- 
ents removed to the Huckeye State, and he remained 
with them until reaching his majority, attending 
scImjoI in winter and being emplo^'ed on the farm 
the balance of the j'ear. After reaching his ma- 
jority he engaged in farming on his own account in 
(iuernsej' and Jlnskingum Counties until the sjiring 
(if IH.j k That year he removed to Licking COuuty, 
near the city of Newark, continuing there until 
August, 186(J. In the meantime he had come into 
|)OSsession of a wife and family, and soon after the 
date mentioned, accompanied by them, started for 
the Prairie State. First taking up his abode in Shir- 
ley, McLean County, he engaged in milling tiiere 
until the winter of 1874, becoming tiien a resident 
of Brown Townshi]!, where he has since remained. 

The marriage of Joshua H. McClelland and Miss 
Eliza J. Foster was celebrated at the Iiohic nf the 
bride's parents in Gnern.sey County, Ohio, Feb. 8, 
18.54. -Mrs. McC. is tne daughter of .lohn ;ind Celia 
A. (Hallou) Foster, the latter a relative of tin- hile 
President (Jarfield. Hei- f.atlier was born in New 
Hampshire, and the mother in Ohio. They, too, 
emigrated from Guernsey County-, Ohio, to Mc- 
Lean County. 111., settling in Shirley in 18G.'), wlierc^ 
they still live. When a lad nine years of age Mr. 
Foster walked barefooted from .Massachusetts to 
Indiana, and this circumstance, perhap>, indicates 
sufliciently the character of this gentleman. The 
Foster family included five children, three of whom 
lived to adult years. .Mrs. McC. being next t(j the 
eldest. She was born in Muskingum County, Oiiio, 
Feb. 1, 1 «.".(;. She was trained to habits of industry 



by her excellent inothoi' and became mistres.«of the 
housewifely arts necessar3' to a well regulated home. 
Four children now call her mother, namely, Ella 
().. Aurelia F.. Alice <i. and Carroll L. The eldest, 
a daughter, Ella, became the wife of George A. 
Fisher, in .Ma^', 1882, and is now the mother of two 
children — Loriii Y. and Robert !•'. ; they live near 
the town of Fisher. 

The fellow- townsmen of Mr. McClelland in look- 
ing about for a worthy representative of their in- 
terests elected him Commissioner of Highways in 
1.S82, and have idways assigned to him a promi- 
nent place in matters relating to the general 
welfare of the community. Both he and his wife 
are members in good standing of the Presbyterian 
Church, Mr. ]\IcC. especially taking a warm interest 
in leading the young into the fold. He lias l)eci: 
President of the Brown Townshii) Sunday-Scliool 
Association since its organization. Socially he be- 
longs to the A. F. iS: A. .M., Gibson Lodge No. 
783, at Gil)Son, an<l Evergreen I..odge, I. (). O. F., 
at Bloomington. In politics Mr. McClelland is a 
stanch Keuublican. 



~— •-'tf5tf-- 



-J»l^- 



^:EOR(;E \y. M. PARKER, Instructor in 
III (=> Wood Work, and Foi'onian in this depart- 
^^ll) ment in the rniversity of Illinois, is ;\ na- 
tive of Worcester, M.ass. He was born Aug. 1'.), 
isi!, and is the son of Ciiiules A. and Sylvia A. 
(.Moore) Parker, who were natives of the Bay 
State. The father of our subject was employed as 
;i rurniluic manufacturer, and clcparted this lil'o in 
18iVl. His granrlfalher, Eiienezer W., also a na- 
tive <jf .Massachusetts, was of English ancestry. 
I lie parents of our subject had a family of .seven 
cliiUlren, live now living — Lucy, .Mrs. Howe; .Sa- 
rah A., Mrs. Howe; Emma F., William I)., and 
George W. M. of our sketch. 

The suliject of this history was reared in the 
town of Princeton, Mass., and when quite young 
commenced to work in ills father's furniture house, 
remaining at home until lifteen years old. He then 
went to learn the carpenter's trade, at which he 
served four years in Sterling, Mjiss. At the out- 









602 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



break of the Civil War, he eniisted in Co. K, ;5-5il 
Mass. ^'ol. Inf., for a term of nine months. At 
the expiration of this time he went to Cliicago, 
where he remained one year, ami then, on account 
of ill-health, took a trip to New Orleans, and for 
three years afterward was a resident of tiie Cres- 
cent City, and Alexandria, La., engaged in con- 
tracting for tlie United States and State (Jovern- 
ment. 

In 1868 Mr. Parker came to this county, and 
engaged as foreman in the |)laning-niill of Messrs. 
Chaddoii & Hesse, which position he occupied for 
six years. He then leased tlie wdrks and employed 
his former employers for three years following, 
when the mill was destroyed by fire. For a short 
time after ivard he was engaged as contractor and 
builder. In 1882 he was appointed to take charge 
of the I'niversity Carpenter Sliops. where he has 
since remained. 

Prof. Parker was married, Dec. IG, 1800, to 
I\Ii.ss Laura D. Hamilton, a native of Louisiana. 
Of this union there have been born six children — 
Henry E., Nettie F., Carrie K., (ieorge A., Caltou 
\V. and Walter (i. The family reside in Cham- 
paign. Politically- our subject is a warm advocate 
i>f Republican principles. 



'Wj-e-s^-^ 



^i^4— w-gl.gKr'air*' 



. i iinr 
J ind 

r 



'^K AMKS M. MOORK. The gentleman whose 
name heads this biography was born and 
reared among the hills of Harrison Count.y, 
Ohio, where he remained until nineteen 
years of .age. He then started for the farther West, 
tirst crossing the Mississippi into Iowa, and thence 
returning to this State, located in Chauipaign 
County in 1875. Not long afterward he purchased 
eighty acres of land, to the improvement of which 
lie has since devoted the greater portion of his 
time. He is now iu possession of a good home- 
stead in Brown Township, witii excellent frame 
l>uildiiigs and pleasant surroundings, and is enjo}- 
ing all the comforts of life. This, by all who know 
him, is acknowledged to l)e the just reward of liis 
industry and perseverance; to these alone is he in- 



debted for his present condition, both socially and 
financially. 

The parents of our subject, James M., Sr.. and 
Ellen (Black) Moore, were natives respectively of 
Harrison County, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pa. After 
marriage, the}' located in the Smoky City, where 
the elder Moore followed his trade as a tailor and 
clothier, and where he remained until having accu- 
mulated suflicient capital to establish in l)Usinessfor 
hiTHself. He tlien removed with his family to Har- 
rison County, Ohio, locating in Ht>pedale, where 
he established a good trade, and with the mother 
of his children spent the remainder of liis life. 
Their family consisted of two sous and two daugh- 
ters, of whom our subject was the second child. 

His birth took place in Harrison County, Ohio, 
.June IG, 1837. His earl}- studies were conducted 
iu the commonschools, and later he attended Hoi)e- 
dale Normal School, after which he worked as a 
tailor in the shop of his father. His mind, liow- 
ever, always inclined to agricultural pursuits, and, 
as we have stated, when nineteen years of age lie 
started out on the search for a suitable location 
and his future farm. In the meantime, however, 
he was induced by Moses Hanle}', of Ohio, to join 
him in the liverj- business, and when starting 
for tlie West, they took with them ten liuggies 
and six horses. After reaching Des Moines, they 
sold out their stock and ab.andoned their project. 
' Mr. Moore remained there two years afterward, 
dealing in Innses, then recrossing the Father of 
Waters, came into McF^ean County, this State, and 
for two years ft)llowing dealt in horses at Le Roy. 
Afterward he rented a farm iu tliat locality, upon 
which he oi^erated until 187.'), then coming to this 
count}' took possession of the land whicli constituti's 
his present farm. 

After having been a resident of McLean County 
for thirteen years, Mr. Moore met and married 
Mrs. Frankie Bhikeman, of Le Roy, the wedding 
taking place at the home of the bride's parents, 
Sept. 9, 180(;. .Mrs. Moore is the daughter of 
James and Esther (Fain) Taylor, and was first mar- 
ried to Gabriel Blakeman, who died in Kentucky, 
Jan. 28, \Hi\->. The only child born of that mar- 
riage was a son who died in iiil'ancy. Mrs. Moore 
1 is a native of Je.ssamine County, Ky., born .May (!, 



i 



t 



■F=« 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



603 




■^ 



1844. Of the three children resulting from her 
union with (Hir subject, one only is living, a son, 
William M. Rebecca A. died when abo\it five 
3'earsof age, and .John died in infancy. Mr. Mooic 
and liis wife are members and rej4iilar attendants 
of the Inited Bretliren t'liuroli at Fisher, and our 
subject, politically, affiliates with tlie Democratic 
party. Me li.as officiated as Road Commissioner 
for several years, and was Collector in Hroun Town- 
ship in 1.S82. 

The lithographic view of the handsome residence 
and surroundings are sufficient indication of the 
cultivated t.astes and the enterprise of Mr. Moore, 
whose home forms one of the pleasantest spots in 
this section of country. 

-^ 43"#- <<- 

YRON BURNS, of the firm of Lamb & 
Burns, druggists and grocers at Tolono, 
came to this county in the spring of 1872. 
lie first established a jewelry store which he 
conducted for seventeen years, and at the end of this 
time became the partner of Dr. L. K. Lamb, and 
in connection with the jewelry business added a 
stock of drugs and groceries. Both partners are 
possessed of good business capacities and are build- 
ing up a fine patronage. 

Mr. Burns was born in Rushville, Ind., Feb. G, 
1854. He is the son of Calvin C. and Kliza E. 
(Pumphrey) Burns, the former a native of New 
York and the latter of Indiana. The family re- 
sided in Johnson County, the latter State, from 
18,54 to 18G9, then removed to this State and lo- 
cated in Homer, where the father established a jew- 
elry business, which he conducted for a period of 
eight years. Thence thej' removed to M.icon 
and later to Pana, where thej' now reside. Tlie 
household included eight children, five now living. 
Byron, of our sketch, was the eldest of the familj', 
and was but an infant when his parents removed 
from the Empire .State to Johnson County, Ind. 
He was reared under the parental roof and received 
a good education in the common schools, afterward 
learning the tiadc of a jeweler under the instruc- 
tion of his father, and which he followed for sev- 
eral years afterward. He came with the family' to 



Illinois, and afterward was employed at his trade 

ill various towns in tiiis State .'ind Indiana. In 
1877 he locatc<l in .Sidney, this count}', whence in 
the si)riug of IKSO he removed to Tolono. Here 
he followed liis trade one year, then purciiased a 
stock of jewelry and conducted business until July, 

1880, when he became the partner of Mr. LamI). 
Mr. Burns was married on the 22d of Kebi nary, 

1881, to Miss Lulu, daughter of (Jeorge \V. and 
Klla Ilartman. Mrs. B. was born in .Sidney, 111., 
where she resided until after her mariiage. They 
have one daughter, Mabel E., born March .s, 1884. 
.Mrs. Burns is a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
and a lady greatly respected for her kindness of 
heart and social qualities. Our subject politically 
is a stanch Rei)ublican, and has frequently been 
sent as a delegate to the county and district con- 
ventions. Socially he is a Knight Templar and a 
member of both Subordinate and F^ncanipment 
Lodges of the I. O. O. F. in Tolono. He has made 
a good beginning, both as a citizen and business 
man, and enjoys in a marked degree the confidence 
and esteem of his fellow-citizens. 



■^E0R(;E G. WEBBER, a well-known and 
—^ highly respected farmer of Urbana Town- 
^1 ship, first opened his eyes to the light of 
day in Shelby County, K}"., on the ;3d of .Septem- 
ber, 1830. He is the son of William T. and Nancy 
(Baskets) Webber, natives of Virginia, born east 
of the Blue Ridge. His gr.andfather. Rev. Philip 
Webber, was also a native of the Old Dominion, 
and a clergyman of the Baptist Church. He re- 
moved to Kentucky with his family at an early 
day, where he continued his labors .as pastor and 
preacher until the close of his life. His family 
consisted of six children, of whom William T. was 
tlie fourth. His birth took place Aug. 11, 178/i, 
and he was married to Miss Nanc}' Baskett. Oct. 
.!(), IXOd. lie was reared on the farm and engaged 
in agricultural pursuits until 1833. He became 
the father of thirteen children, all born in Ken- 
tucky, and all living when the family left that Slate, 
in 1833. During that year William T. Webber 
came into Champaign County and purchased 640 



h 



■^ 



4 



♦■ 



004 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



^\' 



acres of laiul, some of it school laud, and the lial- 
auce he purchased direct from the (ioveruraent, 
paying ^\.ii> per acre. His laud was located in 
Trbaua Township, and he had but just commenced 
its improvement when he was stricken down by the 
hand of death, on the ilth of September, 1838. 
The mother survived her husband over twenty 
years, departing this life Sept. 14, lS(iO. The only 
children now living are .John W., William H., 
(ieorge G. of our sketch, Sarah, Mrs. Romine, and 
Nancy, Mrs. IMnuhall. William T. Webber was 
promiuent in the affairs of I'rbana Township after 
locating here, and served .as Justice of the Peace 
for several years. During the War of 1812 he fur- 
nished a substitute. 

The subject of this biography was reared on the 
farm, and remained a member of the household 
until twenty years of age. He then crossed the 
Mississippi into Des Moines County, Iowa, and the 
year following engaged in teaching school. 8ub-- 
sequently he returned to tliis county, and not long 
afterward purchased the farm wiiich he now owns 
and which consists of KiO acres adjoining the city 
of I'rbana. He h.as brought his land to a fine state 
of cultivation, and it is well supplied with good 
grades of the domestic animals, the latest improved 
machinery, and all necessary l)uildings. Of late 
years he has given considerable attention to the 
l)reeding of line stock. Besides his farm property, 
he owns several houses and lots in I'rbana, from 
which lie derives a handsome income. He has 
been prominently oonnecte(1 with local affairs, hold- 
ing the oMice of Assessor and serving as a member 
of the School Board. 

The marri.age of (ieorge (i. Webber and Miss 
Martha McFarland, was celebrated at the home of 
the bride's parents, June 4, 18o2. Mrs. Webber is 
a native of Providence, li. I., and tiie daughter of 
Thomas and Martha (Corey) McFarland, natives 
respectively of Scotland and Newport, K. I. Mr. 
McFarhmd came to Illinois about 1838, settling 
upon a farm in McLean County, and foll(»wing ag- 
j'icultural i)ursuits until within a few years of his 
death. He Iinall3' retired to Atlanta, Logan Coun- 
ty, where he died in 18G8. The family of himself 
and his excellent wife included eight children, of 
whom six arc now living — Daniel, Thomas, Robert; 
•► % ^ 



Martha, Mrs. Webber; Sarah, Mrs. Crihfield, and 
Cyrus, living in Essex, Iowa. 

Mr. and Mrs. Webber have six children: Flora 
M. is the eldest; Fannie, Mrs. Thorpe, lives with 
her husband in I'rbana, and has one son, Charles; 
Laura B. is at home; Frank B., a resident of It- 
bana, rnarried Miss Maggie MeConnell. and they 
have two children — Benjamin and Annie: Harr3' 
E., who resides in Lima, Ohio, married Miss Nellie 
Boysel, and they have one child. Fay: Frederick 
is the yotnigost and is at home. 

Our subject is Democratic in politics, a member 
in good standing <if the A. F. it A. M.. :uid with 
his wife c<jincides with the doctrines of the L'ni- 
versalist Church. He is a strict temperance man, 
interested in the jn-ohibition movement, and as a 
financier and citizen, ranks among the foremost in 
one of the best counties in the .State. 



vil )V;ILLIAM L. BRADEN, who became a resi- 
\/jJ// dent of Ludlow Township in I8()(j, and 
W^ Iws firmly established himself in the confi- 
dence and esteem of his fellow-citizens, is a native 
of Decatur County, lud., and was born .March 1, 
1844. He is the son of John H. Braden, whose 
parents emigrated from the North of Ireland in 
about 17'JO, soon after their marriage. Their 
(then) only child died while on the voyage, and 
its body was preserved to be buried on land. The 
last dollar which the parents possessed was required 
to pa\' the funeral expenses, leaving them penniless 
in a strange country. They made their way to 
Grecnsburg, Pa., where the father succeeded in 
obtaining employment and prospered, while a cou- 
sider.able family grew up around them. When 
Kentucky was being colonized they pushed on an<l 
settled among the pioneers in the new State. 

Observing the nianj- evils attendant upon the 
system of slavery as practiced there, they resolved 
to leave that locality, and accordingly removed to 
Indiana in 1820, six months after the birth of their 
eleventh and youngest child, John H. They lo- 
cated in what is now tireeusbnrg. After the death 
of her husband, William Braden, in I82.i, the 
mother lived happily with her children until her 
death, which took jilace in 18l)t), at the age of I 



i 






■1=== 



A^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



fi05 



t 



iiiin'ty-six years. John II. Hvaden. the father of our 
subject, made liis home witli liis brotlier-in-law. 
l.iither A. Don nell, until marriage. This event tuok 
plaoe Sept. 3, 1 H40, the lady of his choice being Mis* 
Eliza Reeder, of Rush County, Ind. She was the 
youngest child of her parents, who were of Welsh 
an<l (Jerman descent. Mer grandfather, who emi- 
grated from Wales, was niurc'ered by the Indians 
about the beginning of the present century, on 
what is now the site of Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Shortly' after their marriage Mr. Braden and his 
young wife set up housekeeping in a log cabin in 
the midst of a tract of timber land, eightj' acres of 
which he had purchased, and upon which no im- 
provements whatever had been made. Their hrst 
dwelling was constructed by his own hands. Soon 
afterward he began to clear and cultivate his land, 
and in due time the countr}' around him slowly 
settled up. When the government of the township 
came under discussion Mr. B. distinguished himself 
as a stanch Whig and a radical temperance advo- 
cate. Their oldest child, Margaret J., now resides 
near Gilraan, 111., and is the wife of Simeon Collier, 
who served as a soldier in the Union army during 
the late war. John H. Brnden served in the Late 
war as a volnnteer. He was chosen First Lieuten- 
ant of the company to which he belonged, the Ttitii 
Indiana Infantry. 

Our subject was the eldest son of his parents, 
and in his boyhood and 3'outh was made fully 
acquainted with tlie experiences of life in a new 
conntrj-. In 1852 his father traded the farm, which 
now consisted of 209 acres of improved land, for a 
more valuable homestead in the same vicinity. In 
18,5:5 he exchanged this for a stock of general mer- 
chandise and a fine residence in the village of Mil- 
ford, Ind. Here his son enj03'ed better facilities 
for schooling, and at thirteen years of age became 
serviceable in his father's store. During the war, 
when at the age of eighteen, on ,account of slender 
growth he w.as considered unlit for military duty 
and rejected. In March, 1864, when twenty 3'ears 
of age, he was stricken down with spotted fever, 
which left him with a shattcreil nervous system, 
from which misfortune he has never fully recovered. 
In the fall of tliat 3'ear his parents, with their family 
of six boys and two girls, removed to .Stjitc Line 



City, between Indiana and Illinois, six miles east of 
D.'uiviile. The}' remained there, however, but a few 
months, coming thence to this county. 

Notwithstanding his constant ill-health, iinwill 
ing to be idle, uiir suliject opened a general store 
ill the village of wiiat was then Pera, but is now 
Ludlow, in partnership with Daniel AUhand. The 
latter-named gentleman, after disposing of his inter- 
ests to R. J. Braden, the brother of our subject, 
died about 1872. Our subject, bj- his straightfor- 
ward method of iloing Inisiness and promptness in 
meeting his obligMlions, in time built up a good 
trade and made many friends. In ISO? he w.as 
elected Clerk of Ludlow Township and re-elected in 
18fi8 and 18G9, and in 1870 was chosen Township 
Collector. The duties of these |)ositions he fulfilled 
with credit to himself and satisfaction to all con- 
cerned. He served as School Treasurer for a period 
of eleven j'cars, holding it until his business affairs, 
in 1880, induced him to resign. He is at present 
engaged in the grain trade with William C. Holmes. 
The father of our subject now resides in Mil- 
ford, 111., and ill company with his two sons, Richard 
F. and John H., Jr., is conducting a large dry -goods 
store at Watseka, Iro(|Uois County, where they eiijo\' 
an extensive patronage. 

William L. Braden, on account of his sad atHic- 
tioii, has never fully develoi)ed the social side of 
his nature, but so far as he is able is an earnest 
worker in the temperance and other good causes, and 
is the encoiirager of all enterprises tending to the 
moral and intellectual welfare of his commuiiit}-. 
He is a consistent member of the Christian Church, 
in which he has filled the ottiee of Clerk for fourteen 
years. He supports the principles of the Repub- 
lican party, but takes no .active part in politics, 
l>rcferring his business to any political euKiluments. 

/OIIN LEONARD. The subject of the fol- 
lowing sketch is a forcible illustration of tlie 
self-made man, who began life at the foot of 
/ the ladder, and by his own earnest efforts 
has climbed up to a good position, socially and 
liiiancially, among his fellow-men. He is one of the 
most substantial farmers of Condit Townsiiip, and 






t. 



" 



fi06 



■•► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 




tlie owner nf 720 broad acrc.^ which he has re- 
deemed from wild prairie, and transformed into a 
valuable country estate. He took possession of a 
part of this in 1S7I1, since which time he has added 
to his first purchase as time [lasscd on and his 
moans accumulated. He has a handsome and sub- 
stantial dwelling, as will be noted b\- a glance at 
the lithographic view presented on anotiier page in 
this work, and which is surrounded by fruit, shade 
and ornamental trees, besides a good barn and all 
other needful buildings. He has been successfully 
engaged in the raising of grain and stock, and has 
carried on his operations in that systematic and 
intelligent maimer which is the sure guarantee of 
prosperity. 

Mr. Leonard was born in Count}' Carlow, Ire- 
land, in 1834, and is the son of James and Cecelia 
(Coekrain) Leonard, natives respectively of Car- 
low and Wexford. James Leonard was a tenant 
farmer and operated on leased land all his life. 
Our subject assisted him in his labors until seven- 
teen years of age, then, not being satisfied with his 
(•(mdition and prospects in his native countrj', he 
emigrated to the United .States, stopping first at 
Northfield, \'t., where he landed with about §20 in 
his pocket. He had a good stock of resolution, 
however, and his strong hands to work with. AVith 
this capital he occupied himself as hostler and 
porter in a hotel for four years and then <lecided 
to seek his fortune in the West, (ioing to Chi- 
cago, HI., he secured a position as watchman in the 
Tremont House, where he remained one year, then 
entered the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad 
as a track layer. He was afterward promoted sec- 
tion boss at I'atoka, Marion County, and at the ex- 
piration of four years, having saved what he could 
of his earnings, found himself with sufficient means 
to start in business for himself. He purchased forty 
acres of wild land in Menard County, which he 
cultivated two 3'ears, then sold, and purchased 120 
acres in Logan County, to which he afterward 
added forty acres, and occupied until 1 870. He then 
came to this county and took possession of the prai- 
rie land which he has since lived upon and which is 
now one of the finest farms in this section. 

Mr. Leonard was married in i8r»7, to Miss Eliza- 
beth Kissner, a native of Ross County, Ohio, 



whose l)irth occurred Sept. 1<1. 1843. The parents 
of Mrs. L. were (leorge and Nanc\' H. Kissner, the 
former of whom died when his daughter was a 
young child. The mother was afterward married 
to Samuel I'helps. and in 18.')() they came to this 
State and located on a farm in Moultrie Count}'. 
They afterward removed to Marion County, where 
tiie death of the mother occurred in about 1880. 
Our subject and his wife became the parents of 
nine children — James, Celia. Edward, Annie. Jo- 
hanna, Thomas, John, Mary and Charles. The eld- 
est of these are mostly residents of the Prairie 
State, and the youngest remain at home with their 
liarents. 



W A. HALEI , M. D., of Champaign, founder 

Jlj'i of the Medical Institute for the treatment 
lk\y^ of acute and clinjnic diseases, is one of the 
most skillful practitioners in the medical 
fraternity of this section. He is a native of Hamp- 
den, Mass., and was born on the 10th of April, 
1830. His parents were Tucker and Hannah (Wat- 
son) Haley, natives of Rhode Island, where they 
engaged in the dairy business in the earlier 3'ears 
of their wedded life. Thej' afterward removed to 
Illinois, and located in Somer Township, this county, 
where the mother died in 18G3, and the father in 
1864. The record of their three children is as fol- 
lows: Elizabeth, Mrs. Waters, is a resident of 
Stanton Township, this count}'; Jennie A. and our 
subject were twins; the former is now Mrs. Waters, 
and lives in New York Cit.v. 

II. A. Haley, of our sketch, spent his childhood 
and youth on the farm, and when fifteen 3'ears old 
commenced attending the Westfield I'niversit}' in 
his native county. After two terms he took up the 
study of medicine under the instruction of Dr. J. 
P.. Gifford, with whom he remained three years, and 
commenced the practice of his profession in Bland- 
ford, Hampden Co., Mass. In 1857 he emigrated 
west to this State, and on account of failing healtli 
abandoned professional life for a season and pur- 
chased a large farm, which he oi)erated successful!}' 
for ten years witli excellent results, both physically 
and financially. Then, deciding to resume his 
practice, and for the purpose of fitting himself more 
— ■► 



i 






^"4^ 



CHAMPAIGN CUUNTY. 



607 



I, 

1 



thoroughl}' for the work before him, he attended a 
course of lectures at the Ilahiieraann C()llege, Chi- 
cago, and the Chicago IIou)eoi)athic College, from 
the latter of which he graduated in l.'^82. The 
following year he came to this eountj- and opened 
the institute which he has conducted creditably and 
successfully since that time. In connection with 
the Institute are all conveniences for giving Electro- 
Thermal, Russian, Turkish. Ocean Brine, Sulpher, 
Medicated and Shower baths, also Compound (Jxy- 
gen and Rarified and Condensed Air treatment. 

Dr. Haley was united in marriage with Miss 
Annette O. Fenn, of Otis, Jlass., in 1853. Mrs. 
II. is the daughter of Isaac S. and Annie Fenn, both 
natives of Connecticut. Of this union there is one 
child, a son, Arthur F. The handsome residence 
of the famil}' is located at the corner of Park and 
Church streets, Champaign, where the Doctor and 
his wife enjoy the society of the most refined 
people of the city. He is Republican in politics 
and belongs to the' Chicago Homeopathic Medical 
Association. i;)r. 11. enjoys an extensive ])ractice, 
has shown himself skillful as a physician, and as a 
citizen is generally respected. His industry and 
energy are proverbial and have been full}' illustrated 
in the improvement of one of the largest and finest 
farms in the county, which he still owns and the 
l)roceeds of which yield a handsome income. 



^^=*!i^ ^^<5<-'tfStf- 



ORRIS JONE.S. Upon section 2;), in Con- 
dit Township, resides the subject of the 
following biography, who is one of the 
representative agriculturists of Champaign 
County and favorably known throughout this sec- 
tion. He was born and reared on the other side 
of the Atlantic in Carnarvon County. Wales, his 
birth occurring Dec. 29, 182H. His parents. John 
and Alice (Evans) Jones, were natives of the same 
country as their son, wheie they spent their entire 
lives and where their remains were laid to rest. 
John Jones was a farmer by occupation and our 
subject was bred to agricultural pursuits until six- 
teen years of age. He then commenced working 
in the slate mines of his native count}', where he 
continued for five years and until is.'ii. On the 



I 




2d of April, that 3'ear, he set sail for the United 
States, and after a safe voyage landed in New York 
City on the 1 7th of May following. From there he 
proceeded to Fair Haven, XU, where he arrived 
with but a few pennies in his pocket. 

Mr. Jones had been reared to habits of industry, 
however, and soon procured employment in a slate 
quarry there, remaining for a period of nearlj' four 
years. Thence he went to Granville, AVashington 
Co., N. Y., and was similarly employed for two 
and a half or three years, after which he started for 
the AYest. Going up into Wisconsin he engaged 
in the lead mines at Hazel Green five months, and 
thence came to this State and opened a stone (piarry 
at Big Rock in Kane County. This, however, he 
soon afterward sold, and with the desire to see once 
more the faces of his parents and his old associates, 
embarked on a voyage to his native Wales. His 
father in the meantime had died, and our subject 
for nine 3'ears afterward remained with his mother 
on the homestead looking after the property and 
conducting the farming operations. In the mean- 
time he had l)eeu married, in 18(;0, on the 7th of 
April, to Miss Margaret Williams, a native of his 
own county, and the daughter of David and Phebe 
(Jones) Williams, also natives of Wales, where they 
spent their entire lives. 

To our subject and his wife there were l)oru eight 
children, namely, John, William, Phebe, Morris, 
Daniel, Phebe (2d), Alice and Maggie. Of these 
only John, William, .Morris and Phebe are living, 
four being deceased. The two elder sons were 
burn in Wales. After nine years spent there our 
suliject returned to America with his wife and chil- 
dren, and coming to this county, purchased eightj' 
acres of land in East Bend Township, at ^9 per 
.acre. It was wholly without improvements, and his 
first business w.-is to put up a habitation for his 
family. This he soon effected and the following 
s[)ring planted his Inst corn. He continued the 
cultivation t>f his laud intelligently and successfully, 
and added to his estate, as time pa.ssed on, by the 
l)urchase of a quarter secti<ju half ;i mile from the 
nniin farm. This he afterward took possessitm of 
and liuilt upon it a good residence and added other 
improvements, occupying it until 1883. lie tlien 
sold out and removed to Condit Township, pur- 
■» 



-0- 



J^ 



608 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



chasing his present fnrni. This comprises i.'ti acres 
in a Hne state of cultivation with grain i)ro(Uicing 
fields anri handsome stretches of pasture. It is en- 
closed with good fencing, and with its excellent 
buildings forms one of the [jleasantest homesteads 
in the township. 

Mr. Jones has been remarkably fortunate in his 
choice of a life comiianion. The lady who bears 
his name has assisted him in liis undertakings and 
is honored as a wife and motiier as well as a neigh- 
bor and friend. Their blooming family oi chil- 
dren have been well reared and educated and will 
follow in the footstejis of their i)arents as worthy 
representatives of an intelligent and prosperous 
community. 

It is gratifying to be able to present a view of 
the home and surroundings of this estimable 
gentleman who has so materially assisted, in de- 
veloping the soil of Central Illinois. Another p.age 
illustrates the style of the buildings, which in their 
substantial character closely resemble the personal 
traits of the proprietor. 



-*- 




^1^ ENRY M. TYLER, a farmer and stock- 
grower, living on section 6, Sidney Town- 
ship, is the son of Nathan VV. and Lucy !S. 
W) (Dean) Tyler, born in (leauga County, 
Ohio, Oct. "27, 1844. His father was a native of 
New York and his mother of \'erraont. In 1852 
they removed from Ohio to Michigan, and re- 
mained there until 18.56, when they again changed 
their place of residence to Edgar County, 111. 
They remained there until the death of Mr. Tyler, 
which occurred Feb. (J, 1870. Mrs. Tyler then 
moved with her family to Sidney Township, where 
she died in 1887. Mr. Tyler had spent most of 
his life as a successful teacher. His family con- 
sisted of five children* of whom but one survives — 
Henry M. Mar}' A. died aged fourteen years, 
and William when two years old; the others died 
in infancy. 

On the ICtii of February, 1872, our subject was 
married to Miss Morgan, daughter of Elmos Mor- 
gan, born March 4, 18.56. There were five chil- 
dren in her father's family. The names of her 



•►-^|-4»- 



brothers and sisters are. Marth.i. William, Cather- 
ine and Wilson. Mr. and Mrs. T3'ler have become 
the parents of three children: Elsie is. deceased; 
the others are Ida E. and William. 

Mr. Tyler owns forty-two acres of higlilj' im- 
proved land with excellent buildings. Himself 
and wife are both highly respected members of the 
Christian Church. Politically he is a good Repub- 
lican. 

■ t > :(§): =: t ' 

ENOS ,1AMES, of Newcomb Township, has 
been a resident of Champaign County since 
the spring of 1877. He has a fine farm of 
320 acres on section lit, and in his agricultural 
operations has been unifoiinly sneeessfnl. His land 
is all improved,* supplied with a first-class set of 
buildings, and on all sides indicates the supervision 
of the thrifty and prosperous farmer. Our subject 
is a native of Morgan County. Ohio, and was born 
Feb. 24, 1821. He is the son of Isaac and Mary 
(Stover) James, the former of English and the 
latter of German ancestry. After marriage the par- 
ents first settled in Morgan County, whence they 
removed to Muskingum County, (3hio, where both 
died, the mother in about 1828, and the father in 
i ISIarch, 1874. 

Enos James was the second of a family of five 
children. He remained a resident of the Buckeye 
State until the spring of 18,52, when he emigrated 
to Iowa, and for seventeen years following w.as a 
resident of Lucas County. At the expiration of 
this time he returned to Ohio, where he lived until 
the spring of 1877, and then came to this county. 
For the last nine years he has industriously ap- 
plied himself to increasing the value and beauty of 
his projjerty, and by his business talent and fore- 
thought has secured a good position among his fel- 
low-citizens. 

Mr. James was married in Iowa, in April, 1855, 
to Miss Sarah F. Bundy, and of this union there 
were born five children, of whom only two survive 
— Isaac and Charles. Those deceased are Amanda, 
; Lilly and Maggie. Mrs. Sarah James departed this 
i life in Iowa, Jan. 30, 1867. The second marriage 
of our subject took place t)ct. 7, 186!), in Muskin- 
gum County, Ohio. His present wife was formerly 



i 



li^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



609 



Miss Liwy J. B:inghui;in, ;♦ native of the above 
mentioned count}', and born May 21, 1841. 'J'heir 
nine children were iSIoscs 13. J., Luc}' C, an in- 
fant who died unnamed, John \V., Mary E., Bes- 
sie E., Anna H., (icorge E. (J. and Clara I. Joiin 
W. died when nine months old. Maggie died in 
Iowa when an infant. Amanda died in Muskingum 
Count}', Ohio, when abi)ut ninejuars of age. Lill}' 
also died in tliat county, Nov. 27, 188(5, when 
twenty-three years old. !She was the wife of 
Augustus Cherry. Our subject is Republican in 
politics, and has been .School Director in his town- 
ship. Mrs. James is a member of the Lutheran 
Church. 



t 



•li^pRANCIS M. WRIGHT, attorney at law at 
|k=^i L'rbana. has been a resident of this city 
/ll, since Dqcemher, 1868, and during the 

period of twenty years has built up for himself a 
fine i)ractice, and become intimatelj' identified with 
the business and social interests of this section. 
He is a native of Adams County, Ohio, born Aug. 
5, 1844. His parents were James and Elizabeth 
(C'opple) Wright, natives of Pennsylvania. His 
grandfather, Stephen Wright, a native of Scotland, 
emigrated to the United States, settling first in 
Maryland, and thence removed to Ohio witii his 
family in the pioneer daj's. He set up a black- 
smith-shop, and rendered good service in his line 
to the people of his community the remainder of 
his days. Of his three sons none are now living. 
J.anies, the father of our subject, during the 
earlier years of his life, eng.aged in blacksinitliing, 
but later abandoned the shop in town for the farm, 
altiiough he afterward established a shoj) there, in 
which he carried on the repairing necessary in con- 
nection with farm machinery. He nuade his iiome 
in Libert}' Township until liis death, which oc- 
curied Dec. ;J1, 18.54. He was a stern opponent 
of the manufacture of ardent sinrits. Both parents 
were members of the Methodist Episcopal Ciuirch, 
in which James Wright was Clas.s-l.,eader and 
Superintendent of the Sabbath-school for many 
years before his death. The mother was well cal- 
culated to be tiie companion and helpmeet of her 
husband, being earnest in religion and temperance. 



and |)erforming the part of a most amiable and 
affectionate wife and mother. Her death took 
pl.ace at Bentonville, Ohio, March 2;3, 18,s7; she 
was seventy-eight years of age. The parental 
household included si.x children, only three of whom 
are now living: John C. is engaged in farming in 
Adams County, Oiiio; Francis M., of our sketch, 
is the next eldest; Nathan P. is blacksmithing in 
Bentonville, Ohio. 

The first recollections of Francis M. Wright 
were of the time when he pursued his studies in the 
I5rier Ridge log school-house, when a little lad of 
six years. The temple of learning vv.as widely dif- 
ferent from the school edifices of the present d.ay, 
and the system of teaching likewise. He pursued 
his studies there under the instruction of a male 
teacher until 1859, and until large enough to be of 
service on the farm, after which he could only be 
spared during the winter season. In I860 he en- 
terecf the Ohio Valley Academy at Decatur, Brown 
County, where he pursued a thorough course of 
study for several months, and became fitted for a 
teacher, which profession he followed in that vicin- 
ity until the breaking out of the late war. He was 
then only seventeen years of .age, but enlisted jis a 
Union soldier in Co. I, 39th Ohio \'ol. Inf., enter- 
ing as a private and being promoted, first a Cor- 
poral and afterward First Sergeant, and Second 
Lieutenant of Company C, under which last com- 
mission he served until the close of the war, being 
mnstered out in July. 186.'i. During his army ex- 
perience he was present at the battles of New Mad- 
rid, Island No. 10, Farmington, Corinth and luka. 
Miss., besides various other eng.agements, includ- 
ing the siege and capture of Atlanta, and marched 
with Sliernian and his army to the .sea. During 
this time he never lost a ration, a march or a bat- 
tle, only receiving a flesh wound on the 22d of 
July, at Atlanta. After the war he returned to 
Ohio, engaged in reading law with Col. Loudon, t)f 
Georgetown, and was admitted to the bar in April, 
1867, at Cincinnati. He afterward attended the 
Law School in that city, from which he received 
the degree of B. L. L. He commenced practice in 
Brown County, Ohio, where he continued until 
December, 1868, then came to Ih'bana and li.os 
built up in this place a profitable patronage. He 



^ 



. L filO 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



was elected City Attorney in 1S70, the duties uf 
which position he tilled with credit to himself and 
satisfaction to all concerned. 

The marriage of Francis M. Wright and Miss 
Elizabeth West, of Decatur, Ohio, was celebrated 
in July, 1868. Of this union there have been born 
four children — Royal, Marion, Edith and Lora. 
The residence of our subject and his attractive lit- 
tle familj^ is pleasantly located at No. 44 Green 
street, and indicative of refined and cultivated 
tastes. Mr. Wright is Republican in politics, and 
sociallj- belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the 
G. A. R. 

ylLLlAM L. SMITH is the owner of eighty 
acres of valuable land located on section 
25, Sidnej' Township, where he carries on 
an extensive farming and stock-raising business. 
He has brought his land to a high state of cultiva- 
tion, and his residence and the grounds surround- 
ing it are tasteful and elegant. His farm build- 
ings are commodious and kept in excellent order. 
Like many others among the best residents of the 
county, he is a native of Ohio, where he was born 
Aug. 3, 1841. He is the son of Milam L. and Ma- 
hala (Armstrong) Smith, natives respectively of 
Old \'irginia and Ohio. There were seven chil- 
dren in his parents' family. The record of the 
others is as follows: John M. married Sophronia 
Bloomer, and is living in Ohio; Sarah J., the wife 
of Ely Gordon, is living in Fayette Count}', Ohio; 
Joseph H. married Carrie McLinn ; Able A. mar- 
ried Elizabeth Caleb; Harriet is the wife of James 
B. Conner; all these arc living in Ohio: Mar}- is de- 
ceased. His mother died at the old homestead in 
Ohio, in Julj', 1885, where his father is still living. 
Since his son William made his residence here his 
father has several times visited Illinois. 

On the 30th of November, 1871, Mr. Smith was 
married to Miss Sarah C. Faucher, the daughter 
of Hiram and Martha (Uickson) Faucher. Her 
mother is still living at the old homestead in this 
township, where her father died in 1808. Their 
native State w:\s Indiana, and Mrs. Smith was born ' 
in Boone Count}-, in that State, June 3, 1850. 
There were two other children in their f. ami ly ; 



William F.. who married Zilia Cash, and is living 
in Sidney Township, and Nancy J., the wife of 
Granville Thompson, a resident of Clarke County, 
Kan. 

Mr. Smith and his wife have an interesting family 
of six children: Carrie K., born'.Sept. 27, 1873; 
Mertie, April 10, 187G; Hiram O., June 21. 1879; 
Milam O., June 21, 1879; Dasie E., Oct. G, 1880; 
AVilliam E., Dec. 18, 1885. Of these the eldest 
was born in Ohio, the others in Illinois. 

Mr. Smith enlisted in the lG8th Ohio National 
Guards, and did some gallant fighting in the Civil 
War. He served eight months, and participated 
in the engagements against Gen. Morgan. His 
wife is a member of the United Brethren Church. 
In politics he is a Republican. 

--^ #-#^ ^ 




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i 



ENRY W. HUNSLEY, proprietor of the Prai- 
•ie Farm, which is well known as one of the 
handsomest bodies of land in Condit Town- 

(jgii ship, was born on the other side of the At- 
lantic, in England, Aug. 30, 1852. His father, 
Henrv Hunsley, was also born in that country, and 
lived there until 1853, when he emigrated with his 
family to the United States. His household in- 
cluded his wife and eight children. They landed 
first at Quebec and proceeded from there to Oxford 
Count}-, Province of Ontario, where they settled 
at an early period in its history. The father lo- 
cated in a timber tract from which he cleared a 
good farm, and there his death occurred in Octo- 
ber, 1862. The mother, who before her marriage 
was Miss Frances Burton, still resides on the old 
homestead. One child was added to the house- 
hold after their arrival in America, and the names 
of the nine are as follows: Charles; Sarah, now Mrs. 
Butler; Martha Boyer, Mary A. McConnell, Eliza- 
beth Sitts, Emma Smart, George, Henry, of our 
sketch, and Joseph. All are living with the excep- 
tion of Martha and Elizabeth, and are residents of 
Oxford County. 

Our subject was but an infant when his parents 
.set out on their ocean voyage to the New World. 
He remained in the Province of Ontario during his 
childhood and youth, .attending the jjioneer schools. 



/ 



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f 



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i. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



611 



:uid when large enough assisted in the cultivation 
of the farm. He remained on the homestead until 
after his marriage, which occurred Jan. 15, 1880, 
and the following year he came to Illinois and lo- 
cated in this county. He tirst lived on eighty 
acres of laud in Hensiey Township, upon which 
he labored one year, then traded it for his pres- 
ent farm. This included 160 acres under a good 
state of cultivation, and supi)lied with excellent 
frame buildings. 

Mr. llunslej' was married in Allegan, Mich., t<i 
Miss Emma, daugliter of Robert and Mar}' A. Lit- 
tle. She was born in Dereham, Canada, Feb. 25, 
1855. Of her union with our subject there are 
two children — Nellie, born in 1882, and Clara in 
1884. The father of Mrs. Huusley was a native of 
Lincolnshire, P^ngland, born in 1819, and the son 
of Thomas and IMary (Bulivaut) Little. He was 
reared on a farm in his native shire, and there mar- 
ried Miss Mary A. Spensley, a native of the same 
country. Robert Little learned the trade of a mil- 
ler when young, which he followed until after his 
marriage and until 1844. In the spring of that 
year he set sail for the New World, landing after a 
voyage of thirtj'-six days, in New York City. 
From there he proceeded directly to Canada, and 
located four miles from Hamilton, on a farm which 
he occupied one summer. He then returned to his 
trade and afterward operated a 



years later to take possession of the one he now 
owns and occupies on section 14. Since taking 
possession of this he has greatly improved it in 
many respects, and is valued as an upright and 
worthy citizen. 



^ACOB McCLOSKEY, on(M)f the pioneer far- 
mers of LTrbana Township, was born in 
Centre County, Fa., near the town of How- 
ard, Jan. 17, 1848. His grandfather, David 
McCloskey, was a native of Ireland and emigrated 
to America in the year 1700. Our subject's father, 
whose name was Joseph McCloskey, was horn in 
Nortlunnberland County, Pa., and married Miss 
Mary Wagner, of Centre County, that State, where 
after his marriage they located, and where their 
children were born and reared. Mr. McCloskej' 
died there on the old homestead Aug. 5, 1875, and 
his widow still makes her home in that county. 
Two of their nine children died in infancy, the 
others — seven sons — are still living in Pennsylvania 
with the exception of two, Jacob, and his brother 
William, who resides with him. Two nephews, 
Nathan and Matthias, also make their home wit!) 
our subject. 

The Wagner family was originally from Ger- 
Houring-mill in i many and emigrated to America in the year 1700. 



1 



AVilmot Township, AVaterloo County. In 1.S48 lie 
returned to England for his familj', coming back 
with them in August following. He i)urchased a 
tract of timber land in Oxford Count}', Ontario, 
from which he constructed a good farm. At the 
time of locating there his cash capital was $.300. 
The first dvvelling of the family was a k)g house, in 
wiiich Mrs. Huusley, the wife of our subject, was 
b^)rn. In due tinu" the father cleared, principally 
with liis own liauds, eighty-live acres, and occupied 
his land there until 1S5(;. He then sold out and 
removed to Vates County, X. '\'.. where he purch.ised 
■A farm and lived until l.s73. That year he sold this 
also, removing thence to Allegan, ftHcli., of which 
he reniain(;d a resident until 1)^81. in the meantime 
engaging in farming as Ijcfore. Subsequeiitly he 
came to Hensiey Township, this county, purchas- 
ing a farm on section 2'2, but disposed of it three 

4* 



The mother of Jacob McCloskey, the subject of 
this sketch, was n native of Centre Cininty, Pa., 
born Feb. 14, 1814. His maternal grandfather, 
Matthias Wagner, was one of the early settlers of 
Centre County, where his death occurred at the 
advanced age of eighty-six years. In the family of 
his grandparents there were seven children, who all 
attained to the age of maturity, married and had 
families. 

Jacob McCloskey, :\ bright, intclligeut boy. .'il- 
tended the district school, where he acquired sucii 
education as its advantages afforded. He lived at 
liomi' with his pai'ents until he was twenty-four years 
of age, when, seeking a new range of experience, he 
drifted westward. The State of Illinois was at that 
time the "Mecca" to which so many in the East 
were turning, and young McCloskey made his tirst 
settlement in Kendall Coiuitv. There he after wiu'd 



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If 



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t 



612 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i= 



married Miss Lizzie, the daughter of Thomas aud 
Mary J. (Stephenson) Penman, residents of that 
county. Her parents were from Scotland. !Mrs. 
McC. was born in Kendall County. 111. 

After his marriage Mr. McCloskey returned to 
Pennsylvania, where he remained for a time, but 
not feeling satisfied with his prospects there, he 
again sought the West. On this occasion he en- 
gaged in farming in Champaign Count}', where he 
remained for a time. After having made about 
three removes he finalh" took up his permanent resi- 
dence on his present farm, located on section 35, 
which contains 1 20 acres of valuable land. This 
place was known for man}' years as tiie Clayton 
farm, and Mr. McC. has devoted the land largelj' to 
the raising of grain and stock. 

Of the seven children burn to Mr. and Mrs. Mc- 
Closkey, but four are now living — Edna, Thomas 
P., Emma and John G. In politics our subject is 
a Democrat of the Jeffersonian School. His ex- 
cellent business methods and his skill as an agri- 
culturist long ago received ample recognition, and 
are perhaps, nowhere better evidenced than in his 
home surroundings — the residence and its adjacent 
buildings — which <^ur artist has carefully repro- 
duced on another page. 



C. WRIGHT, Prosecuting Attorney of Ur- 
bana, occupies a good position among the 
intelligent men of the legal profession in 
^j Champaign County. He was chosen to his 
present office in 1884, after having been elected to 
the Lower House of the Legislature, and having 
served as Sheriff. The positions in which he has 
been placed since becoming a resident of the State 
give ample evidence of the esteem in which he is 
held, and indicate him to be a man oi more than ordi- 
nary' ability. 

Our subject was born in Winchester. Randolph 
Co., Ind., Nov. 3, 1829, and is the son of Jesse B. 
and Mary (Draper) Wright, natives respectively of 
Ohio and \'irginia. Tiic grandfather of our sub- 
ject, .lohn W. Wriglit, also a native of the Old Do- 
minion, descended from excellent (ierman and 




Irish ancestry, and spent his List daj's in this county. 
Of his seven children three onl}- are now living — 
.lames S. ; Rel)ecca, Mrs. Butler; and Sydney, Mrs. 
Swearingen. The gr.andfather of our subject be- 
came a man of note in his State, where he married 
earlj' in life and settled near Winchester. He en- 
gaged in farming, and after a comparative!}' brief 
residence in Indiana was elected to the Legislature, 
where he served two terms. In the fall of 18;50 he 
removed to this State and located on a farm in Ver- 
milion County. His first wife had died in Indiana, 
and he w.as married the secon<l time, to Miss Annie 
Stanfield, of the last named county. Their one 
child was a daughter named Catherine, who mar- 
ried James Sirepless, of Vermilion County. Both 
are now deceased. 

The father of our subject, who was the oldest 
child of John B. Wright, removed from Indiaua to 
Illinois with his father in 1830. He enlisted as a 
soldier in the Black Hawk War, and died of cholera 
in the service, at Rock Island, three months later, 
leaving a wife and two children: R. C, of our 
sketch, and Eliza A., who married Alvah Hubble of 
Decatur, 111. The mother died in the fall of 1882, 
surviving her husband for a period of over fifty 
years. Their son, R. C, of our sketch, was reared 
on a farm in the western borders of Vermilion 
County, and received a fair education in the dis- 
trict school, pursuing his studies until he was eight- 
een years old. At this period he returned to Win- 
chester. Ind.. and made his homo with an uncle, 
William M. ^\'.ay, in the meantime attending Ran- 
dolph County Semin.ary for two years and fitting 
himself for a teacher. He followed this calling in 
Vermilion and Champaign Counties four years, 
then engaged as clerk in a st<.>re at Homer, and two 
years after was elected Justice of the Peace, in 
which position he served six years and distinguished 
himself as the possessor of fine ability lioth in a busi- 
ness and judicial capacity. He retired from this 
office to enter upon other duties, being appointed 
Deputy County Surveyor. After having filled tiiis 
office acceptably twelve years, he was called to the 
still higher one of Representative in 1870, and was 
.issociated with such men jis J. C. Sheldon and 
James W. Langley, by whose assistance he secured 
the anpropriMtion of ^12.'), 000 for the establishment 



i 



4- 



=L. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



613 



of the Aicn'cultiiral College, wliicli is now called the 
Illinois riiiver.sity, at Champaign. 

I'lic marriage of our suliject with Miss Jane 
Moore, of New York City, was celebrated in II(»mcr, 
this county, in 18.').3. Mrs. W. is the danjjhter of 
Enoch Moore, of New York, and liy her marriage 
with our subject has become ihe mother of six chil- 
dren — JMary A.. Charles B., Maude A., Annie B., 
Edwin R. and Jessie C. They oceup}- a handsome 
home on Fniversity avenue, Urbana, and have 
gathered around them a large circle of warm 
friends. Mr. W right is Kepublican in politics, and 
a member in good standing of the Methodi.st 
E|)iscopal Church. His business otlice is located 
in the Busey Block on Main street. 






^^ HARLES N. ANDERSON, formerly engaged 
[ll ^_^ in agricultural pursuits in this county, is 
^^^' now retired from active laltor, and, sur- 
rounded 1>3' the comforts of life, is living in a 
pleasant home in Champaign City, lie has been 
a resident of this county since 18,o7, in which 
year he purchased a farm of 200 acres in Cham- 
paign Township. This he ojjerated until 188."). 
with the exception of a brief time spent in Ken- 
tucky, in the meantime having made of it a beauti- 
ful eountr}^ estate, supplied with handsome and 
substantial buildings and all other niodevu improve- 
ments. In the year mentioned he purchased his 
|)resent residence on Church street, where he has 
since lived. 

Mr. Anderson was born in Mt. Sterling, Ky., 
Dec. 18, 1823, and is the son of James anil Lucinda 
Anderson, natives of Montgomery County, Ky., 
where the father followed lilacksmithing all his life, 
and died on the 17th of June, 1821). The grand- 
father of our subject, Abihu Anderson, and his 
great-grandfather, Nicholas Anderson, were both na- 
tives of \'irginia, and engaged in farming pursuits. 
The latter removed to Kentucky with his family, 
locating at Boonesboro, whei'e he was among the 
earliest settlers, and became acquainted with Daniel 
Boone, the famous i)ioneer and Indian tighter. 
Abihu Aiulerson removed to Indiana in about 
1.S2.J, where lie spent the last years of his life. His 



son James, the father of our subject, after reaching 
manhood was married, and became the father of 
seven children, of whom only two are now living — 
Nancy N., .Mrs. Morris, and C. N. of our sketch. 

The subject of this history remained on the farm 
of his father in his native town until at)ont fifteen 
j'ears old, and was then apprenticed to learn the 
trade of a cabinet-maker, .?.t which he served four 
3ears, and afterward worked three years as a jour- 
neyman. Then, wishing to still further [lerfect 
himself in his studies, he entered Franklin College, 
about live miles east of Nashville, Tenn., where for 
four years he tlioroughl}' applied himself to his 
books, in the meantime defraying his expenses by 
working at his trade as opportunity afforded. He 
began college life with his books and *7 in cash, 
and graduated on the 18tli of October, 1848, with- 
out any assistance from outside parties. 

After leaving school Mr. Anderson started on 
horseback for the purpose of securing employment 
as a teacher. He rode three days and could only 
secure an offer of §30 [ler month and board himself. 
He declined this and returned to Nashville, where 
he worked in a cabinet-shop for three months and 
then engaged to teach a subscription schtiol near 
Lexington. After eighteen months' experience, 
during which time he gained the approval of the 
Trustees, he was elected Principal of a graded 
school in the same city, which [losition he held for 
the following five years, and until coming to this 
county. After purchasing his farm in Champaign 
Township he was re-elected Principal of the school 
at Lexington, which position he acce()ted. About 
this time, however, the war excitement became so 
great tliat the schools closed and Mr. Anderson 
returned to his farm. His subsequent course we 
have already indicated. 

The marriage of C. N. Anderson and Miss Ann 
J. Noble took place in Lexington, Ky.. Feb. 1, 
184'.l. Mrs. A. is a native of Harrodsliurg, Ky., 
and the daughter of James and Mary (Baxter) 
Noble, the former a native of Kentucky and the 
latter of Virginia. Of the seven children born to 
them, four are now living, namely : Lucy; Laura 
M., Mrs. (ireenlialgh, of Champaign City: William 
N., a merchant of Chicago, and Ma \'., at home. 
Those deceased are Mary F. anil Charles E., both 



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t 



614 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-t 



of whom died in infancy. Ella J. died when an 
interesting young lad^' of nineteen years old. She 
was a student at the University of Illinois, greatly 
admired and beloved by all her associates, and her 
death was a sore attlietion to her fond jsarents and 
many friends. 

Mr. Anderson is Democratic in politics, and with 
his wife and daughters is a member and regular 
attendant of the Methodist Episcopal Church. lie 
has long been widelj' and favorablj' knoun in Cham- 
paign County as a representative man and useful 
citizen. 

'-■'^— -#5-#" '-^ 

/p^EORGE W. (ilLMOHE. pleasantly located 
[|[ (=, on section 10, Newcomb Township, and a 
^^/Ji view of whose homestead is given in this con- 
nection, is a native of Preston County, \V. \'a., and 
was born Jul}' 4, 1 830. He is tiie son of Peter and 
Sarah (Wiles) Gilniore, who were natives of the 
same county, where the mother died when her son 
George was an infant. The fatlier afterward re- 
moved to Monongalia County, \V. Va.. and died 
there in about 1877. He was a farmer by occupa- 
tion, and descended from English ancestry'. The 
mother was of German liirth and parentage. Their 
children, four in number, were Maria, Susanna, 
William J. and (George ^\'. 

Our subject, the youngest of his father's family, 
remained in his native county until he was thirty 
j'ears of age. In 1860 he went to Ohio and pur- 
chased a farm in Licking County, upon wliich he 
lived for a period of sixteen years. Eight months 
after taking up his abode there he was drafted into 
the array, and assigned to Co. C, "Hth Ohio "Vol. 
Inf. He served about eleven months, taking part 
in the siege of Mcksburg and the battle of Arkan- 
sas Post. While with iiis regiment in Mississipi)i 
he received a sunstroke, from which lie has never 
fully recovered. After his discharge he returned 
to Licking County, Oiiio, wiiere he continued to 
reside until the spring of 1870, when he became a 
resident of this county, locating In Kewcomb 
Township. Here he has 200 acres of good land, a 
handsome and substantial dwelling, a good barn, 
f;iini machincrj^ slock, and all the appliances of the 
prosperous modern agriculturist. 



The marriage of George W. Gilmore and Miss 
Hannah J. Holland took place In Monongalia 
County, W. Xa. Oct. 8, 18G1. Mrs. (illmore is the 
daughter of Reason and Leah (Way) Holland, who 
settled in A'Irginia after their marriage, whence they 
removed to Pennsylvania, from there to Licking 
County, Ohio, and finally to Williamson County, 
111., where Mr. Holland died in December.- 1876. 
He volunteered in Co. I, 14th W. \'a. Vol. Inf., 
and served in the Union army three years. He 
was seriously wounded at the fight which took 
place between Winchester and Martinsburg. Of 
the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Holland 
only four grew to mature years, namely — Hannah 
.]., William J., George W. and Anna .S. The wife 
of our subject was born in Monongalia County, 
W. Va., Aug. -22, 184:3. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore became the parents of six 
children — ^^■|lliam .1., Enezela, Anna B., Frank W., 
Charles H. and Ora L. Enezela is the wife of Den- 
nis D. Illnton, a farmer, and resident of Newcomb; 
Anna B.. Mrs. Robert J. Myers, is a resident of 
Newcomb; the others are at home. Our subject 
and his wife are members in good standing of the 
Methodist Church, :uid politically Mr. G. votes 
with the Democratic party. He has held the various 
offices of his township. Including those of School 
Trustee, Collector and Director, and is regarded by 
all who know him as a man of excellent business 
judgment. 



JfOHN COMER. This worthy representiitivc 
of the farming community of Crittenden 
Township, is a native of the Buckeye State, 
and was born in Jefferson Townslilp, Jack- 
son County, Dec. 17, 1832. His parents, William 
and Eliz;ibelli (Harmon) Comer, were natives of 
Virginia. His grandfathers both served in the Rev- 
olutionary War, and his two uncles, Emanuel and 
George Comer, enlisted in the War of 1812. The 
service of the former, however, was exceedingly 
brief, as peace was declared soon after his enlist- 
ment, which occurred when he was but eighteen 
years of age. The parents of our subject, soon 
after their marrisige, removed from the (Jid Do- 
minion to Ohio, and were among the earliest pio- 



'i 







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t 



<^ 



'^^^^^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



617 



^ 



neers of Jackson County. There they^becaine the 
parents of eight children, seven of whom were 
reared to become men and women. Upon the 
homestead established in tlie wilderness they spent 
the remainder of their days, the father dying at the 
advanced age of nearly eightj'-seven years. The 
mother died in l.s4o. when our subject was but 
thirteen years of age. One daughter of the house- 
hold died in childhood, and another. Elizabeth, 
died when about twenty-two years old. Of those 
living the record is as follows: (icorge is a resi- 
dent of Gallia Count}', Ohio; Catherine became the 
wife of .Samuel Davis, and resides in Jackson 
County, Ohio; Lewis served through the War of the 
Rebellion, having first enlisted in the three months' 
service, and after the expiration of that term he re- 
enlisted, in the 56th Ohio Infantry, and served 
until nearly the close of the struggle, when he 
was discharged on account of disability, but his 
patriotism would not permit iiim to seek safety at 
home, and he followed his regiment until the final 
downfall of the Confederacy; he is now living in 
Scioto County, Ohio. Mary, the wife of George A. 
Cook, and Susan, Mrs. Stephen Arthur, all reside in 
Scioto County, Ohio; John, of our sketch, w.as the 
youngest son and next to the youngest child in the 
family. 

Mr. Comer grew to manhood in his native coun- 
ty, and assisted his father and brotliers in the cul- 
tivation of the farm. In 1^46 he went into the 
employ of Campbell, Peters & Co., and commenced 
hauling iron ore, coal, etc., from Olive Furnace to 
Wheelersburg Jjanding with ox-teams, and pursued 
this monotonous occupation forsevenleen years. In 
l«f;;i he resolved to change his vocation and try his 
fortunes in the more western country, .\fter com- 
ing into this State he located upon a tract of rented 
land in Crittenden Township, which he cultivated 
until 1SG7. He then purchased eighty acres of his 
present farm, which was then mostly in a wild con- 
dition. By years of unwearying industry he 
brought this to a good state of cultivation, and 
added 100 acres, the whole of which is now linely 
improved and well drained, and whieh lie has prin- 
eii)ally devoted to grain-raising, lie has also erected 
a good set of farm buildings, and has all the ap- 
pliances necessary for keeping ui) a valual)ic es- 



tate, after the most approved methods of the day. 
As one of the representative farm homes of the 
county, we present a view of his place in this 

Al.l'.l'M. 

Mr. Comer was married, in (jallia County, his 
native State, on the 4lh of .May, 1850, to Miss Km- 
ily Miller, who was born in that county, and daugh- 
ter of F. J. and Sarah (Cheesenian) Miller. Of this 
union there were born fourteen children, eight of 
whom died in early childhood, and one son, 
Thomas, died of measles when nineteen years old. 
Those living are William, Charles. F. J., Martha 
E. and James. 

The father of Mr. Comer was a Whig politically. 
Our subject, since the organization of the Repulilican 
party, has been a warm supporter of its principles, 
but h.-is had no time to give to any office, being 
wholly absorbed in his business and farm affairs. 
He is reckoned among' the reliable citizens of his 
township, and is universally esteemed by all who 
know him. 



"il/OIIN FAULKNER, an e.xceedingly ener- 
getic, and consequently successful farmer of 
Kerr Township, was born A|iril 2, is.'! I, in 
Cheshire, England. lie is the son of 
Thom.as and Ann (Ptitts) Faulknei', natives of the 
same place. His paternal grandfather, Thomas 
Faulkner, was also a native of Cheshire. 

The father of our subject became much inter- 
ested in the Land advantages of America, and re- 
solved to gain .'UI iuiu'rilance for his family in tiie 
New World. In about the year 1840 he left En- 
•rland with the intention of sending for his family, 
when he should have l)e('ome sulllcientl}' established 
in this country. Hut the hopes and plans of men 
arc in the hands of a higher i)ower. He embarked 
on board the Rio Sovereign, bound from Liverpool 
to New York, and wlien the ves.sel had about 
reached mid-ocean, he accidentally fell overboard 
and was drowned. Four or five j'cars later his son 
and daughter carried out his resolntion of coming 
to America, anil the rest of the family soon fol- 
lowed. 

John Faidkner was but lifteen years of age when 



H 



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618 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



he hmded at Poitsmouth, N. H. He obtained work 
in a cotton factorj- at tiiat place, where he re- 
mained for seven or eiglit years. There lieing no 
opportunit3' in New Hampshire to follow the brick 
and tile making trade, to which he had been bronght 
u[), he finally resolved to go further West. Fol- 
lowing up this resolution we next hear of him in 
Minnesota, where he undertook brick-making, but 
this business not jjroving successful he returned two 
years later to New Hami)shire and resumed his work 
in the cotton factory until the spring of 1865. He 
then turned westward again and located in Kendall 
County, 111., where he remained three years en- 
gaged in farming. 

Mr. Faulkner was married, Dec. 14, liSGl, to 
Miss Sarah Arendale, tiie daughter of Robert and 
Eliza (Roberts) >Vrendale, natives of England. 
She was born in Cheshire, England, and lier mar- 
riage with Mr. Faulkner took place in Lawrence, 
Mas^. From Kendall County Mr. Faulkner and 
his wife came to this county, arriving aljout the 
time of the gre;it lire in Chicago, in 1.S71. They 
settled on section .'il, Kerr Township, and i)ur- 
eliased forty acres of wild land in Com[)romise 
Township, and soon afterward bought eighty acres 
where he now resides. 

In 1883 his beloved wife, the mother of six chil- 
dren, was removed by deatii. The names (»f their 
cliildren are as follows: Eliza A., Jose|)h, Thomas, 
Albert, Lizzie and ilinnie. Of these Albert anil 
Lizzie are deceased. Eliza married Mr. Isaac Car- 
ter, and lives in this county, where her husband 
owns and cultivates a fine farm in Rantoul Town- 
ship. 

Mr. Faulkner was the second lime married, Feb. 
•24, 188G, to Mrs. Julia IJooth, of Portsmouth, N. H., 
a lady whom he had known during his residence 
there. She is a native of Portsmouth, and the 
daughter of Albion and Maria (l)enet) Wilson, of 
that State. The first (loveruor of Maine was her 
mother's uncle. Mr. Faulker resides on his faiin, 
where he is engaged in general farming and stock- 
raising. He does not aspire to political preferment, 
and has never taken an active part in politics, but 
votes with the Democratic party. He has been for 
a number of years agent for Jlr. W. S. Prentice, 
of Springfield, III., a larg6 land-owner in this town- 




•►-■r^ 



4 



ship. Both Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner were formerly 
members of the Episcopal Church, and are now 
regular attendants and supporters of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, although not otlicially connected 
with that religious denomination. 



AVID SILVER, deceased, formerly num- 
bered among the successful farmers and 
one of the old settlersof L'rbana Township, 
was born in Salem County, N. J., Feb. 15, 
IT'J.s, and was the son of Joseph and Patience (Fer- 
guson) Silver. Thej- had a famil3' of twelve chil- 
dren, six sons and six daughters, and all of tiie.se, 
with one exception, grew to maturity. The paternal 
grandi)arents were Aaron and Ann (Hall) Silver. 
The family was originall}' from Wales, from wliich 
its first representatives to this cointry emigr.ated 
in the sixteenth century. The jwrents of our sub- 
ject removed from New Jerse)' to Ohio in 1801, 
where they were engaged in farming in Warren 
County. There 3'oiiug David grew to manhood and 
married Miss Eliza, daughter of Jonathan and 
Elizabeth Munger. 

The Munger family was of English extraction, 
and the great-grandfather, Reuben JIunger, was 
kidnapped in London and held for some time a 
prisoner, and then sold for his passage to this 
country. On his arrival in America lie settled in 
Connecticut. His mother was the j'oungest daugh- 
ter of the Earl of Dudley. The grandfather, Jona- 
than Munger, was born in Guilford, Conn., in 
November, 1755. He married Miss Elizabeth Law- 
rence, and the^' had a family' of five children, one 
son and four tlaughters, all of whom grew to 
maturity. 

David Silver, after marriage, settled on a farm 
in Warren County, Ohio, where he remained until 
the fall of 1854, when he moved with his family to 
Champaign Count3-. In the following year he pur- 
chased 100 acres of land of the Illinois Central 
Railroad, and to this he subsequently added eighty 
acres. Wlieii a youth of eighteen years he had ile- 
termined to study law, but finding himself unfitted 
by nature for the successful practice of that [iru- 
fession, he wisely returned to farming. He possessed 



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CIIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



r.i9 



•ji-cat energy and strength of oharactcr and apjilied 
himself successfully to agricultural pursuit?, bring- 
ing his land to a high state of cultivation and mak- 
ing good improvements. In 1855 he built a ttne 
brick residence, which was the first erected in the 
township, and in 1857 added a large bani. He 
was especiall}' successful in stock-raising, includ- 
ing choice breeds of cattle and hogs. lie returned 
on a visit to Ohio in 1867. After an active and 
useful life he died on the old homestead, Nov. 10, 
1875, at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife, 
who was born Jan. 2, 1802, in Montgomery County, 
Ohio, died in 1863. They had a family of five chil- 
dren: William M., who is now in Dakota; John L. ; 
Wallace, a resident of this county ; My ra, and Perry, 
who died in December, 1885. The latter served as 
a Union soldier in the Civil War three ye.irs, being 
a member of Co. G, 76th 111. Vol. Inf. Myra, the 
only daughter and owner of the farm, was born in 
Ohio, educated in the public schools of that State, 
and possesses much practical sense and business 
capacitj'. The old homestead, on which she resides, 
is a fine estate comprising 240 acres. 



-i>!^*^»t^ *^^^<5«^^*tfJ<f- 



Vl 



/OSEPH M. BESORE, widely and favorably 
known throughout Stanton Townshii), is a 
native of Pennsylvania, born near Chani- 
bersbui'g in Franklin Count}', Sept. 14, 18;J6. 
His father, John Besore, was born near Waynes- 
burg, Franklin County, and married Miss Alary 
Mound of the same county. They settled on a 
farm in that county and became the parents of a 
fine famil}', including seven sons and three daugh- 
ters, all of whom are living and now residents of 
Champaign County, 111., having added greatly to 
the intelligence of its population and to its credit 
as a farming and business community. The family 
is of French descent, the first representatives in 
this eountrj- locating in and adjacent to the State 
of Pennsylvania. The gr.andfather, John Besore, 
Sr., w.as one of the pioneers of Franklin County, 
Pa., and after locating there made it his home dur- 
ing the balance of his days. 

'I'he subject of this history was the third son of 
his father's family and passed his boylioo<l and 



-t- 



youth in his native county, after the manner of 
most farmers' boj's. He received a common-school 
education and remained witii his father until the 
death of the latter, whicii uccurred in 1855. After- 
ward he .assisted his mother in conducting the 
affairs of tlie h()mestend until lie was no longer 
needed. Joseph Besore came West to this State in 
1865, locating in Vermilion County, where he 
resided for one j'ear and became a resident of this 
county in 1866. He first rented a farm three years 
in Stanton Townshii) and then purchased 160 .acres, 
which, after occupying four years alone, he aban- 
doned for a brief season while he returned to his 
native State for the puri)ose of securing a nearer 
friend and couipauiou than any which he had found 
in this locality, and was united in marriage with 
Miss Barbara F. Ileneberger. 

Mr. Besore at once returned with his biide to his 
new farm on the i)rairie, where they set u() house- 
keei)ing in an economic and primitive style and 
worked in unison to establish a home. At tlic time 
of taking possession of his farm, there was but a 
small frame house and stable upon it, which have 
long since given place to first-class modern improve- 
ments. The handsome^esidence and farm I)uild- 
ings were planned mostly by the present pro|>rietor. 
He superintended their construction, and the result 
is one of the finest sets of farm buildings in tiie 
count}'. Mr. Besore w.as obliged to incur an indebt- 
edness of $800 at the start, but this was in due 
time liquidated and he then had his spare cash to 
devote to improvements. He was engaged largely' 
in the raising of grain and hogs, from which he has 
derived the larger i)ortion of his income. In addi- 
tion to the putting u]) of buildings, fencing his 
fields and purchasing the necessary farm machinery, 
there were also the needs of a growing family to 
provide for, and taken altogether, his success h.as 
been truly phenomenal. 

In due time there came to the iiousehold of our 
subject and wife a family of six children, four sons 
and two daughters, whom the parents named Charles 
E., Moutie C., Isajic II., Warren C, Elsie Ray and 
Norali Ma}'. They .are all living and reside mostly 
with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. B. identified 
themselves with the (ierman Reform Church, of 
whi(rli they have remained active and consistent 

♦ 



i 



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620 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



members, contributing of their means to the sup- 
port of this as well as to every other worthy cause 
and enterprise in their adopted county. When our 
subject became a voter he adopted politics of the 
Democratic party, and has found no reason to con- 
sider himself mistaken in his first views in regard 
to local and National government. 



r 



.'-^IIOMAS JEFFER.SON BEVERLIX. One 

of the most valuable farms in Stanton Town- 
^ ship is located on section 34^, and comprises 
•2H0 acres, well improved and in a high state of cul- 
tivation. On the choicest point of ground on this 
place prominently appear the handsome farm 
buildings, well constructed, neat and substantial, 
sheltered here and there by fruit and choice shade 
trees, with good fences, and everjahing around 
indicating cultivated ta«tes and am|)le means. Mr. 
Hevcrliu began life in a modest manner, his first pur- 
chase being eighty acres of unimproved prairie, upon 
which he located, and removed his family into the 
dwelling which stood upon it, and which w.as much 
inferior to that which they»at present occupy. He 
ptissessed more than ordinary business ability, was 
industrious and economical in the extreme, and 
soon began to realize the reward ..of his labors. 
He added to his real estate b^' degrees, and as his 
means accumulated substituted new buildings for 
old ones, and now little remains to he seen of the 
place as it was in Its original condition. His quali- 
ties iis a leader in the community soon received 
due recognition, and he was called to the various 
ollices of trust in the township, serving .as Road 
Commissioner and Trustee, and there were few 
enter|)rises set on foot in which his aid or his opin- 
ions were not solicited. To tliese calls he always 
responded generously, and fully identified himself 
with the welfare of the people around him. 

Mr. Beverlin was born in Wabash County, this 
State, Oct. 6, 1 840. His father and grandfather, 
both named AVilliani, were born in Waj'ue County, 
Ind. The Beverlin family is of English extraction. 
M'illiam,Jr.,grew to manhood in his native county, 
and there married .Miss Rebecca Commons. After 
ni.-nriagc they removed to Wabash County, 111., 



locating on a farm, where the father died in 1*542. 
The mother subsequently returned to her native 
county in Indiana, taking her children with her, 
and there Thomas J. of our sketch spent his boy- 
hood. He w.as but two years of age at the time of 
his father's death. His mother w.as afterward mar- 
ried to Isaac Lewis, and removed to Tippecanoe 
County, Ind. Thence the family came into A'er- 
milion County, this State, and some years later to 
this county. 

Thomas J. Beverlin after coming to this State 
went to live with Levi Lewis, with wliom he 
remained until fifteen N'ears of age. He then took 
up his abode with his stepfather, with whom he 
remained until the breaking out of the late war, and- 
notwitlistauding he was but seventeen years of age 
he determined to do what he could in assisting to 
preserve the Union. He accordingl}' enlisted in 
Co. K, ;37th 111. Vol. Inf., serving faithfully three 
years and four months, and taking part in the bat- 
tles at Pea Ridge, Lexington, and New Orleans. 
From the Crescent City his regiment was detailed to 
go to the Brazos River in Texas, at which time the 
war w.as nearing its close. .Soon afterward came the 
news of the surrender, and the troops were ordered 
to Washington for the grand review. Those j'ears 
were filled with a rich experience, and aflforded to 
young Beverlin, with thousands of others, a knowl- 
edge of the South, the face of the country, and its 
people and their manner of living, which perhaj)* 
they would have gained in no other way. After 
receiving his honorable discharge he returned to 
Vermilion County, where he engaged in farming 
until the fall of l!SG(j. He was then attracted to 
the unusual fertility of this section, and selected a 
tract of eighty .acres of prairie land in .Stanton 
Township, where began the successes of his later 
life which we have already indicated. 

Soon after his return from the army Mr. Bever- 
lin fulfilled his engagement of marriage with Miss 
Elizabeth Stephenson, of Edgar County, their wed- 
ding taking place in Paris, in the fall of 18<l,i. This 
union resulted in the birth of eight children. of 
whom seven are still living, and form a bright and 
intelligent family, of which the parents may be par- 
doned for regarding with extreme pride. They 
were named respectively Lilly, Archie, Omer, 



f. 



r 



^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY 



r.21 1 



Earnest. Lora, Osa and William. Adella is de- 
ceased. Both Mv. an() Mrs. Bevcvlin .are nicniiiers 
of the Friends' Church. Mr. Hevorliii is a Kepiilt- 
lii'an in politics. 

eHARLES BABB. One of the pleasantest 
homes in Rantoul Township is located on 
section 7 (east), and is owned hy the gen- 
tleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch. 
He has 123 acres of land, tile-drained and finely 
improved with neat fences and good buildings, and 
everj'thing about him is calculated to make life a 
comfort and a pleasui-e. The farm is well stocked 
with graded animals, including one full-lilood Short- 
horn and several head which are nearly full-bloods. 
The property' of Mr. Babb is free from incumbrance 
and he has acquired it solely by his own honest 
labor and good management. He commenced in 
life at the foot of the ladder without means, but 
with the resolution to become the possessor of a 
good home and occupy a worthj' position in his 
communitj'. His present surroundings fully indi- 
cate the degree to which his resolution has been 
carried out. 

The early home of our subject was on the other 
side of the Atlantic in Staffordshire, England, 
where he was born under his father's roof Dec. 18, 
1S41. His parents, John .and Margaret (White) 
Babb, after their marriage, located upon the farm 
in Staffordshire, which had been in possession of the 
family since its purchase by the grandfather of our 
subject, when he was a young man. John liabb 
died on the old homestead in 1841*, where he was 
born and where he spent his entire life, and his 
good wife, the mother of our subject, still resides 
in .Staffordshire. She was of Scottish parentage, 
and a lady of strong character and high principles, 
universally respected wherever known. The par- 
cntJil iiousehold consisted of five children, as fol- 
lows: John is single and divides his time between 
England, America and .Scotland; Ann, tiie widow 
of Hein-y Buntingi lives in Ultoxeter, StJiffordshire; 
Charles, of our sketch, was the third child ; Thomas 

died in Australia; .Margaret married Edwai'd W 1, 

of Derbyshire. 



-^ 



Charles Babl) rluring his boyhood and youth at- 
tended school in his native shire, and assisted his 
parents in the duties around the farm. He remained 
under the home roof until reaching his m.ajority, 
and being soon afterward married then located on 
leased land in Staffordshire, where, together with 
farming, he carried on stock-raising for a period of 
four years, but on account of a cattle disease which 
liroke out, lost money, not being able to sell his 
stock. In 1870 he decided to seek his fortunes in 
the United States. After reaching American shores 
he proceeded directly westward to this State and 
county and located in Hensley Township, where he 
worked bj' the day trimming hedge, and being an 

! expert at this, he earned good wages. He lived 
economically, saving what he could, and in 188.S 
had sufficient means to purchase 123i acres of 
good land now inchided in his present farm. He has 
an excellent business capacity and has carried on 
his farming operations with marked success. .Mr. 
Babb is esteemed as a good citizen and valued 
member of the community'; a man honest in all his 
transactions and one whose word is as good as his 
bond. 

Charles Babb was married in December, 1849, to 
Miss Eleanor Bunting, a native of Ultoxeter, Stiif- 
lordshire, England. The four bright children which 
came to their home have now reached 3'cars of dis- 
cretion and .are a quartette of which the parents 

I may well be proud. Arthur is farming in Coudit 
Township; Jessie became the wife of Samuel Lit- 
tle, and lives in Armstrong, Vermilion Co., III. ; 
Maggie, Mrs. Charles Merchant, is a resident of 
Rantoul Township; Annie is at home with her p.ar- 
ents. Mr. and Jlrs. B. were reared in the Episco- 
pal faith but at ]iresent are not connected with an}' 
churt'h denomination. In pfilitics he is a Repub- 
lican. 

ylLLIA.M DAILEY, a farmer of Kerr Town- 
ship, and a gentleman who has followed 
^ „ that vocation since large enough to hold 
the handles of a plow, is the son of James and 
Mary (Moxan) Dailey. natives of Ireland, and was 
born .lunc 20, 185C). in Morris, (irundy Co., III. 
1 His grandfathers were Joseph Muxan and William 

r== -^- 



* 



1 



622 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



Dailey, both natives of Ireland, neither of whom 
ever came to this country. Our .subject's father 
came to. the United States in 1850, bringing with 
him his wife and two children. The)' settled in 
Grundy County, 'where he died in IBGl.and two 
years later his. mother also died, leaving the family 
to the care of ^relatives. 

AVilliam Dailey, the subject of our sketch, was 
brought up. in the family of his uncle, John Moxan, 
in Morris, where he had the advantages of an ex- 
cellent common school. At the age of fifteen he 
left home to do for himself, and during three years 
worked at different places in the surrounding coun- 
try. He then moved to Champaign Countj', 111., 
where he engaged in farming on rented land. Feb. 
9, 1880, lie was married to Miss Anna Hannigan, 
the fourth child, and one of twins, born to Felix 
and Helen (MeCormick) Hannigan, the former of 
whom was one of the earlj' settlers and an exten- 
sive land-owner in Grundy County. The town of 
Felix in that county was built on his property, and 
named in his Ixjnor. His daughters were all edu- 
cated for teachers and are well known in the pro- 
fession in this county. 

Mrs. Dailej' was a iiighly accomplished lady, 
receiving her education at the State Noinnal School, 
Bloom ington. Her reputation as a teacher was well 
known in this part of the State, where she was con- 
sidered one of the best educators in the ungraded 
schools of the county. But death loves a shining 
mark, and this accomplished wife and well-beloved 
mother was stricken down with disease and died 
Aug. 17, 1880, leaving four children — James, John, 
William and Margaret, all of whom are living. 
Ml-?. Dailej' was a consistent and devoted member 
of the Catholic Church, in which society she was 
prominent in good works. She was a lad)' of much 
refinement and strength of character, and her influ- 
ence was felt throughout the entire community in 
which she lived. Her death occurred while living 
on tlieir own farm in Compromise Township, the 
home which her husliand had purchased after their 
marnage. 

Mr. Dalle)' is the owner of ninety acres of land 
on section ."iO, Kerr Township; both of his farms 
are now rented, and with his children he resides on 
section W, but is not engaged in carrying on the 



farm himself. He is at present Assessor of the 
township, to which oflice he was elected on the 
People's ticket. He is a Republican, but takes no 
active interest in politics; religiously he is a mem- 
ber of the Roman Catholic Church. His brother, 
Mr. John J. Dailey, resides in Utah, near Park City. 
and is the owner of the celebrated Dailey mines, 
valued at i352,000,OOO. He superintends the mines 
himself, and single-handed and alone, h.is worked 
his way to the uppermost round of the ladder of 
fortune, and to-day the name of John J. Dailey is 
considered good for a round million of dollars. 



/p!J}EORGE A. WALKER, a successful and en- 
Ill (—J terprising farmer of Urbana Township, is of 
^^^j) Scotch extraction, and was born in the 
State of New Hampshire, Dec. 17, 1832. His 
great-grandfather, Andrew Walker, was a native of 
Ireland, but his grandfather, Robert Walker, was 
born in New Hampshire, as likewise was the father 
of our subject, who was also named Robert. 'J'he 
father's business was that of a machinist, at which 
employment he was very skillful. He married Miss 
Nancy Gordon, the daughter of Nathaniel (Jordon. 
The Gordon family were of Sc<^tch and Irish ex- 
traction. They had settled in the northern part 
of Ireland during the dissensions that disturbed 
the reigns of William of Orange an<l Charles II. 

In 1836 Robert Walker removed with his fam- 
ily from New Hampshire to Tazewell County, 111., 
and located near Pekin, where he spent the re- 
mainder of his life. His death occurred in March, 
1839. His widow and four children were left to 
struggle alone in the wilderness on the Illinois 
frontier, in Tazewell County, until 1870, when 
they removed to Champaigu. George A. Walker 
became the protector of his mother, with whom 
she lived until her de.ath, which occurred Feb. 24, 
1887, in her eighty-eighth year. She was born in 
1799. 

On the 1st of January, 1868, .Mr. Walker was 
married to Miss Perie Drake, the daughter of Ran- 
dolph Drake. She was born in New Jersey, and 
after marri.agc settled with her husband in T.aze- 
well County, whence they removed to this county. 
She died July 19, 1881, leaving no children. 



J 



i 



I 



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A 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



623 



Mr. Walker's jiresent farm, containiii<j UK) acres 
of valualile land, is lofated on sef'ti<'n '2'.K I'rhana 
Township. Mr. Walker began his career in life ham- 
pered bj- man}- disadvantages, and with but little 
ea[)ital save his good common sense and energy. 
He has bj' his excellent business qualifications ac- 
quired a fine landed property, all of vvhicii is well 
cultivated and improved. He is to sonic extent 
interested in stock-raising. 

Mr. Walker po.ssesses sterling qualities of mind 
and heart. In all social questions he is found on 
the side of law and order. He has served as School 
Trustee, and is now Supervisor of I'rbana Town- 
ship. He is one of the Deacons of the Baptist 
Church, and is a consistent Christian in all the re- 
lations of life. In polities he is a strong Repub- 
lican, and is also a strict temperance man. 



■~v-.-«j2ae/^-^»'-^ 



*g*.®<OT7i>v.'wx, 



ROF. STEPHEN' A. FDHI5ES, Ph. D., 

,lj State Entomologist and Director of the 
*M ^ State Laboratory of Natural History, is 

I \ connected with the Department of Natural 
History of the University of Illinois, at Urb.ana, 
which embraces courses in Botany, Vegetable Phys- 
iology. Microscopy, Anatomy, Zoology, Geology, 
etc. The course in Botany is illustrated by a col- 
lection of over 1,000 indigenous Illinois plants, and 
the department constitutes a museum well worth 
the examination of the student and visitor. 

Prof. Forbes is eminently qualified for tiie |)osi- 
tion which he holds in this department, both by 
nature and education. He is a native of Stephenson 
Coui.ty, this State, born near Freeport, 111., May 
29, 1844. His parents, Isaac S. and Agnes (\an- 
Hosen) Forbes, were natives respectively of \'er- 
mont .and New York. The father followed the 
occupation of a farmer. Tliey emigrated to the 
Pr.airie State in 183G, and took up a claim of Gov- 
ernment land four miles from what is now the thriv- 
ing city of Freeport. This was before the organi- 
zation of Stephenson County, in which work I.saac 
I'orbes was prominent, and became Postmaster at 
Silver Creek, occupj-ing the position for a number 
of years. He bek)ngcd to the old Whig party. 

4» 




The parental family included .seven children, of 
whom only four are now living: Mrs. F. A. Bliss; 
Col. H. C. Forbes; Prof. Stepiien A. and Mrs. N. F. 
Snyder. Is.aac Forbes, after building for himself a 
good record as a business man and citizen, 
departed this life at his home in Stephenson 
County, in l.s.')4. Tlie mother survived her hus- 
band ft)r a period of eighteen years, and closed her 
eyes to the scenes of earth in 1872. 

The subject of this biography remained .at home 
on the farm and attended school until fourteen 
j-ears old. He tiien went to Beloit, Wis., and 
entered the academy there, which he attended for 
one year. Returning home he pursued his studies 
under the instruction of an older brother, until 
IHfil. at which time there w.as a call for soldiers to 
assist in the preservation of the Union. Young 
Forbes enlisted in Co. B, 7th 111. \o\. Cav., and 
served four and one-half years, participating in 
many of the important battles of the war. He was 
captured at the evacuation of Corintli in 18(;2, and 
confined for a period of five months in the prisons 
of Mobile, M.icon and Richmond. He entered the 
service as private and w.as mustered out as Captain. 
After receiving his honoral>le discharge he returned 
home and began the study of medicine, also taking 
a course of lectures at Ru.sh Medical College, Chi- 
cago. Afterward he took up the stud}' of botany 
and zoology. 

In 1868 Prof. Forbes commenced teaching in the 
public schools of Franklin and .TelTerson Counties, 
being thus occupied for three years following, and 
in the meantime devoting his leisui'e hours to the 
study of botany. He taught school during the win- 
ter season and spent his summers in the fields of 
Southern Illinois, among the curious plants and 
shrubs indigenous to that part of the State. In 
1 872 he was appointed Curator of the State Museum 
at the Normal University in McLean Countj', and 
soon after made Professor, where he remained until 
1884. In the meantime he had been appointed 
State Entomologist by Gov. Culh)m, in 1882. In 
1884 he was called to his present jiosition by the 
Trustees of the University, and the duties of wliich 
he has fulfilled in a manner satisfactory to all con- 
cerned. 

Prof. Forbes was nuurled in 1872, to -Miss Clara 



H 



f 



-4^ 

624 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




S. Gaston. Mrs. F. is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, 
and the daugliter of John R. and Frances (Shaw) 
(iaston, of Normal, 111. Of this union there have 
been born five children — Bertha, Kniest B., Wini- 
fred. Ethel C. and Richard E. The family' occupy' 
a ple.isant residence near the University, and num- 
ber among their friends and associates the refined 
and cultured people of Urbana. The Professor is 
Republican in politics, and takes a genuine interest 
in all matters pertaining to the advancement of 
morality and education. 

ih<^ ARK .TEAKINS, deceased, who was of 
English birth and parentage, emigrated to 
this country in the spring of 18.51. and a 
few j-ears later became a resident of the 
Prairie State. He first located in Peoria County, 
afterward sc)iourned for a time in Vermilion Coun- 
ty, and in 1867 settled in the southeastern part of 
Compromise Township, this county, on section ."i.S. 
He purchased eighty acres of land, but slightly 
improved, and at once set himself to work to estab- 
lish a home and secure a competency. How well 
he succeeded in this determination is indicated by 
the fine estate which he left at his death. This in- 
cludes 200 acres of land, with a fine set of farm 
buildings and other improvements necessar}' for 
the completion of a modern farm homestead. In 
his course as a husband, father and citizen Mr. 
Jeakins set an example that is worthy of imita- 
tion. He was honorable and upright in bis trans- 
actions, prompt to meet his obligations, and left 
the heritiige of a woethy name to his descendants. 
The boyhood and youth of Mr. Jeakins were 
sijent in Lincolnshire. England, where he w.is born 
Sept. 2, 182K. His parents, John and Elizabeth 
Jeakins, had a family of nine children, of whom six, 
James, John. Mathew, Charles, .Sarah and Mark, 
accompanied their parents to the Cnited States. 
Emma, William and Ann are in England. John 
Jeakins departed this life in Delaware in about 
lHo«. The mother died in Ohio. Our subject re- 
mained in his native country until attaining his 
majority, being bred to farm life. In 1851, ac- 



companied by his brother James, he emigrated 
from his native land, arriving in the city of Phila- 
delphia in May of that year. He took up his abode 
in the Quaker City, whence two years later he re- 
moved Uj Ohio, and from there came to the Prai- 
rie State. His death occurred Aug. 24, 1885, on 
the homestead which he had labored so many j'ears 
to build up and beautify. 

Mr. .leakins was twice married, first in Philadel- 
phia, Pa., in .September, 1851 , and his wife died while 
on the journey from Philadelphia to Ohio. After 
coming to this State Mr. Jeakins, on the 1st of 
.January, 1867, was married to Mrs. Phebe Ann 
(Barton) Gear. Mrs. J. was born in Parke County, 
Ind., March 28, 1835, and is the daughter of John 
and Martha Barton, natives of Kentuckj-. She 
was reared in Indiana, and was first married Oct. 
16, 1864, to Rev. Alexander Gear, a native of 
Ohio, and a minister of the United Brethren 
Church. Mr. Gear was always interested in agri- 
cultural pursuits and followed farming in connec- 
tion with his ministerial duties. They resided in 
Indiana a 3'car after their marriage, then removed 
to Vermilion County, this Suite, where Mr. Gear 
departed this life Dec. 25, 1 865. Of t'»s marriage 
there were no children. 

Of the union of .Mr. and Mr^. .Mark Jeakins 
there were born three children — John S., Ilarvej- J. 
and Lillie M. Religiously Mr. J. belonged to the 
United Brethren Church, of which Mrs. J. is still a 
member. The latter since the death of her hus- 
band hiis. with the assistance of her children, man- 
aged the farm in a creditable and judicious man- 
ner, and is a lad^- greatly respected bj' all who 
know her. 



r>ENDEL REINHART has been identified 
with the farming interests and the local af- 
faii-s of Pesotum Township since the spring 
of 1867, when he came to this count\- and purchased 
eighty acres of land lying near the line between 
Crittenden and Pesotum Townships. Since that 
time he has added gradually to his possessions until 
lie now has a fine farm of 320 acres lying partly' in 
each of the townships named. As one of the most 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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627 






prosperous ami enterprising of ('linni|(,aigii County's 
foreign-liorn citizens, who have ct>ntrihuted so 
greatly to the development of the Prairie State, 
we present in connection with this brief outline of 
his life the lii\cness of a face familiar in the useful 
walks of life and vf one wlui lias built up a record 
enduring and valualile, and which will be looked 
upon by his descendants years hence with pride and 
satisfaction. 

Soon after coming to this section the intelligence 
of Mr. Rinehart and his value as a man and citizen 
made itself apparent to his fellow-townsmen, who 
entrusted him with the various ofHces within their 
gift, and the duties of which he discharged in a 
manner highly satisfactory to them and creditable 
to himself. Being loyal to the customs of his na- 
tive country, Geiman^', he is a believer in compul- 
sory education, and has always been interested in 
the establishment and maintenance of schools, doing 
everything in his power to encourage and promote 
the cause of education in this section. He served 
six j'ears as School Director, has been Commissioner 
of Highways nine years, and .lustice of the Peace 
six years. There have been but few enterprises 
having for their oljjeet the public good, which he 
has not encouraged and supported, holding very 
properly to the theory that whatever benefits one 
citizen is of benefit to all. 

The subject of this history spent his childhood 
in the Province of Alsace-Lorraine, now in Ger- 
many, where he was born on the .ith of February, 
1832. When a 3'outh of fifteen j'ears he emigrated 
to the United States with his parents, Nicholas and 
Catherine (I'autlcr) Reinhart, who, in 1847, came to 
this State and located in Peoria County, of which 
their son was a resident for twenty years thereafter. 
There, .as here, he became prominent among the men 
vf his township, which he represented in the Board 
of Supervisors, and was otherwise connected with 
its local affairs. He was united in the holy bonds 
of matrimony, .Jan. 8, 1860, to Mary, daughter 
of N'alentine and Mary (Eberle) Schlink, of Peoria, 
III. Of this union there were born three children, 
two only now living — Mary and (Jeorge. Peter 
died when five months old; Mary is the wife of 
George Gillis, who is |)roprietor of a farm of eighty 
acres in Crittenden Townsiiip; (icorge married Miss 



Mary Summers, and also follows farming in Crit- 
tenden Township.* The mother of these children 
departed this life at the home of her husband in 
Peoria County, on the 28th of March, 1864. The 
.second wife of our subject, to whom he was mar- 
ried Jan. 1 6, 1 866. was Miss Eva Meister, of Wood- 
ford County, this State. Of the nine children born 
of this marriage, two sons, Louis and Frank, died 
when five j'ears old. The children surviving are 
Theresa, .John W., Joseph, Lizzie, Henry, Charles 
and Peter E., all at home with their parents. The 
boys assist their father in the cultivation of the 
farm, which of late years has been devoted chiefly 
to the breeding of cattle and horses. 

Mrs. Mary Reinhart was a devoted member of 
the German Catholic Church, with which also our 
subject and his present wife have been connected 
many j'ears. 



r*^- 



ii 



WILLIAM COLLEY is of English descent, 
and owns eightj' .acies of well-improved 
land on section 33, Aj'ers Township. He 
was born in Yorkshire, England, Oct. 10, 1846, and 
is the son of Robert and Ann (Wardell) Collej'. 
When at the tender age of two years he had the 
misfortune to lose his mother bj' death. He was 
then taken to the home of his maternal grandfather, 
where he grew to boj'hood. He attended school in 
his native land, and at the age of seventeen j'ears 
was bound out to learn the carpenter's trade, serv- 
ing as an apprentice for four years. He applied 
himself with diligence and energy to his work and 
became verj' skillful, and was employed in the con- 
struction of several large and costly edifices. He 
spent six years working at his trade, and then be- 
coming interested in the advantages offered the emi- 
grant by this countrj', he j'ielded to the desire dear 
to the heart of everj' Englishman, of becoming a 
laud-owner, and in 1 870 sought the shores of the 
New World with this end in view. After landing 
at New York he came at once to Morgan Countj', 
III., where he remained through the winter. After- 
ward for two yeare he was employed to work bj' the 
month. 

In 1872 Mr. Colley was married to .Miss Ellen 



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628 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



; 



Swan, who was also of English descent. She was 
born in Illinois, Oct. 1«, 1847. _^he3' have two in- 
teresting children living, and two are deceased. 
Tlie names of the children are as follows: Ti)omas 
W. ; John H., deceased ; Eddie S., and another, who 
died in infancj'. The household includes a cousin, 
Clara .Swain, who has made her home at ilr. t'ol- 
le3''s since her father's death. 

The energj' of Mr. Colley displayed in his pro- 
fession has been amply rewarded. His land is 
under gf>od cultivation and he has a tasteful farm 
residence and the grounds are well cared for. He 
owns some fine Hereford stock, good farm machin- 
ery, and all the appointments of his place are well 
suited to ihc home of an English country gentle- 
man. 

Mr. Colley established iiis lionie in this county 
in 1877, and although comparatively a recent resi- 
dent, has become largely identified with the inter- 
ests of the community. He is a member and one 
of the Trustees of the Methodist Church, and also 
.Superintendent of the Sunday-school. He has 
never taken out his naturalization papers, but re- 
gards himself as a citizen of tlie United States, and 
in politics his sympathies are with the Repulilican 
party. 

The lithographic portrait of Mr. Colley, as shown 
on another page, will be recognized as that of one 
of the most useful niemliers of the farniiiig- com- 
munity of this Ideality, and one who has con- 
tributed his full quota in enhancing the beauty of 
the landscape and the value of the soil in Ayers 
Ti>wnsliip. 



fclLLIAM BROWiS', a well-known resident 
\\\a/// of the city of Champaign, and formerly 
one of the most prosperous farmers of this 
countj\ is now living in ease and retirement at his 
fine residence, No. 502 University avenue. He has 
been a resident of the Prairie State since 186!), 
when he came to this county and purchased 140 
acres of land in Soiner Townshiii, which lie im- 
proved and cultivated until the fall of l<Hf<ij. He 
then purchased the handsome i)roperty which he 
now owns in this city, and where, surrounded by 
the friends who have known liim for so many years. 




he is passing down the sunset hill of life in the 
midst of comfort and luxurj', the reward of an act- 
ive and energetic business life. 

Mr. Brown is a native of Virginia, born iu Pres- 
ton Count}', Oct. 25, 1815. His parents were Win- 
dell and Amelia (Moore) Brown, natives of Penn- 
S3'lvania. whence thej' removed after their mar- 
riage to \'irginia, and were engaged there in farm- 
ing pursuits. In the yea.v 18.")7 they removed to 
Union Countj', Ohio, where Mr. Brown purchased 
a heavil}' timbered tract of 400 acres, and where 
he established a comfortable homestead upon which 
he passed the remainder of his life, his decease oc- 
curring in 1851. The mother .lied two years later, 
in 1 853. Of their nine children three only are now 
living — Aaron, William and Amelia. 

The subject of this historj- was reared to farm- 
ing pursuits, and remained under the home roof 
until his parents closed their eyes upon the scenes 
of earth. He afterward occupied the old home- 
stead until 1809, when he sold out and came to 
this State. He is what ma}' be properly called a 
self-made man. He was reared to habits of indus- 
try and economj', and in his 3'ounger da^'s learned 
to live within his income. He began early in life 
to aecumnlate money, and man}' a day engaged in 
mowing hay at twent}-five cents per acre, often 
cutting the grass from four acres in. one day. He 
was also an expert at splitting rails, and would 
often turn out 200 of these in half a day, after they 
had l)een cut from the tiuil)er. He was Strong, 
physically, and no one in his county could lay him 
on the ground. His early education was conducted 
in the pioneer log school-house. Those early ex- 
periences contributed to his independence of chai'- 
acter, and laid the foundations for his future suc- 
cess in life. 

Since comini; to this locality Mr. Brown hfis been 
prominently comiected with the affairs of the 
county, and has contributed in no small degree in 
bringing it to its i)resent position as one of the 
most prosperous sections of the State. He is Dem- 
ocratic in politics, and has held the offices of School 
Director and Path Master, besides filling other im- 
portant |)ositions, and taking a prominent part in 
the counsels of his fellow -toivnsmen. Both he and 
his excellent wife early in life became connected 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



629 



with the Methodist Ki)iscu[);il t huicli, of which 
tliey are still worthy siiul consistent nieniheis. Mr. 
Brown has always been interested in the success of 
the temperance movement, lending his influence 
and lifting his voice as o|)iK)rtuuit3' occurred, 
against the crying evil. 

The marriage of William Hrown and Miss Ke- 
ziah C. Ford, was celebrated in I'nion County, 
Ohio, in 1853. Mrs. Brown is a native of Clarke 
County, and the daughter of James and Elizabeth 
(Hunna) Ford, natives respectively of New Jersej' 
and Ohio. Our subject and wife have become the 
parents of live children, only tlnee of whom are 
living: Clark nuarried Miss Sarah Fuller, and thc^' 
have two children — Charlie A. and Helen E. ; the}' 
live in Phelps County, Neb. Ray and William A. 
are living on the home farm. 

Mr. Ford, the tntlier of Mrs. Brown, during his 
earlier j'ears engaged in farming in the Buckeye 
State, but about 1871 removed to this .State, where 
he is still living. His wife, the mother of Mrs. 
Brown, died in Union County, Ohio, in 1854. 
Eight of the nine children Ijorn to them are now 
living and named as follows: Nancy Y., William 
J., David J., Keziaii, -John \V., Mattie, Huey and 
Isabella. Mr. Ford was Justice of the Peace some 
years in the Buckeye State, and Chaplain of the 
temperance society there. 



»♦— .»v^v 



mother until he was twcnty-ouc years of age, and 
completed his educatitm at the public school in 
Urbana. When the estate was divided, the home- 
stead became his portion, and his mother has since 
resided with him. She is now in her seventy- 
second year. 

James Stamey in 18G8 was united in marriage 
with Miss Nanc}' Somers, the daughter of James L. 
Somers, who came from North Carolina and was 
among the earliest settlers of the count}'. Mrs. 
Stamey died Oct. 28, 1880. 

Mr. Stamey has been engaged principally in gen- 
eral farming, and raises cattle .and hogs, which he 
sells <in the farm and ships to market. His land is 
well tiled and enclosed with wire fencing. Ho h.as 
a line residence and good farm buildings. 

To Mr. and Mrs.' Stamey there were born three 
children — John, Jennie and Frank. Mr. Stamey is 
an energetic, active man, interested in public affairs, 
and has filled some of the official positions of the 
township. 



Vf/ AMES W. STAMEY, an active and prosper- 
ous farmer of Urbana T()wnslii|), was born 
Feb. 1, 1842, on the homestead where he 
i now resides. His fatlicV, Elias Stamey, was 
the sou of Daniel Stamey and came to Champaign 
County with his mother's uncle, Charles Busey, 
where he married .Miss Nanc}' D. Busey, and after- 
ward settled on the farm now occupied by his son, 
the subject of this sketch. 

The estate of our subject includes 150 acres, 
located on section 0. During a verj- unliealth}' 
season about ten years after his marriage, Elias 
Stamey died, after which his wife very succcssfuUj' 
conducted the farm, in the meantime educating her 
four sons — Matthew E., Daniel W., James W. and 
John C. James W. remained on the farm with his 



^>i-*— -o<S*Milll»-^o » i< ' 




ENRY McBRIDE, formerly one of tlie most 
prosperous farmers of Scott Townshii), in 
1880 retired to the village of Bondville, 
where he is enjoying the rest and comfort 
to which the industry and economy of former 
years have full}- entitled him. lie became a resi- 
dent of Illinois in the spring of 1807, locating first 
in Fulton County, where he farmed on rented land, 
and whence he afterward removed to Piatt County 
of which he was a resident for twelve years. He 
removed to Bondville in the spring of 1880, where 
he has l)ecome one of its most highly respected 
citizens. He is a native of Frederick County, Md., 
bom Sei)t. 0, 1832, and the son of (icorge and So- 
phia McBride. The}- also were boiii in Maryland, 
where they were I'eared and married, and where 
the mother died in about 1830. In the fall of 
1853 (Jeorge McBride removed to Ohio, where he 
resided one year, and then came io Fulton County, 
tliis State. From there he removed to Piatt 
County, where his death toc)k place Sept. 0, 1884. 
The three children of the parental household all 
grew lo mature years. 

When Henry McBride vv:is sixteen years of age. 



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630 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



Lc became a resident of tUc Bucke\'e State, and 
there lived until the spring of 18()7. He was bred 
to farming pursuits, which he followed in Ohio 
and after coming to this State. Before leaving 
Ohio, our suljject was married, in Preble County, 
Oct. 2."), 1855, to Miss Rebecca M., daugliter of 
William and Mary A. (Martin) Kelley. Mr. and 
Mrs. Kelley were natives of ^'irginia, whence the\^ 
removed to Ohio in about 1S14. The wife of our 
subject was born .Ian. 14, l.s;jl, and their marriage 
resulted in the birth of eight children, of whom 
Viola C. died when tvro 3'ears old; Luella S., the 
wife of Thomas Stephenson, is a resident of Piatt 
Countj', this State; Mary A. is at iiome with her 
parents; Jacob E. married Miss Clara Couuor, and 
is a resident of Piatt County ; Laura A., Mrs. 
Charles Kuhl, resides in this county; William II., 
Cora O. and Arthur K. remain on the homestead. 
Mr. and Mrs. McBride are members in good stand- 
ing of the Methodist Church, and our subject, 
politically, casts his vote in support of Republican 
l)rinciples. 



1^ ILO THAYER. The subject of this sketch 
came to Champaign County in 1S71, and 
purchased eighty acres of wild prairie land 
on section C, in Rantoul Townshij). Of this 
thirty acres had been broken, and ujxju it tiiere 
stood a small house in whose erection neither taste, 
solidity, nor skill had been employed. With some 
repairs, however, it served as a temporaiy liome for 
Mr. T. and his family until he was enabled to put 
up a better one. Since coming here his time has 
been ially employed in the improvement and cid- 
tivation of his land, which has now become valuable 
property, and in the erection of the buildings, in 
which he may justly feel a large degree of satisfac- 
tion. The grounds around the residence have been 
embellished wiiii fruit trees of the finer order and 
handsome shade trees. The home of Mr. Thayer 
compares well with that of the prosperous neigh- 
bors around him, by whom he is respected as a 
skillful and intelligent farmer and a valued mem- 
ber of the conimunit}'. 

Our subject, in establishing his home in the 



Prairie State, traveled many ndlos from the place 
of his birth, wliich took |)lace in ^'ern]ont, Feb. 28, 
1831. He is the son of (iardener Thayer, also a 
native of the Oreen Mountain State, who during 
the year foll(»wing the birth of his son ^lilo. 
removed with his family to New York State, set- 
tling in Allegany County. The journey was made 
via Lake Ciianiplain and Champlaiu to Troy, thence 
by the Erie C'anal to Rochester, and from there to 
Allegan}' County. lie secured a tract of timber 
land from the Holland Purchase, and clearing a 
farm from the wilderness, lived there the balance 
of his days. He had been married in his native 
State to ^liss Saloma Smith, who journeyed with 
her husband from \'ermont to Allegany County, 
N. Y., carrying her little son. our subject, much of 
the way in her arms. Slie became the mother of 
ten children, of whom five died when 3'oung, and 
five grew to become men and women: Alonzo is 
still a resident of Allegany County, N. Y. ; Saloma, 
who married Charles Carpenter, died there; Carlton, 
when a young man removed to Dakota and is still 
living there in Day County; Milo of our sketch was 
the fourth child. 

The subject of this biography, when of suitable 
■3'ears, commenced assisting his fatiior in clearing 
the farm in Allegany County, N. Y., and pursued 
his earlj- studies in the pioneer schools. When 
twentj'-one years of age, desirous of seeing some- 
thing of tile world, he started for the Pacific slope. 
The first part of the journey was made via tiie rail- 
road, lakes and rivers to Independence, Mo., where 
he joined a company cquipjied with ox-teams, and 
set out to complete the journey to California. 
After traveling 117 days the}' reached Hangtown, 
or Placerville, where our subject entered the gold 
mines and remained the greater part of the time for 
four jxars. In 185(J he returned via the Isthmus 
and New York to the old homestead in Allegany 
Count}'. Three years later he took u[) his location 
in Canada Township, Allegan}- County, where he 
resided until 1871, on a farm which he had pur- 
chased. In the spring of that year he sold out and 
made his way to tiiis county, of which lie has since 
been a resident. 

Two years after returning from California, Mr. 
Tliayer was married in Allegany County, N. Y., 



i 






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M^ 



CHAMPAIfJN COUNTY. 



■^^ 



631 



Dec. 27, 1S58, to Miss Mary Wright. Jlrs. Thayer 
\v:is born in Ilunic, N. Y., Marcli 4, 1838, and is 
the daugiiter of Miles and Matilda (Odle) Wright, 
natives respectively' of Vermont and Utica, N. Y. 
After marriage INIr. and Mrs. Wright located first 
in Allegany C'onnty, whence they removed to the 
village of Hume, where they remained the rest of 
their lives, the father dying in 1807, and the 
mother in 1873. 

Mr. and Mrs. Tliayer became the parents of 
eight children, of whom the record is as follows; 
Sina, who became the wife of Robert Dickey, died 
in Kantiiul in 1883, aged twent^'-four years; Julia, 
Mrs. Keynolds, lives in Rant(nd ; Grace, Mrs. George 
P'letchcr. in C'ondit Township; Matie, Elizabeth, 
Alonzo, Charlie and Kdith .'ire at home with their 
|)arents. In politics Mr. Thayer is a Republican. 



^ffOHN McMl'LLEN, a highly respected far- 
mer, and the cflicient Supervisor of Scott 
Townshi[i, is pleasantly located on section 
/ 10. where he has a good homestead with all 
modern imjwovements. He became a resident of 
the Prairie State in the spring of 1868, and for a 
period of twelve years lived in Sej-mour, this 
count3'. Since coming to the State he has been 
continuously engaged in farming pursuits. His 
homestead includes eighty acres, which produces in 
abundance the choicest crops, and upon which he 
has a good set of farm buildings, conveniently 
arranged for the requirements of a modern agri- 
culturist. . 

Our subject, who was born in Indiana Count}', 
I'a., Feb. -J, 1S22, is the son of Alexander and 
Catherine (McKinney) McMuUen, natives of P'rank- 
lin County, Pa. After marriage they settled in 
Indiana County, where Alexander McMullen fol- 
lowed farming the balance of his life. In the 
meantime he served as a soldier in the War of 1812, 
and was a strong Abolitionist, despising and con- 
demning the system of slavery. The seven children 
of the parental household included three lioys and 
four girls, of whom four survive. .John was the 
third child, lie received a common-school educa- 



4- 

T 



tion and remained at home until twenty years of 
age. Me then served an apprenticeship of two and 
one-half years at the carpenter's trade, which he 
followed in his native county until 1868, when he 
came to this State. John McMullen was married 
in his native county, Nov. 14, 1850, to Miss Eliza- 
beth Dickie, also a native of Indiana County, Pa., 
and born June 23, 1830. Her parents were William 
H. and Jane (Allison) Dickie, natives of the Key- 
stone State, born in Westmoreland and Indiana 
Counties respectively. Mr. D. carried on farming 
in In<iiana Count}', where he and his wife settled 
soon after marriage and became the |)arents of five 
sons and seven daughters. 

To our subject and his wife there have been 
born six children, three only of whom survive — 
William II., George D. and Frank H. Those 
deceased are Thomas B., Catherine J., and an infant 
unnamed. William married Miss Carrie A. Collins, 
and resides on a farm in Kansas; (ieorge is teach- 
ing in Colorado; Frank is at home with his parents. 
Mr. McMullen was elected Supervisor of Scott 
Township in the spring of 1887. He has held the 
minor oflices of his township, is Republican in 
politics, and religiously, with his amiable and excel- 
lent partner, is connected with the Presbyterian 
Church. 



I AMES PARSLEY, deceased, vv.as formerly 
one of the most enterprising and highly 
esteemed citizens of Urbana Township. He 
was a native of Russell County, Va., and was 
born Jan. 1, 1817. His death occurred July 1, 
1880. His father, James Parsley, was of German 
descent, and was also a native of Virginia, and his 
mother, Rhoda Crabtree, was a native of the same 
State. 

When about fourteen years of age, James Pars- 
ley moved with his parents to Greene County, Ind., 
where they settled and the father engaged in farm- 
ing. A few years later they again changed their 
home, moving to Marion County, the same State, 
where they passed the remainder of their days. 
James grew to manhood in tlitit county and was 
much attached to the old homestead, continuing 
to reside upon it until his removal to Cluimpaign A 



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632 



■► II <• 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



County, in August, 1S(;3. lie first puiohused forty 
acres of land which was i)avtly improved. To this 
he subsequently adiled until the present farm con- 
tains 150 acres. It is located on section 25, Urbana 
Township, and the residence, barns, and most of the 
improvements were put upon the place by himself. 
His land was brought to a high state of cultivation 
and he was regarded as one of the most successful 
stock-raisers in the county'. 

In December, 1856, Mr. Parsley was united in 
marriage with Miss Margaret Arlington, daughter 
of .Samuel and Matilda (McUurtie) Arlington. The 
McDuffles vvere of .Scotch and Irish origin, and 
natives of the State of North Carolina. When Mrs. 
Parsley was eighteen months old her parents re- 
moved to Indiana, where she grew to womanhood. 
The^' subsequently moved to Champaign County, 
where both are now living, in .St. .Josei)li Township. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parsley became the parents of four 
children, three sons and one daughter, all of whom 
are living at home. Their names are Edward .S., 
Daniel L., Lee W. and Minnie. 

During Mr. Parsley's early life in Indiana he was 
a member of the Lutheran Church, but on settling 
here, there being no organization of that denomi- 
nation in the vicinity, he became a member of the 
Methodist Church, and was one of its Trustees. 
Mrs. Parsley is a member of the same church. She 
occupies the old homestead, and with the assistance 
of her sons manages the farm very successfull}'. 



^ OBERT LESLIE, Agent of the Wabash 
^if^ Railroad and also of the Pacific Express 
i*i«\ Company, has been a resident of Tolono 
^^ since the fall of 1875. He is a native of 
the Shetland Islands (belonging to .Scotland), a.nd 
was born June 10, 1850. He is the son of Robert 
and Ann Leslie, the former of wiiom came to his 
death bj- drowning, in about 1858. The mother 
afterward emigrated to the I'nited States, and died 
at the home of her son at Tolono about three 
months after her arrival. The parental family in- 
cluded nine children, four now deceased. Ann is 
a resident of Tolono; .lohn of Savoy; Roliert is the 



third eldest; Christina is a resident of Tolono, and 
Margaret, the wife of John Eunson, resides on her 
native island. Shetland. 

The early years of our subject were spent with 
his parents on a small farm, where he followed fish- 
ing as an occupation, and received but a limited 
education. After attaining his majority, however, 
he felt the necessity of more book learning and 
through his own efforts mastered the common 
branches. In 1873 he set sail for the United States, 
landing in New York City in the month of April. 
From there he procce<led westward, arriving in 
Chicago on the 1 :^th of tiiat month. The follow- 
ing week he obtained a situation as watchman on 
one of the Hyde Park trains of the Illinois Central 
Railroad, which he abandoned, however, on the 
inth of June, to work in the car shops of the same 
companj', where he remained one year. He was 
then detailed to watch and keep in repair the ears 
recei\ed by the Wabash Railroad Comp.iny at 
Tolono. 

In the fall of 1876 Mr. Leslie took advantage of 
the reduced rates offered on account of the Cen- 
tennial Exposition, and started for his native island. 
Upon the route he visited Ni.agara Falls and the 
Centennial Exposition, and then set sail for Liver- 
pool. He remained in the <incen's dominions un- 
til the following .March, then returned to the 
United States, and reached Tolono on the 14th of 
April, 1877. lie had left his position with leave 
of absence, and in tiie meantime the station had 
been abandoned, so that upon his return he found 
himself without a job. He then engaged to work 
for a farmer at a salary of $14 for two months, but 
later received ^K! per month. During that year 
he returned to Chicago and entered the emploj- of 
the Illinois Central Railroad as car repairer. After 
six weeks he was sent by the company to Madison, 
111., but in llie .s[)ring of 1878 returned to the Wa- 
bash at Tolono, in whose employ he remained as 
repairer ami iiispectcir until this station was con- 
solidated witii the Illinois Central. He was then 
tendered the position of Baggagemaster, and w.as 
thus occupied until Sept. 1, 1881, when he was 
pnnnoted to Assistant .Station Agent of the W., St. 
L. & P. R. R. In February, l.s,s;5, lio was ten- 
dered his present position. His successive promo- 



•^ J^ <• 



t 



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=L 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



633 



tions have been ample evidence of his fidelitj' in 
the discharge of liis duties, while as a citizen he is 
highly esteemed l)y the i)e()pie of Tolono. He 
casts his vote with the Republican party, and relig- 
iously is a member in good standing of the Baptist 
Church. 

Mr. Leslie was married in IST'J to ^liss Mary, 
daughter of Archibald B. and Christiana (.Stewart). 
t';unpli('ll. She is a native of Scotland and born 
ill l.'^Ol. The}' became the parents of three chil- 
dren, of whom one daughter died at the age of five 
years. Tliose surviving are Anna J. and William R. 



-4^-# 




1/ AliAN C. BURR represents the furniture 
anil luidertaking business at Tolono. He is 
^ a native of the Prairie .State, and was born 
ill Charleston, Coles County. Oct. 1, 1S;51. His 
father, Samuel P. Burr, a native of New Hamp- 
shire, was bom Sept. 8, 1>S0',), and was the son of 
Laban and Prudence (Cushiug) Burr, the latter a 
descendant of Caleb Cushing, the emii^ent jurist. 
The Burr family are of English extr.action and can 
be traced back to Rev. Jonathan Burr, who was 
born in 1604 in Redgrove, Suffolk, England, and 
came to the United .States in 1039, settling in Dor- 
chester, N. H. He had four children. His sons 
were Jonathan, John and Simon. From Joiui, 
Aaron Burr descended; from Simon, our subject 
descended. John, the son of Simon, married Mary 
Warren; Jonathan, the son of John, married Mary 
Lincoln; John, his son, married a Miss Cusliing, of 
Hingliam, a descendant of Matthew Cushing, one 
of the first settlers of New England, and this brings 
us to the great-grandfather of our subject. His 
sons were .Samuel, Cushing, Levi, Pere}-, Theophilus, 
Robert and Laban. He had one daughter, Emma. 
In 18-2() Laban Burr emigrated with iiis family 
U> Illinois, settling near Paris, Edgar County, among 
the pioneers. There the father of our subject grew 
to manhood, and entered the ministry of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he continued 
during the remainder of his life. He was a man 
singularly retiring in dispi^sition, never seeking to 
promote himself, and atone time declined a desira- 
ble charge in Chicago to accept one in the little 



-1^ 
4 



town of Wilmington, 111. He married Miss Mar- 
gery A. Modreil, who was born in Kentucky, and 
came with her [larents to Illinois when a ^oung 
child. She de|wrted this life in about l.s.'iL leav- 
ing three children — George W. and Laban C. 
(twins), and a daughter, Julia A., now deceased. 
In due time the father was married the second time. 
Miss Almira J. Evans beccmiing his wife. Of this 
union there were five children — Louisa, Mary, 
Charles, Jessie and Maude. 

The subject of our sketch was but three j'cars 
old when his mother died and his father entered 
the ministry. Until the second marriage the chil- 
dren were boarded among the membership of the 
church. Laban C. received a common-school edu- 
cation, and when fifteen years of age became an 
ai)prentice to learn the trade of a cabinet-maker in 
Wilmington, III. .Subsequently he attended two 
years at the Paris Academy. In the spring of 1853 
he started overland for California, and remained on 
the Pacific slope until the fall of 185G. After 
being successfully engaged in mining and at his 
trade, he returned via the Isthmus of Panama and 
New York. He had quite a little capital upon 
returning to Illinois, a part of which, however, he 
expended in paj'ment of money which he had bor- 
rowed to cross the plains. He loaned the bal.ancc 
of the money which he had saved, and engaged as 
clerk in a store. 

In the spring of 1S58 Mr. Burr married Miss 
Rebecca Thrasher, and purchased 120 acres of 
prairie laud in Charleston, Coles Count}', besides 
twenty-six acres of limber. He followed farming 
about five years and then, on account of the dis- 
turbances arising from the Rebellion, which was 
then in progress, he sold out and removed to To- 
lono, of which he has since been a resident. After 
coming here he engaged as a contractor and builder 
for three years, and then resumed cabinet-making. 
In due time he purchased a stock of furniture, and 
established one of the pioneer stores of the kind in 
Chamjiaign County. 

[ipon reaching his majority ilr. Burr became a 
member of the old Whig party, and cast his first 
|)residential vote for (Jen. Winfield .Scott. In the 
summer of l.Si'iG he w.as .selected as a delegate to the 
first Republican State Convention of California, at 







the time when the old party was about to be aban- 
doned in consequence of tlie organization of the 
Republican. Upon iiis return from the Pacific 
slope and at the next presidential election, our sub- 
ject voted for .Iiilui C. P'remont, and has since been 
a stanch supporter of the Republican party. lie 
always took a lively interest in State and National 
affairs, and while a resident of Coles C'ounlj' was 
frequently sent as a delegate to political conven- 
tions. Since coming to Champaign County he has 
held nearly all the local offices and served for six 
years as Supervisor of Tolono Township. Relig- 
iously he lias been an active meml)er of the Meth- 
odist Kpiscopal Church since earlj' manhood, occu- 
pying important offices therein and serving as 
Superintendent of the Sabbath-school, besides work- 
ing in other directions for the success of the Gos- 
pel generally. lie has also been a delegate to the 
Conference, and at Danville was elected Presiding 
Officer of the lay delegates. 

Mrs. Burr was born in Coles County, this State, 
and was the daughter of Robert and Margaret 
(Sousley) Thrasher, natives of Kentucky. Of her 
union with our subject there were born four chil- 
dren: Luella, the wife of Charles Trimble; J.aban 
A., a practicing physician of White Oak, 111. ; Kent, 
who died in infancy, and Cushing L., who is now a 
student in the Wesleyan Lhiiversity at Hlooming- 
ton. Mr. Burr was a second time married, May 21, 
1874, to Miss Hannah Smith, of Tolono. By this 
union there is no issue. Mr. Burr has been uni- 
formly successful in his business operations since 
becoming a resident of Tolono Township, and be- 
sides his ample stock of goods, owns the store, his 
pleasant and commodious lesidence and other vil- 
lage proiierty. He also has an interest in Nebraska 
lands. 




i 



KRNARD YOUNOMAN, one of the first 
projectors of the manufacture of tile in this 
State, is still a young man, but possesses the 
energy and good judgment of one having 
acquaintance with a greater number of years. Since 
1884 he has been a resident of Pesotum, where he 
has successfully carried on the tile factory which 
he purchased, and which he has equipped with new 



machinery and enlarged its capacity so that he can 
fill a large order expeditiously and with tlie best 
goods. This important industry has been no small 
factor in the business interests of Pesotum, and 
is fully appreciated lij' the sui'rounding farmers, 
many of whom possess a large area which would 
be practically worthless were it not for tiiorough 
drainage. 

Tlie subject of this history drew his first breatli 
on the other side of the Atlantic, in the little King- 
dom of Bavaria, on the 9th of November, 1S48. 
His parents, Michael and Margaret (Peisch) Young- 
man, were natives of the same country, and the 
former served as a soldier in tlie standing army of 
the Empire of (iermany, for a period of sixteen 
years. Afterward he engaged in agrcultural pur- 
suits until l.S5;3, when he sold out his interest in 
the land of liis nativity and .set sail for America. 
After landing in New Orleans he followed the 
river up to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he met friends 
who accompanied him with his faiiiil\' into the 
countrj'. He chose for his location a tract of 
eighty acres in Ripley County, Ind., vvhere he es- 
tablished a comfortable home for his family, and 
carried on the improvement and cultivation of this 
until the death of the wife and niother, in 1865. 
Afterward he left his farm in charge of his son 
Jacob, and has since spent his time among his chil- 
dren. 

Bernard Youngman remained under the parental 
roof until the death of his mother, when he began the 
battle of life alone and' among strangers in another 
locality. He operated a farm one season, and then 
going into Decatur County, Ind., engaged in a tile 
factory near the town of Greensburg, and which 
was the second institution of the kind in the State. 
Tile drainage was then in its infancy, and the 
machinery used in its manufacture was consid- 
erably behind that of the present time. His 
brother, Fred Youngman, turned out the first 
tile made in the State of Indiana. Our subject re- 
mained an employe at this place for a period of six 
years, during which time he gave the manufacture 
of tile his strict attention, and became a thorough 
master of the art. Removing to Indianapolis 
he followed his tra<le in that city until about 1873, 
when he came to Peoria County, this .state, where 



* 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



637 



I 



lie opened up a tile factory for R. O. McCiiUougli, 
who w!is the first inaiiufnctnrer of the kind in that 
county. After getting this fully under way, and in 
the meantime having established his reputation as a 
competent workman and superintendent, he was 
called to Warren County, and at Monmouth estab- 
lished a tile faetor3' for the firm of Patten Bros., 
this being the first of its kind also in Warren Coun- 
ty. Thence he went to Fulton Ctxmty, opening 
the first factor\' there for Furry & Ellis. He re- 
mained with these gentlemen for a period of four 
years, and from there came to this county and, in 
company with Martin Heckard, established a tile 
factory at Tolono, which the}' operated under the 
firm name of Youngman A Heckard for two 3'ears. 
Our subject then sold out his interest to his part- 
ner, and returning to Indiana located on a farm of 
ninety acres, in Howard County, where he intended 
establishing his permanent home. Eighteen months 
later he was induced to sell tliis at a price much 
greater than what he paid. Soon afterward he re- 
turned to Tolono, where his old partner was still en- 
gaged in the tile busmess. Mr. Youngman purchased 
his former interest in the factory, and the firm 
took in a third partner and commenced enlarging 
the facilities for manufacturing, adding steam power 
and putting in modern machinery. After operating 
successfully for the two years following Mr. Young- 
man once more disposed of his interests at Tolono, 
and i)urchased the valuable plant owned and opera- 
ted by Davis & Crawford in Pesotum. For this he 
paid the sum of 85,300, and also equipped it with 
new machinery, so that it is not now e.vcelled by 
anything of the kind in Central Illinois. 

While having extensive business interests to en- 
g.age his attention Mr. Youngman 3'et felt that his 
life was incomplete, and that his partners in business 
did not fully supply what was requisite for his en- 
tire comfort. It is probable that this matter had 
already been under consideration between himself 
and the lady whom he had selected as the nearer 
companion of his life. In 1885 he went to Cleve- 
land, Ohio, and brought back with him Miss Lena 
M. Henr^v, to whom he was married in Indianapo- 
lis, on the 1.5th of November. They at once set up 
housekeeping in Pesotum, where Mr. Youngman, 
with commendable forethought, had purchased the 

4» 



property of William Hoe, and caused to be erected 
thereon a snug cottage, which has remained the 
residence of himself and wife since that time. The 
house is tastefully finished and furnished, and there 
is in the village of Pesotum no pleasanter resort for 
refined and cultivated people. The wife of our sub- 
ject was the sixth child of .Joseph and Mary 
(Youngman) Henr^', who were natives of the 
Franco-(;erman Provinces of Alsace and Bavaria 
respectivelj'. They came to the United States with 
their parents in their youth, and were reared in 
Indiana. The father is deceased, and the mother 
is living on the old home place. 

The residence of Mr. Youngman and the tile fac- 
tory are objects of great interest to the people of 
Pesotum, as evincing the energj' and industry of 
one of its most important citizens, and we have 
taken pleasure in reproducing the picture they 
form as a fitting tribute to manlj' enterprise, and as 
serving to assist in illustrating the attractive feat- 
ures of Pesotum and vicinit}'. 

AMIIEL VAN BIUNT. This honored 
citizen of Pliilo Township owns aiul oc- 
cupies a fine homestead, including 280 
acres of land on section 12, and which from 
its .character and surroundings has been deemed 
as especially desirable for ilhistralion by the artist's 
[HMicil, as will l)e seen by examination of aiioliicr 
page. Mr. \'an Brunt, besides the homo farm, also 
has eighty acres on section 1 , and has been a resi- 
dent of this locality since 1809. He came to this 
county in I.s.k'), and for a number of years cai-ried 
on farming in Sidney Township. He was accom- 
panied to this locality by his father, who i)urcliased 
100 acres in Sidney Township, where he carried on 
farming for a period of five years. This gentleman, 
Samnel Van Brunt, Sr., was of German ancestry*, 
but born in New .lersey. His father, Hendrick \'an 
Brunt, was from Holland, whence he emigrated to 
the I'nited States when a j'oung man, settling in 
New .Jersey, and afterward Ijccoming a soldier of 
the Revolutionary Wnv. He remained with the army 
until the independence of the Colonies was estab- 
lished and afterward engaged in farming, which lie 




i 






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638 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



followed as long as able to labor, and died at the 
advanced age of eigiity-foiir years. He had, in the 
meantime, removed from New Jersey to Tippecanoe 
Count}', Ind., in 18:ji), where his death occurred in 
lS.-)4. 

The grMudinotlier of our subject was a New En- 
gland lady of Scottish and French ancestry. She 
lived to remove with her husband to Indiana, and 
died upon the homestead there four days after his 
decease. They were people highly esteemed 
wherever known, and possessed th(jse traits of 
(iharacter which constituted them valued members 
of the community. The grandfather during his 
early life was employed as a ship carpenter. Their 
son Samuel, the father of our subject, grew to man- 
hood in New Jersey, and afterward went to Ohio, 
where he located on a farm in Darke County. 
There his father joined him a few 3'ears later. He 
also in that count}' met and married the mother of 
our subject, who in her girlhood was Miss Melvina 
Brown. It is supposed that she was born in Darke 
County, Ohio, where she was reai'ed and married. 
The parents of our subject afterward removed to 
Clinton County, Ind., and later to Tijjpecanoe 
County, where the mother died in 1850, and was 
buried in the old battle-field graveyard at Tippe- 
canoe, as were also her father and mother-in-law. 

After the death of his wife Samuel Van Brnnt, 
Sr., in 1855 came to this county and located in Sid- 
ney Township, where he lived five years. He then 
sold out and removed to Warren County, Iowa, 
where his death occurred in 1 8G0, when he was 
fifty-nine years old. lie was a man of strong views 
and much force of character, and after the time 
that he first exercised the right of suffrage, voted 
the straight Democratic ticket. lie was a member 
of the Christian Church for many years. The 
mother died in the faith of the United Brethren. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Darke 
Count}', Ohio, Sept. 1, 1841. He was the fifth 
child of the household circle, of whom there were 
four sons and four daughters. Two of the sons and 
three of the daughters are yet living. Maj. 
Hendrick Van Brunt served as a soldier in the late 
war, and at the battle of Lookout Mountain was 
wounded and captured, and after ex))eriencing all 
the horrors of Libby Prison, yielded up his life 

4 » 



within its confines. He enlisted as a private in the 
10th Iowa Infantry, and endured with his comrades, 
bravely and faithfully, all the vicissitudes of war, 
leaving behind him n good record as a faithful 
observer of his duties both as a man and a soldier. 

Samuel Van Brunt of our sketch spent his child- 
hood and youth in Darke County, Ohio, and came 
to Illinois with his parents. Upon the first call for 
500,000 men he enlisted as a Union soldier in Co. 
I, 10th 111. Vol. Cav., under Capt. Butterfield and 
Col. D. Wickersham, his regiment beiug assigned 
to the Army of the Southwest. He participated 
with his comrades in the battles of Prairie Grove, 
Ark., Little Rock, Bull's Bayou, and various minor 
engagements and skirmishes. He was detailed as 
commander of a foraging squad many times during 
the service. In 18G3, at Brownsville, Ark., he was 
promoted Quartermaster Sergeant, and remained 
with his regiment until the close of the war, re- 
ceiving his final discharge at San Antonio, Tex. 
After his retirement from the army he I'eturncd to 
his home in Sidney Township, this county, and be- 
gan farming on his own account. Three years later 
he removed to his present farm in Philo Township, 
and since that time has been actively engaged in 
its cultivation and improvement. He has a fine 
selection of Shoi't-horn cattle, and has been very 
successful in the breeding of Poland-China swine. 
The residence and out-buildings are shapely and 
substantial structures, the farm machinery of first- 
class description, and everything about the premises 
indicates the industry and enterprise of its pro- 
prietor. 

The marriage of Samuel Van Brunt and Miss 
Haciiael B. Samson was celebrated at the home of 
the bride's parents in .Sidney Township, this county. 
March 19, 18GG. Mrs. \'an B. was born in Mar- 
shall, near Plymouth, Ind., Peb. 14. 1847. She is 
the daughter of Willard and Margaret (Cr.audel) 
Samson, the former a n.ative of New York State, 
and the latter of Canada. They were married in 
the Dominion and later came to the United States, 
locating first in Indiana, .and thence removed to 
Sidney Township, this county, where the father 
died in 187C. The mother is yet living and sixty- 
seven years of age. The wife of our subject w.as 
reared by lier parents and remained a member of 



*r+^ 



f 



f 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



639 



4 



i" 



the hoiischolfl i-ircle until her niarriage. Of their 
union there were eii^ht eliildreii, of wiioni one, Mar- 
cus C, met his death bj* accident at Lexington, Mo., 
on the liStii of Ain'ii, 1887. While in the employ 
of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, :is 
linikeman. and [)assing under an elevated w.ogon 
bridge, he was struck in the back of the head and 
instantly killed. He was a young man of great 
promise and excellent character, and greatly' 
esteemed by a large circle of friends and acquaint- 
.inces. He w.as buried with railroad honors, and 
the rich Horal offerings, together with the large at- 
tendance, attested the affection and respect in wliich 
he w.as held b}' his friends and liy his employers. 
jThe surviving children of our subject and Ids wife 
arc, Raymond B., Gertrude R., Earl E., Eddie, 
Murton S., Chester S. and Clyde. Mr. and Mrs. \^in 
B. are active members of the Cl.ristian Cliurcli, and 
our subject politically is a warm supporter of the 
Republican party. He has held the otlices of Road 
Commissioner and School Director, and in all re- 
spects is worthy to be classed as a valued and use- 
ful memlier of the community. Mrs. Van B. also, 
is a highly esteemed lad}'. 

C. HOWARD, M. I)., one of the oldest phy- 
sicians of Champaign County, and who has 
been remarkably skillful and successful in 
his calling, came to this vicinity in the 
spring of 1854, and for a period of over thirty 
years has been an admired and- respected citizen 
who, by his uprightness of character and enteriiris- 
ing business Uilent, has full}' identified himself with 
the interests of the county. Dr. Howard was born 
in the timpire State, on the 12th of July, 182!), 
while his parents were residents of Monroe County. 
He is the son of Eleazer and Matilda (Wood) How- 
ard, who were born in Tolland County, Conn., the 
former in Um'on and the latter in Asliland Town- 
ship. 

Hllcazcr Howard at an early day removed frnm 
his native State, and located on a farm near the city 
of Rochester, N. Y., where he lived sixteen years. 
Subsequent!}' he became a resident of the town of 
Yates, where he engaged in farming and hotel- 

<i 




keeping for another sixteen years, and from there 
removed to Franklin County, Ohio, where for ten 
years he was occupied in farming and milling. In 
1851 he resolved to push on further westwanl, and 
came to Illinois, locating in .McLean County, where 
he made his home until his death, which occurred 
after he had arrived at the advanced age of eighty- 
two years. The parental household included six 
children, one of whom died in infancy. Four arc 
now living, namely, George M., Dan O., John W. 
and our subject. 

Dr. Howard was reared on the farm, and remained 
with his parents until seventeen years of age, in the 
meantime receiving a practical education. He then 
went to Columbus, Ohio, and entered iq)on the 
study of medicine under the instruction of Profs. 
Hamilton & Butterfiehl, and was admitted to prac- 
tice in 1851, commencing in a New York hospital, 
which was the refuge for emigrants and those un- 
fortunates who were partly the objects of charity. 
He remained there two years, then came to McLean 
County, this State, and locateil in Le Roy for one 
year, whence he removed to this county and has 
since remained. He was admitted to the State 
Me<lical .S(jciety of Ohio in 1851, and is a member 
of the State, District and County Societies. He is 
Republican in politics, and socially belongs to the 
I. O. O. V. and A. V. & A. M. 

Aside from his practice Dr. Howard ha? been 
engaged in developing mines in Colorado for the 
last six years, and patented several claims the past 
year. He has also been occupied in buying and 
selling Florida (jrange lands, having a town laid 
out on his own estate there, which is called Anben- 
dale. He donated eighty acres of land to secure 
the South Florida Itailroad through that town. He 
has heretofore been quite prominently identified 
with railroad interests, having been President of 
the Gainesville, Ocala <fe Charlotte Harbor Rail- 
road in Fk>rida. It will thus l)e seen that his life 
has been full of activity, and it is certain that he 
enjoys himself in no other way so well. His busy 
brain is ever devising some new plan for the devel- 
opment of some new section of country or some 
new and worthy enterprise. Were it not for such 
nuMi America might have remained in its original 
condition, without railroads or manufactories, and 

— — 1^ 



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640 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



the thousand otlu-r tilings which now make life a 
pleasure ami satisfaction. 

Dr. Howard was marriod, in 1857, to Jliss Mi- 
randa Monroe, who was a native of Rociiesjer, 
N. Y., and the daughter of John and Catherine 
(Aj'ers) Monroe, natives of New York and New 
Jersey respectively. Of this union there were born 
five children : Edwin M. married Miss Belle Brooks, 
of Florida, where he is now engaged in the loan, 
land and fruit liusiness; Mary M.; .Tohn H. w.ts 
killed in a railroad collision in Colorado; Charles 
P., and Harta C, Jr., are living with their parents 
in Champaign. The family residence is located 
upon the corner of Clnirch and Randolpli streets, 
and the Doctor's ollice is at the corner of Main 
and Neal streets. 



fP^ TEl'llKN (;. WILEIA.MS is a successful 
^^^^ farmer residing in Urbana Township on 
(l\/ll) ^cction 1 1. He is a native of the State of 
Indiana, and was horn in Madison Count}', 
Nov. 1(>, 183G. The great-great-graudfather of 
our subject was Richard Williams, and the family 
came to America about the time of William Penn. 
Tilt}' were of Welsh extraction. His great-grand- 
father was Silas Williams, the grandfather was Will- 
iam Williams, and our subject's father was Caleb 
Williams. 

The paternal grandfather of Stejjheu G. Williams 
was born in (Irayson County, Va., Oct. 4, 180.5. 
In 1811 he came North, and lirst located in Ohio; 
afterward, when his son Caleb was aboift sixteen 
years of age, he changed his I'esidcnce to Indiana, 
becoming one of the first settlers in Madison 
Countj'. Here also he established the first nursery 
in the State. Caleb remained with his father until 
he reached years of maturity, when he married 
JNIiss Hannah Oregg. Her family were originally 
^■irginians, but she was born in Ohio. Caleb Will- 
iams settled in Madison County, Iud.,and remained 
there until the spring of 18C5, when he removed 
with his family to this count}', locating on the 
farm now owned and occupied b}' his son, Stephen 
<J. He was a surveyor in Indiana, as was his 
grandfather in Virginia. 

< ■ 



Of the family of William Williams, C^aleb and 
one sister are the only members now living. The 
sister is a resident of ^Madison Count}', Ind. The 
children of Caleb Williams, five in number, in- 
cluded three boys and two girls, all of whom arc 
I now living and have families, and whose homes are 
scattered throughout the dififerent States. The 
record is as follows: Milton resides in Thomas 
j County, Kan.; Stephen G. is the subject of this 
I sketch; Silas resides in Madison County. Ind.; 
Lydia is married to James Kinworthy, of Washing- 
ton Territory; P^lizabeth is thq wife of James 
.Smith. The mother of these children died June 6, 
18.5.5. Caleb Williams is still living, a hale and 
hearty man, although he is now eighty-two years 
of age. He is actively interested in politics, and 
always votes the Republican ticket. He is a mem- 
ber of the Friends' Church. 

Stephen G. Williams was reared on his father's 
farm in Madison County, Ind., and learned to read 
his primer in the log school-house in the neighbor- 
hood. Possessing a naturally quick, intelligent 
mind, he acquired a good knowledge of the com- 
mon branches of study. He resided with his par- 
ents until reaching manhood, and in March. 18G2, 
was married to Miss Massey W., daughter of .lohu 
G. and Anna (Warner) Oldham. Mr. and Mrs. 
Williams became the parents of five children, three 
of whom are living — Miriam, Jason and Olive. 

After his marriage he continued to reside at the 
home farm until the spring of 18(55, when he moved 
with his family to this county, and commenced 
farming on a 100-acre tract of land. To this he 
has since added until he now has 200 acres, com- 
prising some of the finest land in the county. The 
soil is excellent, and well adapted to the produc- 
tion of all kinds of grain. The property is well 
fenced and tiled, and Mr. AVillianis carries on 
general farming. He raises the choice breeds of 
hogs and cattle, and has now about thirty-two 
head of fine steers. From a sixty -acre field he has 
harvested 1,(100 bushels of the choicest quality of 
wheat. 

Mr. Williams is considerably interested in the 
public affairs of the county, and h;is served three 
years as Road Commissioner, and for seven years 
fille<l the position of Supervisor. While holding 



•►-■-4» 



1 



h 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



641 - A 



the latter oflice, lie was Cliairiiiaii of tlie coimnitlee 
on public grounds and buildings, and also served 
on the conmiittee on poor-house and farm, and 
likewise on the ooniniittee <jn foes and salaries for 
one year. Religiously himself and wife are nieni- 
hers of the Society of Friends. 



--€-*^ — ^ 






{fps&\ W. JM. CON'ANT, junior member of the 
^^^ firui of Fleming it Cou.ant, h.-irdware nier- 
|il/_J| chants of Champaigu, is, with his partner, 
carrying on a profitable trade iit No. 69 
Neal street, whicli was established in 1884. Our 
subject is a native of Shelby ville, this State, and 
was born Jlarch 12, 1856. His i)arents were .Sam- 
uel D. and Marj- E. (Stratton) Conant, the former 
a njitive of Massachusetts and the latter of New 
York. Samuel Conant, who was engaged as a l)oot 
and shoe merchant in his native State, emigrated 
to Illinois in iS.'iO, while still a young man, settling 
IJrst in Springfield. After a year's residence in the 
capital city he removed to Winchester, .Scott 
County, where he established in his former busi- 
ness, which he carried on three years. Thence he 
removed to Shelby ville, and from there in 1857 re- 
turned to the Bay State, where he spent two years. 
At the expiration of this time he came back to 
Shelby ville, which remained his residence until after 
the close of the war. After a residence in Winchester 
of nine months he removed to Urbaua, where he 
remained until 1808, then came to Champaign, 
wiiicli remained his home until his death, in 188,i. 
The mother is still living, making her home with 
her son, our subject. Of the three children com- 
prising the parental family onl}' two are now liv- 
ing — Josie E., Mrs. House of Chicago, and S. W. 
M., of our sketch. Samuel Conant was a stanch 
adherent of the Republican party, also a Mason 
and an Odd Fellow, and was a member in good 
standing of the Baptist Church for al)out eighteen 
years. The mother still belongs to that cinirch. 

Young Conant attended school during his child- 
hood, and in 1868 commenced working on a farm. 
Three years later he began serving an apprentice- 
ship at the carpenter's trade, which he followed un- 
til 188i!. Toward the latter part of that year, in 



coni|)any with his (ircsent partner, he purch.ased the 
hardware stuck of B. F. Harrison, and has been 
connected with it since that time. In addition to 
the store, which contains a well-selected assortment 
of articles pertaining to this branch of trade, they 
carry on a tinshop and usually give emplo3'ment 
to three men. .Mr. C. is a wide-awake young busi- 
ness man, having decided ideas ujion matters of 
general interest, and politicallj' casts his vote with 
the Republican party. He was united in marriage 
with Miss .lulia B. .lenkins, .July 13, 1887, at Am- 
boy, 111. 



0—- ASBER C. BENJAMIN. The name of this 
gentleman is well known throughout Com- 
' promise Township. He is a genuine repre- 
sentative of the thrift and enterprise which have 
been the means of developing the resources of 
Champaign County, and which have assisted in giv- 
ing to it the best class of people. Mr. Benjamin 
si)ent the first four years of his life near the town 
of Fredonia, Licking Co.. Ohio, where he was born 
March 3, 1850, and whence his parents removed in 
1854 to this State. They located first in Raiidolpii, 
JMc].,ean County, where ihey staid the following 
twenty-one 3'ears, and where our subject was rt^ari^d 
to manhood, and married. He was but twenty 
years of age at the time of this intere.sting event, 
and soon afterward established his bride in a modest 
home on a tract of lanil which he had rented and 
where he carried on farming two years. Afterward 
he purchased eighty acres of unimproved land, 
which he sold a year later and then practically be- 
came a real-est.ate dealer, buying .and selling with 
fair results until the spring of 1875. 

In the year last mentioned Mr. Benjamin came 
into this county, and in company with his father 
purchased 400 acres of improved land. The panic 
of 1870 disorganized the plans of many men, and 
our subject suffered ii\ common with the others, 
although perhaps in a different manner. On account 
of illness in his family, he was finally conii)elled to 
sell his interests in the property aforesaid to his 
father, and was variously occupied until the spring 
of 1878. He then purchased 120 acres, mostly wild 
land, at :jil6.50 per acre. From this he slowly but 



f- 



642 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4: 



surely built up a homestead, laid off the fields and 
fenced them, drained the land with tile, and sold 
it at an advance of §21 per acre. In 1885 he 
purchased another tract of eighty acres in Harwood 
Township, where he proceeded the same as before. 

In the meantime, in connection with his farming 
Mr. Benjamin had established a furniture and un- 
dertaking business at Gifford, which he conducted 
successfully for three 3'ears. He then sold out, and 
in company with l']dward West purchased a few 
choice imported Norman horses, in which they 
operated successfully for a number of years. After 
closing out this business Mr. Benjamin invested in 
a stock of general merchandise in which he built up 
a good trade, and sold out profitably in the spring 
of 1 887. Since that time he has been dealing in 
buggies, carriages and wagons. Besides his farm 
property Mr. Benjamin now has a fine residence in 
the village of Giffoi'd .and is ranked among its most 
valued citizens. In a pleasant home, surrounded 
by his famil}' and friends, he is largely enjoying 
the good things of this life and it h.-us never been 
said that he secured his property otherwise than by 
fair and honest dealing. 

The marriage of Mr. Benjamin took i)lace on the 
20th of March, 1 870, he choosing from among the 
maidens of McLean County Miss Mary L., daughter 
of Philander and Samantha Pierce, and who was 
born Sept. 18, 18r)2, at Athens, Menard Count.y, 
this .State. Tiie parents of Mrs. Benjamin are natives 
of New York, whence they removed to McLean 
Count}-, 111., in 1^(G!>. They located upon a farm 
and are still living, being prominent people in that 
section and universallj' esteemed. The children of 
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin are: Alcie, Lillie, Lon P., 
Floyd, Carrol, Fern an<l Fannie. Carrol and Floyd 
died young. iMrs. Benjamin presides over the 
home of her husband with dignity and grace and is 
a member in good standing c»f the Christian Church. 
Our subject is Republican in politics, and besides 
being prominent generally in the affairs of his 
townshi|), represented it in the Board of Super- 
visors two years. 

The father of our subject, William J. Benjamin, 
a native of Ohio, w.as born July 8, 182U. He was 
distinguished as a thorougli business man anil a 
good financier. He commenced life on his own 



account .at an earlj' age, becoming a stock dealer 
when eighteen years old, buying and shipping to 
Wheeling and other Eastern markets. Whentwentj'- 
two years of age he was united in marriage with 
Miss Elizabeth Mj'ers, of Licking County, Ohio, the 
wedding taking place Feb. 2, 1848. Of this union 
there were born seven children, five sons and two 
daughters. The subject of this sketch and his 
brother George W. were born in Ohio, and the 
others in McLean Count}', 111. A few years after his 
marri.age William J. Benjamin, accompauied by his 
wife and family and a colony of neighbors, started 
overland for McLean Count}', 111. He possessed a 
sum of money, and after arriving at his destination 
selected the land upon which he wished to locate 
and went to Danville to enter and pay for the 
same. Upon arriving there he found that his money 
was "wild-cat" and was not receivable for land. 
He turned homeward, much disappointed of course, 
but succeeded in exchanging his "paper" for a pair of 
small ponies. A year later he Imd obtained sufficient 
"legal tender" to purchase eighty acres of land 
near Blooniington, which he disposed of afterward 
at a good profit, and has been dealing in real estate 
considerably since that time. A few years ago he 
began the importation and breeding of Norman 
horses. In 1883 he removed from Champaign to 
Iroquois County, where he now resides and is the 
proprietor of a fine stock farm. 

The grandfather of our subject, Christopher Ben- 
jamin, was a native of Virginia, born in 1803. He 
emigrated to Ohio at an early period in the history 
of that State and located in Licking County, where 
he lived until 1852, and then came to Peoria 
County, 111., making the triji overland by team. 
Here he purchased a tract of land and spent his 
time in farming pursuits until retiring from active 
labor. His death took place in 1880. He was 
seventy-seven years of age. His wife, formerly 
aiiss Mary Ingrahara, was a native of Ohio, and 
they had a family of eight children, namely, Will- 
iam .1., .loab, Elizabeth A., Marion, Wilson S., 
Abraham, Marion and Melvina. The two latter died 
when about twenty and twenty-five years of age 
respectively. 

The m.aternal grandfather of our subject was 
Hev. .lohn Myers, a native of Pennsylvania, who was 



^r 



t. 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



C43 



born in 1«0(), and died in Illinois in 18(;9. His 
wife, formerly Miss Jane (Josncll, was also a native 
of the Keystone State, and their marriage took place 
in 1822. Grandmother Myers survived her hus- 
band until the following year, and the remains of 
both were laid to rest in Bloomington Cemetery. 
They also were settlers of Licljing County, Ohio, 
whence thej- emigrated to McLean County, this 
State, in 1854. 



t 



^^^EORGE W. WILSON, a successful farmer 
[|[ g— , and stock-grower, is located on section .SO, 
^^Jl Sidney Township. He was born in the 
North of Ireland, Count3' Tyrone, Feb. 14, 1834, 
and is the son of Andrew and Jane (Ray) Wilson. 
His father, being dissatisfied with the unfavorable 
conditions existing in his native countrj' for secur- 
ing a com peteucj', emigrated to America in 1848. 
After remaining a few months in New York Citj' 
he came directly to Champaign Count}-, 111., locat- 
ing in Old Homer, where he lived until his death, 
which occurred Feb. 27, 1S71. With the courage 
and enterprise which characterize the Irish race he 
struggled successfully with the difHculties of pio; 
neer life, preparing the way for the future prosper- 
ity of his children. His wife is still living, and re- 
sides in the village of Philo. There were nine chil- 
dren in their family, viz., (jeorge, the subject of 
this sketch; James, Margaret, Andrew, Thomas, 
Caroline E., Thomas, Jane and John. Of these the 
last three are deceased. 

On the 27th of November, 1802, Mr. George 
Wilson was married to Miss Amanda Leasure, 
dauglrter of Henry and Rebecca (Wood) Leasure. 
She was born in Fayette Count}', Ohio, Nov. 23, 
1841, and had but one brother, James P. Leasure. 
Her parents came from Ohio to Champaign County 
in 18.51. Her mother died Nov. 1, 18G7, and her 
father Oct. 19, 1880. 

Mr. Wilson and his wife became the parents of 
fifteen children, whose names and dates of birth are 
as follows: James A., born Nov. 1, 18G3, died Jan. 
4, I8(i4; Henry L., born Sept. 29, 18(;4, died Sept. 
4, 1805; Freddie C, horn Dec. 14, 1«05, died the 



same day; Charles AL was born Jan. 2'.i. 18(;7; Re- 
becca J., Aug. 21, 1808; Thomas, born March 3, 
1870, died the same day; Martin G. was born Jan. 
17, 1871; Celia A., Nov. 21, 1872; William and 
Mary (twins), born Aug. fi, 1.S74, died August 18, 
of the same 3'ear; Maggie 15. was born Aug. 2-J, 1 875 ; 
Royal P., March 15, 1879; Oral H., Feb. 18, 18H0: 
Charlotte, born July 5, 1881, died Nov. 1, 1882, 
and Elma I. was born May 28, 1882. 

Mr. Wilson is a man whose uprightness of char- 
acter and business energy have won the regard of 
all who know him. He owns 120 acres of well im- 
proved land, and takes a deep interest in public 
affairs. With his wife and four of his children he 
is an inlhu'utial member of the Methodist Church. 
In politics he belongs to the Democratic party. 

^^)I-IOMAS WRIGHT, proprietor of the Euter- 
l(^^\ prise Foundry and Mac-hine Shops at Urbana, 
V^^ is a native of Staffordshire, England, and 
was born Aug. 8, 1828. He is the son of William 
and Mar}' (Pool) Wright, natives of the same 
country, where the former was engaged in the boot 
and shoe business until his death. He carried on 
quite an extensive manufactory and gave employ- 
ment to a uunil)er of men. The mother died in 
England in 1850. Her father, Thomas Pool, also 
a native of England, was of Welsli ancestry and 
cng.aged in the iron works in Dmllcy Port, Staf- 
fordshire. 

Of the thirteen children of \\illi:iiii ami .M:iry 
Wright, Thomas, of our sketch, was the eldest but 
one. He attended school during his childhood 
days and at an early period in his life commenced 
working in a founilry and became very skillful, 
lie is also a man of more than ordinary intelligence 
and although leaving school at an early .age, has 
gained by his own efforts a large amount of useful 
knowledge and I'anks among the well-informed citi- 
zens of his community. He left his native coini- 
try April 24, 1 854, and started for America, taking 
p.ass.age on the steamer Rlack Hawk, which was 
wrecked in mid-ocean, the cargo and passengers 
being picked u|) by the ship Dirigo, a Scotch mer- 
chantman. During this time our subject assisted at i 

^= •*~M- 



* 



I 



-4^ 

644 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



the ijunips and for four da^'s liad not a dry thread 
of olothing on him. He survived, however, with- 
out serious injury, and after landing on American 
shores engaged first in a foundry in New York and 
Brooivlj'n. He then went south to Charleston, S. C, 
on the steamship James Adjer, afterward to Atlanta, 
Ga., and during the winter following worked at his 
trade. He then returned North, and going into 
New Albany, Ind., was similarly occupied for two 
years, after which he returned to Atlanta, where he 
remained during the war, having charge of Win- 
ship's Foundry, which he operated for the Govern- 
ment. During the bombardment of the city shells 
came through the walls ab<ive him and he assisted 
in putting out the fires. 

Becoming tired of shot and shell and the general 
confusion of war, our subject was taken back to 
Indianapolis by the Government, and until 18G.5 
w.as engaged there in the foundry and machine 
shops. In the meantime, as he had property in 
Atlanta, he returned to the South at the expense of 
Uncle Sam, only to find, however, that his residence 
iiad l)een destroyed by the rebels. He remained 
South until a position was offered him by A. Snede- 
ker, of Urbana, and he then returned North and to 
this count3', taking charge of the foundry and 
maciiine shops of tiiis establishment until 1871, 
being foreman four years. Afterwjird, in connec- 
tion with the University Machine Siiops, he estab- 
lished a fouiuhy which he operated eight years. 
He tiien built tlie Champaign Foundry, where he 
remained three years, afterward purchasing the 
machine shops and foundry of Mr. Snedeker, in 
Urbana, of which he has since been the proprietor, 
and operated it in connection with his sons. 

Our subject was married in l.SoO, to Miss Harriet 
While, a native of England, and daughter of Will- 
iam and Mary A. Wliilo. Of this union there have 
l)een liorn ten children, eigiit of wliom arc living: 
Anna, .Mrs. George Bryant, is the mother of four 
children, and a resident of Atlanta, Ga., as also is 
Annie (t., Mrs. Saddler, and Emnia, Mrs. Tarflinger; 
Heiny F. married Miss Jolly, of Champaign; Charles 
married Miss So|)liia Smitli. Those at home are 
John P., Josepli K. and Arthur D. 

Mr. Wriglit is independent in politics, and socially 
a member of the I. O. O. F. Both he and his ex- 



cellent wife are connected with the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. Mr. W. as a business man and 
citizen takes an active interest in the welfare of his 
county and community, and is contributing his 
quota toward building up their industries. 



^ OHN COOK, who represents the agricultural 
implement trade at Tolono, is a native of 
Bedf(_)rd County, Pa., and was born March 
H, 1820. He is the son of Ezekiel Cook, a 
native of Maryland and of Scotch descent. The 
mother, formerly Miss Elizabeth Leader, was a 
native of Bedford County, Pa., and the daughter 
of a German farmer, who carried on his occupation 
in the Keystone State for many 3-ears. Ezekiel 
Cook died in Bedford County, aged eighty-four 
years and eleven months. The mother of our sub- 
ject also lived to an advanced age, being eighty -four 
years old at the time of her death. The ciiildren of 
Ezekiel and Elizabeth Cook, eleven in number, were 
all born in Pennsylvania. Of these, three died in 
childhood. Tiie balance lived to become men and 
women and were as follows: Sarah, Jlrs. Ritchey; 
Catherine, Mrs. W. F. Woy : Eliza and IIenr3% 
deceased; Lucinda, Mrs. Ritche^'; Rebecca, Mrs. 
Samuel Maxwell; Ezekiel, and John, of our sketch. 

Our subject remained with his parents on the 
farm, receiving a limited education, his longest 
term in one year being forty-eight days. He did 
not attend school until thirteen years of age, at 
which time free schools were first established in 
that section, but had received the rudiments of his 
education at home. His father in .addition to the 
labors of the farm, carried on a blacksmilh-siiop, 
and our subject, as soon as large enough, commenced 
to oper.ate tlic bellows, and gradually gained a gc>od 
knowledge of the trade. He was a bright boj', and 
after learning to read, pursued his studies as op- 
portunity afforded and became master, not oid^' of 
the common branches, but the higher mathematics. 
When twent^'-one years of age he was well fitted 
for teaching, at which he employed himself during 
the four winters following, working on the farm 
and in the shop during the summer seasons. 

In 18;)1 the marriage of John Cook and Miss 



I 



A 



f 



<^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



fi45 



liarljMia Leu tuuk |)I;k(' in llcill'cird ('(iiiiily. Tlie 
father of our subject presented liini with a farm of 
125 acres, which lie cultivated, and also worked at 
his trade. After the brcakini;- out of the Civil 
War he, in 18G4, enlisted in the D'.lth I'enns^ylvania 
Infantry and served until tlie close, l)eing' present 
at the surrender of Lee's army. After he had 
received his honorable discharge he returned to his 
farm in Bedford County, I'a., and soon afteiward, 
in the fall of IfidS, visited the I'rairie State and 
Missouri. The ^ear following he remove<l his 
family to this State and locating in Tolono, engaged 
first in the lumber trade. A few vears later he 
added agricultural implements and now successfully 
carries on the two branches, and has become one of 
the solid men in the community. He sold his land 
in Pennsylvania after coming to this State, and 
invested in good property in Tolono. 

Mr. and Mrs. Cook became the i)arents of six 
children, of whom the record is as follows: Mary 
became the wife of Benson Jordan, wiio is engaaed 
in farming in Tolono Township; Ann, the wife of 
Z. T. Young, is a resident of Carroll County, Iowa; 
Francis resides in Woonsocket, Dak.; William F., 
who engaged as a merchant in Champaign City, 
died in 18)^5, aged twenty-five years; Kuinia .lane 
is the wife of H. M. Gilmorc, of Delavan, 111.; 
Andrew Curtin lives in Cham|)aign City. Our sub- 
ject politically usuall}' supi)orts the canilidales of 
the Republican party. Religionsl}^ he is a liclievcr 
in the doctrines of the Presbyterian Cliurch, and 
soeiall}' belongs to the (i. A. R. 



„., LLEN W. COTTON, of Homer Townshii), 
lIJI first opened his eyes to the light west of the 




' 



Mississippi, in Platte Conntj', Mo., on the 
1 1th of August, 1840. His parents, Isaac 
N. and Jane (King) Cotton, were natives of Ken- 
tucky. The former was born June l.'j, I80o, and 
when a j'oung man emigrated overland to the 
P.icific coast during the early settlement of Cali- 
fornia, and was killed there by Spaniards four years 
later, in 1852. He had followed farming the greater 
part of his life and was one of the lirst to become 
a member of the Masonic fraternity in his native 



Slate. He was esteemed bj" all wiio knew him as a 
good man in every sense of the w(jrd, being a de- 
vout nieinl)cr of tht' Methodist Episcopal Church, 
in which he was Cl.iss-Leader for many years, and 
adorning his profession by a goodl}' life. He left 
a large property in California, but owing to various 
complications his family were not permitted to 
enjoy it, the estate having never been settled. 

The [jarents of our subject were married in In- 
diana, whence they removed to Missouri, remain- 
ing for a [leriod of several years. The birth of 
the mother took place Oct. 10, 1805. She united 
with the Methodist K[)iscopal Church at an early 
age and is now eighty-two years old. She makes 
her home among her children. These, eight in 
number, are recorded as follows: Rebecca A. was 
born Sept. oO, 183(1; Klislia, Sept. 1, 1832; Robert, 
May 20, 18;M; Louisa J., May 1, 1830; Sanford, 
now deceased, March 13, 1838; Isaac N., born Nov. 
5, 1843, died in 1874; Elisha died Dec. 25, 1835; 
William R., born April 10, 1842, died Aug. 30, 
1843; Allen W. is our subject. 

Mr. Cotton, of our sketch, was but a child when 
his father left Missouri for California. He after- 
ward remained with his mother at the homestead in 
Indiana until twenty-two years of age, and in 1862, 
became a resident of this State. The Civil War 
being then in i)rogrcss ho soon afterward enlisted 
.as a Union soldier in Co. I), 12.jth III. ^'ol. Inf., 
under the conim:uid of Col. Harmon, of Danville. 
His regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cum- 
berland, and he participated with his comrades in 
all the engagements of that division, including the 
fight at Peach-tree Creek, where his gun w.as shot 
out of his hands, and at Jonesboro, where he was 
wounded in the head ami his name placed in the 
list as '• killed." The life, however, had not left 
him and he was picked up and convej'ed to the 
hospital where, after sullering three months, he at 
last recovered suflieietUly to return tt) his regiment. 
The boys were then stationed at Savannah, (ia., 
and he remained with tlicin until the close of the 
war, receiving his hononible discharge in the sum- 
mer of 18G5. He now draws from the Government 
a pension of $4 per month. 

Alter retiring from the army Mr. Cotton re 
turned to this State, and in 1872 purchased a part 

\ ■► 



i 



i 




646 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



i^ 



of his inesent farm im .section S. lie now has 1S8 
acres of finely tniltivated and fertile land, where lie 
has carried on^farining successfully for fifteen years, 
and of late has been givintf much attention to the 
breeding of fine stock, inchiding horses, cattle and 
hogs. The family residence, a handsome frame 
structure, commodious and convenient, is finely lo- 
cated, with trees and shrubbery surrounding, and 
the barn and out-bnildings in all respects are am- 
ply fitted for the refiuirenients of the first-class 
agriculturist. Here Mr. Cotton, with his wife and 
a fine family of children, is enjoying all the com- 
forts of life and man3' of its luxuries. The eldest 
daughter, Ida A., born .Ian. 12, LSOT, l)ecame the 
wife of Lincoln AVhite, and is a resident of Sidney 
Township; Otie C. was born Oct. G, 18(')«; Israel 
A., Oct. 17, 1«71; John F.. .Sept. 17. 1H74, and 
Estella M., Aug. 4, 1878. These are at home with 
their parents. Mr. Cotton endorses the principles 
of the Republican party, but gives no further 
attention to politics, other than to exercise the 
right of an American citizen in casting his ballot 
at the time of important elections. 

J' G. MILLER, dealer in harness, saddlery, 
buggies, trunks, valises and other leather 
goods, in Champaign, is located at No. 
81 Main street, where he is carr^'ing on a 
profitable and steadily increasing trade. Our suli- 
ject is one of the substantial and reliable German 
citizens of this section, and was born in the Father- 
land, Aug. l.T, 1841. His parents wei'e George and 
Margaret (Coeller) Jliller, also natives of Germany, 
where the mother died in 1847. George Miller 
three ^-ears later left his native land, and with his 
family of six children sailed for the United .States. 
Of these, five are now living: Margaret, Mrs. 
Hauser; George; Emma, Mrs. Gores; J. G., our 
subject, and Mary, Mrs. Coch. After reaching 
American shores the father of our suliject proceeded 
to Fremont, Ohio, where he engaged as a cabinet 
manufacturer, and where he spent the remainder of 
his days, his death occurring in 1884. He was a 
warm supportei' of Republican principles, and both 
'larents belonged to the R<iman Catholic Church. 



After coming to this country young Miller was 
pl.'iced on a farm, where he remained until sixteen 
years of age. He then went to Fremont, and 
served three 3'earsand three months at the saddlerj- 
trade, and after that continued as a journeyman 
until the breaking out of the late war. He then 
enlisted as a Union soldier in Co. G, 8th Ohio Inf., 
in which he was promoted Sergeant, and thereafter 
engaged in sixty b.attles and skirmishes. He was 
in the fight at Romney, \'a., Winchester; Chick- 
amauga, Antielam, Lccsburg, Fredericksburg, 
Ch.ancellorsville and Gettysburg, besides many 
other important battles of the war. At Gettysburg 
he was shot in the neck, and at Antietam received 
a slight wound in the head. He captured two rebel 
flags, that of the .'J4th North Carolina and the 38th 
Virginia, during the battle of (Gettysburg, and for 
these acts and other services rendered, received a 
gold medal from Congress. After receiving his 
honorable discharge from the army, Mr. Miller re- 
tired to Tennessee, and w.as in the emploj'ment of 
the Government for six months. At the expiration 
of that time he returned to his old home in Ohio, 
and resumed his former occupation as a saddler 
until 1867. 

In the year last named Mr. Jliller stsirted for the 
West, and selecting Champaign City for his place 
of abode, worked as a -'jour" saddler until 1871, 
when he opened up business for himself on Walnut 
Street, fioni which he removed to his present loca- 
tion in 188."). He has conducted his business care- 
fully and economically, meeting with success from 
the start. He now gives emploj'ment to six men 
in the city, and luas other traveling salesmen out- 
side. He is the patentee of three separate attach- 
ments for harness, and besides his saddlery trade 
is doing an extensive business in buggies and car- 
riages, perhaps the largest of any man in the 
county. 

Mr. Miller was married, in Fremont. Ohio, in 1 SCi, 
to Miss Mary Walter, of that city, a native of 
Ohio, and daughter of Frank Walter, who was born 
in France, emigrated to tliis countrj' early in life, 
and engaged as a manuf.acturer of carriages. Mr. 
and Mrs ililler have nine children — Mary, John 
F., Charles K.. Clara I., Rudolph. Laura, fieorge, 
William and .Maude. The pleasant family residence ' ' 



^ 



.>-i^^ 



I 



ciiampaKtN county. 



647 




is located on North Neal street. Mr. and Mrs. M. 

are members of the Catholic Church. Our subject 
is Republican in politics, and !i nicnibcr in good 
standing of the G. A. H. 

ENKY HAWBAKER. pleasantly located on 
section 31, in Newcomb Township, became 
a resident of this couiitj- in 1H71. He is the 

[©) owner of 200 acres in this county, 160 in 
Piatt County and. 320 in Nebraska. The extent of 
his possessions indicates his qualities as a business 
man, and .is an agriculturist the fine homestead 
which he occupies is a silent but forcible witness of 
his thrift and skill. A view of the residence and 
farm buildings appears in connection with this 
sketch. 

Our subject is a native of Franklin County, Pa., 
and was born Aug. 4, 184.5. He is the son of John 
and Elizabeth (Eyler) Hawbaker, the fatlier a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania and the mother of Maryland. 
After marriage they located in Franklin County, 
Pa., where they became the parents of ten children, 
and spent the remainder of their lives. Our subject 
was the ninth child, and remained under the par- 
ental ruof during his childhood and youth, receiv- 
ing careful home training and a common-school 
education. He was married in his native count}', 
Oct. 1!), 1875, to Miss Catherine Jacobs, who was 
born in that county Nov. 25, 1 847. She was the 
daughter of Daniel and Susan (Sliank) Jacobs, also 
natives of the Keystone State, and became the 
mother of four children — ElipiiMlet II., Elam J., 
Julia and Anna M. After coming into Illinois our 
subject first located in Fulton County, where he 
worked out by the montli for six years. It will 
thus be seen that he commenced life in a modest 
in:inner, and saved what he could of his earn- 
ings. His present position linancially, and his 
standing in the community, are due solely to the 
exercise of his industry and good judgment. He 
has served as School Director and Road Commis- 
sioner in Newcomb Ti^wnship, and is a member in 
good standing of JIansfield Lodge No. 773, A. F. & 
A. M., and M.ansfield Brothers' Lodge No. 589, 
L O. O. F. Of the latter he is Past Grand. Politi- 



cally he is a warm snjiporter of Uepulilican princi- 
ples. 

During the jjrogress of the late war Mr. Hawbaker, 
in 18()2, enlisted in the 158th Pennsylvania In- 
fantry, where he served nine months, and being 
detailed .as a scout about the time of the battle of 
(;ett3'shurg, was thrown from a horse and severelj' 
injured. He narrowly escaped capture by the 
rebels at the same time. 

The first three months of his farm labor in Illi- 
nois our subject received *15 per month, and for 
five j'ears thereafter he was employed by one man. 
For the first year he received $350, which was 
reduced the last year to ti300. His first ^purchase 
in Blue Ridge Township, Piatt County, was eighty 
acres at S>15 per acre, and for the next eightj* acres 
he paid $32 [)er acre. He gave ground for the build- 
ing of the Dunkard Church, and also assisted in 
the purchase of land for a cemetery, the land being 
a part of one of iiis farms. He also donated ii^40 
toward the purchase of the cemetery by reducing 
the price that much. 

C. KIRKPATRICK, retired farmer, is a 
highly respected resident of Chamjiaign 
City, his home being at the intersection of 
East VVhite and Third streets. Mr. Kirk- 
patrick has been a resident of this county for a 
period of over thirty-five years, ,ind is a represent- 
ative of its solid and substantial element. He 
was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, Oct. 5, 1825, 
and is the son of James and Jane (Porter) Kirk- 
patrick, who were natives of the same Stiite, where 
the father engaged extensively as a farmer, stock- 
broker and drover. 

The family removed to Tippecanoe County, Ind., 
in 1 843, where James Kirkpatrick purchased a 
tract of land and continued the business in which 
he had been formerly engaged. He departed this 
life in St. Joseph, Champaign County, in January. 
1872. The mother had died in 1848. The grand- 
father of our subject, Benjamin Kirkpatrick, was a 
native of Peuns^'lvania, and one of the early pio- 
neers of Ohio, to which .State he removed, and lo- 
cating upon a tr.act (tf timber land, establi.'5lie(i a 



r 



"I 



' ' 648 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 




home in the wilrtcniess, and reared a faniily of six 
children, among whom was James, the father of 
our subject. The children of the latter, ti'u in 
number, were Samuel, Margaret A., .JohnC, .lames 
W., Maria J., Austin V\'., and four others deceased. 
James Kirkpatrick, politically, was a Henry Clay 
Whig, and a Major in the State Militia. Both par- 
ents were members of the Methodist Churcls. 

The subject of this biography was reared on a 
farm, and his primary studies conducted in the pio- 
neer schools, the nearest of which was two miles 
from his father's farm, and located in the timber. 
Our subject remained at home until twenty-four 
years old. He took up his abode in Urbana Town- 
ship, vvliere he engaged in breaking prairie and 
farming, and in 1850 purchased a tract of land two 
miles north of the city of Champaign. This con- 
sisted of 200 acres, of which he took possession in 
1855, but which he only occupied for two years. 
He then took up his residence in Champaign City, 
in the meantime, however, adding to his landed 
possessions. He soon afterward purchased 320 
acres in St. Joseph Township, and is now the owner 
of 1,000 acres, which includes 270 acres in Stanton 
Township. He finally removed to his farm in St. 
Joseph Township, which he occupied for a peiiod 
of twenty years. All his farms are well stocked 
with fine cattle and horses, and supplied with good 
buildings. He has been remarkably successful in 
his farming operations, and has been an important 
factor in building up the agricultural interests of 
this section of the country. 

Mr. Kirkpatrick was married, in 1840, to Miss 
Mary C. Busey, whose father, C<j1. M. \V. Buscy, 
is widely and favorably known as one of the pio- 
neer settlers of Ciiampaign County. Of this union 
there were born nine children, eight now living: 
Marion F. married Cenia Somers, and they have 
two children — Gertrude and Charles A.; he is 
Postmaster and Station Agent at Mayview. Al- 
bert J., of Stanton Township, married .Miss Alice 
Barricklow, and they have two cliildren — Mertie 
and Karl; Elizabeth, Mrs. Dilling. is a resident of 
St. Joseph Township; Hattie, Mrs. Barricklow, of 
I'rbana, has two children — Clinton and Ross; Sam- 
uel married Miss Klla l)ay. ami thoy iiave one child 
— Glenn; Charles, a physician of I'enfield, married 



Miss (iertrude Wilson, and they have two children 
— John and Ruby; Jessie and Fannie are at home. 

Mrs. Kirkpatrick has been greatly interested in 
temperance work, and was President of the W. C. 
T. V. in 1875 and 187(), which position .she re- 
signed upon moving to Champaign. She is still, 
however. Vice President of the society, and an effi- 
cient worker in the church, having charge of the 
fund which keeps the parsonage in repair, and pro- 
vides other necessaries important to the success 
and maintenance of the society and its buildings. 

Mr. Kirkpatrick, with his wife and eight chil- 
dren, is a member of tiie Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Politically, he is decidedly Republican in 
his views, and in all respects is one of the reliable 
and representative citizens, who have assisted in 
building up the county and gaining for it its pres- 
ent position as one of the wealthiest sections of the 
Prairie State. 



-%> 



y^ILLIAM H. JAtiUES, the pioneer hardware 
meixhant of Champaign Country, estab- 

'^'W lisiied his business at Tolono in ISCCi. He 
is essentially- a self-made man, who commenced life 
in a modest maimer, iiaving nothing to depend ujxjn 
but his own resources. His natural hal)its of in- 
dustr}' and energy contributed to insure his success, 
and after obtaining his tirst start in life by the 
work of iiis own hands, he steadily advanced until 
he now liolds an enviable position as a business 
man and a citizen, and enjoys the respect of a 
large circle of friends and acquaintances. He has 
contributed his full (piota to the business and in- 
dustrial interests of this section, and has watched 
with pleasure the growth of his adopted township 
and county. 

Mr. Jaques was born in Munson, Geauga Co., 
01ii<i, Feb. 8. 1820. He is the son of Henry Jaq- 
ues, who was of French parentage and born in the 
city of New York. The grandfather of our sub- 
ject emigrated frcmi Fi-ance in iiis yontii and located 
in Coiniecticut, where he served an ai)|)reiiticesiiip 
of seven years at the shoemaker's trade. He was 
married in the city of Hartford to Mi.ss Elizabeth 
Porter, the daughter of Nathan and Tabitha Por- 



* 



h 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



649 



' 



T 



ler, niul they l)ec':iiiH' the paiciits (if tliiee sons and 
four tlaugliters, all <>(' wliom lived to a good old 
age. 

Soon after marri.'ige the father of our siilgeet 
removed to New York and ioeatcd in the centra] 
part of the State, where lie oecn[)iod himself at his 
trade until ISID. Then, removing with his family 
to the wilds uf (ieauga County, Ohio, he erected a 
log cabin and was one of the earliest settlers of that 
part of the Bucke^'e State. 'I'here he cleared a farm 
from the dense forests, through which the wild 
turkey, elk and deer roamed in large numbers and 
were often killed a few feel from the doorsteps. 
lie lived to cstalilisli a comfortable injme in that 
county, and there died in tiie .winter of 1821). The 
wife and mother survived him over lifty years and 
departed tliis life at the advancetl age of eighty- 
live. Their youngest son was accidentally killed 
when eleven years of age. Another, Robert J., be- 
came a sailor on Lake Erie and lost his life by the 
wrecking of his vessel. Francis E. learned the 
l)rinter's trade and was for some time in the employ 
of Horace Greeley on the New York Tribune. lie 
afterward became editor of a paper in Connecticut, 
whence he removed to Ohio, and died in IH/ii. 
The four living are, .Mary A., Mrs. Keefer of Bea- 
ver Dam, Wis.; Ebenezer P., of (Jeauga County, 
Ohio; William H. of our sketch, and George W., a 
resident of Burton, Ohio. 

Our subject was but nine years of age when his 
father died. The family was large and possessed 
but limited means, and lii' went to live with an 
uncle in Ashtabula County, with whom he remained 
until sixteen years of age. lie was then appen- 
tieed to learn the tinner's trade at I'aincsville. Ohio, 
and servctl until reaching his majority. Afterward 
he worked as a journeyman at various points in the 
Buckeye State, and in 1.S4.') removed from that 
locality to Bnffalo, N. Y., where he engaged to go 
to Joliet, 111., and followed his occupation thereun- 
til 1850. In the spring of that year he started to 
cross the plains, and after arriving in California, 
followed his trade in connection with mining. Two 
years later he returned to his native State, via the 
Isthmus and New York City. From there he came 
to Illinois, and locating in I'rbana, engaged in the 
manufaclure of tinware an<l purchased a stock of 



stores, which were shipi)ed t(j him from Alljany, 
via the Erie Canal and Lake Erie and the Wabash 
Can.al to Covington, Ind., wiience they were con- 
veyed by teams to their destination. He was the 
first man to manufacture tinware or sell stoves in 
Champaign County and exhibited the i)roduct of 
his manufacture at the first fair held within its 
limits. 

Mr. Jaques continued business at I'rbana about 
five years, then sold out and finally returned to 
Ohio. In the meantime the outbreak of the Re- 
bellion had called for volunteers to assist in preserv- 
ing the I'nion, and in hSG-2 he enlisted in Co. K, 
lO.'id Ohio \ol. Inf., in which he served until the 
close of the war. With the exception of a month 
confined in a hospital with ty|ihoid fever, he never 
missed the roll call, and particiitated with his com- 
rades in the battle at Buzzard's Koost, the sieges of 
Kuoxville and Atlanta, and \arious minor engage- 
ments and skirmishes. At th(^ close of the war he 
returned to t)hio, and after regaining his healtli and 
strength started for the West. In November, 
IStiC, he established his present business at Tolono, 
opening up the first house of the kind in the town. 
From a modest beginning he has liuilt up an ex- 
tensive patronage, and carries a well-selected stock 
of goods wliich will bear comparison with anything 
of the kind in Champaign County. In ISTo he 
to(;k his son John II. into partnership, and they 
now operate under the firm style of .laqiu's iV Sun. 

Mr. Jaques was first married at Joliet, 111., in the 
si)ring of IS-IO, to .Miss Eliza 1'. Duidiam, a native 
of New York State. .She onl}' remained the com- 
panion of her husband for six short years, depart- 
ing this life in May, 1852, and leaving one son, 
Joini II., already spoken of. The seconil wife of 
our subject, to whom he w.as married at Water- 
town, N. Y., in 1851, was Miss Sarah A. Whipple, 
who died three years later, on the 1st of May, 1 S57. 
Of tiiis union there was born one son, Willie W., 
who died when si.\ 3'ears of age. Our subject, 
[)olitically, is a stanch Republican, "dyed in the 
wool," and became a member of the party upon its 
organizalit^m. in 1 850; formerly he liad been a 
Whig. Socially, he belongs to Lodge No. •'!lll, A. 
F: it A. M., at Tolono. As a l)usiness man and a 
citizen his woi-d is considered as good a> \\\> bond. 



n 



7f* 

I i > 650 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



He is quiet and unobtrusive in manner, charitable 
to the faults of his fellows, and his success in life 
has only been the reward tliat he deserves. He has 
accumulated a competene^- for his declining \'cars, 
and enjoys the confidence and affection of hosts of 
friends. 



*t 



^ SAAC S. PETERS, an important factor in the 
r business couimunit}- of .St. Joseph, has for sev- 
/1\ eral years been busily engaged as a dealer in 
grain and coal, in whidi he h.as built up a good 
trade, and by his straightforward method of doing 
business has established him.self in the confidence 
of his fellow-townsmen. 

Mr. Peters, who is a native of this county, may 
be properly styled a young man still, his birth hav- 
ing taiven place July IS, 18.53. He first drew 
breath on the farm of his father, in St. Joseph 
Township, and is the eldest son and second child 
of Robert and Mary E. Peters, who were among 
the first settlers of Champaign Count3'. He was 
reared upon the old homestead, and completed his 
education in the town of old St. Joseph. He con- 
tinued with his parents until twenty-eight years of 
age, with the exception of two years, during which 
time he went West througli the States and Terri- 
tories, traveling about for some months, and return- 
ing home well satisfied with what he had seen and 
learned. 

In March, 1«S2, determining to settle down in a 
home of his own, he took the first important step 
by his marriage witli Miss Molly, daughter of Cy- 
rus and Tabitha McCullom, who were among the 
oldest residents of the county. After marriage the 
young couple commenced housekeeping in a mod- 
est little home of their own, and in due time were 
blest by the advent of two children, both daugh- 
ters, whom they named Cloa D. and Florence 
Mae. In 188."), in company witli his present [)art- 
ner, they purchased the business of J. \V. Sommers. 
and since that time they have carried on an ex- 
tensive and lucrative trade. Their elevator has a 
capacity of 12,000 bushels, and is conveniently lo- 
cated on the I., B. A- W. R. R. 

Mr. Peters, .several years ago, most wisely in- 
vested ills spare capital in ninety-five acres of land. 



beautifully located just outside the town, and 
runs it in coiuieclion with his business. He gives 
some attention to stock-r;\isi]ig, including horses, 
cattle and hogs, in which he has been uni- 
formly successful. The latter-n.amed animals, es- 
pecially, have received his close attention, and it 
is conceded 113' all that in this department he is 
the champion of his township, his sales st>metimes 
aggregating a little short of >!l,0()0 i)er annum. He 
is well versed in agriculture, and delights in every- 
thing appertaining to the farm and country life. 
Politically he is a stanch supporter of Republican 
principles, I)ut has steadily declined to be an aspir- 
ant for office, although frequently contributing 
generously his time and means to secure the elec- 
tion of his friends. Religiousl.y he is liberal in his 
views, possessing the broad and catholic spirit 
which is willing that each man shouhl be governed 
by the dictates of his own conscience, upon the 
condition always that he has a proper amount of 
responsibility and manhood. 



~>^T- -vtiiefi/®-^^! 



4/^^^dtipf^'\r\y\^ 



■| MLLIAM E. DAWLEV,a native of Coven- 
\^// try, R. I., came to the Prairie .State in 
V^^ 185(J, when about sixteen j-ears of age, and 
with the exception of the time spent in the army, 
has since been a resident of Champaign County'. 
He was born on the 5th of May, 1840, and is the 
son of William F. and L^'dia F. ((ireene) Dawlej', 
natives of New England. After marriage the3' set- 
tled in Rhode Island, where they lived until the 
winter of 18;')G, and thence removed to Illinois, be- 
coming residents of this count}' and .Scott Town- 
ship, where the father died in August following. 
The mother is still living, and resides in .Seward 
Count}-, Neb. Their seven children consisted of 
four sous and three daughters, of whom our sub- 
ject was the fifth in order of birtii. 

Young Dawley attended school in his native 
town during liis childhood and 3'outh, and after 
coming to Illin(jis continued to live with his par- 
ents until the outbreak of the late war. In July, 
1S02, he enlisted in the 71st Illinois Infantry, 
serving, however, but a sln)rt time on account of 
ill-health, lie continued farming as an occupatic)n. 



■•► 



^ 



t 



M^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 

651 , , 



and was iiiariieil in tliis county, April lit. 186(), to 
Miss Uebccca .]. Littler, a native of Clarke County, 
Ohio, and the daughter of Thomas and Mary K' 
(Ridgewa3') Littlei-. Mrs. I), was born Aug. 2, 
1834. Of her union with our subject there were 
born four children — Mary J., Alicia T, and Alice 
L. (^twins), and AVilliani \V. The latter died in 
infancy. 

Jlr. Dawley has hold the oflices of Constable, 
Township Clerk, Assessor and Collector of Scott 
Township, and politically unifornily casts his vote 
Willi the Reiniblican parly. Socially he is a mem- 
ber of Cham|)aign Post No. 140, G. A. U., also of 
Mahomet Lodge Xo. 220, F. & A. M. 



•'-j**^ 



lb- — o- «^5«t>- 




4 



.^KOF. THOMAS J. BURKILL, A. M., Ph. 

ll) D., Professor of Botan}- and Horticulture, 
and Vice President of the Illinois State 
Universitj', is well known throughout this 
county as a fine representative of its educational 
element. He is a native of Pittsfield, Mass., born 
April 25, 1839, and is the son of John and Mary 
(Francis) Burrill. John Burrill w.ns born near Car- 
lisle, England, Feb. 9, 1809, und the mother of our 
subject was a native of the North of Ireland. 
Thomas Burrill, the grandfather of our subject, 
was a weaver and dresser of cloth in his native 
England, where he was born in 1776, and emigrated 
to Ihcl'uited .States in company with his son John 
and two daughters in 1817. He located at Paw- 
tucket, 1\. I., where he followed his former occu- 
pation a few 3ears and died in 1840. His son 
Jolin, the father of our subject, engaged exclusively 
in the manufacture of cotton goods, first in Rhode 
Island and afterward in Pittsfield, Mass., until 
1848. In 1846, however, he took a trip to Illinois 
and became infatuated with the wide prairies and 
the line climate. He purchased 200 acres of land 
on Rock Run in .Stephenson County, and returned 
East for his family', settling on liis land in .Stephen- 
son County in 1848. This he ha<i purchased from 
the (iovcrnment .at ^1.2,) per acre, and put up tin- 
lirst fianic dwciliug in the neighborhood, lie w:is 
industriously employed for several yeais in the 

4* 



improvement and cultivation <jf his land, and in 
due time had one of the finest farms in that section. 
He continued to live there until 1867, then sold 
out and removed to Lincoln, where he lived in 
retirement two years. Afterward he purchased a 
farm seven miles northeast of Urbana, which in- 
cluded 160 acres, and the house and lot within the 
city which he now occupies. In former 3'ears he 
identified himself with the Democratic party, but 
u|)on the organization of the Republican he cast his 
ballot for John C. Fremont, and ever since his 
influence has been in support of their principles. 
Both he and his excellent wife are members in good 
standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They 
became the parents of ten children, six of whom are 
now living and recorded as follows: Edward is a 
hardware merchant of Shelbj', Neb.: Thomas J. is 
a resident of Urbana: Robert F. is a builder and 
contractor in Thomasboro; Rev. Sanford W. is a 
minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
Adams, Oregon; Dr. Charles \V. is practicing medi- 
cine in Kansas City; Mrs. L. J. Sims is residing in 
Lincoln, 111. 

The subject of this history was a lioy of nine 
years whemhis parents came to the Prairie State. 
He first attended a school taught by a farmer in his 
own house, and remained a member of his father's 
household until eighteen years of age, after which 
ho completed the course of study in the Rockford 
Higli Schools. His first experience as a teacher was 
among the Dunkards in Stephenson County. One 
day he was waited upon by one of the Trustees, a 
Dunkard, who said to him, "You had better not 
talk or teach the children that the earth is round." 
Not wishing to enter into any controversy with his 
Dunka.d patrons he di.scrootly avoided the topic 
uiidor consideration. 

In 1862, Pnjf. Burrill, wish jug to perfect hini- 
solf still further in his studios, entered the Normal 
University at Bloomington and took a three years' 
course, graduating in I860. Soon afterward he 
was chosen Principal of the Urbana public schools, 
wliitli posiliini ho occupied for three years follow- 
ing. During this time, in 1867, ho ac-comp:inied 
Major Powell as Botanist on his sciontilic oxplora- 
lioii to llio Rocky .Moinilains, and fiiriii>liii| .1 report 
which was published b^' the liovernnu'iit with the 



/ 



t 



I i i 652 



■•► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



reports of others in that party, lie afterward, in 
1868, became Assistant I'rofessor of Natural His- 
tory in the Illinois Industrial University, under 
Prof. J. W. Powell. The latter, however, never 
materialized, and our subject had the entire charge 
of the supposed duties of the two. In 1870 he was 
elected to the Chair of Botany and Horticulture, 
and nine years later was chosen \'icc President of 
the University. In 1879 he visited -Honduras and 
Central America on a botanical trip. His chief 
specialty is Cr3q)togamic Botany, and it is related 
of him that he would rather discover a new fungoid 
than a gold mine, while he is known to liave an 
intimate acquaintance with all the bacteria in the 
country of any standing wliatever. He is a mem- 
ber of the American Microscoiiic Association and 
ranks among the first scientists of this State and 
nation. 

Prof. Biirrill was niari-ied, in 1 .S68, to Miss Sarah 
H., daughter of Ephraim Alexander, and a native 
of Seneca Falls, N. Y. Mrs. Burrill is a lady of fine 
literary attainments and the earnest sympathizer of 
her husbaiid in his tastes and labors. They occupy 
a handsome residence adjoining the Uuivei'sitj' 
grounds, which the Professor erected in 1872. He 
has expended much time and money in beautifying 
his home, which has become one of the most attract- 
ive spots in the citj'. He is a warm adherent of the 
Republican party, and with his excellent and accom- 
plished wife, is a member in good standing of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 



UMi <^'I-Jl'"l''^'l^" KICKER, Professor of Archi- 
I J/J tecturc in tiie I'niversity of Illinois, and 
li\J^ Dean of the College of Engineering, at Ur- 
bann, is a fine examjjle of the value of technical 
training, natural talcnls and a studious mind. He 
was born on a farm in tlie town of Acton, Me., 
July 24, 1H4."5, and is the son of Hon. Ebenezer and 
Mary (Stacy) Ricker, natives of the same State, 
and of English descent. The first representatives 
of the family in this country came across the watei' 
in IGOO, and settled at Dover, N. H. 

The father of our suljject wiiilc in his native Stale 

lie Mnallv moved 



engage<l in farming and niillin 



to Spottsylvania County, Va., in 1866, and after- 
ward engaged in farming. He was a well-read and 
intelligent man, and represented his native county 
in the State Legislature, in 1855. He was Demo- 
cratic in jjolitics, and was Major General in the 
State Militia until 1861. The parental household 
included six children, namely, N. Clifford, of our 
sketch; Almeda, Mrs. Childs; M.arcus M.; Silas W. ; 
Mary S., Mrs. Murphj', and Ella ^'., a teacher 
in the State Normal School, at Baltimore, Md., all 
but the first now residing in Virginia. 

Young Ricker until nineteen years of age at- 
tended school and assisted his father in winter in 
the mill. From nineteen to twenty-one he worked 
at home, spending his leisure time in private study, 
preparing for college. lie then left home and 
engaged with a piano manufacturer, where he 
was employed two and one-half years. In 1867 
he emigrated to Illinois, locating at La Ilarpe, 
Hancock County. In 1868 he purchased an inter- 
est in a wagon-shop, which he sold the following 
3'ear. In the meantime he had made good use 
of his leisure moments, his love of learning induc- 
ing him to pursue his studies as he had opportunity. 
In .January, 1870, he entered the State Univer- 
sity', where he took a three 3'ears' course, and after 
graduating studied six months in Berlin. While 
pursuing his studies in the Universit}- he acted as 
foreman of the arcliitectural shops, was afterward 
employed .as draughtsman in a Chicago oltice; sub- 
setjuently he acted as instructor in liie University', 
during the last year of his course of study. 
After his return from Europe he was Instructor in 
Architecture, from 1873 to 1875, and in 1875 was 
elected Professor of Architecture, three 3'ears later 
becoming Dean of the Collfege of Engineei'ing. The 
department over which our subject presides has an 
interesting niusenni, including a valuable collection 
of models, .some made b^' the students themselves, 
and others purchased abroad; also drawings, sam- 
ples of wood and other materials, and a multitude 
of other interesting thir.g's. The Professor takes a 
genuine delight and pride in his work as an in- 
structor, and no one in this country probably' oc- 
cupies a higher position in the profession. He 
pul)lished a work on Trussed Roofs in 1885, and 
has written considerably- for architectur:d journals. 



•►^h:^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



655 



'I'lii' inarriivge [of Prof, llickcr and Miss Mary C. 
.Stufle took i)l.aci' in 1875. She is a native of (iales- 
l)iirg,,this_State, and is also a graduate of the^saine 
University. Of this luiiun there has been born 
one child, Ethel. The Professor and his wife are 
botii members in good standing of tile. Congrega- 
tional Cliiucli. Politically he is a Republican, and 
socially a member of the Masonic fraternity. 






-^./UGUSTUS G. RUHL, a retired farmer of 

'MM Scott Township, is now a resident of Jiond- 
jl m ville, where he is passing his later days in 
^ the enjoyment of the competency which he 

secured by years of industrious and honest toil. 
He is of (ierman birth and [larentage, and the son 
of John and Elizabeth (Cook) Rnhl, also natives of 
the Fatherland, who emigrated to America in 
about 1833. Thej' first settled in Maryland, and 
afterward removed to Union County, Ohio, where 
John Rnhl departed this life, at peace with all men, 
in the year 1880. 

The parental household included nine children, 
of whom Augustus G. was next to the eldest. His 
birth took place on the 3d of September, 1830, and 
he was only about three years old when his parents 
set sail for the United States. His early education 
was quite limited, but he |K)ssessed much natural 
intelligence, and ma<ie the most of his opportuni- 
ties. He gained a good insight into business mat- 
ters while still a youth, and |)ossessed those (jnalities 
which made liini many friends. When twenty-one 
years of age he left the parental roof and engaged 
in farming and teaming alternately until 1853. He 
was then married and located on a farm in Union 
County, Ohio, which he occupied three years, and 
then removed to Winnebago County, this State. 
In the fall of IS.W he came into this county and 
took up his abode in Hensley Township, where he 
lived four years. In 18(50 he became a resident of 
Scott Township, where he has since rem.iiued. IJc- 
sides his improved farm of lllO acres, he owns 
property in the village of Hoiidville, to which lie 
retired from the larm in Ks-^.i. 

iMr. Ruhl was married, in L'nion County, (Jhio, 

4* 



March 1.'), 185.'!, to Miss Barbara Vanderau, a na- 
tive of his own country', and born Dec. 1, 1828. 
Thej' became the parents of eleven children, as fol- 
lows: William A., Mary C, Sarah E., Emily V. 
(deceased), Carrie F., Charles S., John H., Mattie 
A., Lulu A., Lizzie C. (now deceased) and .Maude 
F. The eldest scjii, William, married Miss Mary 
Carpenter, of Cloverdale, Kan., and resides in that 
.State ; Mary C. met with a great atlliction when 
about eleven years of age by the loss of her sight, 
which was the result of spinal meningitis; Sarah, 
Mrs. David Coffraan, resides on a farm in Con<lit 
Township; Carrie is the wife of A. N. Taylor, of 
Bond ville; Charles married Miss Laura McBride^ 
and is fanning in Scott Township; .lolin married 
Miss Lizzie Miller, and resides in .Mahomet Town- 
ship; Mattie is the wife of Charles W. Ptiester, of 
Mahomet Townshii). Our subject and his wife are 
mcmbiTs of the Methodist Episcopal Church, t(j the 
supi)ort of which they contribute lilierally and 
cheerfully. Mr. Ruhl casts his inlluence in support 
of tlu' Republican party. 



"^ AMES WATSON. The subject of this sketch 
owns and occupies 440 acres of hind in l.iul- 
low^ Township, which constitutes one of the 
S^/y linest farms in this part of,Champ:iign Coun- 
ty. His career li:is been one eminently worthy of 
record as illustrating in a forcible manner the 
results of steady perseverance and unremitting 
industiy. He commenced life in a modest manner 
with only such means as he had himself accumu- 
lated, and upon first coming to Ludlow Township, 
purchased eighty acres of unimproved land, it is 
probable that he himself did not anticipate the en- 
tire results of his native energy of character, or 
that he would become one of the most extensive 
farmers in a community occupying one of the rich- 
est sections of the Prairie .State. He is now the 
proprietor of 440 acres, all improved and enclosed 
with neat and substantial fencing, a good set of 
farm buildings, and a line grove which forms a most 
attr.active feature of the property. He lias planted 
mile upon mile of hedge and his broad pasture 




t 



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656 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i^^h^ 



i 



lands and cornfields are a constant delight to tlie 
eye from spring until late in the autumn. 

Mr. Watson is a native of the Buckeye State, 
and was born near the city of Chillicothe, Sept. li), 
1837. His native town, as may be sujiposed, was 
then little UK^re tlian a hamlet. His father. Will- 
iam N. AVatson, a native of County Tyrone, Ire- 
laud, grew to manhood and was married in his 
native county, and in 18;i2 emigrated to America, 
settling near Pittsburgh, I'a. Shortly afterward, 
however, he removed to Gallia County, Ohio, and 
thence to Chillicothe. He purchased land four 
miles from the city, settling upon it in 183<s, and 
clearing the timber, made it his home for twelve 
years. He subsequently dis]j<:>sed of this property 
and two miles further from the city i>urchased a 
farm which lie still occupies, aud although arrived 
at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, is in 
the enjoyment of good health and preserves his old 
habits of industry. He married Miss ICUeu Patrick, 
a native of his own county in Ireland, who accom- 
panied him to the United States and remained his 
faithful companion until the close of lier life, in 
1885. Their nine children grew to beconu^ men 
and women, and were named, Samuel, William, 
Josepli, .Tohn. Nelson, James, .lane, Robert and 
Kllen. 

The lirst school which Mr. \Vatson attended was 
conducted in a log house, wherein the benches were 
made of slabs set upon wooden legs and placed 
around the sides of the building for writing-desks. 
IJght was admitted after the (nimitive fashion of 
those days, through a square place cut in the logs. 
Wiien not in school .James assisted his father in 
clearing the farm and tilling the soil, and remained 
a member of the parental household until twenty- 
two years old. In ISOl he came to this county, in 
what is now Ilarwood Township, and farmed on 
rented lan<l until l.S(j8. During that year he pui'- 
chased his present homestead. It had been partially 
improved, and its |)resent condition has been 
brought about througii his own enterpiise and good 
judgment. 

Our subject was maiiied in 18C5, to Aliss Mary 

E. Huffman, a native of llairisun County, Ky., aud 

the daughter of William 11. and Rachel Minerva 

' (King) IhiflMian, <<i Harrison Counly, Ky. Of 

.^ 



this uniiin there have been born two sons, William 
A. aud .John C, both residing at home with their 
parents. Mr. Watson is Democratic in politics, ami 
keeps himself well posted upon all matters of gen- 
eral interest. Mrs. W. is a member of tlii' Chris- 
tian Church. 



■'fit>j:/&¥:i- — fif^ 



^mSMzr.'^'- 




ICHAliL KASSLEK. a highly respected 
and thrifty farmer of Ilarwood Township, 
spent his youth and early manhood among 
the mountainous districts of the little King- 
dom of Saxonj-, forming a part of the Northern 
portion of the (ierman Empire. There he first 
drew breath on the 1 8th of September, 183(5, and 
W!is the youngest of a family of ten children be- 
longing to Michael and Eva (G.ibler) Rassler, na- 
tives of the same section of countr}'. The mother 
of our subject died when he was but eighteen 
months old, and he was reared by his stepmother, 
Anna (Galert) Rassler, who performed toward him 
the part of a kind and careful guardian. He re- 
mained a member of the household until aljout 
twenty-six j'ears of age, and after serving a thor- 
ough apprenticeship .as a brick aud stone mason, 
worked as a journeyman three years, aud then began 
preparations for establishing a home of his own. 

Mr. Rassler com [dieted said arrangement by his 
marriage with JMiss Henrietta, youngest child of 
.Jacob and Elizabeth Staude, whose family included 
eight children. Her parents spent their entire lives 
in their native Germany, her f.ather dying before 
Mrs. Rassler an<l her husband came to the United 
States. The death of the mother occurred some 
years afterward, under the following circumstances: 
While walking along the ro.id to visit a daughter 
not far from her home, she was stricken with paialy- 
sis and sank down to rise no more, her breath 
having departed when she was found. 

Our subject after his marriage continueil work- 
ing seven years at his trade, but seeing little pros- 
pect of improving his condition financially, re- 
solved to emigrate 'to a land which promised 
advancement to all those inclined to energy and 
industry. Accordingly, getting together his family 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



657 



A: 



and litiuselKihl goods, he set sail from the port of 
lii'oineii, Oct. 23, 18(!1), on the '> Donan." After a 
pleasant voyage of thirteen da}\s they hmded at 
Castle Garden, in New York, and two days later 
started for the Prairie State. Tbey i)asscd the first 
four 3'ears in Marshall County, and thence removed 
into Peoria County. Mr. IJassIer after coming West 
abandoned his trade and took up farming, in which 
he became moderately successful. After three years 
spent in Peoria County he found himself possessed 
of sufficient means to purchase eighty acres of 
unimproved land in Ilarwood Township, this 
county, where he at once put ui)a small house into 
which he removed his family, and then turned his 
attention to the cultivation of the soil. In the spring 
of 1879 a great cloud came over their happiness iu 
the death of the affectionate wife and mother, who 
passed from earth on the 23d of April. Mrs. Hass- 
ler was a lady of high moral character, greatly 
beloved by her famih- and friends, who cherish her 
name in tender renu-mbrance as one who left behind 
her a record of kindly deeds and womanly virtues. 
She had for many years been an active and con- 
sistent member of the I^utheran Church, and seemed 
ever looking about her for the performance of a 
kindlj' act to some creature. She had been a great 
sufferer f(jr manj' jears from a tumor, but bore her 
affliction with patient resignation, and presented a 
sweetness of character and amiability which en- 
deared her to all anjund her. The place made v.a- 
cant by her death could never l)e filled, and the 
father ami cliildren have since remained devoted to 
each other. The3' were named Herman, Henrietta 
Alvina, and Franz, who died in infancy. The young- 
est died with his mother who passed away soon after 
his birth. Mr. Hassler is also connected with the 
Lutherjin Church, and bears the reputation of a 
high-minded Christian gentleman, living his life 
worthily' and unobtrusively, preferring to give his 
strict attention to his farming affairs, and abstain- 
ing from politics with tli<> exception of casting his 
vote in supiiort of Republicanism at the time of 
general elections. He has some fine stock on his 
farm, including several head of horses from the 
noted draft animal '• Romeo," which was burned to 
death in the fire in (iilford last fall. His cattle are 
of the Dui'ham blooil. and his hogs are the I'olaiid- 



4»- 



China. He displays excellent judgment in the 
management ')f his farm affairs, and no man is more 
highly respected in tlu' community than, Michael 
llassler. 



^f?AMI<:,S S. KIL1UT4V, a i>rominent and 
wealthy farmer of Sonier Township, is one 
of the most wide-awake and enteri)rising 
men of that section, possessing more than 
ordinary ability, the evidences of which may be 
seen on all sides around the homestead wUicli he 
has built and beautified, and is adding each season 
to its attractions and its value. His land is (inely 
located on section 7, and embraces 130 acres under 
a high state of cultivation. In Ogden Township 
he has 'iilo acres, which, together with the haiul- 
some and substantial farm buildings, forms one of 
the prettiest spots in the landscai)e of the township. 
Mr. Kilbury possesses uncommon natural ingenuity, 
having liecome a self-trained carpenter and joiner, 
which is as much a source of pleasure as profit to 
him, and by which he adds much to the beauty 
and convenience of his premises, and saves annu- 
allj' prolvably hundreds of dollars. Kven if not 
wishing to i)erform the labor himself with the saw 
and plane, he is entirely capable of superintending 
the work of another, and whatever he umlertakes 
in this line either himself or " by pro.\\'," is sure 
to be turned off iu the best style of the art. 

Mr. Kill)ury is a native of Madison County, 
Ohio, born Ma\- 7, 1839. and is the son of Asa and 
Ruth (Clark) Kilbury, natives of the (ireen Mount- 
ain St'ite and Ohio respectively. Asa Kdliury 
was born .lune 24. 180(i, and departed this life in 
Inion County, Ohio, Jan. ."i. 1884. He was the 
greater part of his life engaged iu farming and 
stock-raising, a man highly respected wherever 
known, and prominently connected with the New- 
Light Church. The mother of our subject was 
born Feb. 27, 181.0, and died in 1885. The fun- 
eral sermons of both parents were preached by the 
same minister. The children of the parental 
household are reconleil as follows: Rachel, the 
eldest daughter, died in is."),"); Kmily and .\niau<la 
died in chililliood. the latter when about three 



1 



t 



t 



658 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



years old; Robert is now a resident of riain City, 
Madison Co., Ohio: Knistns is dece.ised ; Mortimer 
is residing in St. .Joseph, this county; Dunbar C. 
lives in IJehiware County, Ohio; Solomon II. oc- 
cupies the old homestead in I'nion Country, that 
State. The living members of the parental family 
are all connected with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Mr. Kilbury spent his youtii and the earl}- years 
of his manhood in his native State, and was there 
united in marriiige with Miss Ilaunah E. Beard, a 
native of L'niou County, Ohio, and born in 1H42. 
Tlie young jjeople, deciding to make tiieir home in 
the West, came to this State soon afterward, locat- 
ing in Ogdeu Township, this county. His lands 
are now supplied with all necessary farm Iniildings, 
good fences, machinery and stock. He has been 
very successful in the breeding of Poland-China 



War of IHli': lie died .Tan. Ki, 1S2G. Many trili- 
utes of respect were jiaid the illustrious dead at 
the time. Mrs. Kilbury's brothers and sisters are 
recorded as follows: Nancy, born Feb. 14, 1839, 
is now living in Ogden Township: Korester. born 
in March, 1S44, lives in Union Countj% Ohio: Gil- 
bert, born Dec. 18. 184G, lives in Ogden Township, 
and Margaret .1., born Feb. "2, 1848, lives in Union 
County, Ohio. 



fOHN T. MALLORY. The subject of this 
biography owns and occupies a fine farm of 
300 acres on section 7, in Scott Township. 
Forty acres of this is in timber and the bal- 
ance under a good state of cultivation. He has a 
tasteful and substantial set of farm buildin<js, and 



swine, raising and selling large numbers each year, | the place in all respects corresponds with the 



and obtaining more than the average market price. 

Notwithstanding the many and urgent cares de- 
volving upt)n him in looking after his property, 
and doing the work which no one can do so well 
as himself, he has still found time to interest him- 
self in local affairs, officiating as Justice of the 
Peace, School Treasurer, and occupying other town- 
ship offices. His p<jlitical symi'.athies are decidedl}- 
with the Repulilican party, and lie exerts ranch in- 
Itueuee in his county, being sent in 18C6, as a dele- 
gate to the County Convention, and to the .State 
Convention at Springfield. In a word, he may be 
considered as one of the " wheel horses " of the 
party in Sonier Township. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Killnuy have been members of the Methodist 
Episcoiial Church since uniting their hands and 
fortunes, and our subject has held the office of 
Steward, besides being otherwise prominent in 
church affairs. The only child living o{ Mr. and 
.Mrs. Kilbury is a daughter, Harriet R., born Jan. 
.J, l»7s, and now an interesting girl of about leu 
years. The first born died in 1873. 

The parents of Mrs. Kilbury were William and 
Harriet Beard. The father died July 10, IHoO, 
and his wife Harriet, Jnlj' 27, 1887, at the home 
of her daughter. Mrs. Kilbury. Her iialernal great- 
grandfatlier. Col. .lames Cuirv, was a Uevobition- 
ary soldier of |)romineiirc. ;uiil a Colunel in the 



property of the enterprising and prosperous men 
about him on .all sides; men who have assisted in 
the development and building up c>f this .section 
and who made it one of the most desirable in the 
Prairie State. 

Our subject came to this county in 1847. and 
since that time has been one of the most valued 
residents. He was liorn at Harper's Ferry, ^'a., 
Sept. Hi, 1811, and is the son of George and Eliza- 
beth (Hendricks) Mallory, also natives of the Old 
Dominion. The parents first settled at Harper's 
FeriT and thence removed to Pickaway County, 
Ohio, whence, in [X'M. the}' emigrated to this State, 
and located in what was then Macon, but is now 
Piatt County, and where the father died, about 
1845. The mother afterward removed to Ne- 
braska, where her death took place about 1863. The 
household circle included eleven children, three 
boys and eight girls. 

Our subject remained a resident of his native 
county until 183'.>, when he visited this county and 
located a tract of 300 acres, after which he returned 
to Harper's Ferry and remained until 1848. He wjis 
there employed in the armory, which he had en- 
tered when a boy ten years of Jige. 

John T. Mallory was married in 1834, in Vir- 
ginia, and in the fall of 1847 started with his wife 
and three children overland for this State. Their 



r 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



659 




t 



outfit consisted of a wagon and two horses, and 
after a journey of thirtj'-one daj's they reached 
Piatt County, where tiiey located and lived for the 
following eight and one-half years;. Mr. Mallory 
then removed to .Scott Township, of which he has 
been a resident since that time. 

The marriage of our subject took place .-it 
Charleston, ^'a., the maiden of his choice being 
Miss Mary, daughter of Alexander and Margaret 
(Spielman) Taj'lor, natives of \'irginia. Mr. and 
Mrs. Taylor located at Harper's Fcrrj' after their 
marriage, and there Mr. T. held the position of 
Inspector of the Armory. His family consisted of 
two sons and four daughters, and both heads of 
the famil}- died at Harper's Ferry, the former 
about 1817, and the latter about 1820. 

Mrs. Mallory was the fourth child of her parents, 
and was born at Harper's Ferry, Va., May 12, 1810. 
The offspring of her union with our subject is re- 
corded as follows : Emma V. became the wife of 
David Slider, and died at her father's house in Scott 
Township, in Februar}', 1877; George married Miss 
Mary Candy, and is farming in Scott Township, 
and Anna M. died when about eleven years old. 
Mr. Mallory oHiciated as Postmaster at North Bend, 
Piatt Count}', for about two years. He has held 
the office of .Supervisor two terms, and been 
otherwise identified with the local, affairs of this 
section. Politicalh' he is a member of the Repub- 
lican party. He is probably the oldest Odd Fellow 
in the county, .and in early manhood became a 
member of the first lodge established in his native 
State. 



RS. MARY J. NICEWANDEH. One of 

the most attractive homesteads in Ranlonl 
Township is located on section i!0, and oc- 
cupied by the lady whose name stands at I 
the head of this sketch. She possesses great energy 
of character, and fine busine.ss capacity, and the I 
present condition of the homestead is due in a large j 
measure to her gol)d judgment and forethought, j 
Since becoming a widow she has managed the f;irm 
in !in admirable maimer, served .as administrator 
of her husband's estate, anil purchased the interest 
of the elder children in the properly. She has had i 



the land thoroughly drained, erected a windmill, 
caused the thorough renovation and repair of the 
farm buildings, h.ad them all tastefully [lainted, and 
may be pardoned if she views with just pride the 
result of her labors. 

.Mrs. N. was born six miles east of Columbus in 
Franklin County, Ohio, Jan. 22, 1842. Her father, 
John Kerr, was born and reared on a farm in Penn- 
sylvania, and removed from his native State to 
Ohio when a young- man. He located in P'ranklin 
County, where he married, and purchased a farm 
upon which was a saw and gristmill. He carried 
on farming and operated the mills until 18.")0; he 
then sold out and, accompanied by his wife and 
seven children, started overland to Illinois. Their 
outfit consisted of eight horses and two large 
covered wagons, and they fared after the manner of 
the emigrants of those days, cooking and camping 
by the wayside, and sleeping in their wagons at 
night. Mr. Kerr first rented a farm in De Witt 
County, together with a saw and grist mill, each 
of which he carried on two years, and then pur- 
chased a tract of timber land five miles from Clin- 
ton. He cleared a farm and in the meantime fur- 
nished timber for tlie first railroad (^ver built in 
I)e Witt County. A few 3'ears later he sold this 
propertj' .also, lived afterward for a time in the 
city of De Witt, and then purchased a farm east 
of the town, where he resided until 18(15. Then, 
crossing the Father of Waters, he took nphis abode 
in Jasper Count}', Mo., this being his last removal 
until he w.as conveyed to his final resting-place. Ills 
wife was formerly Miss Susan .Sims, a lady of .Scot- 
tish birth and parentage, who died in l)c Witt 
County, 111., May 12, 1851. 

Mrs. Nicewander was but eight years old when 
she came to Illinois witli her parents, and only nine 
when her mother died. Soon afterward slie became 
a member of the family of Mr. Williams in De Witt 
Count}', where she lived two and one-half yeai-s, 
and then returning to her father kept house for him 
until he was married again. She then learned 
millinery and dressmaking at Clinton, at which she 
was occupied until seventeen years of age. After- 
ward she came to Chainjjaign County, and in 1S(J2 
w.as married to Jacob Nicewander. .Mr. N. wsis 
born in Ti|ipecanoe County, Ind., .lune 8, 1843, 



4^ 




i C60 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



and was the son of David and M.iltie (Stvingley) 
Nieewandei-. He was reared hy his paternal graiid- 
parents (see sketch of I). Nicewander). After 
marriage Mr. and Mrs. N. lived west of Champaign 
two and one-iialf j'ears, and siihseciuently rented 
land two years in Ran ton 1 Township. They after- 
ward purchased forty acres npon which Mr. N. 
Labored until his death, which occurred May 7, 
1H82. He had in the meantime purchased eighty 
acres additional, so that the farm now embraces 
120 acres, free of incumbrance, finely improved and 
provided with comfortable buildings. The four 
children of this family are Henr}- AV. ; Alice B., the 
wife of Samuel Watson, wlio is farming in Ludlow 
Township; Oscar and Nannie 1). The two latter 
are at home with their mother. 



"■i^"V?<^ -;!i 



i 



<». felLLIAM II. TOWNSEND is one of the 
\rJ// most liighly respected residents of Ran- 
^Jt^ toul Township. His vocation is that of a 
farmer, and Ids homestead is plcasantl}' located on 
section IS. For a period of sixteen years Mr. 
Townsend lias wallved in and out among the peo- 
ple, wiio have learned to look upon him as a man 
fully worthy of their confidence, and one who has 
contrfl)Ute<l materially to the business and agricult- 
ural interests of his section. 

Williain 11. Townsend was born in I'utnam 
County. N. V., March 2.s, 1«2'2, ar.d is the son of 
.lames and I'oUy (Baldwin) Townsend, also natives 
of the Kmpire .State. Charles Townsend, our sub- 
ject's giaudfather, served as a soldier in the Rev- 
olulion.'uy ^\'ar, and was with Gen. Washington at 
Valley Forge. For his bravery and fidelity he 
was tendered a Captain's commission and placed in 
command of a company. After the indciiendenee 
of the Colonies had been established he located in 
Putnam County, N. V., and si)eut the last 3ears of 
his life engaged in the peaceful oeeupalion of a 
fainur. On account of his military services his 
widow drew a pension during the last years of her 
life. Their children were reared on a farm, and 
the .son .lames, father of .Mr. Townsend of this no- 
tice, .after reacliing n)anliood became .a resident of 
Warren County, this .Stale, spending his last da3s 



in the little town of Cold Brook, and his wife also 
died in Warren County. 

Of his parents' nine children William H., of our 
sketch, was the fourth child and second son. He 
spent his boyhood and j'outh in the manner com- 
mon to most farmers' boj's, attending school during 
the winter seasons and working on the farm sum- 
mers. After reaching his majoritj' he learned the 
trade of a stonemason, and for a period of twelve 
years afterward w.as occupied chiefiy in building 
stone fences. Later he resumed farming, renting 
land in Warren Countj' until 186'.l. In the spring 
of that 3'ear he came to this county and purchased 
the place which he now owns and occupies. A few 
acres of the sod were broken, and npon the place 
was a building sixteen feet square, which he at first 
utilized as a dwelling for himself and family. 
Afterward he erected a good set of frame build- 
ings, planted fruit and shade trees, and otherwise 
eml)ellished the home, which he has now occupied 
for over eighteen years. The home place com- 
prises 120 acres, and our subject is devoting a 
goodly part of his time to the breeding of Short- 
horns, in addition to the cultivation of his land. 

Mr. Townsend was married in his native county 
in the Empire State, Dec. 22, 1.S48, to Miss Mary 
S. Warren, also a native of that county, and born 
Oct. 22, 1 82.'^. She is the daughter of .lohn N. 
and Rachel (Davenport) Warren, natives of New 
Yoik State. Her grandfather, ,Tohn Warren, Sr.. 
was of English birth and parentage, and emigrated 
to this couutry during the progress of the Revolu- 
tionary War, and when a young man seventeen 
years of age. He was a blacksmith by trade and 
settled in Putnam Count)', N. V., and was among 
the earliest pioneers of that section. Ho followed 
his tnide until after his marriage, but subsequently 
engaged in farming. His son, John N. Warren, 
also learned the blacksmith's trade, which he also 
followed until his death in Putnam Conntj' in 
IS'lO. His wife subsequently caine to this State, 
and departed this life at her home in Earlville, La 
.Salle County, in April. ISd!). aged seventy-four 
years. 

Our suliject and liis wife have thre(> children : 
Warren; Melissa, the wife of Alexander Penii, a 
farmer of Rantoul Township, and Cora, at home 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



C.f.l 




-I 



with her parents. Mr. Townsenrl is independent in 
politics and liberal in matters of religion, lie is 
rated as a reliable citizen in all resi)ccts and kce|)s 
well posted ujiDn tiie events of tiie day, viewing 
witii pleasuie and satisfaction the march "f pmi;. 
ress, and especially the l)uildinii- up of his own 
county and comniunitj'. 



Jf LVAREZK B. COGG.SHALL. Among the 
LJi attractive features on the farm of this gen- 
tleman are the line draft horses witii which 
his staliles are tenanted and in tlie breed- 
ing of which he has secured an envialilc reputation 
in Stanton Township and vicinity. He is in posses- 
sion of eighty acres of choice land on section 28, to 
which he removed in 1S82, from Indiana, where he 
was born .Ian. 13, 1S48. He is the son of .To.ab 
and .ludiah (Merine) Coggshall, the former a native 
of North Carolina and the latter i>f .South Carolina. 
Joab Coggshall died at the advanced age of eighty- 
eight years. He was a miller liy occupation, a 
worthy and industrious man, enj(jying the confi- 
dence and esteem of all who knew him. The mother 
is still living in Indiana, making her home with her 
children. By a previous marriage .loab Coggshall 
became the father of three children, viz: Louis, 
now living in Ft. Scott, Kan. ; Ivl ward, and Uebecca, 
the wife of Jesse Kate, of Wayne County, Ind. Of 
the second marriage there were born four sons and 
seven daughters. Mahala lives with her mother in 
Indiana; Irene C. became the wife of Paul Krazer, 
now deceased ; Sarah AnnC. married .Milton Craner; 
Abel B. married Olive Mendenii.'ill, and lives in 
^'ermilion County, this State; Martha .1. is the 
wife (if George Burnsworth, of Whitney County', 
Ind.; Catherine is the wife of Franklin Williams, of 
Portland, Ind.; I.af.ayette married .Miss Mary Ami 
B.illinger, of Wayne Count}', Ind.; Melvin mari-ied 
Miss Sallie Jessop, and the}' live in W.ayne County; 
Eveline became the wife of Fdwin Conklc, of Den- 
ver. Col.; Adaline, Mrs. Nathan Baldwin, lives 
with her husband in Wayne County, Ind. 

Our sul)ject rem.ained with his parents until si.\- 
teen 3('ars of age and liien ran away from home to 
enlist in the army, joining Co. D, ;)7th Ind. \ol. 



Inf., in which he served twenty-two months, his 
regiment becoming a part of tiie 4th Army Corps, 

wliicli was .a.ssigned to the Army of the Cuinber- 
i.iud. He participated in the encoLinter with the 
enemy at Buzzard's Roost, (la., and afteiwanl 
joined the command of Gen. Sherman, meeting the 
enemy at Resaca, (Ja., at Kennesaw Mountain, and 
at the siege of Atlanta. During the latter he was 
taken ill and sent to the hospital at Chattanooga. 
After five weeks he ran awa}' and, joining his regi- 
ment, li.id the .satisfaction of assisting in the final 
capture of Atlanta. He marched out of that placre 
with the troops of Gen. Thora.as, and afterward 
going into Tennessee, was in the engagements at 
Franklin and Nashville, and from there followed 
the rebel General, Hood, into Alal)ania. After a 
short sojourn in East Tennessee, during which time 
had occurred the surrender of the Confederate 
arm}', the}' repaired to Nashville and were paid off. 

Young Coggshall now ])roceeded across the iMis- 
sissippi into Te.\as, and after wandering around 
along tlie (inlf of Mexico, was finally mustered out, 
and in due time returned home to be received with 
open arms, notwithstanding his disoliedience in en- 
tering the army against Ihc wishes of the family. 
In the meantime he iiad been promoted Corponil 
and made a good record generally as a.solilier. 

Mr. Coggshall after his return from the army 
spent one mouth in his native county with his old 
friends and associates, and then coming into \'er- 
niilion County, this .State, was employed on .m farm 
until 1(S70. Some of the time hc: rented land ami 
cultivated the soil on his own .account. In 1S2(; 
he was appointed .Snperinlcndent of the Poor Farm 
ati Danville, wliere lie remained a year, and in the 
meantime was married to Miss Mary Ilumricli- 
lionse, the wedding taking place Aug. 24, I.STd. 
Mrs. C. is the daughter of George and Lydia 
((Jrace) llumricliiiouse. the former a native of 
PeniKsylvania, and the latter of Indiana. After 
marriage they located in \'erinilion County, where 
most of their eight children were born. These 
consisted of four boys and four girls: .lohn W. 
married .Mi.ss Rachel Brokaw. ;ind .lames W. mar- 
ried Mi.ss I'riscilla Gr.aee; both are farming in this 
county; Mary, the wife of our subject, was the 
third child and eldest daughter; Amainla is the wife 



H 



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66-2 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



of Chailf* Ik>|>kins. nf Kilgar Comity; George R. 
married Miss Edna Arnold; Sarah is living with 
lier parents; Margaret A. is the wife ^>f Samuel 
Arklin; Jasper, the youngest, is at home. Mr. Hum- 
riflihouse was a blat-ksmith b^- trade, and both par- 
ents were inembei"s of the Cumberland Presbvteri.in 
Church. 

Our subject and his wife, after leaving Danville, 
came to .Stanton Township and located on a rented 
farm, where they remained two 3"eai-s. wheu the 
father of Mr. C. sent for him to come home and 
take charge of the old place iu Wayne County, 
Ind. While there he secured his present farm of 
eighty acres, of which he took possession in 1882. 
His household now includes three boys and one 
girl, namely. James M., Edwin D., MePherson and 
Zuella. (irace died wheu tiiirteen mouths old. 
Mr. and Mi-s. C. are members of the Friends' 
Church. The former belongs to St. Joseph Post 
No. 220, G. A. R., and is also a member in good 
standing of the Masonic fraternity. He has been 
Road Commissioner three years and is now serving 
his fourth. In casting his vote he aims to uphold 
the principles of the Democratic party. 

R. JOSEl'II T. MILLER, wlio is widely 
1 and favoralily known as a skillful physician 
(^J^ and surgeon, has been a resident of Ur- 
bana since April l.i. 18.53. He is a native 
of the Buckeye State, born in Butler County, in 
1832, and the son of Israel and Mary A. (Mahan) 
Miller. Israel was a native of Fayette Countv. Pa., 
his wife of Warren County, Ohio, whence they 
removed to where the\- were married. Israel Mil- 
ler left his native State with his parents in 1815. 
He was the son of NichoLas and Margaret (Hos- 
tetler) Miller, who were natives of Switzerland and 
emigrated to America in ITiiO. settling in Fayette 
County. Pa., where the father engaged in farming, 
which occupation he followed all his life. After 
the removal to Ohio he operat<»d in connection with 
his sons, and lived, honored and respected by all, 
to the advanced age of eight_v-four j-ears. The 
mother died when seventy -six ye.ars ohl. Of their 
nine children onlv one is now living, a daughter. 



Eliza. Jlrs. (iriftis, wiio is seventy-eight yeare old, 
and is still living in Butler Count}-, Ohio. 

Israel Miller w.as reared on a farm and lived at 
home until twenty -seven years old. His liirth took 
place in 1804, and he was married in 1881. After 
this latter event he located upon a tract of land 
comprising .'520 acres, which he occupied for seven 
3'eai-s, then sold out and purchased G40 acres in 
Fountain Count}-, Ind. There he became wideh' 
known as one of the most extensive and successful 
farmers of that region, where he remained until his 
death, in 1880, wheu seventy-six yeai-s old. The 
mother, who w.as born in 1810. still resides iu Indi- 
ana on the old homestead. Their eight childreu are 
all living. Dr. Joseph, of our sketch, is the eldest; 
Margaret. Mi's. H.aas. is a resident of Fountain 
County, Ind.; Philoma, Mrs. Beadle, of Montgom- 
ery, Ind. ; Eliza, Mrs. Tanner, of Vermilion County, 
111.; Lewis, William H. and James P.. of Fountain 
Count}', Ind., and Emeline, Mrs. .McClufe, lives in 
Clinton Count}-, Ind. 

The subject of our sketch remained on his father's 
farm until eighteen yeai-s old, in the meantime pur- 
suing his studies in the common schools. He then 
took a course at Wab.ash College and afterward 
commenced teaching, which he pursued most of the 
time for three years following. In the meantime 
he occupieil his leisure moments in rea<ling medi- 
cine, and in the winter of 1852-53 entered Rush 
Medical College. Chicago, where he took a thorough 
course, and after graduating commenced practice 
at I'rbaua. where he has since resided and fully 
established himself .as one of the skillful practition- 
ers of this county. He w:xs M.ayor of I'rbana for 
two years and Postmaster during the Grant admin- 
istration, seven years. He h.as been warmly inter- 
ested in the growth and progress of this section of 
country, and h.as been identified with many of its 
leading enterprises. 

Dr. Miller w.as married, April 2, 18G2, to Miss 
Lotta \'. Kadebaugh, of Bedford County, Pa., and 
daughter of Peter .and Eliza (Walters) liadebaugh, 
also natives of the Keystone State. They came to 
Illinois in 1801 and settled at Urbana. Mr. R. wjvs 
formerly iu the mercantile business. Of this niar- 
ri.age there have been born two children: William 
H.. who is now in the jewelry business at Elgin 



i 



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I 




^mmmr^im^^mmmm^m. 









V 1^'Vt* ' ' ■! ■ ■■■■^ -j tfi 



RESIDENCE OF 5AIV1UEL M ?. K E E , 5 E , 32 , H E N 5 LEY TP . 







RESIDENCEOF ALBERT R, P R ATT;5EC .9, C H A M PA I G N TP. 




^ 



RESIDENCE OF JAME5 M , MOORE , 5 E C. 22 , BROW N T P. 



A. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



663 ik 



and Ilonic'c W., a student in the McdicMl Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Miller is a man of large liberality, and the 
oldest i)raetitioner in the county. In social life he 
is courteous and entertaining, and is the friend of 
all the young, with whose pleasures he sympathizes 
always, and the old, who have learned to respect 
him for his excellent traits of character. Politi- 
cally he is a non-partisan, casting his vote for the 
men whom he considers the best qualified for office. 
During the war he received a commission from 
Gov. Yates .is Surgeon for the 60th Illinois Infant- 
ry, and was with his regiment for nine months and 
until overwork and exposure began to undermine 
his health. After returning from the army he was 
appointed b}- the President, Surgeon of the Board 
of Enrollment, Seventh District of Illinois, which 
position he held until the close of the war. Dur- 
ing that period he traveled quite extensively through 
the States of Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. 
He has also been and now is Examining Physician 
and Surgeon for several State insurance companies. 

KS. VALERIA LILLY, of Cnampaign, and 
widow of the Rev. R. 11. Lilly, is tlie 
daughter of John and Susan (McCulloch) 
Gordon, who were natives of Vermont. 
Her father was a farmer by occupation, and after 
his marriage located on a tract of land in Genesee 
County, N. Y., whence he removed to Illinois in 
1849. He first located in Coles County, where he 
remained until 1870, then removed to Missouri and 
was a resident of Phelps County, where he carried 
on farming until his death, which took place Oct. G, 
1873. His wife afterward returned to Illinois and 
lived with her daughter \'aleria in Champaign until 
her decease, which occurred Feb. 23, 1.SH.3. Of the 
parental household, which included seven children, 
four only arc now living: Mrs. T. li. Leal, of Ur- 
liana; Mrs. Lilly, of this history; Mrs. Sue Harnett, 
of Aspen, Col., and John, of Lutesville, Mo. 

Mrs. Lilly was born in the city of Os>fego. N. Y., 
April 29, 1834. She received careful home training 
and a good education and before her marriage en- 
gaged in teacbing in Charleston, this State. Her 




>»-■ ^" 



union witli Rev. R. H. Lilly took place on the 10th 
of August, 1857. Mr. L. was the son of Amiger 
and Catherine (McCutchen) Lilly, natives of Vir- 
ginia, the f.athcr born in 17G3, and the mother 
in 1775. 

Rev. R. II. Lilly was the third child of his parents 
and his birth took place in Bourbon Count}-, Ky., 
May 11, 1804. Mr. Lilly was educated at Paris in 
his native county and pursued his theological stud- 
ies at Princeton College, N. J. He was ordained 
as a Presbyterian minister at an earlj' age, his first 
charge being in Livingston and Caldwell Counties 
Kj% He was strongly opposed to the institution 
of slaver}^ and upon that account left his native 
State in 1844, and coming to Illinois, located in 
Urbana, where he otliciated as a missionary of the 
Palestine Presbytery until June, 1851. In Decem- 
ber of that year he was appointed the supply- of 
Urbana and also Monticello Church in Piatt County. 
He came to Champaign in 1857, which remained his 
home until his death, on the 14th of Januarys 1874. 
Rev. Lilly was a gentleman of fine capacities, both 
in a business sense and intellectually. He became 
a large land-owner in this State and disbursed with 
a generous hand of his means to benevolent and 
Christian purposes. This, united with his uniform 
kindness of heart and courteous treatment of all 
with whom he was connected, served to make 
him universally beloved and respected wherever 
known. The good influence which he exerted over 
all with whom he came in contact will live long 
after the friends whom he knew in his lifetime 
have passed away. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lilly became the parents of eight 
children, three now deceased: Charles H. married 
Miss Julia Putnam, and is now a merchant of 
Thomasboro, 111.; they have one child, a son, 
Henry W. ; James E., Fann}', Susie R. and John C. 
are living at Champaign with their mother; Mary 
C, who became the wife of Wiley Buckles, of this 
county, died when twenty years of age, in 1878, 
leaving one child, a daughter, Lillic; Clara died 
when eleven years old, and William G. at the age 
of two and one-half yo:irs. Mrs. Lillj' occupies a 
beautiful Ikjuic in Charn[>aign and is surrounded by 
scores of affectionate friends, who, during her long . 
residence here, have learned to value her at her true T 



V 



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I 



664 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



worth. She is a lady of rare intelligence, an orna- 
ment to society, and numbers her friends and asso- 
ciates anion" the best [leople of the city. 

INUS G. HUBBARD is a farmer and grower 
.g5, of small fruits, residing in Urbana Town- 
^ ship. Mr. Hubbard is a native of Vermont, 
and was born Jan. 24, 1844, near the village of 
Wilmington, Windham County'. Chester Hubbard, 
his great-grandfather, was born in 1770 in the same 
State, and our subject's father, whose name was 
George Crocker Hubbard, was also born in Ver- 
mont, in 1815. The family had been Green Mount- 
ain farmers for many j-ears, and George Hubbard 
owned a fine farm of 400 acres in that State. He 
marriod Miss Salome Green, the daughter of Clark 
and Submit (Hastings) Green, who was born in 
Amherst, Mass., in 1 815. and there reared to woman- 
hood. After his marriage George C. Hubbard set- 
tled on the farm where he still lives, near Wilming- 
ton, Vt. There they reared a tine family of six 
children, four of whom were boj's and two girls. 
Their names were as follows: Lizzie J., Linus G., 
Clara Bird, Porter G., Fred B. and Chester C. 

Linus G. Hubbard, the eldest son, but second in 
order of birth, passed his youth among the Green 
Mountains of his native State, acquiring such edu- 
tion as he could from the limited advantages of the 
district school. He was a patriotic, high-spirited 
boy. and at the age of eighteen, in the 3'ear 1862, 
enlisted in Co. F, 1 Otli Vt. Vol. Inf., as private, 
and served his country gallaiitli* until Aug. 13, 
1863. He was detailed on garrison duty at AVash- 
inglon, and particij)aled in the battle of Gett3's- 
burg. After being mustered out of the service at 
Brattleboro, A't., and honoralily discharged, he re- 
turned to his home and engaged in fanning. 

At about the age of twenty-three, Linus Hub- 
bard came west to Wisconsin, spending eighteen 
months in that State. In 180!) he came to Cham- 
paign County and purchased eighty acres of land 
in Tolono Townsliip. He remained there three 
years, cidtivating and improving iiis land, and 
in the meantime was united in marriage with 
Miss Helen Stanard. She was tlic daughter of 



David and Hannah (Maskins) Stanard, and was 
born in Bureau County, 111. Her father was a na- 
tive of the State of New York and her mother 
of Vermont. After our subject's marriage they 
lived on the farm in Tolono Township for two years, 
and then moved to their present home in Urbana 
Township. Their farm contains eight}' acres of 
valuable, well-improved land, located on section 
29. For the last eight years Mr. Hubbard li.as been 
very successful in raising small fruits, and runs a 
truck wagon to Urbana where he disposes of his 
products. There were no improvements on his land 
when he purchased it; now he has a pleasant resi- 
dence with good farm buildings. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard have a family of six chil- 
dren: George D., Charles L., Clara May, Fred C, 
Nellie M. and Minnie S. Mr. Hubbard is a mem- 
ber of the G. A. R. Himself and wife, with four 
of their children, are members of the Baptist 
Cluirch, in which they take an active interest. 

eHRISTOPHER BURNETT, a well-known 
farmer and resident of U'rbana Township, is 
a native of Yorkshire, England, where he 
was born June 17, 1840. His p.arciits, Thom.as and 
Elizabeth (Kirby) Burnett, came to America when 
Christopher was but thirteen years of age. Arriv- 
ing at the city of riiiladelphia, they first proceeded 
to Belmont County, Ohio, where they remained for 
about four months. Thinkiug to improve their 
circumstances by pushing further westward, they 
next came to Illinois, and settled in Vermilion 
County, where the fatlier engaged in farming. In 
1855 they changed their residence to Champaign 
County and settled in the vill.age of Urbana, which 
at that time was little more than a hamlet. Mr. B. 
followed his trade, that of a brick and stt)ne mason, 
in the little village as long .as his health would per- 
mit, l)ut s<»on succumbed to the disease from which 
he had for some time suffered, and died in 1864. 
His wife, who survived him until 1877, was the 
mother of eleven children, all of whom lived to 
maturity, and eight yet survive. 

Cliristopher Burnett received a good education 
in the common schools in England, and resided with 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 

665 



his parents until their death. He then began iiis 
career as a farmer, having had some experience 
therein when a boy, and operated on rented land, 
until he had saved sufficient capital to purchase a 
farm. After buj-iug and selling twice, he, in com- 
pany with his brother William, purchased a quarter 
of section 21, in Urbana Township, to which after 
a time they added eighty acres more. lie now has 
a shapely and substantial residence, with good barns 
and other out-buildings, and has been ver3' success- 
ful in raisingthe cereals. On the 25th of Decem- 
bei', 1879, Mr. Burnett was married to Miss Mary 
H. Jordan, daughter of Isaac and Mary (Albright) 
Jordan. Her parents were formcrl3' from Ohio, 
but are now residents of Farmer Citj', De Witt 
County, 111. Of this union there were born two 
children, a son and daughter — William and Mar^' E. 
Mr. Burnett is one of the School Directors of 
District No. 11, and is interested in the general wel- 
fare of his county, as becomes a worthy and useful 
citizen. Politically he is a stanch Pcpulilican. Mrs. 
Burnett is a lovely Christian lady and :i niemberof 
the Methodist Church. 



^3=4=4 






E» 




t 



C. BEACH, Mayor of Champaign, has been 
a resident of the Prairie State for the past 
f\l9)ll] twentj'-five years. He was born in Tomp- 
kins County, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1 835, and is 
the son of Rev. Edwards A. and Hhoda (Churchill) 
Beach, natives respectively of Vermont and New 
York. The grandfather of our subject, David 
Beach, was a millwright and mill builder by trade. 
He removed from the B.ay State to Guernsey Coun- 
ty, Ohio, about 1813, and thence went to Licking 
County, where he died in March, 1851. The par- 
ental household included four sons and three daugh- 
ters, all of whom, with the exception of one 
daughter, Mrs. Spooner, of Cumberland, (Juernsey 
Co., Ohio, are deceased. 

The father of our subject was reared to manhood 
on his uncle's farm, near New Lebanon, N. Y. He 
was of a thoughtful and studious disposition, and 
determined to secure a better education than had as 
yet been afforded him. In this he succeeded after 

^» 



persistent effort. He entered Amherst College, 
Mass., from which he was graduated in 1826, and 
also took a course at Willlianis College, Mass. 
Afterward he attended Auburn Theological Sem- 
inar}', and made such proficiency that he was 
graduated, in 182i), in less than a year after becom- 
ing a student there. He paid the expenses of his 
education b}' teaching and giving les.sons in vocal 
music. Soon after completing his studies he entered 
upon his ministerial labors in the Presbyterian 
Church at Stcphentown, N. Y., and continued in 
the Empire State until 1840. After removing to 
Ohio he was in ill-health for three years following 
and had no regular charge. In 1843 he removed 
with his family from Guernsey to Licking Count}-, 
where he entered the ministry again and continued 
uninterruptedly for a period of seventeen 3'ears. In 
1878 he removed to Illinois and settled in this 
county, which remained his home until his death, 
in May, 1881, after he had .arrived at the advanced 
age of eightj'-five years. The mother died Aug. 
11, 1887, aged eighty-one years. Six of the seven 
children who comprised the parental household still 
survive: David E. is Professor in Marietta Col- 
lege, Ohio; Beman C. ; Chandler B., connected with 
a book publishing house in Chicago, and Marianne. 
This sister went a.s a missionary to Turkey, in about 
1865, remaining there five j-ears, then, on account 
of failing health returned to the United States, and 
is now a resident of Chicago; D wight P., a resident 
of New York City, is manager of the N. D. Thomp- 
son Book Publishing Company, of St. Louis; Alice, 
Mrs. Bourcjuiu, is a resident of New Albany-, Ind. 
The subject of this history' remained at home 
until twenty years of age. Then, his time being 
given him, and wishing to still further perfect him- 
self in his studies, he attended Central College and 
Denison University two years. Afterward he took 
a trip into Iowa, where he spent one ^-ear engaged 
in teaching, then returned to Ohio and followed the 
same occupation for several j-ears. In 1859 he 
again turned his steps westward, and came to this 
county. He had been married that same j'ear to 
Miss Ilettie Condit, who w.as a native of Licking 
Count}', Ohio, and after coming into this count}' he 
engaged in farming jjursuits for six \e:irs follow- 
ing. In February, 1806, Mr. Beach abandoned farm 



t 



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666 



■*► 



•► 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



occupations, ami removing with his family to the 
city of Champaign, began dealing in grain, coal 
and machinery, which he has followed successfully 
since that time. He has been prominent in local affairs 
since coming here, and served as Alderman of the 
Fifth Waid fijr six years. In 1 880 he was elected 
Mayor, served one term and was re-elected in 
1885. He is n Republican in politics, and with his 
estimable wife a member in good standing of the 
Congregational Ciiurch. of which he was Superin- 
tendent in tlie Sunday-school for about twelve 
years. 

The family of our subject and wife included 
eight children, namely. Bayard E., a resident of 
Dakota; Clara, Mrs. Magoon, of Champaign; James 
C, Chandler C, Jessie L., Mabel II., Josephine II. 
and Paul M. Mr. and Mrs. B., with their children 
at home, occupy a handsome residence on West 
Church street, and are surrounded by hosts of 
friends. As a citizen and business man, our sub- 
ject represents the best element of his community, 
and in his official capacity displays the wisdom and 
forethought essential to a man intrusted with large 
interests, and the welfare of a rapidly growing city. 



^- 




P. CUNNINGHAM, dealer in drugs, books 
and stationery, is located at No. "25 Main 
4 street, Champaign, wliere he is carrying on 
a prf>fitable business and maintains a good 
position in social and financial circles. He is a 
native of Lancaster, Erie Co., N. Y., born Aug. 1 1, 
18.'5;?,and the sou of Hiram W. and Eunice (Brown) 
Cunningham, natives respectively of Unudilla, Ot- 
sego Co., N. Y.. and Bennington, Vt. The familj' 
came to Huron Countj% Ohio, in 1833. Hiram 
Cunningliam was a carpenter by trade, but after 
moving to Ohio, engaged in farming. The family 
included ten cliildren, of whom five are now living, 
namely, J. C. Sheldon, a half Itrothcr; J. ()., ex- 
Judge of Champaign County; Albert P. of oiu' 
sketcli; Olive, Mrs. Fisher, of Emporia, Kan., and 
Edwin W., a resident of the same place. The par- 
ents were devoted members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, of wliicli tlie father w.as a Class- 
r Leader for a i>eriod of fort^' years. He departed 






this life at his home in Clarksfield, Ohio, July 11, 
1800. The mother, surviving less tlian three 
years, died March 9, 18C9. Mr. C. was Postmaster 
at East Clarksfield, Huron Co., Ohio, for manj' 
years. 

The subject of this biography remained on his 
father's farm until twenty years of age, in the 
meantime receiving a coramon-scliool education 
and completing his studies in Oberlin College. He 
possessed consideraljle literary talent and was a 
frequent contril)utor to various daily and weekly 
papers as well as being the author of interesting 
articles in the druggists' magazines. He was the 
first editor of the Cliampai'jn VhudIij Ili'rnid, and 
from the first has been acknowledged as an inter- 
esting writer upon various sul)jects. He came \Vest 
in 1853, and for three months occupied himself as 
clerk in a dry-goods store. That same year he 
came to L'rbana, and not long afterward was given 
the position of Assistant Cashier in the Orand 
Prairie Bank, which position he occui)ied until 
18G2. The late war being then in progress, he 
enlisted in Co. G, 7Gth 111. Vol. Inf., as a private, 
being afterward promoted Second Lieutenant. After 
two years of service he was obliged to resign on 
account of ill-health. He was present at some of 
the most important engagements of the war, among 
them tlie siege and capture of Vicksburg. and partic- 
ipated in various skirmishes, besides enduring the 
hardships and severity of long and forced marches. 
After receiving his iionorable discharge, he re- 
turned to Urbana, engaging in the drug trade, and 
followed the same until 1880. He then sold out 
and embarked in the same business in Clianipaign. 
He now gives employment to four clerks and an 
assistant, and may be properly considered one of 
the jirosperous business men of a tliriving city. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Ophelia 
J. Seger, of Clarksfield, Ohio, took place in 1855. 
Mrs. C. is tlie daughter of A. \V. Seger, a native of 
Connecticut, and engaged in the stove and foundry 
business. Their family included six children, of 
wliom the wife of our subject was the eldest. Of 
this union there have been born four children — 
Elmer and George, now eniploj'cd in their father's 
store, Clara and Kalph at home. George is a stu- 
dent in the Illinois Lui versify. 



■•^0^4* 



i 



i 



-4^ 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



667 



Mr. Ciiiiningh:iiii is a warm supporter of the Re- 
publican party. lie serveil tiiree years as Mayor of 
LIrbana, i-opreseiited liis Ward as Alderman for 
several years and \v:is also upon the Sciiool Board. 
He became a member of the Illinois Pharmaceutical 
Association in 1881, was Treasurer one year and 
elected President iu 1885. Both he and his amiable 
wife are members in good standing of the Presbj'- 
terian Church. Mocially our subject belongs to the 
i\Iasonic fraternity, is a Knight Templar, and a 
member of the G. A. R. The family residence is 
pleasantly located on Church and .State streets, and 
is surnninded b}' the evidences of cultivated tastes 
and ample means. 



/^S AMUEL KOOGLER, one of the large land- 
^^^ owners of Scott Townsliip, and a successful 
III// 3) agriculturist, vas reared to the vocation 
which lie has followed thus far in life. His 
line farm in Scott Township comprises 1)00 acres 
of improved land, located on sections 7, 8, 17 and 
18. He keeps about 150 head of cattle on his 
place, and his crops consist largely of hay and 
grain. He has erected a fine residence, and made 
other valuable improvements since taking possession 
of his laud, so that it is now one of the most attractive 
spots in the landscape of Champaign County. His 
possessions are mainly the result of his own indus- 
try', and he has contributed in no small degree to 
the develoiuuent and prosperity of tiiis section of 
the country. 

Our subject is tlic youngest of six cliildrcn born 
to Jacob and Catherine (Hates) Koogler, natives 
respectively of Ohio and Pennsj'lvania. After mar- 
riage the parents settled in (irecue County, Ohio, 
where they carried on fanning and ri'mained llic 
balance of their lives. 

Samuel Koogler was boni Feb. II, 1825. His 
parents died in 18;52, when he was but seven years 
of age, and he was brought up by the husband of 
an elder sister. He remained a resident of his 
native county until nineteen years of .age, and then 
going to the town of Greenville. Ohio, engaged 
there in the grocery and drug business for about 
eight years. He then sold out, and in September, 



•►B-^*- 



1852, came to this State .and located first in Le 
Roy, McLean County. He spent one winter there, 
and the following spring rented a farm in Scott 
Township, this county, which he occupied four 
years, paying a cash rent of ^COO per year. He 
was prospered in his farming and business opera- 
tions, and in the meantime purchased a quarter 
section of railroad land, upon which he settled in 
1850, and which constitutes a part of his present 
homestead. To this he added as time passed on 
and his me.ans permitted, until now he has one of 
the finest farms in this locality, embracing a large 
body of tillable land. 

Mr. Koogler was first married, at Greenville, 
Ohio, to Miss Lucy Vantilburg, a native of that 
State. Of their four children the record is as fol- 
lows: Helen B. became the wife of Edgar Plum- 
mer. and resides in Hey worth, McLean County; 
Lizzie married Frank Jones, and resides in London, 
Ohio; Fallen, the wife of Edward Conkling, is a 
resident of Seymour, in this county; William died 
in infancy. Mrs. Lucy Koogler departed this life 
at the home of her husband in Scott Township, in 
1805. In 1800 Mr. Koogler formed a second mat- 
rimonial alliance, in this county. Miss Sallie An- 
dams, a native of Oliio, born about 1834, being 
the other contracting party. They became the (lar- 
ents of one child — Lucy, who died when about four 
j'ears old — and the mother departed this life in 
Scott Towiishii), about 1807. Mr. K. was again 
married, in McLean County, to Miss Jennie Pluin- 
mcr, of Ohio, and tliey have one child, a son, 
Frank S. Mr. Iv. is a meinl)er of the Methodist 
Church, and in politics a decided Republican. He 
has been Ro.ad Commissioner, Supervisor of Scott 
Township, and otherwise identified with local 
affairs. Socially he belongs to the Masonic frater- 
nity. 






ylLLIA.M G. CLARK came to Illinois in 
1840, when a young man, laying his first 
plans for the establishment of a future 
home. He had no possessions but his strong hands 
and willing heart, and at that time the face of the 
comilry in this section was widely different from 
the appearance which it presents to-day. Acres 



i 



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i 



668 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1 



upon acres of what have since proved the best farm- 
ing lands of the Prairie State, were then practi- 
cally nnopened to the settler. Young Clark en- 
gaged first at whatever his hands could find to do, 
working by the da}' or month, and a year later re- 
turned to his native .State of Ohio, where there 
was a maiden waiting to join her fortunes with his. 
.Soon after the wedding ceremony he started west- 
ward with his bride, and it is probable that had 
he known all which was to follow, stout as his 
heart w.is, it would have shrunk from the under- 
taking. He maintains now that he has seen the 
" white elephant " in all its ph.ases. Upon the re- 
turn trip to the Prairie .State, having lost one horse, 
he was compelled to assist the other animal himself, 
which he did by carrying one end of the neck 
yoke, and in this way traveled over a distance of 
a great many miles, his wife sometimes by his side, 
sometimes in the w.agon. After arriving at their 
journey's end, the}' located ujjou a small tract of 
land in Homer Township, and set up housekeeping 
in the most primitive style. Not living in a fash- 
ionable community their necessities were comp.ara- 
tively few, and perhaps they did not so much real- 
ize the discomfort then, while passing through it, 
as they have since, when comjiaring it with their 
later life, and its attendant comforts. 

Mr. Clark, a native of Ohio, was born among the 
hills of Clarke County, on the 12th of August, 
181'J. His parents, William and Catherine (Zeig- 
ler) Clark, natives of Pennsylvania, removed to 
the Buckeye State soon after tlieir marriage, dur- 
ing its early settlement. The father of our subject 
was born Aug. 25, 1771, worked as a farmer, brick- 
mason and shoemaker, and rounded up a busy life 
at the age of nearly seventy-nine years, in the 
county where he had first located, his death occur- 
ring in 1850. He was (me of the first to identify 
himself with the Masonic fraternity, of whose prin- 
ciples he was a great admirer, and in politics was a 
Whig. The wife and mother was born Sept. 4, 
1785, and departed this life on the old homestead 
in Clarke County, Ohio, in 1S71, when about 
eighty-six years old. She was a worthy and ex- 
cellent l.idy, and a devoti") member of the Baptist 
Church. The ni.arriage of the parents took place 
on the 28th of Decembei-, l.s(>7. Their nine chil- 
^1 



dren were born as follows: Samuel, Oct. 2, 1808; 
p:iizabeth, Sept. 3, 1810; George Z., Sept. 2, 1812; 
Lydia, Nov. 19, 1814; Michael, April 30, 1817; 
Mary, Dec. 10, 1821; John F., May 4, 1825; Ju- 
lia A., July 19, 1828; the birth of our subject has 
already been noted. 

The boyhood days of William G. Clark were 
spent inider the parental roof, where lie was vari- 
ously employed, assisting in cultivating the soil 
and working at intervals with his father at his two 
trades. He received but a limited education, and 
early in life began to lay his plans for the future. 
The lady whom he married after his first visit to 
Illinois, was Mi.ss Julia A. Robinson, who was born 
in Virginia on the 4th of November, 1822. She 
became the wife of our subject in Clarke County, 
Ohio, July 8, 1841. The family removed from the 
Old Dominion to the Buckeye State when she was 
a young girl nine years of age. Her parents, Leon- 
ard and Mary A. (Foley) Robinson, were also na- 
tives of Virginia, and the father was engaged in 
farming pursuits all his life. The parental family 
included four children, namely, .Sarah A., .lohn F., 
James II. and Thomas J. Mrs. Mary A. Robinson 
departed this life in 1830, and Mr. Robinson was 
married to Miss Maliala Burkly, of which union 
there was born one child, a daughter, Ro villa. 
After the decease of this lady, he was married to 
Miss Kliza Athcy, who became the mother of a son, 
Ciiarles D., and also yielded up her life a short 
time afterwai'd. The fourth wife of Mr. Robinson 
was Miss INIahala Jones, who became the mother of 
three chiUlren — Mary, Elizabeth and Eliza. 

A fine family grew up in the household of our 
subject and his wife, the record of his eleven chil- 
dren being as follows: Frances, the ehlest child 
and daughter, after reaching years of womanhood, 
became the wife of John M. Swearingeu, her wed- 
ding occurring on the 27th of March, 18C2; after 
becoming the mother of five children, she departed 
this life at her home in St. Joseph Township, May 
13, 1875. Walter married Miss Mary Price, and 
is residing in Kansas; Fulton died when one year 
old, and Helen L. when twenty-three years of age, 
on the 10th of April, 1872; Fidelia only lived to 
be a few months old; Cornelia became the wife of 
Joseph .Sanders, and lives in Ogden Township; 



I 



<^ 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



669 i, 



Harvey raarried Miss Eliza Price, and is farming 
in Kansas; Thorn tun married Miss Mary Correy, 
anil they are residents of Piatt County, 111. ; Louisa, 
the wife of C. Coble, resides with her husband in 
Kansas; Isabelle married John Gibson, of Ogden 
Townshif); George married Miss Louie Whetstone, 
and is farming in Ogden Township. 

It is liardl3' necessary to say, considering his 
present position, socially and financially, that the 
life of Jlr. Clark discloses an excoptionall}- worth}' 
and busy career. He labored industriously to re- 
deem his land from its primitive condition, and 
the results have exceeded even his expectations. 
Besides having a line property remaining, he has 
given each of his children $1,600 worth of land. 
His farm has proved exceedingly fertile, and some 
years he has gathered thousands of buslicls of corn. 
He has always taken an active interest in local mat- 
ters, contributing his means and influence to the 
support of worthy enterprises, alwajs voted the 
straight Republican ticket, and religiously conforms 
to the doctrines of the Christian Church. His son, 
Thoi'nton, is a minister of tlie Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and is a young man of great promise. Wal- 
ter has started out similarly, being a su|)ply of the 
same church, in which he has otliciated at intervals 
for fifteen years. Both sons possess considerable 
musical talents, being fire performers on the violin. 

Kev. Thornton Clark was born April 12, 185t), 
and from his earliest eliildhood evinced more than 
ordinary a|>litude, taking up his studies readily 
and completing them when eighteen years old. He 
then crosseil the Mississippi into Kansas, and for 
several years, in partnership with his brother Har- 
vey, engaged in tlie stock business and dealt in 
lands. He was married. .Ian. (i, 1.S76, to Miss Mol- 
lic Correy, in Mayview, this county, and thej' be- 
came the parents of two sons — \'inceiit A. and 
Clinton. Tlie first burn dit'd .hine 11, 1 1S7I). 

Mr. Clark returned to Champaign County the 
1st of October, lM!Sf), and began farming one and 
one-half miles east of .St. Jose[)h, where he remained 
two years, and thence removed to Maj'view. He 
continued farming there for about three years, and 
under the ministrations of Kev. Alleii McLeary, of 
Frbana, was awakened and converted, and soon 
afterward united with the Methodist Episcopal 
4* 



Church. He became an earnest Sunday-school 
worker, deeply interested in the cause of religion, 
and was licensed to preach June 6, 188.5. He be- 
came one of the most valued laborers in the vine- 
yard of the Master in that section, and for a year 
filled tlie puli)it at intervals. In Sei)tember, 1880, 
he joined the Illinois Conference at I'rbana. Dur- 
ing his first appointment, at Mansfield, he con- 
ducted a sweeping revival, and his subsequent 
course has been one of gradual advancement, until 
he is now numbered amoug the most valued mem- 
bers of the ministry in Central Illinois, although 
nor. 3'et thirty-two years of age. 



Tf/AMES HARMISON. The subject of the 
following sketch has been a resident of the 
Prairie State for over thirt3--fivc j'ears. Ar- 
riving in this State from Ohio, the place of his 
nativity, lie settled first in Dan vers, McLean County, 
where he built a hotel and officiated as "mine host" 
for one year. He next bought a farm near 
Bloomington, which he sold, and then [lurchased a 
half section of land near Saj'brodk, and nia<le that 
his liome until coming to this county. Mr. llarmi- 
son became a resident of this county in 1873, locat- 
ing in Trbana. There he purchased ten lots, upon 
which he put up seven houses, and from the income 
thus received has lived comfortably since that time. 
His present residence is on the corner of Lincoln 
and Clark streets. 

Our subject is a native of Muskingum County, 
Oliio, l)orn in 1818, and the son of Matthew and 
Fannie (Wliitelock) llarmison, both natives of \'ir- 
ginia. They went into Ohio in 1827, and located 
upon a tract of land in Muskingum County, which 
they occu|)ied however but a short time, and be- 
coming homesick returned to their native .State, 
where they spent the remainder t(f tlieir lives. Of 
their seven children, James of our sketch is the only 
one living. He rcniaineil at home in Ohio until nine 
years old, at which time the death of his mother 
occurre<l. Young llarmison was then bound out 
to a farmer, Mr. H. Harris, with whom he bved un- 
til twenty-one, receiving onl}' his board .•md cloth- 
ing, and worked so hard for his master in a coal 
■ .^ 



i 



670 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



•^ m[ <• 



bank that he became a cripple. After a daj''.s work 
ill the mine he was obliged to walk half a mile and 
feed twenty-five to thirty head of cattle, fifty sheep, 
and six to eight head of liorses. He would often 
return to the house with his shoes and stockings 
frozen on his feet, and his other clothing consisted 
only of a pair of linsey pants, a vest and a shirt. 
After serving out his time he engaged in peddling 
for a year and then hired out on a farm one year 
for S!l5 per month and board. 

Mr. Harmison was married in 1841, to Miss So- 
phia Will, of Licking County, Ohio, and the daugh- 
ter of Samuel and Margaret ((iable) Will, natives 
of Pennsylvania. They removed from tlieir native 
State at an early day, and locating upon a farm 
within four miles of Zanesville, there spent the re- 
mainder of their lives. They had a family of eight 
children, seven now living, namely, Lewis, Samuel, 
George, Alfred, Abraham, William, and Sophia, 
Mrs. Harmison. 

Our subject and his wife have three children: 
Samuel married Miss Rebecca Krist, and tiiey have 
ten children — Nettie, llattie, William, Eugene, 
James, May, Frank, John, Elmer and Grace; they 
are living in Kansas. (Jeorge married Miss Ellen 
JJunlap, and they have five children — Parkhurst. 
Charles, Lincoln, May, and an infant unnamed; 
they are living in Dakota. Rosetta became tlie wife 
of Alfred Coverdale, and they have three children 
— AUie B., Gi-ace and James — and live in Mt. Car- 
mel. 111. 

Our subject has always voted the Republican 
ticket, and with his wife has been a member of the 
Baptist Church since 1843. He is a member of the 
I. O. O. P., and held the oHice of Supervisor while 
a resident of McLean County. 




\ 



11^ ENRY PIPER. The State of Illinois has 
been for more than two decades the cyno- 
sure of many cj-es as one of tiie most 
desirable hx'aiitics in the West for the es- 
talilisliment of a peiinaiient home; and its fame is 
not confined to American shores, as the tide of im- 
migration from the Old World has fully indicated 
dining the period spoken of. These ideas in- 

-4« 



fluenced the father of our subject when, in 1842, he 
set sail with his family from liis native land. They 
first located in Canada, where the father died a few 
years later, and his son Henry then commenced the 
stern struggle of life. 

The birth of Henry Piper took place near Win- 
chester, England, on the Oth of February, 18;!(). 
He is the son of James and Keziah (Crops) 
Piper, and liis two grandmothers were both named 
Mary. By some unexplained circumstance the 
names of the grandfathers were omitted from the 
record our subject possesses. It is unciuestioned, 
however, that they were natives of England and 
performed their mission in life wortliily in tlie 
modest station to whicli Providence had assigned 
them. 

When Henry Piper was eleven years of age he 
was deprived by death of a father's care and turned 
out into the world to do for himself, his mother 
possessing limited means and not being able to i)ro- 
vide for him. He engaged to learn the tailor's 
trade, but his constitution rebelled against the con- 
finement of the sliop, and after three years he 
abandoned it for good. He tlien engaged to wt)rk 
on a farm for his board, and after two years re- 
joiced in the possession of restored liealth, witli a 
clear mind and good muscles. His next employ- 
ment was in a sawmill, where he remained until 
twenty years of age, and then resolved to make a 
decided change. Coming West liis first iialt was 
in Pesotum Township, this couiit3', where lu; en- 
gaged as a farm laborer, and made it his residence 
for two 3'ears. Afterward he went over into Doug- 
las County, where he commenced farming on 
shares, and was so successful that two years after- 
ward he was enabled to become the proud possesfor 
of eighty acres of improved land. The war was 
then in progress, but not having become a natural- 
ized citizen he took no i)art in the great conflict, 
but remained continuously on liis farm until the 
spring of 18S1. Then, l)eing seized with a desire 
to cross the Mississippi, lie rented his farm, and 
witli his family journeye<l into Washington Terri- 
tory, locating near Walla M'alla, witli the intention 
of remaining tiiere. The attractions there, how- 
ever, were not such as lie ox|)e('ted, so a 3'ear latei 
he retraced his steps, and regaining possession of 



r 



t 



■^•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



673 



f 



his farm settled himself contcntccUy with his fam- 
il3% auci since that time has been engaged in 
general agricnlture and stock-raising, making a 
specialty of Poland-China liogs, and uf late effect- 
ing arrangements for the breeding of Norman 
horses. 

The lady wlio shared the vicissitudes of twenty- 
four j'ears with our subject was formerly Miss Re- 
becca, fifth child of James and Rachel Young. Her 
father was a Kentuckian by birth and a farmer by 
occupation, and the mother a native of Indiana. 
Mr. Young in earlier days was quite prominent as 
a county ollicial, being a well-read man, and pos- 
sessed of a clear and accurate judgment. The par- 
ents of Mrs. Piper are now deceased. 

Our subject and his wife began the journey of 
life together on their Douglas County farm, where 
they remained for three years. Mr. Piper then 
sold out, and coming into liarvvood Township, this 
count}', purchased 200 acres on section 34. It was 
not inhabitable at the time, but the following 
spring Mr. Piper put up a house, inin which as soon 
possible he removed his family, and began to till 
the soil around it. In looking upon his present 
condition and surroundings it is hardly nccessar}' 
to say that he has been prospered in a marked de- 
gree. His tastes have been in accordance with his 
means, and although the homestead is, pcrhai)s, not 
as pretentious as that of some of iiis neighbors, j'ct 
the air of comfort which surmunds it is pleasant to 
contemplate. The farm stock is well fed and 
sheltered, and the family of our subject are sur- 
rounded by everything necessarj^ for their comfort 
and happiness. 

The four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Piper 
are all living. The eldest son, Jolm C, in Febru- 
ary, 1887, was niairied to Miss Emma .Steward, of 
Ilarwood Township, and is farming on a section 
adjoining the property of his father; the otiierciiil- 
dren — William H., .lennie and Carrie Elizabetii 
— are at home with tlieir father. The affection- 
ate wife and motlier, on the l!>tli of February, \XX(> 
passed away forever from earthlj- care and suffer- 
ing, having been a victim of that dread disease, con- 
sumption. Tiie twf) dauglilci-s now [jreside over 
the household. ISIrs. Piper w:is a lady greatly be- 
loved by her family and friends, distinguished for 



r- 



excellent judgment and kindness of heart, and in 
early life became a member of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church. Later she connected herself 
witli the Metliodisl K|>iscoi)al Churcli, of whicii she 
was a valued member at the time of her death. 

Mr. Pi|K'r politically is an active supporter of 
the Rei)ul)lican party. He has no desire for of- 
fice but contents himself by casting his vote and 
exerting his influence in support of the |)rinciples 
whicii lie believes a safe guide to the prosperity 
and lia|)piiiess of the people. 



,>>- 



-E# 



i^^l ORTIMER KILBURY, a well-known and 
/// l\\ li'n'ily esteemed resident of St. Joseph 
J w Towiishi[), traces his earliest recollections 
^ liack to the Buckeye State, where he first 

opened his eyes near Pleasant Valley, in Madison 
County, on the 1st of June, 18.52. He is the son 
of Asa and liutii II. (Clark) Kilbury, the former a 
native of \'eriiu)nt and the latter of Ohio. Asa 
Kilbury removed from the (ireen Mountain to the 
Biicke^'c Stale with his i)arenls when a bo}', first 
locating at Cleveland. I^ater he learned the black- 
smith trade but afterward engaged in fanning and 
stock-raising, whicii he carried on in Madison 
County for a iniiiilier of years, operating exten- 
sively', liecoining very successful and accumulating 
a line pro|)erly, including a farm of (100 acres near 
Pleasant \';illey in Madison and I'niou Counties. 
Finally, however, determined to see something of 
the more western country, he came to this county 
and purchased 1,100 acres lying partly in Ogden 
and partly in Soiiier Township. Here he established 
the business afterward carried on by his sons, J. S. 
and Mortimer, who came here in 1S73. 

The subject of this sketch passed his early years 
in Union and Madison Counties, Ohio, after the 
manner of most farmers' sons, attending first the 
district schools of his native township, and later, 
the High School in Pleasant \'alley. After coming 
to this county he began I'Mrming on his own account, 
making his home with his brother until his mar- 
riage, which took place Sept. 22, 1.S77. The l.'id^' 
chosen to be the sh.-ircr of his home and fortunes 
was Miss Mary L., second daughter of R. A. and Per- 



-•►■ 



T 



t. 



■*► 



.t 



674 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



melia (Auliuiids) Frie(lrieli, of Vonnilion County, 
111. After their uuiuu the young [jcople located on 
the land in Ogden Tovviisliip, where they lived until 
1H84, and then our subject, retiiiiig from active 
labor, took up his abode in St. .Joseph. He, how- 
ever, was not content to be idle, lint invested a 
portion of his c-ipital in lumber and farm imple- 
ments, in the trade of which he continued two years, 
then becoming homesick for countr^^ life again, 
took up his abode on some land belonging to him 
just outside the city limits, which will probably be 
his permanent home. Here he carries on, in an 
easy manner, general farming and stock-raising, in 
the latter branch of which he is making i)repara- 
tions to engage quite extensively, and whicii will 
include the breeding of horses. Here he has 100 
acres on section 1 1, in St. Joseph Township, besides 
the farm in Ogden Township, which contains 258 
acres. The Somer Townshii) farm embraces 130 
acres, and the whole landed [n-operty of our sub- 
ject includes about 500 in all. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer Kilbury 
consisted of two sons onl^' — Asa and Frederick, 
bright and promising boys who are develo[)ing into 
a manhood of whicli tlio (jarents will doubtless 
have reason to lie proud. Uur subject and his wife 
are members in good standing of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church at St. Joseph, Mr. K. being a 
Trustee and a man whose counsels are often sought 
both by his fellow-members in the church and by 
his townsmen generally. He is a stanch supporter 
of the Republican party, and a man in whom his 
friends have placed a conlidence which has never 
been betrayed. 

Asa Kilbury, the father of uur subject, departed 
this life at the homestead in Union County, Ohio, 
on the 5th of January, 1884, and the mother fol- 
lowed Sept. 20, 1885. The parental household 
included nine children, of whom five are living, 
two in Champaign County and the balance in Madi- 
son, Delaware and Union Counties, Ohio. 

Mrs. Mary L. Kilbury was born in Oakwood 
Township, Vermilion Co., 111., Feb. 11, 1857. Her 
father, R. A. Friedrich, a native of Prussia, was 
born in the little village of Dankerode, on the 
Ilarlz Mountains, Aug. 15, 18:i0, and was the son 
of Lophus Friedrich. The latter was bt)rn in the 




town (if Stolberg, Prussia, Marcli (i, 17!IG. and emi- 
grated to the United States, d^ing in Prince \\'ill- 
iam County, Va., March 30, 1851. His wife was 
the daughter of a dry-goods merchant by the name 
of Lippert, who carried on Inisiness in tiie city of 
Leipsic. She was born April S, liSOO, and died in 
Dankerode, Kov. 2, 1848. Mrs. Permelia (Au- 
hands) Friedrich was born in Montgomer3' County, 
Ind., Nov. G, 1835, and removed with her father, 
Andrew Auhands, to Vermilion County, 111., when 
about six years of age, iier motlier, Mrs. Margaret 
Auhands, having died about two years before. Mr- 
Frcidrich emigrated to America in the fall of 1848 
and is' still living, a gentleman of kindly Christian 
character, and enjoying the resi)ecl of niany friends 
and accpiaintances. 



EWIS L. HICKS, an extensive and promi- 
nent fanner and stock-raiser of Kantoul 
Township, is the owner of 1,1)00 acres of 
land in this county, and represents the bulk of the 
grain interests of this section, being a member of 
tlie lirm of Tomlinson & Hicks, operating a grain 
elevator in the northeast part of town, connected 
with the milling interests of Rautoul, and handling 
probabl}' 400,000 bushels of grain annually'. lu 
view of these facts it is hardly necessary to state 
that the name of this gentleman is familiar to many 
of the business men of Champaign Ct)unty, and 
that he has contributed his full quota toward the 
advancement of its .agricultural interests. He pos- 
sesses excellent judgment, more than ordinary ex- 
ecutive ability', and is of the persistent quality of 
character which seldom gives up a project when he 
has once determined upon its accomiilishment. 

Mr. Hicks is a native of Indiana, born near 
Perry ville, Vermillion County, Oct. 29, 1825. His 
father, George Hicks, a native of Massachusetts, 
engaged in agriculture the greater ))art of his life 
and trained his son carefully to habits of industry, 
noting with pleasure the evidences of the inherit- 
ance of his own rare business qualities and assist- 
ing to develop these by every means in his power. 

George Hicks left his native State early in life, and 
taking up his abode in Fiastern New York engaged 



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> 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



675 



i 



there ill fanning until his marriage. Soon afterward, 
with iiit- j'ouiig' wife, he juurneyed to Imliana, 
which at that lime was a vast wiklerness, with In- 
dians much nuire |)lentiful than white men. They 
located in the midst of tile timher tract, froin wiiicli 
the father of our suliject <>|ieiied up a good farm 
and wliere he passed the reniaiiider of iiis days. 
His family included four sons and four daughter.?, 
of whom six are yet living. 

The subject of this history, in common with his 
lirotliers and sisters, passed his early years on the 
farm in Indiana, and was carefully instructed dur- 
ing liis childhood ijy a private teacher. Later he 
entered Asbury University at Greencastle, Ind., 
and after completing his studies, entered a store in 
I'cn^ville, wliere he held the position of an edicient 
clerk for several years, and enjoyed in a marked 
degree the confidence and esteem of his employers. 

In 1S,5;! Mr. Hicks, desiring to see something of 
the country further west, came to this county and 
prepared to establish himself as a i)ermaneiit resi- 
dent. He iiurchased a tract of land north of the 
present site of Rautoul. where he oiiened up a farm, 
brought it to a good state of cultivation, and traded 
some in live-stock. His lirst purchase consisted of 
620 acres which he secured direct from the Govern- 
ment. This he occupied until after the close of the 
war, and in IsOf! took up his residence in Uantoiil, 
where he became engaged extensively in dealing in 
lumber, coal and grain, snbse(iuently adding agri- 
cultural implements. In the latter deiiartment he 
was the pioneer in this county and is still connected" 
with the business. His first partner was Peter 
M^'crs, with whom he operated two }"ears; the latter 
then withdrawing, his place was supplied by the 
admittance of Sheldon Tomlinson to' the firm. 
With this latter gentleman Jlr. II. has oi)ei'ated for 
the past eighteen years, and in point of business' 
ability, integritj' and good judgment the partners 
are well matched. JMr. Hicks, besides his interest 
in the elevator, grain and coal business, superintends 
the operation of six farms comprising his own land, 
which, throiigii the good judgment exercised in till- 
ing the soil, have become among the most valuable 
of any in the county. They ai-e well stocked with 
fine grades of cattle and horses, and the people who 
cultivate them form a colony by themselves. In 

-.^a 



addition to his fine cattle ami horses Mr. Hicks has 
made a s|)ecialty of I'oland-C'hina hogs, fattening 
large numbers annually and shipping b^' the carload 
to Eastern markets. The elevator operated by the 
firm is the largest in the town of Rant(»ul, substan- 
ti:illy constructed with a lirst-class engine and dump, 
and furnished with all modem improvements for 
handling grain. 

The marriage of our subject and Miss Kmily 
Hurtoii took place in Rantonl, 111., in 1S7((. The 
two living chililren are daughters — Kstella and 
liertha A. Their only son. Louis L., died in Feb- 
ruary, 1HH7, when seventeen years of age. This 
bereavement was a sad lilow to Mr. Hicks, in 
which he had the sympathies of all who knew them. 
Mrs. Hicks died in 1.S7.S, since which time Mr. II.'s 
daughters have l)eeii [iresiding over the household. 

No man in Hantoiil Townsiiip has done more to 
advance its farming interests than Mr. Hicks, and 
the history of his life, his industry, his perseverance 
and his successes should lie handed down to future 
generations as a career which thc^- should emulate, 
and for the encouragement of those who are am- 
bitions to be something and to .-iccomplish some- 
thing in the world. The fact that he began with a 
small amonnt of capital is iiy no means to his dis- 
credit, for those wlu) make a good use of capitiil, 
and like the character in the Scriptures, increase it 
tenfold, are comparatively rare. The contrary is 
usually the rule, and vast fortunes have been sunk 
through incompetence aiul prodigality. Due credit 
should therefore be given to the man whose judg- 
ment and manner of living have enabled him to 
make a success of his life whether it began with 
little or large means. In politics Mr. Hicks is a 
Republican. 

H. LLOYDE, of the firm of I). II. Lloyde 

& Son, dealers in school bot)ks, music, wall 
[laper, stationery, pianos, organs, sewing- 
machines, etc., is located at No. 'J Main 
where he established business in 1S7L He 
lear-headed and thoidugh-going citizen, and 
energy and indiistiy has contributed his full 
in bniidiiig np the business interests of the 

snbj(et is a native of Sprhiglield, Mass, and 




i 




.t 



676 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



was born June 11, 1835. He is the son of Capt. 
Davifl and Eliza (Seavei) Lloyde, natives respect- 
ively of Sijringlield and Somerset, Mass. David 
Lloj'de, Jr., when a youni;' man engiged in farnung 
pursuits, liut later developed as a contr.ietor and 
builder, lie rennived to Illinois with his family in 
1838, settling in Clarion Townshi|i, lUircau (_;oun- 
t}', and eonLinuing there until after tiie ontl)reakof 
the Rebellion. He then organized Co. K, D.'id III. 
Vol. Inf., of which he was commissioned Ca[)t;iin 
and became an ellicient ollieer, always being found 
at bis post. During the battle at \'icl<sburg, 
on the ICith of May, 18(52, be was shot through the 
heart, dying instantly on the battle-field. He left 
a wife and live children to mourn an irreparable 
loss. The children were: I). H.. of our sketch; 
Jennie, Mrs. Lee, of Attica, Kan.; James, a mer- 
chant and station agent at Milo, on the Missouri & 
Pacific Railroad; Lucy, Mrs. IIcrricl<,or Princeton, 
III., and George ()., a buildi'r :iiid contractor of 
Blooniington. 

The f.-ither of our subject was a prominent man 
in bis community, occupying the ollices of Super- 
visor anil .Instice of the Peace for :i nundjcr of 
years. He was well educated, .and taught school 
in the village of Lamoille, after coming into this 
.Slate, and took great interest in the establishment 
of schools, of which he located several in Bureau 
County. He kept the lirst hotel at Lamoille, at 
which the stages of those days i)Ut u|), and be 
assisted in building the court house, jail, and other 
jirominent structin'es in and around Princeton. He 
gave employment to a large force of mechanics, 
and .as a builder and contractor was not excelled by 
any man in that section. The aged mother .still 
survives, being seventy-seven years old, and re- 
mains on the old homestead in Clarion Township. 

The subject of this biography was three years 
old when his father came to Illinois, and early in 
life learned the use of tools, having inherited in a 
marked degree the genius of liis father in this 
respect. He commenced his education in the dis- 
trict schools, and afterward attended Judsou College 
in La Salle County, and Bercan College of Jack- 
sonville. He remained an inm.'ite of the household 
circle until twenty-one years of age, and then 
engaged as a builder and contractor. In the 
-^ 



meantime he, like bis father, bad also been greatly 
interested in the esUiblishment and maintenance of 
Sunday-schools, and has traveleil from |)lace to 
l)lace, holding musical and Sunda3'-school c<jnven- 
I tions in different States. While in Bureau County 
! he ofliciated as School Director, and was Commis- 
sioner of Highway's. After coming to Champaign 
he was employed as a teacher of vocal music in the 
University, and in 187.5 estalilisbed his present 
business, which be has eomluctcil since that time. 
He is a Republican in i)olitics, a strong temi)erancc 
advocate, and with his wife belongs to the Baptist 
Church, of which he was Chorister, Deacon and 
Trustee for a (icriod of nine \'ears. 

The marriage of D. II. Lloyde and .Miss Ellen 
P. Angier was celebrated in Lamoille, Feb. 25, 
1857. Mrs. L. is a native of \'ernn)nt. and the 
daughter of Rev. Aaron and Eliza (Luther) Angier, 
the former .i minister of the Baptist Church. They 
came to Illinois in about 1855, settling in Lamoille, 
Bureau County, where the father died that same 
year. Mrs. Angier survived her husband eight 
years, d}'ing in LSI!.'). 

Jlr. and Mrs. L. have a family of three sons: 
Frank IL. a graduate of the I'niversity, in the class 
of ls;7,S, was married in 1870, to Miss Fanu}' Core, 
and is the i)arlner of his father in business ; Clarence 
is a graduate of engineering in the Mechanical De- 
l)artment of Illinois Universit3', with the degree of 
B. S., and is now engaged with the I'nited States 
Electric Lighting Company of Chicago; Clifford 
L. is pursuing his studies in the High School on 
the AVest Side. The family I'esidence, a handsome 
and substantial structure, is located on West Clark 
street. 




ENRY J. LEIDEiNDEKKR. The subject of 
the following history, who is widely and 
favoraljly known in Ilensley Townshi|), 
!^i) as one of its rei)rosentative men and valued 
citizens is a fine specimen of the substantial 
German element which has .assisted so materially 
in developing the resources of the great West, and 
bringing it to its present i)roud pt)sition in the 
Union. Our subject was boin ne.ar Hereford in 
the Province of West[)halia, Prussia, Dec. 27, 18 10. 
^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 

677 , i\ 



His father, Albert Leideudeker, a native of tlie 
same Province, was there reared to farming piir- 
snits, and upon arriving at years of manhood was 
married to Miss Gretchen Snuekc, a native of Ills 
own town. AVhile a single man he served in the 
army under Napoleon and later under King Will- 
iam. He was with the former during the disastrous 
campaign of Moscow and suffered all the hard- 
ships of the retreating army. During the forced 
march, becoming exhausted he lay down in the 
snow, caring little whether he recovered or not, 
He was soon discovered by some of his comrades, 
and they compelled him to proceed, thus saving his 
life. After his marriage he engaged in agricultural 
pursuits, and also as an auctioneer and collector. 

In 18.56 Albert Leideudeker partially effected 
his arrangements for emigrating to America, but 
was taken ill and died in the fall of that 3'ear. Mis 
wife, the mother of our subject, remained in her 
native country and died there in 188.3. The si-x 
children of the household were: Mary, Eliza; Henry 
J., of our sketch ; Louisa, Katie and Ame. Eliza 
came to America, married F. A. Langc, and died in 
Hensley Township, this county, in 1876. This sis- 
ter and our subject were the only members of the 
family who came to the UnitiMl States. 

Henry Leideudeker received a good education 
in his native I.'ind, and when not in school assisted 
his father on the farm. He was not, however, sat- 
isfied with his conditiDii or his prospects in the 
Fatherland, and on the 11th of April, 1857, set sail 
from Ureuieu for Anicricu, landing in New York 
Citj' on the 16th of .lune. He left the lMn|iire 
State in a short time, however, and proeooding to 
Ohio engaged there on a farm until the spring of 
I8;")8. In March of that year he started for tiic 
farther West, and coining into this count}' com- 
menced, although but a ))03' of seventeen, to lay 
his plans for the future. He was a stranger in a 
strange land, l)ul tiiere is idniost alwa3's work for 
willing hands to do, and he soon found eiii|iloy- 
ment at ^11 per month. This lie considered a 
great improvement upon Ohio prices, as labor in the 
IJuckeyc State at that liuie only commanded aliout 
half liie price. Ileurv saveil his e;iru lugs and tiic 
following year foinid himself with means to pur- 



t= 



eh;ise an outlit and engage in farming on his own 



account. He rented land for four years following, 
and then purchased eighty acres on section 22, in 
Hensley Township. Upon this, however, there 
were no buildings, so he continued to cultivate 
rented land, and in 18G5 sold out and purchased the 
homestead he now occupies. But a few .acres of 
this were broken and there were no buildings. Un- 
der his care and industry, however, the originally 
wild land has been transformed into a fine inod- 
eru homestead, where our subject and his family 
enjoy all the comforts of life. Here he h.as erected 
a fine set of frame buildings, and planted fruit and 
shade trees, besides making other valuable improve- 
ments. T(j his first [)urchasc he also added until 
he has novv 320 acres in one body, and ir,i) acres in 
.Sargent Township, Mower Co., Minn. 

Mr. Leideudeker was married on the ?th of .Si-i)- 
tember, 1872, to Miss Rebecca Epperson, a native 
of Crawfordsville, Ind., and the daughter of Rich- 
ard and Ellen Epperson, natives of Virginia. This 
lady died on the 6th of February, 1881, after 
having become the mother of two children — Albert 
R. and Mary G. The second marriage of our sub- 
ject occurred Feb. 10, 1886, Miss Amelia Harris, 
who w.as born in Muskingum Count}', Ohio, and the 
daughter of Lazerus and .lulia Harris, also natives 
of that State, becoming his wife. Of this marriage 
there has been born one child, Frank E. Mr. L. 
is Re|)ublican in |)olitics, and with his wife is a 
inemlier in good standing of the Methodist Episco- 
l)al Church. He enjoys the confidence and esteem 
of his fcllow-townsinen in a marked degree, and 
has held various ollices of trust in his township. He 
served as a mcmlier of the Hoard of Supervisors 
four terms, and in all res|)ects is a man whose opin- 
ion iscousulted upon iniporlaut matters, aiul whose 
judgment it is safe to follow. 



—...^ •o♦o.•@JA.<^^•.o♦o.. -v-- 

^ ERLKY A. RUSK is the son of one of the 
earliest pioneers of Morgan Count}', Ohio, 
who afterward became a resident of this 
.State. He isplca;autly located on section 
12, Rantotil Township, where he has eighty acres of 
improved land and a good set of f.arm buililings. 
Mr. Rusk was born on the 1 Itli of March, 18ii7, at 




n 



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.t 



678 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



the parental homestead in Ohio, and came to this 
State in 18G8. 

liiimphrcv Rusk, fatlier of our subject, was a na- 
tive of \irgiiiia. He grew to nianliood in the Old 
Dominion, and soon after his marriage started over- 
land with teams for the Buckeye State. A part of 
his road lay through t lie wilderness and often he was 
obliged to cut his way through with his ax. After 
reaching ^Morgan County lie purclia.sed a tract of 
timber laud and erected a log house, in which the 
family took uj) their abode as soon as it was covered 
b}' a roof. He cleared the greater part of his pur- 
chase, then sold out and Iiought laud in anotlier 
township of that county. After a few 3'ears he sold 
this al.so l)ut I'eniaiued a resident of the county as 
long as he lived. AVhile on a visit to his son in this 
county he was seized with fatal illness, and died here 
in the fall of 1 S(iO. Tii(> mother of our sidiject, 
whose maiden name was Alargaret McDonald, was 
born in Virginia, and followed the varied fortunes 
of her husband until his death. She aftciward came 
to this county and made her home with our subject. 
While on a visit to Indiana, in May, 1S82, her life 
suddenly terminated at the home of her daughter, 
£li/.a Jane Baldridgc. 

Perley A. Rusk was noxt to the youngest of ten 
children comprising the parental household. He 
pursued his early studies in the district schools 
with commendable interest, and when eighteen 
years of age entered the Ohio University at Athens 
and applied him.self to study for two years after- 
ward. He then engaged as a teacher during the 
winter sesisons and in the summer was employed in 
farm pursuits. He remained a resident of his na- 
tive State until 1859. In March of that year he 
came to this State, locatiiig in De Witt County, and 
farmed and taught school alternately for ten years 
following :in<l until becoming a resident of Cham- 
paign County. In the fall of 1808 he visited the 
count}' and bought 1 00 acres'of unimproved land in 
Compromise Township, of which he took possession 
the following year. He worked diligently for nine 
years folh>\ving, cultivating the soil and erecting 
an inexpensive residence and barn, and in the 
meantime he also taught school eight or nine terms. 
In 1878 he rented a tract of land, upon which he 
operated two 3' ears with fair success, and tlion [lur- 



chased the place where he now resides. This em- 
braces eighty acres well drained and fenced, and 
productive of the rich crops of thel'rnirie State. 

The wife of our sul)ject, formerly- Miss Martha 
Buchanan, to whom he was married Sept. 10, 1857, 
in Morgan County, Ohio, was born in Harrison 
County, that State, and is the daughter of William 
Buchanan. Her parents are now deceased. The 
children of our ^uliject and his wife, ten in num- 
ber, are William II., Carrie, David. Volney, Frank, 
Albert, .lohn, Mattie, INIinuie and Ella. Mr. and 
Mrs. R. were Presbyterians, joining in 18,^2, but 
united with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1 88(1, 
by letter. Our subject politically is a Prohibitionist. 



■^AMES N. SMITH, a prominent farmer of 
I'rbana Township, is the oldest son of Jacob 
and Margaret Smith, auil was lioru in Cham- 
paign County, Nov. 20, l.s.'iO. He received 
a common-school education, and nt the same time 
a thorough and practical training in all the details 
of farming. His father was one of the pioneers of 
Champaign County, and at that time farm hands 
were scarce and very diflicult to obtain, conse- 
quently the lioys were required to work early and 
late. In those days school f.acilities were of sec- 
ondary importance and the advantages for book- 
learning were at best ver^' limited. But the disci- 
pline of hard n'ork and systematic application to 
business is an excellent educator, and made of our 
subject a self-reliant man. 

James N. Smith remained with his jiaronts on the 
farm until the age of maniiood, when he married 
Miss Lizzie, daughter of Caleb Williams, and be- 
gan farming for himself until the war broke out. In 
1802 he enlisted in Co. B, 7(;th III. Vol. Inf., and 
took part in the seige of Vicksburg, the battles of 
Jackson. Miss., Ft. Blakely and many other engage- 
ments. On one occasion he received a severe shock 
from the explosion of a shell, which rendered him 
unconscious for several hours. In July, 18G5, he 
was honorably discliarged from the service. On 
his return from the ami}' he settled on his present 
farm, which is one of the finest in the township. It 




t. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



679 



contains 240 acres with a fine, handsome residence 
and substantial farm buildings. Mr. Smith is an 
enterprising, cnei'gelie man, .'ind is quite cxtensivel)' 
engaged in stock-raising, giving his attention spec- 
ially to the best breeds of cattle and hogs. 

The four children of the household arc Ellis, Eva. 
Bertie and Merviu. Jacob Smith, the father of our 
subject, was born in Shelby Countj', Ky., in March, 
180.5, and was the eldest of ten children, the off- 
spring of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Potter) Smith, 
natives of Germany. He was married in 1833 to 
Miss Margaret J., daughter of .Tames and Hester 
(Fulton) IJeattie. Her jiaternal grandfather was a 
native of Scotland and emigrated to America be- 
fore the Revolutionary War. The parents of Mrs. 
Smith died in Boone County, Mo. Of their family 
of ten children, but four lived to maturity. After 
Jacob Smith came to Champaign Count}', he set- 
tled on the land which is now included in the 
homestead, and where his widow resides. His death 
occurred in 1854. The Fulton branch of Mrs. 
Smith's family was of English origin and settled in 
Washington C'ountj', Va., where she was l)orn in 
1814. She is now in the seventy-third year of her 
age, is quite .active in mind and body, and is held 
in high esteem by all who know her. 



f 



^-^^^f^syti^ 



<5<-^<^Stf^ 




I 



fUAAAM T. MILLER, the proprietor of a 
good farm on section 0, Scott Township, 
and a gentleman who tliornnghl}' under- 
stands the vocation in which ho is engaged, CMme 
to this county in the spring of 1800. His real 
estate consisted of 2113 acres of valuable land, fur- 
nished with a good set of farm buildings, and 
stocked with graded animals. Everything about 
the |)reniises is kept in good order, and the home- 
stead on every hand gives evidence of llic super- 
vision of an intelligent and progressive farmer. 

Our subject is ;i native of Ross County, Ohio, 
and was born near Chillicothe, Dec. 2i\, 1H41. lie 
is the son of William U. and EIizal)etli (Streevy) 
Miller, the former a native of \'irgiuia, .-ind the lat- 
ter of Ohio. After marriage the parents located 
in the latter Stiite, in the vicinity of Chillicothe, 
where the}' spent the remainder of their lives. The 



family consisted of two children, of whom our sub- 
ject was the youngest. 

Young Miller attended the district schools in his 
childhood and remained under the home roof until 
fifteen years old. He then went to work on a farm 
and remained a resident of his native county until 
coming to Illinois. During the progress of the Inte 
war, he became a member of tiie 18th Ohio In- 
fantry, serving from Feb. 22, 1.S04, until the suc- 
cess of the Union army w.as assured. After receiv- 
ing his honorable discharge, he returned to Ross 
County, Ohio, .and from there, in the spring of 
1800, proceeded to the Prairie State, and this coun- 
ty, of which he has since been a resident. 

Mr. Miller was married in Piatt County, III., 
Sept. 27, 1870, to Miss Elizabeth, daiigiiter of 
Thomas A. and Elizabeth (Robinson) Branch. The 
father of Mrs. Miller w.as born in X'irginia, and her 
mother in Tennessee. After marri;ige, Tliom.as 
Branch and family located in \'irginia, where they 
lived about two years, and then removed to .Sanga- 
mon County, 111., subsequently to Piatt County, 
and Later to Champaign County. Their last d.aj's 
were spent at Sej'mour, .'ind their remains are buried 
at Monticello, Piatt County, HI. Of their twelve 
children, Mrs. Miller was next to the j'oungest. She 
was born in Piatt County, this State, April 28, 1 848. 
The children of Mr. and Mrs. ftliller, five in num- 
ber, were Mimiie F., Frank W., Fannie, Chester B. 
and Goldie M. Frank W. died when three and 
one-half years old. Mr. Miller is a stanch sup- 
porter of Re|niblican principles, has served .as 
School Ti'ustee, and has been otherwise identified 
with local affairs. Mrs. Miller, a lady highl}- re- 
spected in her community, is a member in good 
standing of the Christian Cluirch. 



#"^ 



ALEXANDER WIUTE M(CULLOlTGH, 

of Uriiana Township, is a pioneer of this 
county, .'ind one of iicr most respected and 
honored citizens, lie w!isl)orn on the lOth 
of Februiiry, l.sio, in Franklin County, Pa. The 
family are of Scotch and Iiish extraction, and i\Ir. 
McCuilongli's grandfather, .Fohn McCulloiigli, was 
born in New Castle Count}-, Del. When a child 




i 



4 



•4^ 
680 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



=^- 



4 



eight years of age, John McCiilloiigh was captured 
by the Delaware Indians. His parents were at that 
time living near Upton, in Franklin County, Pa., 
and j'oung McCulloiigh was held a prisoner by the 
Indians for eight years and four months in Ohio 
and Western Pennsylvania. He was a brave, high- 
spirited boy, and was treated so kindly by his 
dusky captors, that after his return home he ran 
away and rejoined tlicm. 

Our sul>jecl's fatiier, James MeCullough, married 
Miss Margaret White, the daughter of Alexander 
White, and about the j'ear 1.S22 they removed to 
Delaware County, Ohio. Their family consisted of 
six children, only two of wliom are living at the 
[)resent time. 

Alexander W. MeCullough was married in l.S-12, 
to Miss Elizabeth Syler, the daughter of Frederick 
and Sarah (RobiiTson) Syler. She w.as a native of 
Pennsylvania, and was l)orn July 9, 1S24. After 
his marriage JMr. MeCullough and his wife con- 
tinued to live in Franklin County until I8r)4, 
when they removed to this county and located in 
Urbana Township, where the3' liave since perman- 
ently resided. He first invested in timbei-ed 
land, which he cleared and cultivated, and in the 
meantime In'ought up and eihicalcd a family of 
eight children, whose names are as follows: James; 
Adeline, the wife of Nelson Raney, residing in 
Sumner County, Kan.; Anna E.. tlie wife of .loim 
Bond, residing near Tolono; Frederick, a resident 
of California; Margaret, the wife of Samuel IJur- 
wash, residing in Philo Township; Benjamin, a 
resident of C.'difornia; Albert, a resident of this 
county, and .lolm, who lives on tlie homestead. 

Mr. MeCullough is iiigiily esteemed by his com- 
munity', and formerly served as School Director 
for about ten years. His family' are all members of 
the Methodist Church, in which they take an active 
interest. In his earlj' life he was a Jacksonian 
Democrat, later he became an old-line Whig and 
has since become a standi Republican. His son 
James served in the Civil War, and was so severely 
wounded at the storming of Ft. Blakel^' that he 
was obliged to lose his left .arm. Mr. MeCullough 
is now seventy-eight years of age, and his wife is 
sixty-three. They have p.assed nearly half a cen- 
tury of liappy married life, during which time 



they have encountered and overcome many diffi- 
culties, and their declining daj^s are crowned with 
I'epose and comfort. 



■irs^^^^o^ 



vi: ->rvir- 



IJ.SAIAH ESTEP, a reliable businessman of Ran- 
I toul, has there built u|i a successful tr.ade in 
/i\ agricultural implements, in which lie has dealt 
since 1870. He began life in the town of Wells- 
ville, Cohiuiliiana Co., Ohio, on the 24th of August, 
181C, ,ind is the son of Ilein'y and Al)igail (Ander- 
son) Estep, the ft)rmer a native of ^Maryland, and 
who, after locating in Wellsville, changed his occu- 
pation from that of a ship carpenter to a farmer. 
Afterward he removed to Kirkersville, wiiore he 
engaged in mercantile liusiness, and later went to 
Delphi, Ind., and occupied himself in a drug-store 
until his ileath, in 18C8. The mother of our sub- 
ject w.as the daughter of Benjamin Anderson, and 
was of Scotch-Irish origin. He was prominent as 
a seceder ami a man of mucii force of character, 
having a good head for business affairs and obtain- 
ing much influence in his locality. The marriage 
of Henry and Abigail Este]) was productive of 
twelve children, of whom six are still living. The 
mother died at Danville, III., and was buried in 
Deli)!ii. 

The paternal grandfather (jf our subject, James 
Estep, served seven years in the Revolutionary 
War, and at the close of that struggle took up his 
abode in the then young State of Ohio, locating in 
the forest, on the banks of Mahoning Creek. He 
there lived after the pioneer f.ashion, reared his 
family, and pursued the life of a peaceable citizen, 
respected by his neighbors and beloved I)y his 
family. Late in life he left Columbiana for Stark 
County, where he spent his last days. One daugh- 
ter of this family is still living, being now an aged 
lady of eighty j-ears and making her home in 
Leavittsburg, Ohio. The Estep family is of En- 
glish origin, possessing all the substantial traits of 
their ancestors, [)ersistent in their business, faithful 
in their friendship, and diflicult to be moved aside 
from their opinions and the line of strict morality. 

Isaiali Estep, the eldest of his father's family, 
passed his boj'hood in his native county, and was 



■t 




RESIDENCE OF GYRUS A RN OL D , 5 E C 3 5 , PH 1 LO TP, 




RESIDENCE OF WT 5 . VANCE , SEC . 3 , BROWN TP. 







RESIDENCE OF A.J. REED, SEC.25.,PHIL0 TP. 



t 



■^•- 



CIIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



681 ' 



fifteen years of age when the family removed to 
Stark County. There ho grew to inaiihood and 
selected for his wife Miss Savilla Smith. Ilcr par- 
ents were furmerlj- from Bedford County, Pa., and 
became residents of Stark County. Ohio, when Mrs. 
Estep was sixteen years of age. After marriage the 
young peoi^le located near the town of Canton, 
where Mr. E. engaged in wagon-making and gen- 
eral hlaeksniithing, and it is maintaine<l that he 
manufactured some of the best road vehicles in 
that part of the State. His first removal was to 
this county, in the spring of 1H.57, when he settled 
on a farm in Ludlow Township, where he engaged 
in iigi-iculture until the spring of 1S70. He then 
established a shop in Rantoul, where he carried on 
general biaeksmithing and in due time began to 
handle farm implements. Later he abandoned black- 
smithing and gave his entire attention to building 
up his trade. He was one of the first to engage in 
this business here and controls a patronage extend- 
ing over a large territory. His stock includes all 
kinds of f.arm machinery and his establishment is 
the leading one of the kind in this section. His 
methods of doing business have established him in 
the confidence of the people of Kantoul and vicinity, 
and he is ranked among its representative citizens 
and business men. 

Of the ten children who came to the hume of 
Mr. and Mrs. Estep, nine are still living. The 
record is as follows: Edwin W., soon after the out- 
break of the Rebellion, and under the first call for 
75,000 troops, enlisted in the 4th Ohio Infantry, 
and was wounded at the first battle of Chancellors- 
ville, but recovered and lived to come home with his 
comrades; he is now engaged with a firm at Akron, 
Ohio. Ephraim J. is f.arming near Puget Sound, 
W.'ish. Ter. ; William H. served as cavalry soldier 
in the late war; Arthur, also in the Union army, 
died at Helena, Ark., in 1862; Charles is engaged 
in biaeksmithing at Rosedale, Kan. ; Ezra, a car- 
penter and pattern-maker, resides at Piano, 111.; 
Harry C. is acting as civil engineer, having gradu- 
ated at the State I'niversit}' ; May. who became the 
wife of Daniel Tuite, is now a widow and resides 
with her parents; Jessie is also at liome; Ida M. 
died .Ian. -2'}. 18S7. Mr. Estep was School Trustee 
in Ludlow Township for ten years, and was other- 



wise coiniected with its various interests, moral, 
educational and industrial. Formerly he was an 
old-line Whig, but on the abandonment of that 
parly gave his supi)orl to Republican principles, with 
which party he claims a ciiarter meml)ership. 



C-^» 



^- 




1869. 



ATRICK fJREEN, a worthy member of the 
i) farming community of Colfax Township, is 
pleasantly located on section 20, where he 
took possession of 160 acres of land in 
His present fine farm was then an unim- 
proved tract of prairie, which he has transformed 
into a fertile and valuable estate. It is all neatlj' 
enclosed with good fences, thoroughly drained with 
tile, and embellished with one of the finest sets of 
buildings in Champaign County. The possessions 
of our subject have been obtained by the toil of his 
own honest hands, and now that he has secured 
valuable possessions he knows full well how to take 
care of them. 

Mr. Green is a native of County Roscommon, 
Ireland, born Nov. 7, 1842, and is the son of James 
and Marcella (Green) Green, natives of the same 
countr3^ When our subject was a little lad of 
three years old, the parents with their two children, 
set sail for America. Only a part of the little 
family, however, was permitted to reach the land 
of promise. The father and one child were taken 
violently' ill, and died on the ship in mid-ocean. 
The bereaved mother and her son, our subject, 
landed at Montreal, Canada, where they remained 
for two years following. They then came to the 
States and sought the prairies of Illinois, settling in 
the city of La Salle, where the mother is still living 
and has attained the .age of seventy-two years. She 
w.as married the second time, to William Maloney. 

Our subject resided with his mother until reach- 
ing manhood, employing his time in honest labor at 
wiiatever he could lind to do. In ilue time he had 
accumulated suflBcient of his earnings to purchase 
a team, and followed teaming at La Salle successfully 
for a nmnber of years, oarning in the meantime the 
money with which he purchased his present home. 

Mr. Green was married on the Dth of January, 
1.S71, to Miss Maria Hopkins, a native of his own 



•►^li-^ 



i 



I. 



682 



I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



county. Their weddiiiy: took iihice in the city of 
La Salle, 111. Mrs. G. is the daughter of .lohn and 
Bridget (Feenej-) Ho[)kins, natives of Ireland, and 
now residents of Syracuse, N. Y. Our subject and 
his wife have heoome the parents of six children — 
James, Frank, Ma^', Mareella, George and Bessie. 
The parents and their children are regular attend- 
ants of the Roman Catholic Cluirch, and the familj' 
enjo3'S the entire respect of the community and the 
society of many friends. Mr. Green is an advocate 
i>f the principles of the Democratic party. 



AM IT EL FUX 



j-^^ A.\ll ^.J> fUA, ot-St. .Joseph, is we 
_^^^ favorably known in his conimunit; 
(ft/jl) straightforward and thorough-goins; 



if^ St. .Joseph, is well and 
lity as'ra 
busi- 
ness gentleman, and one whose, word is a 
sufficient guarantee for the fulfillment of his prom- 
ises. The early home of Mr. Fox was near Salem, 
Columbiana Co., Ohio, where his birth took place 
Oct. 21, 1841. His parents, .John and Nancy 
(Bender) Vox, were natives of Pennsylvania and 
of German ancestry. The grandfather of our sub- 
ject, Christopher Fox, was a soldier in the War of 
1812, in which he yielded up his life in battle. He 
had married and become the father of a family, his 
wife being formerly Miss Bicker. Among their 
sons w.as John, the father of our subject, who was 
also born in the Keystone State, and emigr.ated to 
Ohio when a single man. He was there married 
and located with his bride in Columbiana County, 
where he lived for many years, and thence re- 
moved to Stark County, locating on a farm, where 
his death took place in the spiing of 1 8CG. The 
wife and mother survived her husband several 
years, dying in Stark County, Ohio, in 1876. The 
parental family consisted of four sons .and seven 
daughters, all of whom lived to mature years, and 
with one excei)tion are now living. 

The subject of this history was the sixth child of 
his parents, and grew to manhood in Stark County, 
Ohio, receiving a fair education in the district 
school. In l;iying his plans for the future he 
resolved to loarn llie blacksmith's tiade, and go.ng 
to Canton, commenced at this and followed it until 
the outbreak of the late war. Then, being tvventj' 



3-ears of age, he enlisted as a I'nion soldier and 
served three 3-ears, being connected mostly with the 
United States .Signal .Service. During that time his 
duties called him into fourteen different States, and 
gave him a fine opportunitj- of viewing the coun- 
try located mostly south of Mason and Dixon's 
line. After the surrender of the confederate army 
he, with his comrades, received his honorable dis- 
charge and was mustered out in June, 18C.5. 

Mr. Fox upon retiring from the army, after a 
brief visit to the home of his youth, proceeded to 
La Fayette, Ind., where he engaged with a com pan v 
who were carrying on the manufacture of Buckeye 
Mowers, and continued with them until taking up 
his residence in this county. He first worked in 
Champaign two years, becoming a partner of J. W. 
Spalding, a wag<m manufacturer. Upon coming to 
St. Joseph, in 1874, he opened up a blacksmith- 
shop, and subsequently formed a p.artuership with 
S. Irons, in the sale of .agricultural implements. 
They continued together two years, and Mr. 
Fox then disposed of a half interest in the black- 
smith and repair shop to Mr. E. A. Birdzell. 

The maruiage of .Samuel C. Fox and Miss Maria 
Bowshier, of La Fayette, Ind., took pl.ace at the 
home of the bride's parents, in the spring of 1868, 
Eight years later this lady died, leaving one son, 
named Gu3'. The second wife of our subject, to 
whom he was married in 1880, was Mrs. Maria 
Piatt, of La Fayette, Ind., daughter of Alexander 
Julien, and widow of Benjamin C. Piatt. 

.Since coming to this county Mr. Fox h.<is been 
identified considerably in township affairs, serving 
as President and member of the School Board, 
and socially i* Commander of Post N(j. 220, 
('. A. 11. He cast his first presitlential vote for 
Al)rahani Linct)ln, and has always been a stanch 
supporter of the Republican party. 



J^OHN CONNOR, retired from the activ< 
labors of life, and enjoying the comforts ol 
a home and competency earned by honcsl 
' toil, is one of the most highly esteemed resi 



OHN CONNOR, retired from the active 

of 
icst 
t^// toil, is one of the most highly esteemed resi- 
dents of Rantoul. He started out for himself when 
a youth eighteen years of age determining to seek 
his fortunes in tiie Prairie State. His parents occu- 



i 



M. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



*t 



68A 



pied a medium position in life, lived comfortably', 
but were not able to provide their son witli t)tlier 
resources than a fair education and tlie upright and 
straightforward principles which had in them the 
basis of their own course of action. They liad 
trained him to habits of industry, and he was will- 
ing to earn an honest living at whatever he could 
find to do. He first engaged as a laborer on the 
C, B. & Q. R. R. during its grading and laying of 
ties, and after the rolling stock was set in motion 
he was promoted brakenian. He was an apt scholar 
and watched with an attentive eye the workings of 
the locomotive machinery, and soon announced his 
belief in his ability to manage the engine. Time 
proved that lie had not overrated liis capacities, 
and in liis subsequent position as engineer he ac- 
cpiitted himself creditably and with satisfaction to 
all concerned. In l.s,57, desiring to see his parents 
and the faces of his old friends, he returned to his 
native State of New York, and remained until 
1859. In the spring of that year he started for the 
West again, and coming into this county, purchased 
a tract of wild land in Hantoul Townshi|), on sec- 
tion 14. Farming in tlie West proved far more 
satisfactory tliau the same occupation in the East, 
and he accordingly settled down conteutcdl}' upon 
his purchase, improving his land, setting out trees 
and erecting buildings, ,and established a good 
homestead, where he remained for a period of 
nearly twenty yeai's. 

In 1S80, having accumulated a handsome prop- 
erty and a competency, Mr. Connor decided to 
retire from active labor, and accordingly i>urchas- 
iug the property wliicli he now occupies in Rantoul, 
removed to the citj', where he proposes spending 
the remaining years of his life. This lattei- prop- 
erty occupies four lots, witli a spacious lawn and 
yard, ornamented with choice shrubs and sliade 
trees. The dwelling is a handsome and commodious 
structure witii a carriage barn and other neeessar}' 
buildings in the rear, and ever^'thing arranged for 
the comfort and pleasure of the family. 

The birth of Mr. Connor took place in Troj', 
Rensselaer Co., N. Y., April ;>, 18:i7. His father, 
Martin Connor, a native of County Limerick, Ire- 
land, grew to manhood on his native Isle and was 
there married. Soon afterward he emigrated to the 



United States, settling first in Troy, N. Y., whence 
he removed within a year to Stephenson and after- 
ward to New Lebanon Springs. Near this latter 
place he purchased a farm which he operated for 
a number of years, and then leaving it in the hands 
of a tenant, pnrch.ased a home in New Lebanon 
Springs, to which he repaired, and spent the remain- 
der of his life retired from active labor. His decease 
occurred in June, 1 880. The mother, formerly 
Miss Bridget Costello. was a native of the same 
county as her husband, and b}' her marriage with 
Martin Connor became the mother of six chil- 
dren, namely, Mary, John, Michael, Thomas, James 
and Martin. She departed this life at the home 
farm at New Lebanon Springs in about 1851. 

AVhile a resident of his native countj', John Con- 
nor, in his boyhood, made the acquaintance of Miss 
Mary Murphy, which, as years passed on, ripened 
into a mutual affection which was not forgotten 
after he left his old home for the West, conse- 
quently, in 1858, he returned to his native county 
and there married the maiden of his choice. Mrs. 
C. is the daughter of Patrick and Bridget (Lynch) 
Murphy, natives of County Limerick, Ireland. They 
emigrated to the United States about 1837 or 1838, 
and reared a fine family of sons and daughters in 
Rensselaer County, N. Y., where the wife of our 
subject was born. The seven children of Mr. and 
JMrs. John Connor are Charles; Carrie, the wife of 
Morgan O'Brien of Tolono; Willie, Hattie, Frank, 
Walter and Earle at home. The family are all 
members of the Catholic Church, and in politics 
Mr. Connor is a Democrat. 

\w AMES BARTLEY, who bears the honor 
and distinction of being one of the oldest 
settlers of St. Joseph Township now living, 
is a n.ativc of the Buckeye State, his birth 
taking place in Pickaway CouTity, on the 2d of 
June, 1817. His ancestors originated in Germany, 
where his maternal grandfather, (Jeorge West, was 
born, and miuried a la<ly of his own country. The 
father of our subject, Jacob Bartley, w.as born in 
\'irgiuia, where liis pMrcnts hail settled after tiicir 
marriage, locating near Fredericksburg, in Albe- 



^ 



1- 



L. 



I 



684 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



marie County. The father was a shoemaker by 
trade, which occupation he folhjvved during life. 
He went to Ohio while a young man unmarried, 
and there formed the acquaintance of Miss Sarah 
West, who became his wife in about ISlti. The 
young people located in Pickaway Count}', occu- 
pying a farm until the fall of 1830, thence remov- 
ing to Vermilion County, this State. They stopped 
there, however, only about eighteen months, then 
came to Champaign County about the time of its 
annexation to N'erniiliou, and when Danville, the 
new trading- post, was first established. 

Upon coming to this county Jacob Bartley en- 
tered 1(10 acres iif tinil)er land on section 23, St. 
Joseph Township, and .'ifterward entered eighty 
acres of |)rairie land. His first business was to put 
up a small log cabin, into which the}' uKjved be- 
fore it had a chimney, a fireplace or a floor. The 
family thus passed one summer very comfortably, 
but before winter approached were obliged to 
make different arrangements. Jacob Hartley en- 
tered upon the improvement and cultivation of his 
land, and employed his spare time at shoemaking. 
He was thus employed until resting from his earthly 
Labors in the spring of 1 836. There were left with- 
out support the mother and ten children, the record 
of the latter being as follows: Oeorge, the eldest, 
is deceased; Mary became the wife of Michael Lep- 
ner, and is deceased; Joseph died in California, 
where he had gone during the gold excitement of 
184!); John is living near Lafayette, Ind.; Eliza- 
beth married William Stewart, of this count}'; 
James, of our sketch, was the next in (jrder of 
birth; Jacob died near llrbana; William removed 
to Kansas, wiiere his death took place about 1875; 
Sarah is the wife of I). B. Slayton, of St. Joseph 
Township, and Heiny, the youngest, died on the 
old homestead. 

'I'he boyhood and youth of .lames Bartley were 
spent on his father's farm, where he remained after 
the death of the latter until he reac:hed his majority, 
lie then commenced life on his own account, and 
for four years following worked by the month as a 
farm laborer. The young men of those days 
usually early in life established themselves in a lit- 
tle place which they could call their own home, 
and our subject being no exc^eption, was married 
4» 



in 1841, and -then felt that he h.ad commenced life 
in earnest. The sharer of his home and fortunes 
was formerly Mrs. Mary M. (Swearingen) (iiven, 
and soon afterward they settled on the old farm, 
which had been opened up from the uncultivated 
prairie by the father of our subject, and which his 
son leased until the estate was finally settled. 
When the apportionment was effected James l)Ought 
out the interest of the other heirs, and has contin- 
ued to reside there until the present. It now em- 
braces 145 acres under a good state of cultivation, 
and Mr. B. hns of late years turned his attention 
principally to the raising of stock. 

In due time there came into the household of 
our subject and his wife six children, the family 
finally including three sons and three daughters. 
Of these William II. died when an interesting 
youth of eighteen years; Mary became the wife of 
George W. Doyle, a practicing physician of Pike 
County ; John married Miss Amanda Ilanley; Sa- 
rah is the wife of O. A. Seaton, of Jewel City, 
Kan.; James M., a machinist, is a resident of Indi- 
anapolis, Ind.; Amanda is the wife of S. II. 
Thompson, of Kansas. 

Mr. Bartley cast his first presidential vote for 
President Harrison, and since the abandonment of 
the Whig party has cordially endorsed the princi- 
ples of the Republicans. He is pa.ssing down the 
jiill of life surrouuded by the friends whom he 
has known for so many years, and whose respect 
and esteem he has enjoyed to a marked degree, for 
he has lived honestly and uprightly, and in all re- 
spe<'ts fulfilled the obligations a of good citizen. 



OHM FOWLER. Among the attractive 
prairie homes of Compromise Townshi|), 
none is more pleasant to look upon than 
(^^7/ that of our subject, which is finely located 
on section 1 7, and presents a series of cultivated 
fields and pasture lands, not excelled by any in 
this part of Cham|)aign Count}'. In the midst of 
these, and on a gentle rise of ground, stands the 
substantia! family residence with its shapely ;ind 
will-kept out-buihlings, with here and there groups 
of shade trees antl other adornments, which consti- 



: 



t 



■4»- 



t 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



685 



tiitc altogetber the liome of refinement and pros- 
IH'iity. Mr. Fowler, a native of the wealtliy and 
populous State of Ohio, was born Sept. G, 18:31, on 
his father's farm anion"; the hills of .Marion County. 
His parents, ^\■illy .-iiid (yiitliia (I'erkins) Fow- 
ler, beyan life together as husliand and wife in 
Muskingum County, Ohio, a few years after its 
first settlement began. 

The f.ather of our subject, a native of Lincoln- 
shire, Kngland, was born in 17'J«, remaining in his 
native shin' until reaching manhood. Then, .ac- 
companied by two brothers, Robert and Richard, 
he crossed the Atlantic, and soon after landing, 
located in Muskingum County. Ohio. After his 
marriage he continued to reside in that county a 
few years, then removed to Sandusky and engaged 
in agricultural pursuits, and was thus occupied dur- 
ing the i-emainder of his life, resting from his 
earthly labors in 18;')."). The mother is still living. 
anil is now in tiie eighty-sixth year of her age, hav- 
ing been born in ISOl. Of their thirteen children, 
seven lived to attain their majority. These were, 
Alvira, now the wife of Ira Faurot; Willy; Rich- 
ard, now deceased; John; Asenath, the wife of 
Ballard Sluitts; Princess, Mrs. Franklin Fills, and 
Cynthia, the wife of Charles Dam-ide. 

The subject of our sketch was reared on the 
farm, and educated in the common schools. He 
w.as married in Hardin County, Ohio, .Sept. 4, IS:>S. 
to .Miss Amelia Cross. She was born in Parkman, 
Ohio, Oct. 27, 1835, and is the daughter of Abram 
and Priscilla (\'anSeoy) Cross, now deceased. 
After his marriage, Mr. Fowler purchased a tract 
of land in Marion County, consisting of 220 acres, 
and which he occupied and cultivated until Febru- 
ary, 18(;/). Selling out, he came to this State, and 
located in \"ermilion County, near the line of 
Champaign. Some years later he removed to a 
farm near Homer, known as the Ray farm, com- 
prising 6-10 acres of land, and which he rented until 
his removal to near Danville. From there he came 
to this county, and locating near Pentield, for three 
years operated 3,000 acres known as the Corbley 
land. 

In 1881 Mr. Fowler took possession of his pres- 
ent property. This comprises "240 .acres which 
would sell readily at $00 per acre, and is chielly 



•►-■-^^ 



devoted to the raising of grain and stock. 



Mr. 



Fowler is a stanch supporter of the Re))ublicau 
party, and although not repairing to the Held dur- 
ing the late Rebellion, .aided by his means and in- 
fluence in upholding the Union .sentiments. He 
has never been an oIKce-seeker, preferring to give 
his time and attention to his private interests, 
although while in his native .State he served as 
Assessor. Mrs. Fowler is a lady highly respected 
in the community, and a consistent member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. The record of the 
nine children who were given to this household is 
as follows: Flla, Mrs. Craig, is a resident of Ver- 
milion County. 111.; Arthur, when twenty-four 
years of age, was aecidentally drowned while bath- 
ing in the river near Red Oak, Iowa; Fiidej' is 
Superintendent of the hirge farm of •' Long " John 
Wentvvorth, near Summit, in Cook County ; Clara 
Belle died at the age of seventeen months ; N'annella, 
John \\'., (Ir.ace, Bertha and iJaisy are at home 
with their parents. 



V^ 



> ^& l-^ 



TSSiS-T 



Tl 



i 



OIIN SNIDER, a highly respected farmer of 
Scott Townshi|), and a gentleman i)erfectly 
familiar with the vocation in which he is en- 
_ gaged, owns KK) acres on section 24. All 
his Land is in a tillable condition, and a dwelling 
with other necessary farm buildings has been con- 
structed with an eye to comfort and convenience. 
Our subject is the son xjf J.acob and Jane (Bodinc) 
Snider, natives respectively of Orange and Ulster 
Counties, N. Y. Prior to their marriage, they re- 
moved to Hamilton County, Ohio, where they be- 
came man and wife, and spent the remainder of their 
lives. The father died in December, 1872, and the 
mother in December, 187(;. The parental house- 
hold included seven children, four sons and three 
daughters, all of whom lived to become men and 
women. 

The subject of this biography, who was the fifth 
child of his parents, was born in Hamilton County, 
Ohio, March 20, 18.54. He received a coTiimon- 
school education, and remained under the home 
roof until twenty-four years of age. He was then 

■ ► I 



i 



!, 



4*- 
686 



■1» ». <• 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



married, and continued a resident of Hamilton 
Count}' a year afterward. In 18.59 he came to this 
State, and purchasing eighty acres of land in La 
.Salle County, made that his home until liS72. He 
then sold out, and purchased 1(!() ncres in Scott 
Township, this county, where he h.is since resided. 
He has been uniformly successful in his farming 
operations, and is counted among the thrifty and 
enterprising citizens of tliis section. 

The marriage of Mr. Snider tooii place in Ham- 
ilton County, Ohio, on the 2.5th of March, 18G8. 
The lady of his clioice was Miss Catherine L. Sut- 
ton, the eldest child <jf Reader E. and Mary 
(Thompson) Sutton. They were natives respect- 
ively of Hamilton and Warren Counties, Ohio, and 
after their marriage remained residents of the lat- 
ter county for some time, removing afterward to 
Hamilton County, where the mother died Maj- 9, 
1883. Mr. Sutton is a carpenter by trade, but has 
also been engaged considerably in farming. Thc}- 
were the parents of seven children, three sons and 
four daughters. 

Mrs. Snider was born in Deeitield, A\arren Co., 
Ohio, March 5, 1837. Our subject and his wife 
became the parents of five children — Daniel, Olive, 
Arthur L., Leilus, who died in Scott Township, 
Jan. 22, 1883, .and Eveline. Mr. Snider politically, 
alKliates witli the Democratic [Jarty, and lias held 
the ollice of School Director in his township for 
twelve consecutive years. 



^^EORGE W. HARWOOD, insurance and 
III g= loan agent, at Champaign, a gentleman in 
^^SJ the prime of life and possessed of fine busi- 
ness capacities, has been a resident of this State 
since 1866, when he [(urchased a tract of land in 
Newcomb Townsiiip. After farming for a period 
of five years, he removed to the city and, in part- 
nership with Mr. J. A. Shafer, engaged in tiie sale 
of agricultural implements, under the firm name of 
Shafer & Harwood. This partnership continued 
until August, 1873, wiicn our subject soli I out iiis 
interest in tlie business and for three years after- 
ward was emph>yed as clerlv for (ieoi-ge F. 15eards- 
ley. At the expiration of lliis time he j<iineil .Mr. 



B. in the real-estate and loan business, which tliey 
operated jointly for seven years, then divided up 
the profits, our subject taking the insurance and 
part of the loans, and Mr. B. part of the loans and 
the real-estate department. Although their business 
is separate, they still occupj' the same office in tiie 
Metropolitan Block, and keep up their friendly rela- 
tions as of old. 

The subject of our sketch was born in North 
Brookfleld, Worcester Co., Mass., Sept. 18, 1841, 
and is the son of George and Angeline (Allen) 
Harwood, natives of the same county' as their sou. 
The father of our subject engaged in agricultural 
pursuits upon the farm where his father, George W., 
and his grandfatlier. Peter Harwood, had lived. 
The latter was a .Major in the Revolutionary War. 
The gi-andfather of our subject, George W., mar- 
ried, and reared a family of nine children, all 
excepting two living to mature years. Of these the 
father of our subject was the fourth child. He 
w.as reared on his father's farm, and during his 
early life engaged in stock-raising. About that 
time lie was appointed by Gov. Andrews, Justice of 
the Peace, which office he has since held. He has 
also been Assessor of his native town two terms 
and is one of the Directors of the Savings Bank 
there. I'olitically he is a warm supporter of the 
Rei)ublican party. His family included four chil- 
dren, the mother of whom died in 1867. The eld- 
est was Anna M., Mrs. F. R. Doaue, of North 
Brookfleld, who died in 1867, and left a famil}- of 
three children — George R., Eden F. and Albion 
II.; George W. of our sketcii was the second child; 
Ethan A. is farming on the old homestead, is mar- 
ried and has one child, Aima M.; Frances A. mar- 
ried II. K. Cummings, a merchant of North Brook- 
field. 

The subject of this notice was reared on his 
father's farm and pursued iiis primary studies in tiie 
district schools, traveling a disUmce of one and 
one-half miles daily for the purpose, until lie was 
fourteen yc;irs old. After this he became a student 
in the High School of the village, where lie re- 
mained two years, and for a liki' period following 
was employed in a Ijoot and shoe factory. There- 
after he worked on a farm until in .Vugust, 1862. 
The Civil War lieing tiien in progress, he enlisted 



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h 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



687 



- 



in Co. K, 36th Mass. Vol. Inf., ami remained in the 
service until peace wiis declared. He entered as a pri- 
vate, was first promoted Second Sergeant, and after- 
ward First Lieutenant, lie was present at the battles 
of Fredericksl)urg, Vicksburg, Miss., and Knox- 
ville, Tenn., and in the engagements at Sputtsyl- 
vania Court House, Campljell Station, Cold Har- 
bor, .lacksou. Miss., and Pegrein Farm, taking part 
in seventeen regular battles besides many skirniishes. 
He received a tlesh wound in the right leg at Jack- 
son, Miss., and was wounded in the neciv at Camp- 
bell Station, Tenn. His regiment was i)resent at 
man}' of the important battles of the war, w-here 
our subject stood bravely by his comrades, sharing 
their duties and .privations. 

After retiring from tiie arm}', Mr. H:ii'wood 
resumed his employment one year in the boot and 
shoe factor}'. In 1800 he came to Illinois and after 
his location at Newconib, and while carrying on 
farming, served .asTown Clerk and Supervisor, and 
was interested generally in public affairs. His subse- 
quent course wc have already indicated. 

Mr. Harwood was married, Nov. 27, 18t)G, to 
Miss M.ary N., daughter of Abel and Mary D. Har- 
wood, of North Brookfield, Mass. Mrs. H. was 
Itorn in Kentucky, and removed with iier i)arents 
to this .State when a young gill. Our subject and 
ills wife occupy a pleasant residence at the corner 
of Linn street and University avenue, where they 
are surrounded by all the evidences of refinement 
and cultivated tastes. Mr. H. is Republican in 
politics and belongs to the G. A. R. He also, with 
his excellent lady, is prominently connected with 
the Presbyterian Churcli, of whicli he has been an 
Elder several years. He is a wide-awake, clear- 
headed business man, and is rated accordingly 
among the friends and associates of over twenty 
years. 



Vf^OHN II. WVNK, who resides on section 20, 
Harwood Town.ship. is the eldest child of 
William and .\I;irgaret (Rulledge) Wyne, 
and was born in .Jefferson County, Ind., Fel). 
•24,1842. His father is a native of \'irginia, and 
the son of Kdward Wyne, and the family are pi'oba- 
bly of German extraction. Our subject's nu^thei' 



was a native of North Carolina, and the daughter 
of Henry and Betsy Rutledge, natives of North 
Carolina. William AVyne fcjUowed the occupation 
of farming throughout his entire life. In his child- 
hood he was taken from Virginia to Kentucky, and 
when grown to manhood moved to Indiana, and be- 
came one of the pioneer settlers of that State. He 
is of a reserved and retiring disposition, t.aking no 
active part in politics, and giving his attention 
mcjre exclusively to his own family affairs. 

.lohn H. Wyne, our subject, remained at home 
until he was eighteen years oi :igc, accpiiring such 
education as could be obtained at the district school. 
He then removed to the village of Volga, Ind., 
where he successfully engaged in the business of 
harness-making, and continued at his trade as a 
journeyman for nine years. On the 2d of Febru- 
ary, 1871, Mr. Wyne was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary J. Thompson, the }H>ungesl child of 
Price and Hannah (Johnston) Thompson. Her 
father was born in Ohio, but his parents were natives 
of the State of New Jersey, the father being a fai- 
;ner. Price Thompson died Feb. 5, 1855, and his 
widow was again married, to George W. Bowman, 
of Ohio. In October. 1873, Mr. Bowman died. 
She then came to live with her daughter, Mrs. 
W^yne, where she spent the last fourteen years ol 
her life. She was a consistent Christian lady, a 
member of the Baptist Church, much beloved by 
her family, and held in very high esteem through 
the entire comni unity. 

In the March following their marriage, John H. 
Wyne and wife left Indiana for this county, where 
he first i-ented land, and for five years successfully 
conducted a farm. When, by econom}' and indus- 
try, he had acquired sullicient capital, he pnrcha.<ed 
forty acres of i)artly improved land located on 
section 20, Harwood Township, where he now re- 
sides. He gives his attention especially to raising 
grain. 

While the Civil War was in progress in 1863 Mr. 
Wyne enlisted in the 82d Indiana Infantry, but on 
account of ill-health remained only three months 
in the service. Shortly after his discharge .■ind 
return he was drafted for the service, but again 
rejected on .-iccount of disability. In politics Mr. 
W. is not restricted by party spirit, but alw:iys casts 



f 



t. 



688 



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.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



bis vote for the ineu whom he consiflers best fitted 
for the position. While lie has inherited something 
of his father's reserved disposition he is to some 
extent interested in public affairs, and has frequently 
been elected Road Commissioner in the district. 
Himself and his wife are both members of the 
liaptist Church. They have but one child — Miles 
Earl. 




^HEOIMULUS P. BARNES, one of the self- 
made men of Champaign County, who came 
to the West in his j'onng manhood, and as- 
sisted in the development of Central Illinois, is 
now in the enjoyment of a fine homestead and a 
competency, and for the last twenty-two years has 
been located on section 10, Compromise Township. 
His possessions are tlie result of his own persever- 
ing industry, as he laid the first foundations and 
has been the main builder. His boyhood days 
were passed a th.)usand miles eastward, near Phil- 
lipsburg, Warren Co., N. -L, where he was born 
Aug. 7, 1816. His parents were Gresham and 
Mary (Miller) Barnes, who taugiit liim his first les- 
sons of industry, while at tlie same time he studied 
his books in the subscription schools during the 
winter season, and assisted his mother around the 
homestead in the summer. Ilis father, being a 
carpenter, was mostl}' absent from home, and the 
family possessed modest moans, having little be- 
yond what they labored for. 

When fourteen years of age our subject went out 
to work on a farm, and was thus occupied during 
the summer season until eighteen years of age, in 
the meantime pursuing his studies in the winter. 
He had inherited much of the mechanical skill of 
his father, and .at the age mentioned began work as 
a carpenter, for which, alUiough never having served 
a regular apprenticeship, he received wages at 
first. Following the fashion of most of the young 
men of those days, he married young, before he 
was twenty years old, but continued with his par- 
ents until tlic fall of 1837. Then, accompanied by 
his young wifs and child, ho left liis native State, 
and started by teams for Marion County, Oliio, 
wliich was the homo of his fatiior-in-law, Paul Cy- 
phers. 'I'iie journey oociijiiod over tliree weeks, 



and they traveled after the manner of those daj's, 
carrying their provisions with them, cooking by 
the wayside and sleeping in their wagons at night. 
Soon afterward he rented a house, and worked at 
his trade one year, then rented a tract of land and 
followed farming in the Buckeye- State until the 
fall of 1853. 

During the latter year, our subject, hearing of 
tlie glowing reports which came from the rapidly 
growing State of Illinois, was induced to set out 
once more on a long .and tedious journey, and with 
his family lie traveled all the way bj' team from 
Ohio to Spring (irove Township, Warren County, 
this State. He rented land there which he operated 
upon for a year, and then purchased 160 acres of 
uncultivated prairie, improved eighty acres, built 
a house, and remained there eleven years. In the 
spring of 1805 he sold out at a good price, and 
purchased 240 acres in Comiiromise Township, this 
county, where he was joined by his family the fol- 
lowing year, and which has been his home since 
that time. He has proved liimself entirely worthy 
of a prominent place among the intelligent and en- 
terprising farmers of this section. His land is in 
a good state of cultivation, and prolific of the 
choicest crops of the Prairie .State. The farm 
buildings arc conveniont and well constructed, and 
the whole presents a picture which is delightful to 
the eye of the passer-b^'. She who began with him 
in his first effort for the establishment of a home, 
passed from the scenes of earth on the lOtli of 
March, 1883, after haying been his faithful and 
sympathizing companion for over a quarter of a 
century. 

■ The wife of our subject in her girlhood was Miss 
Nancy Cyphers, and their marriage took place in 
the spring of 183.5, in Warren Count}', N.J. Mrs. 
Barnes was the daughter of Paul and Hannah 
(Campbell) Cyphers, and was born in Warren 
County, N. J., in 1813. Of her union with our 
subject there were born eleven children: Christian 
P., the eldest, is living on a part of the homestead; 
Paul C. when twenty-two years of age, enlisted in 
the 1st Illinois Infantry, and served six months, 
after vvhicli he returned home and died at his 
father's house in lH('i7; (Jrosliani served sixteen 
months in the l.'Stli Illinois Cavalry; .loliii .M. 



^ 




Residence OF John Leonard , Sec. 23., Condit Town shi p. 



"^^^^^^^sP^^^^sa^^KS^^^EK^ 



s'!5lfc^'i#Wi!;r?J--;t-..y--.'-"'' 




Residence of J. R. M- Clelland , 5ec. 16., Brown Township. 




Residence OF Henry H aw baker, Sec. 31., N ew comb Township. 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



691 






served one j'ear; S. C. and William I)., with Han- 
nah A., live on the honiestead with tlieir father; 
Uenben died when young; Mary is the wife of 
Ilirara Lennox, of Ilarwood Township : Frank 1'. 
died when twenty-one years of age. and -lames, 
the j-oungest, is also on the homestead. 

(iresham Barnes, the father of our subject, was 
horn at Phillipsluirg, Warren Co., N. J. Ilis father 
died when he was seven years old, and he then 
went to live with his grandfather, remaining until 
the death of the latter. Afterward he was taken 
to the home of his uncle, and engaged in farming 
pursuit* until nineteen ^-ears old. JSubsequently 
he took up the carpenter's trade, .and after serving 
a thorough apprenticeship, was married to Miss 
M.ary Miller, and continued to reside in his native 
count}', working at his trade, until the fall of 183S. 
lie then started overland for Marion County, Ohio, 
accompanied by his family, including his invalid 
wife who had not walked fi)r a period of thirteen 
years. After reaching Ohio, he purchased forty 
acres of land, aiid followed agriculture in that State 
until 1853, when he repeated liis former ex[jeri- 
ment and started overland for the western part of 
this State. After arriving in Warren Count}', he 
worked at his trade four years, and then removed 
by team to Kansas. Four months of life in that 
State satisfied him, and he then retraced his steps, 
and located once more in Warren County, 111., 
where his death took place in October, 1857. Tlie 
mother of our subject had passed from earth and 
the scenes of her sufferings while the family was in 
Ohio, her death taking place in July, 1839. Her 
remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at Mt. 
Gilead, and her children will reverence her mem- 
ory as long as life endures. The parental family 
included four children : Sallie A. is now living with 
her brother, the subject of this sketch; tiie latter 
w.as the second chihl; Elizabeth died in Oliiu in 
1840, and Reuben served as a Union soldier during 
the late war. 

The paternal grandparents of our snl)ject, 
Gresham and Margaret (Phillips) liaines, were both 
natives of Warreti County, N. .1., wh(!re they were 
reared, married, and spent their entire lives. Their 
five children were Klizabcth, (iiesham, Stephen, 
Mary and Elsie. The great-grandparents of our 



subject on his father's side were Gresham and 

Elsie (Mackey) Barnes, natives of Virginia and 
New .lersej' respectively. The former was a wcavei- 
by occupation, and left the Old Dominion at an 
early day. settling at Phillipsburg, N. ,1., where he 
and his wife si)ont the remainder of their lives. 
The family vvas widely and favorably kn<jwn 
throughout that section, assisting greatly in shap- 
ing its society and its politics, and furnishing by 
their thrift and integrity, an admirable example of 
true worth. In politics, our subject has alway.s 
been a stanch Democrat. 

lf^\ ARTIN BROWNFIELD, who is pleasantly 
located on a good farm in Somer Township, 
is a native of this county, and born Dec. 
•21, 1849. His father, Robert Brownfield. 
was a native of Harrisim County, Ky., born April 
29, 1818. The latter removed with his father's 
family from liis native .State to Illinois in 1832, 
making the journey overland in wagons, cooking 
and camping by the waj'side. He was then a lad 
about fifteen years old. He grew to manhood in 
Champaign Count}' and here married Miss Nancy 
Clements. They became the parents of nine chil- 
dren, six of whom are now living, five daughters 
and one son : .Mary Ann became the wife of J. D. 
Corray, and is a resident of Perry, Dallas Co., Iowa ; 
Eliza first married Isam Biggs who, during the late 
war, enlisted in the 7(llh Illinois Infantry and was 
discharged in .hdy, 18(;i, on account of sickness. 
He died about two months before his regiment was 
mustered out, and wa* buried by his comrades with 
military iiomirs in Somer Cemetery. Mrs. Biggs 
was then married to Richard .McCormick, and they 
reside on a farm in Stanton Township, this county. 
Mr. McCormick also served as a soldier in the 
Union army. He enlisted in the 25th Illinois 
Infantry iis a private, and was i)romoted First 
Lieutenant for bravorv' on tlie field of battle. At 
the expiration of his three years" service, he veter- 
anized and remained in the ranks until the close of 
the wai'. .Vruiiida first bcc'ame the wife of .lames 
Mc(iill, and after his death married Amos I);de; 
she is now living on section 20, Sorner Township. 

■» 



i 



ik 692 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



^•^^ 



Lucretia Jane became the wife of Marion Taylor, 
and is living with her husband on the old home- 
stead; \'iol:i, Mrs. Epperson, is a resident of Ur- 
bana Townsiii|); Martin is our subject. 

Tiie mother of tliese children was a native of 
Kentucky, born Sept. 22. 1821. Her parents emi- 
grated to Indiana at an early day and from there 
to .Somer Township, this county, where she was 
married and still resides witli her daugiiter, Lucre- 
tia, on tiie old iioniestead. She is now sixty-six 
years of age and a lad}- highly respected by all who 
know her. Robert Brownfield departed tliis life 
July 15, 1878. He had received but limited edu- 
cational advantages in liis 3'(iutii, Init was a )nan of 
.sound judgment, more tiia.i ordinar}- intelligence, 
and was pojiular in his community. He was ap- 
pointed administrator of several estates and the 
guardian of minor iieirs. He was the owner of a 
line farm of 250 acres, wliich lie left to his widow 
during her lifetime, and wliich is afterward to be 
divided up in equal shares among his children. He 
also was a member of Mt. Zion C'iiristian Church, 
to the sup[)orl of which he contributed liberally 
and cheerfull}', and was noted for his hospil:'.lity 
and as being the friend of the needy and distressed. 
No one went away hungry from his door, and many 
a stranger remembers the kindly words with which 
he greeted them while passing through the [)rairie 
country. 

Martin Brownlield was born and grew to man- 
hood on the land which his grandfather entered 
when lii'st arriving in this State. This was located 
on sections Si and .'J.j, in Somer Township, and had 
never been turned b}' the [)lowshare when .lames 
I!i-owiilield look possessi<jn (if. it. The f;imily lived 
in their wagon during the erection of their log 
cal)in, which was roofed with shaved cl.-ipboards 
;uid l!o(jrec| with |>unclicon. The window panes were 
brought from Kentucky. The (irst crop was raised 
on land cleare<l from the wilderness. Upon the 
homestead thus established the grandfather spent 
the remainder of his life, ilying in about 183.'). 

Martin Brownfield remained ULider the home roof 
until he reached years of manhood, and was then 
united in marriage with .Miss Nancy Jane Ta3lor, 
Aug. 1.', 1.H71. The young peoph; lived on the 
old homestead the (irst year, ami tlien removed to 



section 25, which was entered by Robert Brown- 
field, the father of our subject, and which has con- 
tinued the residence of Martin Brownfield to this 
date. .Mr. and .Mrs. B. became the parents of nine 
children, namely, Nancy Rozella; Mary Cornelia, 
who died in her fifth year; Robert William, Charles 
Edward; Viola Cordelia, who died when fourteen 
days old; Sarah Rebecca, Orelia Lticretia, Marion 
Martin and Paul Riley. 

The homestead of our subject consists of eighty 
acres of good land, upon which is a substantial and 
convenient set of frame buildings, and ain|)le con- 
veniences for the storing of grain and the shelter of 
stock. Jlr. B. is greatly respected in his commuiiity, 
is a Democrat in polities, and Deacon of Mt. Zion 
Christian Church. He otiiciates as minister of this 
church, receiving his license from the Ceiilial Illi- 
nois Christian Conference. He has been School 
Director in this township two years. His earl}' 
education was conducted in the comiiioii schools 
and he .-ifterward attended the Seminary at Crbana 
for a brief season, being obliged to abandon his 
studies on account of ill-health. 



■^ 



(0J^ 



^ 




AHLON (iEASCOCK. The farm of 500 
acres which occupies the greater part of 
sectit)!) 24, in St. Joseph Township, in- 
variably attracts the attenti()n of the pass- 
ing traveler on account of the evident skill and 
good judgment with which it has been managed, its 
general appearance of thrift and [>rosi)erity, and 
the industry without which it never ct>uld have 
been brought to its present beautiful and desirable 
condition. The histor}' of the proi)rietor, whose 
name stands at the head of this sketch, is substan- 
tially as follows. 

Mr. (ilascock was born in \'irginia, near the line 
of Fauquier and Loudoun Counties, on the 28th of 
December, 1815. He remembers his grandfather 
as George Glascock, who by his first wife became 
the father of one child, who lived to manhood. His 
secoml wife was Miss Hannah Rector, wiio became 
the mother of live sons and three ilaugliteis. The 
Glascock family was originally from Scotland. 



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t 



•►-■-^•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



693 



t 



Among the sons of George Glascock was Moses, 
who became the father of our subject. He was 
l)orn in X'irginia in 1770. and early in life married 
Miss Keljccca IJishoj). The}' removed from tiiu Old 
Dominion to Ohio in I !S28, settling in Ross County, 
where he remained as a moderate farmer mitil his 
death, in IS2;i. The mother survived her husband 
for more than forty yeai's, her death taking place 
in Ross County, Ohio, in 1S70, when about eighty- 
five years of age, she having been born in 178.5. 

The parental famil}' consisted of ten children, 
six sons and four daughters, of whom eight are still 
living, namely, Solomon, Betsy, Ann; Catherine, 
the wife of William \:\n IJleck; Mahlon, of our 
sketch, John R., Hamilton J. and .lames II. 

The subject of this history was reared to man- 
hood in Ohio, aud there, in the spring of 1845, was 
united in marriage with Miss Hester A., daughter 
of Ales and Sarah (Pointer) Jester, of Delaware. 
He located with his bride on a farm in Ross County, 
where he remained until the fall of 18,54. Then, 
desiring to locate in the further West he came to 
this county and look possession of a ])art of the 
land which constitutes his present farm. It is 
hardly necessary to say that during a period of 
thirty years he has brought about a great improve- 
ment, taking advantage of all the modern imple- 
ments, machiuer}', and information of which he 
could avail himself, and with a result in which he 
may be pardoned for feeling great i)ride and satis- 
faction. He has given much .attention to stock- 
raising, making a specialty of Poland-China hogs, 
and in this department taking the lead in St. .lo- 
seph Township. He eliminated his fine farm from 
the raw prairie, and has fully experienced the difH- 
cultics and hardships of life in a new conntrj'. 

Our subject was one of the early residents of 
this county, and as a man of more than ordinary 
ability, was soon called upon to assist in its govern- 
ment. He helped to organize the county into 
townshii)S, and was Supervisor of St. Joseph dur- 
ing tlie war. He was always liberal-minded and 
large-hearted, willing to contribute of his time and 
means toward the advancement of the eomintniily 
and of those about him. He met with a severe af- 
fliction in the loss of his wife, .Mrs. Hester Gl.ascock. 
who departed this life in 18.5K. 



In the spring of 1865 our subject was united in 
marriage with Mrs. Mary Rankin, daughter of Am- 
brose and Mary (Springer) Strong, and wid(>w of 
Samuel S. Rankin, of St. Joseph Township, tiiis eonn- 
t}'. Theciiildren born of lioth unions of our subject 
are recorded as follows: Alex 15.. A(|uilla, Frank, 
Jesse, Lyda 15. and Addie A. are still living, most 
of them at home with their parents. Albert Will- 
iam and Hanson are deceased. Mr. (i. became a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at St. 
Joseph, in 1854, while his estimable wife is a mem- 
ber and regulai' attendant of the New-Light Church. 
Our subject early in life belonged to the ol<l Whig 
party, but u|)(>n its abandonment cordially en- 
dorsed the principles of the Republicans, with 
whom he has since voted. He assisted in making 
William II. Harrison President of the United States, 
and has due affection for the old times and cus- 
toms. 

Vf/ AMKS J. BOIS, the oldest Station Agent on 
the Illinois Central Railroad, which is a far 
better recommendation than all the encomi- 
/ unis a biographical writer can olTerj was 
placed in his present position in the spring of 1857, 
aud has since that time continued in I he faithful 
discharge of his duties. He is a native of New 
York, born near Buffalo, Erie County, Se|)t. 22, 1 824, 
and is the son of Warren :ind Mary (Patterson) 
Bois, natives of Berkshire County, Mass. Warren 
Bois followed farming all his life; loc-ating after his 
marriage in his native county, and going from there 
to Erie County, N. Y., he pursued the cpiiet and 
unostentatious life of an honest citizen, and rested 
from his labors in l.S.)7. The mother of our sub- 
ject was the daughter of Ebenezer and Betsey 
(Gibbs) Patterson. The children of Warren and 
Mary (Patterson) liois, seven in nuiiilicr. included 
three sons and four daughters, .all of whom grew to 
mature years, but only four are now living, the 
three sisters and our subject. 

Our subject's paternal grandfather, .Joel Bois. was 
a native of the 15ay Slate, born in Worcester, lie 

married Miss Betsey I51air of llic same Si.ite 1 

the}- reared n family of seven sons ;uid two dauiih- 
ters, who, with one exception, lived to mature \ ears. 



r 






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t 



694 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Joel Bois served in the Kevolutionary War, and 
conducted himself with notable bravery. 

James J. Bois, who was the youngest son oi iiis 
parents' children, spent his childliood and youth in 
his native count}', being fairly educated in the pub- 
lic schools an<l assisting in the lal)ors of the farm. 
His father died when he was but thirteen years old 
and the mother nineteen years later. James began 
life on his own account as operator of a threshing- 
machine, and later peddled maps, books and pict- 
ures during the summers. In tlie spring of 1857 he 
drifted westward and coming to this count}' was at 
once placed in charge of the Illinois Central station 
at Rantunl, where, for a period of thirty years he 
has distinguished himself as a trusted agent and 
emi)loye, in the meantime securing the confidence 
and esteem of the people aroun<l him. 

While a resident of Aurora, N. Y., Mr. Bois took 
to his heart and home Miss Lucy Stoekwell, who 
was a native of Ilighgate, \'t., and tlu' daajjiiter of 
Benjah and Lucy (Joslin) Stoekwell. Uf this mar- 
riage there were born two daughters: Mary is the 
wife of F. E. I'inkerton, of Rantoul, and Lucy S. is 
at home with her parents. Mrs. Bois is a member of 
the .Methodist Episc(>|)al Church, and socially IMr. 
Bois was one of the earliest Masons of Ludlow; he 
is also Connected witli the I. O. O. K. 



"'=f^ 



-V-- 







%^ ENKV C. BEAK, of the well-known and 
responsible firm of Bear it Obenchain, grain 
dealers at renfield, is a native of Cumber- 
land County, Pa., born in the town of 
Mount Rock, Dec. 7, l.s;58. His father, David 
Bear, was a native of the same town, born in Feb- 
ruary, 18()'J,on his fatiier's farm, where he remained 
until twenty-eight years of age. He was then 
united in marriage with Miss Maria Yoter, a native 
of Maryland, born in 1811. The 3'oung people set- 
tled down and remained residents of their native 
county until 18.53, when they set their faces 
toward the West. Coming into tiiis (Slate, David 
Bear purchased about thirty acres of land near Oak- 
lej', in Macon County, where he engaged in the 
manufacturer -of brick until retiring horn active 
business pursuits, in 18.J7. His death occui'red 

4* 



nine years later, in 1866. The wife and mother 
had preceded him to the other life in 1863. Of 
their nine children, our subject, Henry C, was 
the oldest born ; Benjamin F. died when eighteen 
years old; William W., during the late war, en- 
listed in Co. A, II 6th 111. Vol. Inf., and now fills a 
soldier's grave at Young's Point, in Louisiana, where 
his death occurred in 1863; Mar}' became the wife 
of W. McArty, who is occupied in fanning near 
Cisco, 111.; Anna E. married Joseph .Miller, and is 
now deceased. The other children diecl in child- 
l.ood. 

The education of Henry Bear was conducted in 
the common schools, and he was fifteen years of 
age when the family came to this State. He re- 
mained under the parental roof and followed farm- 
ing until August, 1862. During the progress of 
the late war, he enlisted in Co. A. llijtii III. Vol. 
Lif.. and was mustered into service at Caraj) Macon. 
Thence he went with his regiment to Memphis, 
Tenn..and first met the enemy at Chickasaw Bayou, 
and was in all the engagements which followed 
until the siege of V^icksburg. His company at the 
outset of that encounter lost half its members, and 
during which our subject received a gunshot 
wounil in the chest and still carries the ball. This 
disabled him from further service. He was con- 
lined in the hospital until the 1st of June, 1863, 
and then received his honorable discharge at Keo- 
kuk, Iowa. As soon as able he resumed farming 
in Macon County, 111., which he followed until 
1865, and then purchased eighty acres of unim- 
pr.oved land in Compromise Townshii), where he 
ojx'rated untilJhe fall of 1885. He had been fairly 
successful, and desirous of changing his occupation 
removed to the village of Penfield and engaged in 
the grain trade, in which he has met with mod(!rate 
success. 

Mr. Bear, before the outbreak of the war, was 
married, Nov. 17, 1858, to Miss Lucetta J. Likins, 
of Bucyrus, Ohio, where she was born Dec. 31, 
1842. Mrs. B. is the daughter of John S. and Sarah 
A. (Cole) Likins. The father is deceased, and th(> 
mother is a resident of Macon County, III. Of 
the union of our subject and wife there have been 
born four children ; Minerva May, who died when 
eleven months old, in 1861; Eugenia, the wife of 



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t. 



'A 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



G95 






D. P. Cox, of Comproniise Township; Mary M., 
at home with iier parents, and Dora, wlio died 
when four years of ago. 

Mr. Bear from the time he liecauie a voter iiiilil 
1878. was identified with the Republican party. 
Afterward liis sympatiiies were extended to the 
Greenbackers, and he is now a standi Prohiltition- 
ist, greatly interested in the success of the tem- 
l)erance movement. He is a man of broad and 
liberal views, is no intermeddler with the private 
affairs of his neighbors, and believes in extracting 
from life all the enjoyment consistent with honesty 
' and honor. He represented Compromise Township 
on the Board of Sui)ervisors for a period of five 
j'ears, and i> now.Iustire of the Peace. 

OTIIO E. CTLBKHTSON. One of the most 
genial and kindly natured men it has been 
the fortune of the biographer to meet, is a 
resident of Tolono, and State Agent and Adjuster 
for the ^Etna Fire Insurance Company of Hartford, 
with which he has been connected for a period of 
over twenty j'ears. lie is a native of Hemings- 
burg. K}'., and w.as born Nov. 18, 1816. His fatiier, 
James Culbertson. was born in Dublin, Ireland, 
and emigrated to the United States vvhen a young 
man, settling in JNIason Couiitj', Ky. He departed 
this life in Rush County, Ind., in 1836, .aged about 
sixty J'ears. He was married early in life to Miss 
Sarah Weaver, a native of Kentucky, and they 
became the parents of three children, who are all 
living, namelj', William G., a farmer of Edgar 
County, this State; Otho E., of our sketch, and 
Amanda N., the wife of Jolin U. (4riicc, of \'er- 
niilion Countj'. After tlie death of her first hus- 
band Mrs. Culbertson was married to William Haney, 
with wiiom she located in Edgar County, 111., and 
became the mother of three children, only one of 
whom is now living, Sarah, tlie wife of Theodore 
Malkin, a resident of Vermilion County, wliere 
the mother died in 1 8.52. She w.as a lady greatlj- 
beloved and respected, and left behind her a reeonl 
of womanly virtues and kindly deeds. 

Oui- subject, when a small hoy, went lo Rose- 
ville, Parke Co., Ind., where he became employed 



as clerk in a store and remained until 184-3. In that 
year he came over into Illinois, and thereafter 
liv(>il in various places in the State for a couple of 
years. In 184C. the Mexican War being in l)rog- 
ress, he enlisted as a soldier in the 4th Illinois 
Infantry, under Col. Baker, Brig. Gen. Shields and 
M.aj. Gen. Taylor. Not long afterward he was dis- 
charged for disabilitj'. In 1847, setting f>ut on 
horseback, he traveled over the States of Missouri, 
Iowa and Illinois. 

Mr. Culbertson now. began to feel that he had 
wandered over the country long enough, and deter- 
mined to establish home and domestic ties. He had 
formed the acquaintance of a most lovable young 
lady. Miss Jane Cox, and made her his wife on the 
■28th of March, 1848. He located with his bride 
in Georgetown, this State, .and became interested 
in the plow and w.agon manufactory at that point. 
Subsequently he began dealing in h.ardware in 
Indianola, whence, in 18,58, he removed to Tolono. 
Here for a few months he was eng.aged as a con- 
tractor and builder, and secured the contract 
for furnishing the Illinois Central Railroad with 
timber, ties, etc. He also sup|)lied other roads 
in Illinois and Missouri with building material. In 
consequence of the labor involved in looking after 
his various interests, his health began to fail, and 
he w.as ol)liged to suspend operations for .a brief 
time. 

In 18(!(I our subject entered the employ of the 
^Etna Insurance Company as special agent, and 
developed from the first rare qualifications for this 
department of business. He rose rajjidly in the 
esteem and confidence of the companj', who, ap- 
preciating his intelligence and fidelitj', soon en- 
trusted him with more impt>rtant interests, ami he 
in due time became Adjuster of Claims in the 
Northwest, having under his suiiervision especially 
their transaction in Illinois. During tiie long period 
with which he has been connected with the old 

' ..Ktna, he has not taken a vacation and has not lost 
a day's salary. A singular feature about tli<' con- 
tr.act was, tliat the question of salary was never 
mentioned, Mr. C. trusting to the comi)any to be- 

I stow upon him full value for his services, an<I the 
latter proved worthy of the trust, and liave bestowed 

1 upon him liberal wages from the first. During the 



»» ^B ■» 



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4i 69G 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



6rst day in which lie entered their employ he was 
crippled by a railroad train, and laid up for some 
time, but as soon as al)lc got about on crutches and 
attended to business as well as he could. His salary 
in tiie meantime went on, and the company, in 
addition, paid his expenses. With this record little 
furtiier need be said in regard to his standing with 
one of the oldest and most jiopiilar insurance com- 
panies of tlie United States. 

The liousehold circle of our subject and his wife 
was completed by the birth of four children : Sarah 
N. became the wife of F. E. C. Hartman, and the}' 
reside at Peoria; Candace A. is at home witii her 
parents; Jennie married Mr. W. E. Handy, of 
Tolono; J. \V., the joungcst, is attending school in 
Valparaiso, Ind. The faniil}' residence is pleasantly 
located, and its inmates are surrounded by all the 
comforts and many of the luxuries of life. They 
are highly lespected in the community, and num- 
ber among their friends and associates the most 
cultured [)eople of Tolono. Mr. Culbertson, al- 
though over se\enty years old, does not look over 
fifty or fifty-five. He has an open countenance, a 
brigiil. intelligent eye, and is a man with whom it 
is a pleasure to converse. He is well informed upon 
matters in general, and takes an intelligent interest 
in the progress of the world, both inor.illy and 
intellectuallv. 



■~^w^-^"^<f^!'^2 



"^itff— 




n 



=^-^ B. RADEBAUGH, Postmaster of Urbana, 
has been a resident of the city since 18C1. 
He is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 
Bedford Count}'. .Ian. 11, 18.'{H, and is the 
son of Peter and Eliza (Waters) Radebaugii, natives 
of the same State and county as their son. His 
fatiier, who followed mercantile pursuits for a 
period of thirty-five yeai's, in the town of Bedford, 
removed from that town to Faj'ette County in 
I Hr)(j. There he prosecuted his former business 
until ISCil, and then with iiis family and liouseliold 
goods came to the Prairie State, settling at Urbana. 
Here he also established a dry-goods trade, whicii 
he c<inilucted for two years, and then selling out 
purchased 13G acres of land in Homer Townshiji, 



to which he removed and spent the remainder of 
his days, his decease occurring in 1882. The 
mother is still living at Urbana. Of the thirteen 
children who comprised the parental household, ten 
are now living, and the record is as follows: 
Mary A., Mrs. Reiniund, is a resident of Nebraska; 
Lottie became the wife of Dr. Miller, of Urbana; 
William lives in Maryland ; S. B.. our subject, is 
the next in order of birth: Eliza, Mrs. Manspeaker, 
lives in Nehr.aska; Reuben W., in Iowa; Nora, Mrs. 
Whitney, in Troy, III.; Harry C, in Mason City; 
Carrie, Mrs. Custer, in Homer, 111., and Millard F., 
in M.ansfield. Both parents early in life became 
members of the Lutheran Church. The father of 
our subject was Republican in politics, a strong 
Union man, and during the late war recruited an<l 
nearly raised the entire 51st Illinois Regiment. He 
was a man of more than ordinary ability, and took 
.an active interest in public matters, being especially 
interested in the establishment of cluirch and 
schools. 

The subject of this sketch during his earl}' life 
received a good education, and spent much of his 
time in his father's store, gaining an insight into 
business matters in general. When twenty-four 
years of age he began reading law with Judge Som- 
crs, of Urbana, in whose office he remained from 
ISG2 until the latter part of 1865. In the fall of 
that year he was admitted to practice, and b.as fol- 
loweil his profession since that time. He wiis ap- 
pointed Postmaster l)y President Cleveland, in 
August, 1885, and is conducting the affairs of the 
office with credit to himself and satisfaction to all 
concerned. Mr. Radebaugii has taken a |)rominent 
part in the councils of his townsmen for manj' 
years, and served as City Attorney four terms. He 
is wide-awake, energetic and industrious, clear- 
headed, and possessed of remarkably good judg- 
ment. 

Mr. S. B. Radebangh and Miss Olive L. (Jerc 
were married in Urbana, in ISG8. Mrs. R. w.as 
born in the latter-named place, and is the dauglvter 
of James and Eli/.;ilieth (Biddclcome) (ierc. na- 
tives respectively of New York and Pennsylvania. 
Of this marriage there have been born seven cliil- 
dren — Otis B., Grace E., Olive I., Clarence G., 
Earl (deceased). Addle M. and Fred M. Our sub- 



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t. 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



697 , L 



t 



ject is Deraocr.atic in politics, aiul socially belongs 
to the Masonic fraternity. The i)leasaut and 
attractive family residence is situated at the corner 
of 15road and High streets, and hears within and 
without all the evidences of cultivated tastes .ind 
ample means. 

^i^LISHA .1. HILL. This sentleman, whose 
fel early ancestors originated from among tlie 
/''■ -^ ' Highlands of .Scotland, and whose maternal 
grandparents, Xalhaniel an<l Flora (lUoss) Taylor, 
were born there, first opened his eyes to light in 
Susquehanna County, Pa., May IG, 1827. The 
paternal grandparents of our subject were .Joseph 
and Naoma (Bingham) Hill, the former an English- 
man by birth and the eldest of a family of six sons. 
N.aoma's twin sister, Ruth, married Josejih Luminis, 
a prominent officer in the War <if 1<S12, and who 
commanded a vessel on Lake Ontario, wliich vessel 
was called the "Orowler," and was captured with 
its crew after a fearful struggle, and Mr. Lummis 
was taken prisoner, but not until after losing a foot 
and having three bullets put into his body. He 
was taken to Montreal and held as one of seven 
officers who were to be executed. Admiral Perry, 
learning the designs of the British, sent them 
word that he would retaliate by executing two Brit- 
ish olfic-ers f(>r every American they put to death. 
This h.ad the desired effect, and the\' were paroled 
and subsequently exchanged. 

The parents t)f our subject were David and .Sarah 
(Taylor) Hill, the former of whom wiien three 
years of age became a resident of Gosh(Mi, \t., 
where he carried on farming for a few years and 
thence removed to Pennsylvania, remaining there 
until 1856. In that 3'eai' he came to the West and 
took up his abode with his son, our subject, wlif> 
had located here the year previousl3-. 

Elisha J. Hill upon coming to Illinois took up a 
tract of 160 .acres of wild land in Douglas County, 
which he occupied for ten years, and then sold out 
and purchased eightj' acres on se(;tion 30, in liar- 
wood Tow-nship. This was partially improved when 
he took possession of it, and he has since been indus- 
triously engaged in adding to its beauty and value. 



The family residence is a tasteful structure, sit- 
uated in the midst of well-kept grounds, and the 
adjacent buildings are in keeping with the good 
taste of the proprietor. In addition to the careful 
cultivation of the soil he raises Poland-China hogs, 
Short-horn cattle anil fine horses, mostly roadsters. 
His land is chiefly dev<ited to grain and pasturage. 
Our subject before starting for the West celebr.ated 
his marriage with Miss Ih^ttie Wiser, the ceremony' 
occurring on the 24th of .Inly, 1855. .Mrs. Hill is 
the seventh child of Henry and F.lizalicth (Rinehart) 
Wiser, who were among the most respecteil residents 
of the agricultural districts of Western Penn- 
sylvania. Of this union were four children, of whom 
one son, David Henry, is now deceased; Charles 
W. married Miss Julia (iriswold, and is engaged .as 
a butcher at Rantoul;they have one daughter — 
Fay; Lois E. is the wife of Charles Bear, who is 
I'unning a large cattle ranch near Delta, Col. ; Jen- 
nie E. remains at home witli her parents. Although 
having no political aspirations, Mr. Hill has fre- 
quently served his township in various capaci- 
ties, being always willing to contril)ute his time 
and influence to the best good of the [)eople around 
him. In casting his vote he usually supports the 
Democratic candidate. 



«*«££'©^-~— f§|i^ 



^2S®«r!w«. 




DONIJAH J. BOWERS. The subject of 
the following history is in many respects a 
remarkiible man, more Ihan ordinarily in- 
telligent, lilieral-minded. public-spirited, 
and in fact, a model member of societv and n{ lu's 
farming community, with which latter pursuit he 
has been in harmony since old enough to have a 
mind of his own. He owns a fine estate in St. 
Joseph Township, in the cidtivation and embellish- 
ment of which he has been engaged since the spring 
of 187:J, and has built up a homestead which in all 
respects comprises one of the most attractive 
features in the landse;q)e of this county. His 
liiography, necessarily brii'f in .a woik nf this kind, 
is substantially as follows: 

Mr. Bowers was born on the farm of his grand- 




t 



-^^ 



^ 698 



4 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



father, near Clark's Hill, Tippecanoe Co., Ind., 
Feb. 0, 1837. He traces his ancestrj' back to good 
old Virginia stock, his ofraiul father, Abraham Bow- 
ers, having been born in that State near Peters- 
burg. Hardy Count}-, about the year 1790, and to 
which section of country iiis father had removed 
while the Indian War was in progress, and while 
the settlers were experiencing all the hardships and 
privations of life in a new country and siirroiinded 
1)3' an implacable foe. 

One of the uncles of Abraham Bowers was 
captured by the Indians, carried to Ohio and held 
five 3'ears, when he made his escape, crossed the 
Ohio Itiver by swimming, and suddenlj' appeared 
one day before his friends at his childhood's home, 
very much to their astonishment and greatly to 
their deligiit. Abraham Bowers after reaching 
manhood married Miss Elizabeth Bryant, a native 
of his own .Siiite. They crossed the Alleghany 
Mountains and after passing the line into the 
Bnckeye State, the young pioneer and his wife 
located in Ross County, and in due time became 
the parents of ten children. Thence, in 1829, they 
removed to Ti])pecanoe County, Ind., where they 
spent the remain<ler of tiieir lives. Among their sous 
was Abuer, the father of our subject, who was born 
in Ross County, Ohio, in ,Iune, 1812, and removed 
with his parents to Indiana, assisting in the labors 
on the farm, and remaining under the liome roof 
until his marriage. The lady destined to become 
the sharer of his home and fortunes was Miss Char- 
lotta Hoffman. .She was born in Tii)pecanoe 
County, Ind.. and w-as the daughter of .lon.as and 
Sophia Hoffman, her mother being of French 
extraction and her father a native of A'irginia. 

After the marriage of Abner Bowers lie became 
a resident of Tippecanoe County, Ind.. and subse- 
quently Montgomery' County, th.it State. His good 
wife died in 1842, leaving four children, two sons 
and two daughters, namelj', Christena, Esther, 
Abraham, .and A. J. of our sketch. After the death 
of the mother the father w.as again married, to a 
lady of Tippecanoe Count}', Mi.ss Elizabeth B.aer. 
Of this union there were born five children, named 
respectively Wjlliam N.. .lesse, Silas, Austin and 
Charlotte. 

The subject of this history spent liis boyhood 



and j'outh in Montgomery County, Ind., receiving 
a fair education in the common schools. He com- 
pleted his studies in the High School in Boone, and 
afterward employed himself several winters as a 
teacher. He was married when twenty-two years of 
age, to Miss Ruth Raper, a native of Montgomery 
County, and daughter of Heiuy and Elma (Bufkin) 
Uaper. The wedding took |il.ace in the winter of 
18.59, and the young people remained residents of 
Montgomery Count}' until 1X73. The first labors 
of Mr. B. ui)on starting out in life for himself con- 
sisted in battling with the heavy timber of a tr.act 
of land whieli he had leased, where he slowlj- and 
laboriously succeeded in laying the foundations for 
his future prosperity. Then, thinking that he 
would like to locate in Central Illinois, he pur- 
chased his present farm on section 2, .St. Joseph 
Townshi[), the homestead l)eing familiarly known as 
the Benjamin Argo place, upon wliieh that pioneer 
settled in 183.5. It comprises 200 acres of some of 
the finest farming land in this section, and through 
the manipulation of its present proprietor has pro- 
duced wonders in the quality and quantity of its 
ci'ops. The residence is a neat and substantial 
building, put up in 1881,. and occupies a rise of 
ground commanding a fine view of the surrounding 
C(juntry. In the rear is a good orchard and out- 
buildings, and all other appliances of a first-class 
country estate. The farm operations have been 
conducted with ability and good judgment, and the 
soil has yielded to the hand of the proprietor an- 
nually a handsome income. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Bowers, of whom 
one is deceased, are recorded :is follows: Ella G, 
became the wife of Frank Yomans, and lives in St. 
Joseph Township; Charlotta is the wife of Fran- 
cis M. IIoss; Prince A. is deceased; Frank C, 
Abraham, Martha, Mary, Adonijah R.. Abner. 
I.ucretiaaud (larfield are at home. Mr. Bowers has 
always excited himself to promote the welfare of 
the people around him. serving as School Trustee, 
and being generall}' interested in the enterprises 
set on foot for the benefit of the people. Both he 
and his estimable wife arc members of the German 
ll.'iptist Church, in which Mr. B. has olliciated .as a 
minister since 1882. . He is Republican in polities, 
and is in all respects a flue illustration of the self- 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-^t 



G99 i^ 



1 ' 



iiiadc man, who bcgiin in life at the foot of the 
laddiT, and througli his own unaided eflforts has 
attained to a good position socially ;md fiii:inci:illy. 

f-> «• 

Wl Ol'IS VAUTRIN. The biography of this 
I (® representative citizen of Ilarwood Town- 
/IL^^ ship is in the main as follows : He was born 
in the old French Province of Lorraine previous to 
the Franco-Prussian War, on the 25th of October, 
1841, and was the j-oungest in a family' of four 
children, the offspring of Francis and Elizabeth 
(Ponibrie) Vautrin, natives of the same Province. 
The former was one of the soldiers of the first 
Napoleon, engaging w'th the great commander in 
his last disastrous campaign. 

The father of our subject occupied the post of 
Sergeant Major in the Imperial Guard, being chief 
of the band of musicians, and followed the fortunes 
of Bonaparte for a period of sixteen years. He 
was in manj' of the hardest fought battles, namely', 
that of Pesth and on the bloody field of Toulon, 
where Bonaparte gave the first decided proofs of 
his military' genius. This city was also made 
further memorable as the port fnjm which Napoleon 
embarked previous to his memorable campaign in 
Egypt. Francis A'autrin left the service only when 
his leader was taken prisoner at the battle of 
Waterloo, where Napoleon was completely over- 
thrown. He then, with the balance of his com- 
rades, returned home. He was at this time thirty 
years of age, having entered the service when four- 
teen years old. After the surrender of Napoleon 
the Prussians and Russians invaded the Province of 
Lorraine many times, destroj'ing everything that lay 
before them and desolating the country. With 
others the father of our subject was obliged to sub- 
mit to the grossest outrages, but such was his affec- 
tion for the regi(jn of his birth that he remained 
there through it all until his death, which took 
place in 187.T. 

The subject of this sketch, in IS.")?, bidding adieu 
to tiie friends and associations of his childliood, 
embarked on a sailing-vessel at Havre bound for 
America, and after a voyage of forty-two days, 
landed in New York City. A few days later he set 
4» 



out for the West. After a brief time spent in 
Chicago he went to Peoria, and from tliere to a' 
point near Fremont, in Tazewell County, where he 
rented a tract of land and commenced farming. He 
met with fair success in his struggle with an alien 
soil, and continued thus employed until the out- 
break of the late Civil War. He had sufficiently 
acquainted himself with American institutions to 
determine at once upon which side his sympathies 
lay, and accordingly, after the call for three- 
months' men, enlisted in the ranks. His services, 
however, were not required in the field, and after 
his honorable discharge he returned to his farm. 
The conflict, however, did not end here, and the 
following year our subject re-enlisted in Co. A, 
108th 111. Vol. Inf., under command of Col. John 
Warren. The latter was succeeded by Col. Turner, 
of Pekin, and under command of the latter our 
subject, with his comrades, in October left Peoria 
for Covington, Ky., where they were re-organized 
and equipped for duty. 

From Covington the lOSth proceeded down the 
river to Memphis, where they joined the armj' of 
Gen. Sherman, took pait in the first battle of Vicks- 
burg, and were among the last to leave the field, 
having guarded the rear of the retreating arm}'. 
Thence they drifted down the Yazoo River to its 
confluence with the Mississippi, and proceeding 
northward stormed and captured Arkansas Post. 
Here Mr. Vautrin witnessed the killing and wound- 
ing of man_v of his comrades but himself escaped, 
although by a hairsbreadth. Afterward the regi- 
ment withdrew to Young's Point. La., opposite 
Mcksburg, where they went into winter quarters 
and employed themselves working on the canal 
which was to be used to convey the fleet down the 
river. In the spring of 18G.3 the regiment was 
detailed to the command of (ien. (irant, and par- 
ticipated with him through liis campaign against 
Vicksbnrg, remaining with iiim until after the bat- 
tle of Ft. Gibson. Our sul)ject and a number of 
his comrades were then sent to Memphis with a lot 
of prisoners secured tiiere, after which they were 
returned to Young's Point and detailed to guard 
that vicinity, which was one of the strongholds of 
the enemy. During this campaign sixteen of tlie 
gunboats ran the blockade at Nicksburg. During 



i 



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700 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



f- 



ttie run, which the reliels had anticipiited, the bank 
of the river f(jr miles wa.s a line of living (lame, 
proceeding- from bnirels of lighted tar and oil, and 
the cannonading shook the gronnd for miles on 
every side. With one exception all the vessels 
passed throngii in safety. Tliis was disabled and 
snnk, though nearly all the crew were saved. 

After the surrender of Vicksburg the 108tli Illi- 
nois, or what was left of it, was again sent up to 
Memphis. Mr. Vautrin at that i)oint was seized 
with typhoid fever, from which he did not recover 
until after his regiment had left. Upon liecoming 
convalescent he was sent up to St. Louis, placed in 
the Veteran Reserve Corps, and did detective duty 
in the North from that time until his discharge. He 
was occupied a large portion of the time in hunt- 
ing "bounty-jumpers" in Michigan and Canada. 
They captured 400 of these, whom they delivered 
in Washington City to be disposed of by the gen- 
eral Government. I'pon one trip the train was 
wrecked, and the car containing the "jumpers" 
thrown over an embankment and lodged on a rail 
fence. The hot stove set the car on fire, and its 
inmates barely escaped by dashing through the 
windows and crawling out from underneath. They 
were picked up, placed in amjther coach and taken 
to their destination. This is but one of the many 
thrilling scenes through which our subject passed 
while making war upon the enemies of his country, 
but with the exception of impaired health he es- 
caped unharmed and was permitted to return to 
the scenes of a more peaceful time. 

After receiving his honorable discharge from the 
military service Mr. \'autrin traced his steps to the 
city of Detroit, where he was united in marriage 
with Mi.ss Mary Louisa Condo, in the fall of 1865. 
The young |)eoi)le located first on a farm in Taze- 
well County, this .State, which Mr. ^'. had purchased, 
and which embraced forty acres of land. After a 
residence there of si.v years he sold out and pur- 
cliased eighty acres of wild land within seven miles 
of Paxton, which he occupied seven years, then 
sold this also and purchased eight3- acres in Har- 
wood Township, this county, where he now resides. 
I'pon this he has effected great improvements, bring- 
ing the land to a good state of cultivation, putting up 
substantial buildings, and enhancing its beauty and 



value as time and opportunity afforded. He has 
been closely occupied with his own concerns and in 
the fulfilling of his obligations .as a trusted citizen. 
He meddles with iiolities no further than to cast 
his vote in support of Republican principles. He 
has been a School Director in his district for the 
p.ast six years, and, with his estimable wife, is a mem- 
ber in good standing of the Christian Church, with 
which they became connected over twenty years 
.ago. 

The seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Vautrin 
were named respectively. Eunice, Elizabeth. Flor- 
ence, P^'ank, Rosa, Louie and Myrtle. Of these 
the eldest and youngest, Eunice and Myrtle, are 
the only ones living, and are residing at home. 
They have l)een well educated and carefully trained, 
and form the comfort and support of their parents. 




&HOMAS W. A. WILSON, proprietor of one 
of the finest farms in Central Illinois, is 
located in Somer Township, on section 12, 
and has been in possession of his present homestead 
since 1865. Our subject comes from excellent and 
substantial stock, and was born in Richland Town- 
ship. Fairfield Co., Ohio, Dec. IG, 1821. His father, 
Isaac Wilson, a native of Bedford Count}', Pa., was 
born in December, 1791, and his grandfather, AVill- 
iam Wilson, supposed to have been a native of the 
same State, farmed there until 1798. Thence he 
emigrated with his family to that part of the North- 
west Territory now included in the State of Ohio. 
This vvas before even the day of w.agon roads, and the 
removal was made with pack horses. From Wheel- 
ing, W. Va., to what is now Fairfield County, Ohio, 
they followed a trail marked by blazed trees. The 
land then was not even surveyed, and William Wil- 
son made a "squatter's" claim and built a log 
cabin, into which he removed with his family. A 
few years later, when the land was put upon the 
market he entered 1 60 acres, cleared a farm from 
the wilderness, and remained there until his death. 
His son Isaac, the father of our subject, was a lad 
of six years old when his parents removed from 
Pennsylvania to Ohio. After they had selected 
their location the}' found themselves sixty miles 
>-9^ 



i 



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t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



701 



from lliu ncnrosl mill on tlie Kiiiiiikinnii'k. Dining 
the first winter they lived mostly on wild giinie und 
corn bread. The father manufactured a rude well- 
sweep, and the mortar in which they converted 
their corn into meal consisted of a log hollowed out 
for the purpose. An iron wedge was inserted in 
the end of a pole, and the latter attached to the end 
of the sweep, which in turn was worked from the 
ground by means of a ro[)e. 'I'his constituted a 
primitive labor-saving machine, and was effectual 
in reducing the corn to meal and hominy. It was 
also considered a great improvement upon travel- 
ing through the wilderness sixty miles to mill, with 
the danger of being scal[)ed by the Indians or 
devoured by wild beasts. 

Amid these wild scenes the father of our subject 
grew to manhood, receiving, as it may be sup[)osed, 
extremely limited educational opportunities. He 
was nearly grown to manhood before there were 
people enough to establish a school. He was pos- 
sessed, however, of natural abilities above the com- 
mon order, and became successful .as a farmer and 
business man. After his marriage his father pre- 
sented him with I 10 acres of timber land, which he 
cleared and s<jld at a good profit, bought again, and 
became quite an extensive dealer in real est.ate, 
owning at the time of his death DOO acres in Fair- 
field County. He departed this life Dec. 2, 1864. 
His wife, the mother of our subject, was formerly 
Miss Jane Paten. She wiis born in York County, 
Pa., in 1794, and died in Fairfield County, Ohio, 
in 1867. 

The parental household included seven children, 
four of whom grew to mature years, namely: 
Thomas W. A., of our sketch; Harvey, who died 
in Missouri; John, who occupies the old homestead 
in Fairfield Countj-, Ohio, and I'riscilla, who be- 
came the wife of A. li. tJillett, and died in Faiifield 
Courty in about 1862. The mother was a devoted 
member of the Presjjyterian Church. She looked 
well to the ways of her household, and w.as beloved 
and respected by a large circle of friends and 
acrpiaintances. 

The subject of our .sketch during his childhood 
and youth attended both the public and subscription 
schools during the winter, and assisted in the im- 
provement and cultivation of the f.arm during the 



sumnu'r .season, remaining at home until after his 
marriage. This event occurred June 9, 184.'), the 
maiden of his choice being Miss Rachel Wimp, a 
native of his own county, and the daughter of 
James and Caroline Wimp, the father a native of 
Kentucky and the mother of Ohio. Of tliis union 
there were born eight children, of whom the record 
is as follows: Flora became the wife of John Don- 
ovan, and lives in Aurora, this State; Henry C. is 
a resident of Stanton Township, this count}'; 
Marian C. married David Friesner, of Chicago; 
Thoni;is lives in I'^lgin, 111., and Isa.ac in Stanton 
Township, this county; K.ate, who married L.Os- 
good, died .at the home of her parents, Oct. 30, 
1877, .aged nineteen years; Ella, ttie wife of Charles 
Nelson, lives on the homestead with her father; 
Fra7ik is a resident of Aurora. The wife and 
mother dep.arted this life on the 8lh of May, 1885, 
deeply lamented by her famil}- and a large circle of 
friends and acquaintances. 

The homeste.ad of Mr. Wilson in all its appoint- 
ments indicates the supervision of the intelligent 
and progressive modern farmer. It is provided 
with a substantial set of farm buildings, including 
a fine residence and good barns, and the stock and 
machinery are of first-class description and well 
cared for. The hand of industry and taste is 
a|)pareiit on every side, and the attention of the 
passing traveler is invariably attracted to this as 
one of the finest country estates ever built upon the 
uncultivated pr.airle. 



'^m- 



eHAULES H. CONNOR, of the firm of Con- 
nor, Patton & Co., proprietors of the Ran- 
toul Tile Works, established business with 
his partners in March, 1882. The works were first 
located in the southeastern part of town, and have 
the latest and most improved m.achinery .adapted to 
this industry. This includes a thirty-horsc-power 
engine, and tlie stack pipe is sixty-five feet in 
height. Three good kilns assist in turning out the 
best quality of tile in this part of the co;inty, and 
the capacity is 2.5,000 weekly. The dry-house per- 
form, i its operations thoroughly with tin? aid of 
4,400 feet of steam i)ii)e, and the annual product of 
»► 



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702 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



the estahlishmetit is about 1,000,000 per j'ear. 
Transpoitation is effected b}' means of the Illinois 
Central Railroad, and the comi)any receive orders 
from all parts of this and adjacent States. 

Mr. Connor was born in Columbia County-, N. 
Y., Feb. 10, 1859. His father, .John Connor, a na- 
tive of the same State, followed farming the greater 
liart of his life, first in New York, and then in this 
State. He first purchased a farm in Knox County, 
111., after coming to the \Yest, whence he removed 
to this county and established himself on a farm 
tvvt) and one-half miles east of Rantoul. The 
mother of our subject, who before her marriage was 
Miss Mary i\Iur|phy. was a native of the same State 
as her husband and son. The family came to Illi- 
nois in 1867. 

Mr. Connor earlj' in life formed an intimate ac- 
quaintance with the labors of the farm, and com- 
pleted his education in the schools of Rantoul 
Township. He remained under the home roof until 
reaching his majority, and then starting out for him- 
self secured a part ownership in a steam thresher, of 
which he made a fine success. After operating 
this four years he sold his machine to good advan- 
tage and embarked in his present business, of 
which, witii tiie aid of his efficient partners, he has 
made a fine success, and bj* his sterling integrity 
and courteous treatment of those with whom he 
deals, h;is laid the foundation of a liandsome in- 
come and a later competency. 



f(^^^ lU, Ogden Township, 
^^^y this locality during thi 



(^^^HOMAS FREEMAN, residing on section 

became a resident of 
the pioneer days. His 
residence is a fine l)rick structure, l)uilt in 1877, at 
a cost of 4!2,(JOO. Our subject is a native of Oliio, 
and was born in Belmont County. April II, 1826. 
His father, .lames Freeman, a native of Penns^'l- 
vani;i, was born in IHOl. and departed this life Nov. 
4, 1867. The mother of our subject, who in her 
girlhood was Miss Rebecca Ogdcn, wiis born on St. 
Valentine's Day, 1)S04. 

The marriage of tlie parents took place on the 
.■)th of May, 182.0, and of this union there were 
born ten children, lught of whom lived to maturity. 



The mother departed this: life Oct. 5, 1854. Both 
parents were e.xemplar3' in their lives, and worthy 
members of the Christian Church. The family re- 
moved from Ohio to Illinois in the spring of 1830, 
locating first in Vermilion County. Two years 
later they changed their place of aLode to a ])oint 
on the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River, in this 
county, where the father of our subject purchased 
1.100 acres of land, upon which he continued to 
live the remainder of his life. 

James Freeman commenced life without a cent 
in his pocket, and at its close had accumulated a 
large competency. He was a man of much force 
of character, and one whose judgment was held in 
high regard. He occupied the minor offices of his 
township, and was Captain in a company of the 
State Militia for several years. The first children 
of the household were Thomas, of our sketch, and 
Mary (twins). The latter became the wife of 
David Mead, and died Oct. 25, 1876. The remain- 
ing children were Edmund, Lydia A., Angeline, 
Yates, Eleazer, Andrew, Rebecca who died when 
three months old, and Martha when four years old. 

Thomas Freeman, on the 16th of August, 1849, 
was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Redman, 
who was born in Monroe County, Ohio, in the same 
year as himself, and on the 16th of the month follow- 
ing that of his own birth. Her parents were John and 
Elizabeth (Wright) Redman, natives of Virginia, 
the former born in 1792, and the latter Dec. 18, 
1799. They passed to their long home years ago. 
The children of the parents of Mrs. Freeman were 
born as follows: Reuben, Feb. 10, 1820; Mary, 
Sept. 11, 1821; Sar.ah, Nov. 15, 1822; Hettie, Dec. 
28, 1824; Nancy, March 16, 1826; Rachel .and 
Ruth (twins), Nov. 27, 1828; John, Feb. 10, 1831; 
Martha, March 4, 1833 ; Elias, April 21, ISS.O ; Isaac, 
now deceased, July 22, 1837; Rebecca. July 4, 
1840, and Clarinda, Jan. 4, 1844. 

The children o( Thomas Freeman and his wife 
are recorded as follows: Mary M. was born Jidy 
16, 1850; Edmund R., March 15, 1852; John T., 
July 25, 1854; James J., May 27, 1858; William 
H., May 22, 1861, Martha, Aug. 25, 1862. Mr. F. 
has held the office of School Director, and is at 
present Township Trustee. In politics he is a Re- 
publican. He and his e.\celleut wife are members 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



703,1, 



of the Cliiistiaii Churcli. Their children have been 
careful]}' trained and well educated, and are follow- 
ing in the footsteps of their honored parents, be- 
ing useful in the comnuiiiity, and filling their 
various stations in life with credit and iionor. Their 
names will be found elsewhere in this work. 



<*^, VERARI) P'OULKE, the descendant of a 

1^ long line of honorable ancestr\% is a retired 
• /|l — <a farmer residing on section 34, Sidney 
Townshi|>. He is the son of Edward and Ann D. 
(Haven) Foulke, and was born in Pennsylvania, 
Julj' 21, 1800. The farailv is of Welsh extraction, 
though all of its members since 1698 have been born 
in America. His father, the youngest of nine chil- 
dren, was born on the 8th of .September, 1755, and 
died on the oth of the same month in the year 
1827. The following are the names of his brothers 
and sisters: Abigail, born M.iy 18, 171(9, and died 
.Jan, 1, 1852; Elenor, born .Inly 18, 1781, died on 
the 28th of April, 1815; Caleb, born on the 29th of 
August, 1783, died on the 22d of Februar}', 1852; 
Samuel, born on the 28th of March, 1786, died on 
the 2d of Februar3% 1872; Thomas D., born on the 
13th of April, 1789, died on the 17th of Novem- 
ber, 18.'!1 ; Susanna, born on the 18th of September, 
1791, died on the 17th of April, 1883; Ann, born 
on the 13th of May, 1794, died on the 16th of 
.September, 1820, and Margaret, born on the 25th 
of December, 1796, died on the 25th of March, 1878. 
His mother. Ann D. (Haven) Foulke, was born on 
the 17th of .Tune, 1757, and died on the 13tli of 
March, 1827. 

Our subject's grandparents were Thomas and 
.lane (Roberts) Foulke, the former born on the 1st 
of March, 1724, and the latter on the 3d of No- 
vember, 1732. Their children were Everard, born 
on the 8tli of September, 1755; Edward, born on 
the 17th of December, 1756; Samuel, born on the 
3d of January, 1761; Abigail, born on the 6th of 
December, 1763; Susanna, born on the 5tli of No- 
vember, 1766, and Samuel, born on the 19th of 
November, 1769. There were two children called 
Samuel, the elder one bearing the name having 
died. His great-grandfather, Hugh Foulke, was | has been associated with f.arniiu: 



born on the 6th of July, 1685, and died on the 21st 
of May, 1760. His wife, Ann Williams, was born 
on the 8th of November, 1693, and died on the 
10th of September, 1773. The following are the 
names and dates of birth of their children : Mary, 
born Sept. 25, 1714; Martha, Sept. 24, 171(>; .Sam- 
uel, Dec. 5, 1718; Ellen, Jan. 19. 1720; John. Dec. 
21, 1722; Thom.as, Jan. 15, 1724; Theopliilus, Dec. 
21, 1726; William, Dec. 10, 1728; Edward, Oct. 
19, 1730; Ann. .Lan. 1, 1732, and Jane. Jan. 3, 1734. 

We will now return to the subject of our sketch, 
Mr. Everaid Foulke, whose lineage has been traced 
through several generations. Mr. Foulke was 
united in marriage with Miss Fannie Watson, on 
the 11th of May, 1825. .She was the daughter of 
John and Euithemia (Ingham) Watson. Her father 
was born on the 25th of August, 1774, and her 
mother in 1773. Their marriage took pl.ace on 
the 20th of June, 1795. The names of their chil- 
dren and the dates of their birth are as follows: 
Fannie, born May 24, 1796; Jonathan 1., Nov. 10, 
1797; .Joseph, Dec. 17, 1799; Isaiah, Aug. 29. 1801 ; 
Hannah, April 26, 1803; John H., Dec. 30, 1804; 
Euphemia, .Sept. 28, 1806; Anthony H., April 28, 
1808, and S.amuel I., April 22, 1816. The mother 
of these children died on the 6th of M.ay, 1816. 
(Jn the 31st of December, 1817, Mr. Watson 
formed a second matrimonial alliance, with Martha 
Duncan. Ky this marriage he had two children ; 
Richard, born Feb. 3, 1823, and Martha I., born 
Fel). 15, 1825. The mother of these children is 
dead. 

Our subject and wife have become the p:ir- 
ents of six children: Watson, born Sept. 10. 1826, 
is living in Kansiis; W. 1)., born June 5, 1828, is 
living in Rossville, Vermilion Co., III.; Jonathan I., 
born March 20, 1830, died Oct. 9, 1858; Thom.is 
D., born July 27, 1833, is an invalid; Jiupheniia 
A.., born Sei)t. 1 1, 1834, died July 7, 1835; Lester 
E., born Oct. 16, 1X37, is living on his father's 
farm. His tvvo sons, Watson and Thomas, did 
honorable service in the War of the Rebellion. 

Although Mr. Foulke's early educational advant- 
ages were limited he nevertheless succeeded in ac- 
quiring a good English education. From boyhood, 
both from inclination and circumstances, his life 

He resided in 



•►-■-^^ 



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704 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 



i 



Peuns.ylvania until the spring of 1 H4'>. when he re- 
moved to Clarke Count}', Ohio, and remained there 
until 1857, with his wife and two children. He 
then came to Sidney' Townshi|), where lie has since 
continued to reside. He is the owner of 1<!0 acres 
of well-imiiroved land, i<n<i\vn as the Arthur 
Springs farm. Although he is in his eiglity -sev- 
enth year, he possesses all tiie faculties, both men- 
tal and physical, of a man of sixty. He has in his 
possession some interesting family relics; among 
them is a brass clock whicii belonged to his father, 
and has been in the family for more than 100 
year; it is in running order and keeps good time; 
an old docket of his fatlier's, when Justice of the 
Peace, dated 17'.).'), and an ancient chair, made by 
Hugh Fouike, his great-grandfather. He is a Qua- 
ker in religious belief, and his political symjiathies 
are with the Republican paity. 

\|HiARTLET L. ELLROlX deceased, was one 
lIUiK yf (,ije pioneers of Champaign County, and 
a resident of Urbana Township. His par- 
ents, John and .Sarah (Collyer) EUrod, were 
among the early settlers of Ohio, and natives of 
Pennsylvania. Bartlet Ellrod was a native of the 
.State of Ohio, and came t<j Illinois when a young 
man, settling on the Sangamon River. After hav- 
ing purchased and improved a farm, he married 
Miss Elizabeth Busej', who died two years after 
tlieir marriage. Dissatisfied with his now desolate 
home, he sold his farm and removed to Urbana 
Township, where he married AHss Matilda Brook- 
shier, the daughter of Joel and Sarah Broolvshier. 
Her family were of English descent, and were na- 
tives of Randolph County, N. C, and when she 
was about two \-ears of age they moved from 
North Carolina to Montgomery County, Ind. They 
had a family of eleven children, all of whom grew 
to maturity, and all married with the exception of 
one, who died at the .age of twenty-three. 

After his .second marriage, Mr. Ellrod purchased 
and made his home on tiie farm where his widow 
now resides. It is located on section 1, I'rliana 
Towuslii^j, and contains 200 acres of choice, well- 

<■ ■ 



improved Land. Bartlet Ellrod w.as an enterpris- 
ing farmer, and at the same time was very, success- 
ful in stock-raising. While not actively interested 
in public affairs, he was a man of good luisiness 
(lualitications. and in every respect was highly es- 
teemed in the community. He died at his home, 
March 18, 18.iG, leaving his widow and two chil- 
dren, a son and daughter, to mourn their loss. The 
children are Isasic and Elizabeth, and the latter is 
the wife of Thomas Kerr, a resident of this county. 
Mrs. Ellrod and her son conduct the farm. They 
are now engaged in raising horses^fine cattle and a 
high grade of l>ogs. 

^^j HARLES S. HUNT, a young and enterpris- 
(l( ing farmer of Harwood Township, was born 

^^7 in Union County, Ind., M.ay 9, 1854, and 
was the youngest child of Aaron and Jane (Brown) 
Hunt. His father was a native of Ohio, born near 
Cincinnati, and was the son of Charles and Mary 
Hunt. 

Aaron Hunt was one of the early settlers of 
Montgomery County, Ind. His wife was a native 
of Union County, Ind., and was the daughter of 
William and Mary Brown, who were also among 
the earliest pioneers of that State. In 18G0 
Aaron Hunt came to Illinois, locating in Cham- 
l)aign County, where he remained for about twenty 
years. Having suffered an irreparable loss in the 
death of his beloved wife, and feeling unsettled in 
his home, he changed his residence to Dakota. He 
now m.akes his home in the family of his married 
daughter. 

Charles S. Hunt left home to seek his own fort- 
une in the world at the .age of sixteen, with only 
the meager educational advantages of the district 
school to aid his clear head, brave heart and strong 
liands in fighting the battle of life. He first worked 
on a farm for two years, gaining something in ex- 
perience, if but little in capital. His next venture 
w.as to engage in farming for himself on rented 
land, which he contnuied to do for about five 
years. His prospects having materially improved, 
his next venture was matrimonial. Kcli. .j, 18T7, 
he marrieil Miss Annie Stewart, the second child 



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L. 



li 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



705 




of Charles and Mary (Shank) .Stewart, natives of 
Oliio nnd Pennsylvania ri'Si)c'Ctively. 

Mr. Ihuit first settled near the huuieof his wife's 
mother, where he engaged in farming f(.)r one sea- 
son. He then conducted a farm eighteen montlis, 
for Mr. Breiner. and when his engagement with 
that gentleman term in;i ted, he moved to section 
30, Harwood Township, wiiere he has remained for 
the past seven years. He is an active, energetic 
man, and is quite extensively' engaged in raising 
the finest breeds of stock — Short-horn cattle, Nor- 
man horses, Poland-China hogs and Southdown 
sheep. He always votes with tiie Kepuhlican party, 
and has been elected Collector two years succes- 
sively on that ticket. 

-^v o*o.-^c2^<;/@..ofo.. <,— 

lOBERT H. MORRIS is an extensive grain- 
dealer at Myra Station, and one of the 
young and rising men of the State. He is 
^^tlie second son of James H. and Mary A. 
Jlorris, and was born near Rushville, the county 
seat of Rush County, Ind., Nov. 2, 1850. 

Robert Morris received a good practical educa- 
tion in the ()ublic schools, and afterward attended 
Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College in Chi- 
cago, when, having .acquired some knowledge of 
business, he was employed as book-keeper by the 
firm of Burley & T3'rrell, of that city. He next 
went to Elgin and eng.aged in book-keeping there, 
making that his residence for some time. In the 
fall of 1SS4 Mr. Morris began dealing in grain at 
Myra Station on the Wabash Road, where he en- 
gaged in the shii)ping of all kinds of grain, and is 
now extensively carrying on that business. He 
annually ships about 150,000 bushels of grain, and 
besides this business he is also engaged in agricult- 
ural pursuits. His fine and productive farm, known 
as " Sycamore Home," is located on section 15, 
I'rbana Township, and a view of the same is given 
elsewhere in this work. 

Mr. Morris is an active, energetic business man. 
alive to all the interests of the county and tlic 
"State. He is School Director in District No. 1; is 
a member of the order ot the Knights of Pythias, 



and is Secretary of the Champaign County Grain- 
De.alers' Association, which is a Inanch of the State 
(i rain-Dealers' Association. 



yJLLIAM D. EARL, a highly resi)ected 
fai'mer of Scott Township, and comfort- 
^ ^ ably located on section IG. is a native ol 
Ross County, Ohio, and was born Dec. 11, 1H47. 
His parents were Thom.as and Elizabetli (Augus- 
tus) Earl, the former a native of Maryland and the 
latter of Ohio. After marriage they located in 
Ross Count}-, the latter State, where Thomas Earl - 
the remainder of his life followed farming pursuits, 
and where both parents closed their eyes upon the 
scenes of earth. Their family of eleven children 
consisted of four girls and seven boys, of whom 
our subject was the tenth in order of birth. 

AVilliam 1). Earl was bred to farming pursuits, 
and was fairlj' educated in the common schools. 
He remained in his native county until the winter 
of 1870, being then a young man twenty-two years 
old. He then started for the prairies of Hlinois, 
and coming into this county located in Scott Town- 
ship, where he was variously employed until the 
spring of 1875. He then purchased IGO .acres of 
land, where he established his present comfortable 
and valuable homestead. The soil has been finely 
developed and cultivated, and yields in abundance 
the rich pnjductsof the Prairie State. He has been 
successful as a business man and a farmer, and uni- 
formly pursued the course in life which has won 
for him the respect and (onfidcnce of his fellow- 
citizens. 

The marriage of our .••ul)ject took place in Scott 
Township on the 2'Jth of December, 1870, the 
maiden of his choice being Miss Margaret K., 
daughter of Zachariah and Sail}' A. (McCoy) Hen- 
ness. The parents of Mrs. Earl were natives of 
Ross County, Ohio, where they were reared and 
married, and lived for some time afterward. In 
18(18 they came to tiiis county, taking u}) their 
•abode in Scott Township, whci'c the\ now reside. 
Of their nine children, three daughlci-> .'uid si.K 
sons, Mrs. Earl was the fourth. Her birth took 



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706 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






place In Ross County, Ohio, Oct. 10, 184Z. The 
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Earl has beim blest by 
tlie birth of three chililren — David, Howard and 
Louisa. 

Our subject, |)olitically, is a warm supporter of 
Republican principles, and has been prominent in 
the affairs of his township, always interested in its 
welfare and prosperity. He has held the office of 
School Director, and in every station to which he 
has been called has fulfilled his duties in a faithful 
and creditable manner. 



t 



J""? OHN B. WEEKS, one of the lionored i)io- 
I neers of Champaign Count}', for the past 
' four 3'ears lias been foreman of the Ilanidton 
/ Inmlier-yard in Champaign, and by liis prac- 
tical business talent has made himself almost 
indispensable to the company which he partially 
represents. Mr. WeeiiS was born in New York 
City, Sept. (i, 1839. His parents, Reuben C. and 
Rel)ecca (Tliomas) Weeks, were natives respectively 
of New York and Massachusetts. The former was 
a resident of New York City for a period of forty 
years, where he engaged in tlie real-estate and stock 
business. In 185G he emigrated to Illinois, and 
carried on farming in Grundy County for two 
years. In the meantime lie had visited Cham- 
paign and purchased 1 GO acres of land in Scott 
Township, this county, upon wliicli lie farmed two 
years, then removed to the city of Champaign, and 
retired from active labor. He lived there until 
1885, then removed to Chicago, where his death 
took place June 7, 1H8G. The mother had died in 
Chamjiaign three years before. Reuben Weeks had 
been reared in the Society of Friends, but later in 
life united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
of which his vvife was also a member. Five of 
their six children are now living: George D., a 
resident of McCune, Kan.; Mary S., Mrs. A. Ben- 
nett, of Chicago; John B., of our sketch; William 
E., of New York City, and Millie, Mrs. Olienshain, 
of Chicago. 

The subject of this bioi;raphy remained under 
the ht)inc roof until eighteen years of age, since 

4» 



which time his residence has been mostly in Ciiam- 
paign. Twenty years of tliis time he was engaged 
in the draying business, employing two men and 
three teams. Afterward he l)ecame manager of the 
business of Messrs. Trevett <fe Green for two years. 
After dissolving his connnectioii with this linn he 
became foreman of the Hamilton luinl)er-yards, 
which position he has since retained. 

During the late war, Mr. Weeks, in 18G2, en- 
listed in Co. G., 72d III. Vol. Inf., serving a term 
of three years as a soldier of the Union. He was 
at the siege and capture of \'icksburg, and engaged 
in man}' skirmishes, and for twelve months had 
charge of the Government stables at Ft. Wood, 
New York Harbor. He was married, in 1860, to 
Miss Josephine Ilasbrouck, who was a native of 
New Y'ork State, and the daughter of Dr. Jacoli 
Hasbrouck, a practicing physician of Seneca, N. Y. 
Of tliis union there were born three children — 
Frank R., Eva A. and John H. The pleasant 
family residence is located on Vine street, and our 
subject, with his family, enjoj's the society of hosts 
of friends. 

Mr. Weeks is Republican in politics, and belongs 
to the Knights Templar and the G. A. R. He is 
Alderman of the Fourth Ward, which office he has 
occupied in all four j-ears. Our subject and his 
wife are worthy members of the Metiiodist Episco- 
pal Church, of which Mr. W. was formerly Trustee 
and Assistant Superintendent of the Sal) bath-school; 
he is now Recording Steward and Superintendent 
of the latter. 



#"# 




j;ILL]AM P. FANCHER, a shining example 
of integrity, energy and perseverance, who 
conquered the disadvantages of his early 
circumstances, is a fanner and stock-grower, lo- 
cated on section 3G, Sidney Township. He is the 
son of Hiram and Martha (Dixon) Faucher, and 
was born in Rush County, Ind., Jan. IS, 184G. 

The father of our subject was a native of Indiana, 
but removed from that State to Illinois in 1867, 
where he carried on the vocation of farming dur- 
ing liis life and died here in 1861). His wife is 
still living, and spends tlie latter days of her life at 



-» m <• 




RESIDENCE OF W ^ S W A YZ I E , 5 EC . 8 , E AST BEND TP. 



^ 'v' ^ ._ 



•V*!'-lJ«Wi5! 




RESIDENCE OF J . IVI . C R A I 6 , 5 E C , 23 , CH A lYl PA IG N TP. 



; .."ii«?*-!««e.;li 




ffi 



RESIDENCE OF J.H.HEDRICK,5EC.1,NEWC0MBTP, 



ffl 



f 



■^•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



709 



tho home of her son William. There were but 
three cliildion in the parental family: >\illiam P.; 
Sarali, the wife of W. L. Smith, living in Sidne.y 
Township, and Nancy J.- the wife of (Jranville 
Thompson, living in the southwestern part of the 
State of Kansas. 

The boyhood of William V. Faneher was passed on 
a farm and he acquired such education as he could 
gather from the meager advantages afforded him 
during the early days in .the old log school-house 
in the neighborhood, in the intervals of leisure 
afforded him by his duties. He w.as a faithful and 
affectionate son, assisting his parents in bearing the 
burdens and overcoming the ditticulties of pioneer 
life, until about thirtj^-three years of age. when he 
left home, and went to Kansas, where for about 
eight years and six months he was successfully 
engaged in farming and raising cattle. His wife is 
the daughter of John and Celia (Gibson) Cash, and 
her pai'ents are living in Sidne}' Township. 

Mr. Faneher is the owner of eight}' acres of valu- 
able land, which, through his careful supervision 
and cultivation has reached a high degree of im- 
provement. His residence is comfortable and com- 
modious, and all the farm buildings are in excellent 
order. He is a Republican in politics. 



■ 



Itr^ K. .lAMES CORE, a pioneer pliysician of 
I ijj Homer, prominent in his profession as a 
^jgjl^^ reliable practitioner, and one of the ro|)re- 
sentative men of Champaign County, was 
born in Ross County, Ohio, Dec. H», 1820. He is 
the son of Henr}- and Fflie (McDonald) Core, na- 
tives respectively of JIaryland and Ross County, 
Ohio. Henry Core was born .Innc 20, 1792, and 
died at Homer, 111., in April, 1SG2. The niotlicr 
of our subject was born Jan. 1;"^, 1»01, and became 
the wife of Henry Core Nov. 11, 1817. She pre- 
ceded him to the silent land, passing awaj' on liie 
30th of August, IS.')',). She eaine from an excel- 
lent Scotch lamily, her father having been JtAm 
McDonald, who was l)orM .l:ui. 28, 177."), and died 
in Ohio in IS-ll. The inalcrualgreat-grandpMrents 
of Dr. Core came directly from the lligiilands of 



Scotland, and settled in Ross County, Ohio, where 
the death of the great-grandfather occurred in 
1823, when he was sevent3--eiglit years of .age. 
The father of the latter, the great-great-grandfather 
of our subject, also died in Ross County, Ohio, in 
the one-luiudredth year of his age, having been 
boi'n in 1723, and jjassing away in 1822. His wife 
was formerly Miss Elizabeth Douglas, of the house 
of the Campbells of Scotland. 

The parents of our subject reared a family of 
three sons and three daughters, namely, James, 
.John, Catherine, Elizabeth, Ann M. and Charles L. 
Charles 1.. died in 1804, and Catherine in 1855. 
James, of our sketch, the eldest son and child, re- 
ceived his early education in the common schools 
of his native county, and when twenty-two years 
of age commenced the study of medicine under 
the instruction of Dr. E. Martin, a prominent phy- 
sician of the Buckeye State. Entering the Medi- 
cal College at Cincinnati, he graduated and con- 
tinued the practice of his profession in Homer, 
until he decided to seek a permanent location in 
the West. In 1853 he came to this county, and in 
this and Vermilion Counties built up an extensive 
and lucrative practice. He has always taken an 
active interest in local affairs, both social and polit- 
ical, and in the fall of 1878 w.as elected to rei)re- 
sent his county in the General Assembly of the 
State. He served two years in the Legislature, 
and since then has occupied many of the local 
odices with ability and success. He has also ex- 
tended his field of labor, and odiciated as a minis- 
ter of the Methodist Episcopal Church at intt'rvals 
during the Last eighteen years. Added to this, his 
operations .as an agriculturist have been quite ex- 
tensive, and it would seem that the measure of a 
busy life had been thoroughly filled. Besides val- 
uable town |)roperty he has 300 acres of choice 
I farming land, the cidti\ation of which he superin- 
leiiils, and from which he realizes aiuuially a com- 
fortable income. 

Dr. Core assisted in tiie organi_zation of the Re- 
publican i)arty in this county, being a delegate 
from his township to tiie fiist convention of the 
kind lu'ld in this section. In tlir various positions 
to which he has been called, his t.alents have re- 
ceived a ready recognition, and notwithstanding 



i 



f. 






710 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



he has lived more than threescore jears, he pos- 
sesses more energy than many men one-half his age. 

In early manhood Dr. Core was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Isabelle Gosslee. their union taking 
place ir. Madi.son County, Ohio, Oct. 31, 1854. 
This lady was born Jan. 25, 1825, and became the 
niotlicr of four children. After a brief illness she 
died at the home of her husband in Homer, 111., 
Dec. ly, 1863, deeply lamented by a large circle of 
friends and acquaintances. IShe had been a meni- 
lier of the Methodist Episcopal Church for twenty- 
four years, and adorned her Christian profession in 
her daily life. Her son, Charles F., was born in 
185(i, and is living in Homer, 111.; Kffie O. was 
born JMarch 1, 1862, and became the wife of C. II. 
Wallace, of Homer, and two children died in in- 
fancy. 

The second wife of Dr. Core was formerly Miss 
MatiUhi Riley, a native of Hartford County, Conn., 
born Oct. 16, 1836. She is the daughter of Jona- 
than and Pamelia (Weldon) Riley. Her father 
was born in Jlareh, 17!)5, and died Se[)t. 26, 1856. 
Her mother, who was of English ancestry, was born 
Sept. '.*, 1S03, and |)assed away oi. the 'Jth of July, 
1850. Their children were named, Ruel, Ralph. 
Pamelia, Abbie, Laura. iAIatihla, Royal, Elvira, 
Roland and Eltannr M. Those deceased are Ruel, 
Abbie, Eleanor and Raljjli. Of the second mar- 
riage of our subject Ihcre was born one chiM. a 
son, James R., who died .May 21, 1872, when less 
than one year old. 

S| SAAC M. WALLACE, a prominent farmer and 
{|l .stock-grower of LTrbana Township, was Itorn in 
/1\ the town of Greenwich, Conn., Oct. 24, 1843. 
His parents, William and Elizabeth (Funston) Wal- 
lace, were natives of England, both of whom came 
to this country at an early age. His father was a 
stone and brick mason by trade, but had also some 
experience in farming. Their means were limited, 
and they were obliged to encounter many struggles 
with adverse circumstances in bringing up their 
family of si.x children. The father died at the age 
of seventy; the mollier is still living. 

Isaac Al. Wall.ace was educated in (ireenwieh. 



Conn. After attaining to the age of manhood, lie 
engaged in the railroad business on the Hartford &. 
jS'ew Haven Railroad, where he was first engaged as 
brakeraan. then became baggagemaster, and was 
afterward made conductor. He occupied this po- 
sition for eight years, and then came West, as con- 
tractor for the I., D. & S. R. R., and afterward was 
employed on the I., B. & W. as conductor. He 
held this position until 1885, when, desiring a niore 
quiet life, he retired from the railroad business and 
bought the property where he now resides, located 
on section 19. His farm contains 160 acres of 
valuable land, and is in an excellent state of culti- 
vation. 

On the I'Jth of February. 1887, Mr. Wallace was 
united in marriage with Miss Mary E., who is the 
daughter of Fi'ank and Sarah (Baldwin) Baird. 
Her family were formerlj- residents of Ohio, but 
have for some time made their home in Champaign 
County. Mr. AVallace has erected a fine residence, 
large and commodious barns, and other farm build- 
ings on his premises. There were none of any kind 
ou the place when he purchased it. He has attained 
his present prosperity by his native energy', good 
judgment and executive ability. 

APT. B. F. CRESAP, of Scott Township, 
was born and reared on a farm in Pickaway 
i^-" County, Ohio, where he first opened his eyes 
to the light Nov. 17, 1830. His parents were 
Daniel and Margaret (Hume) Cresap, the former a 
native of Maryland and the latter of Virginia. The 
Cresap family was of English origin, and the 
Humes came originally from Ireland. After their 
marriage Daniel Cresap and his wife located in 
Pickaway County, Ohio, where they carried on 
farming until 1 855. He then came to this State, 
locating first in Piatt County, where he remained 
two years, and then removing to Champaign 
County took jmsscssion of a farm in Scott Town- 
ship, where the parents remained until they cea.sed 
from their earthly labors. Their five children were, 
Hamilton, Benjamin F. of our sketch. Mary, Daniel 
and John W. 

Our subject removed from his native State ty 



n-- 



T 



t 



-4*- 



CHAMPAIGN COUN'TY. 



711 



Illinois with his father's family, and has been a 

resident of Scott Towiisliip, this countv, since 
1857. Like his father hcforc liini lie tooix up the 
business of fainiiiin:, whicii he lias fcdlowed with 
marked success. He i.s now tiie owner of nearly 
900 acres of land, most of which is in a tillable 
condition. Mis residence is a fine modern structure, 
and the out-liuiidings are conveniently arrange<l for 
the use of the modern Jind [)rogressive agriculturist. 
He fattens annually ahout 100 head of cattle, the 
proceeds of whicii yield him a line income. Every- 
thing about the [(remises is kept in lirst-dass ordei', 
and indicates the intelligence and enterprise of the 
proprietor. 

(?apt. Cresap was married, at Ilyde Park, 111., 
June IG, 18G8, to Miss .Sarah A., daughter of E. G. 
and Catherine M. (Jones) \incent, wh<( were na- 
tives of Delaware. The parental family included 
seven chihiren, three <:inly of whom lived to mature 
years, namely, Sarah A.,()leviaand Mary F. Mrs. 
Cresap was born in Delaware, July oO, 1847. The 
household of our subject includes five children — 
Nellie, Clara, Josephine, William H. and Benj. F. 

During the progress of the late war our subject 
entered the army, in August, 1«02, being commis- 
sioned First Lieutenant of Co. C, 107th 111. \'ol. 
Inf. At the battle of Knoxville, Tenn., he was 
promoted Captain, with which rank he served until 
the close of the war. At the battle of Resaca, 6a., 
one of his men was killed by his side, and a portior 
of the unfortunate man's skull penetrated the body 
of Capt. Cresap, causing a painful wound. He went 
through the Atlanta campaign with Ceu. Sherman, 
and afler the war was over returned to Scott 
Township, and resumed the peacefid vocation of a 
farmer. Politically he is a stanch Republican, .and 
religiously is connected with the Methoilist Church. 



^€«iEEiiil»^«^ 



J' AMES S. FREEMAN, a hero of two wars, 
is one of the well-kuow^ii and respected citi- 
zens of Sidney, whore he is living in retire- 
ment from the jictive labor.s of a farm life. 
He is the son of William and Eliza (Holier) Free- 
uiaii, and was born in Allegheny County, Pa., 



March 4, 1 824. His father was a native of Mary- 
land, and his mother of Pennsylvania. In 1828 
the parents m<(ved from Pennsylvania to Pickaway 
County, Ohio, whore the father was engaged in 
farming until ISl-i. That year he removed to 
Tippecanoe Count}', hid., and there lived until the 
de.ath of .Mrs. Freeman, whicli occurred in I8.'i(). 
He then moved to .Iasi)er County, Iiid., where he 
died in 1K72. 

In 1 S4'J our subject was united in marriage with 
JVIiss A. E. Frankinberger, daughter of Thomas and 
Sarah (Phillijis) Frankinberger. The union of our 
subject with Miss Frankinberger has been blest by 
the birth of .seven children — Sarah. William. Charles 
J., Ida M., and three who died in infancy. Charles 
J. resides in Sidney; Ida M. married Andrew 
Dempsey, and lives in Terre Haute, Ind. 

In 184tl Mr. Freeman enlisted in the first regi- 
ment of Mounted Ritlenien, the U. S. A., and 
served honorably in the Mexican War until .bin. 
13, 1848. On the 13tli of September, 1847. he 
was wounded at the battle of Chapultepec, and at 
the close of the war received an honorable dis- 
charge at the city of Mexico. In recognition of 
his services during that campaign, lie now draws a 
pension of ^12 per month. After the close of the 
Mexican War he returned home, and engaged in 
the [)eaceful occupation of farming until Sept. 23, 
18G1. The echoes of the rebel guns had scarcely 
died away at the dastardly assault made on .Maj. 
Anderson and his little band of heroes at Ft. 
Sumter, when Mr. Freeman received the com- 
mission of First Lieutenant, in the 10th Illinois 
Volunteer Cavalry. He served eleven nionths and 
then being disabled for active service, was (jbliged 
to resign at Si)ringfield, Mo., in June, 18G3. Once 
again he returned from military pursuits to his 
home in this county, where he has since resided, and 
engaged in agricultural pursuits until his retire- 
ment. He owns fourteen valuable town lots in 
Sidney, and his own elegant residence is supplied 
with all the modern improvements. He was the 
first Supervisor-elect an<i held that position for 
nine successive years. Since his residence here he has 
filled at different times most of the minor ollicial 
positions of the town. He is a member of the (i. 
A. It., and was the lirst commander of Post 317. 



t 



~T 



t. 



•>-■-* 



■t 



712 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



His political sympathies were formerly with the 
Republicans, but he is at |)resoiit a niomber of the 
Greeiiljack party. Although threescore years and 
more of his life liave |)asse(l, .Mr. Freeman can look 
liaek over a spotless record and one sparkling with 
deeds of heroism for his lieloved country. 



^ €--*-i^ ^ 



4 



yII>LIAM A. \'ADKN, an attorney, engaged 
in tiie practice of law in Sidney, was born 
in South Carolina, Sept. 20, 1M37. He is 
the son of John W. and Rebecca (Richison) A'aden, 
who were l)oth natives of South Carolina. He had 
the misfortune to lose his mother liy death when 
but eight years of age. His father was a civil 
engineer, and also a slave-owner, holding twenty- 
two slaves as his property when the war broke out. 
In I8G6 his son, William A. Vaden, went to Ohio, 
where he lived four years. He then moved again, 
going to K.ans.as, but not being phased with the 
couutrj', remained there only a few weeks, when he 
returned to Sidney, where he has since resided. 

Our subject enlisted in the 1st Regiment, C. S. A., 
.Ian. ."), 18(jl, and remained with that command 
until the battle of Antietam, Sejit. 10, 1862, when 
he was taken prisoner by the Union forces and 
conveyed to Ilarrisburg, and thence to Ft. Dela- 
ware. After having been held a prisoner for two 
weeks, he was exchanged and then joined the 23d 
^'irginia Cavalry, with which regiment he remained 
until the fall of 1804. He was then at Cumber- 
land, where he crossed the lines, took the oath of 
allegiance, and went from there to Pittsburgh, where 
he enlisted in the 4th Penn.sylvania Cavalry. He 
remained with that command until July l;j, 1805, 
when he was disclmrged, having been wounded at 
the second battle of Bull Run. 

After the close of the war Mr. \'aden was mar- 
ried to Miss Sarah E. Hughes, Aug. 0, 180.5, in 
Rushville, \'a. She is the daughter of Nathaniel 
and Mary (Holmes) Hughes, and was bt>rn in 
Rockingham County, Va., Dec. 23, 1843. Her 
father's busine.ss was farming. Both her parents 
were natives of X'irginia. They are now deceased. 
Our suliject and wife have reared a family of three 



interesting children: Laura, born May 2, 186G, 
was educated for a teacher in tiie (jublic schools; 
Mary, born July 12, 1808, is also eng.aged in tlie 
vocation i>f teaching; the youngest, Bertha, was 
born April 10. 1880. 

Mr. \'aden has honorably held several official 
positions in Sidney. He was elected Justice of the 
Pe.ace for three terms. Police Magistrate, and Super- 
visor of the town for one term each. He has twice 
been elected on the Town Board and served one 
term as its President. His political inclinations arc 
strongly Rei)ublican. 



.->»»;^<-J»ti* 



<tf*c^-M^itf-» 



\1/A5IKS WILSON, a brave Union soldier in 
the Civil War, and at present a respected 
and honored citizen of Sidney Township, 
located on secti<m 30, was burn in County 
Tyrone, Ireland, in January. 1 837. Kor a biographi- 
cal notice of Mr. Wilson's parents the reader is 
referred to the sketch of George W. Wilson, else- 
where in this work. 

James Wilson left his native country in 1850, and 
after landing at New York came directl^^ to Cham- 
paign County, III. His time, thus far in life, has 
been devoted to agricultural pursuits, in which he 
has met with that success which is the reward of 
energetic effort. By his gallant service in the Civil 
War he prc)ved himself an honorable and patriotic 
citizen of his adopted country. In the softened 
light of retrospect few perhaps can truly imagine 
or appreci.ate the sufferings and trials of w'ar; the 
weary marches and counter marches; the dangers 
arid treacheries encountered on the field, in the 
cam]) and the prison; the tears and anguish .and 
blood that mark its way. 

In 1801 Mr. Wilson enlisted in Co. F, 2(;th 111. 
\v\. Inf., .serving under Col. Loomis, Capt. John 
II. Folke. He fought bravely at the battles of 
New Madrid, Island No. 10, the meniornble siege 
of X'icksburg, the battle of Shiloh, Mission Ridge, 
and faced fearlessly the frowning guns and leaden 
■iiail at the siege of Atlanta. He was with Sherman 
on his triumpliant march to the sea, and thence to 
Richmond and Washington, where he witnessed the 



•*► J P ■<' 



1 



■4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



713 



graiid review of the armies of Grant and Slierinan. 
In 1HG4 lie was mustered out at Springfield, 111., 
and wearied with strife and carnage, his sword 
changed to the implements of husbandry, he re- 
turned to his home and engaged in the peaceful 
occupation of farming. 

Our subject, Mr. Wilson, was married to Miss 
Henrietta Brown, who was born in Vermilion Coun- 
ty, State of Illinois, and is the daughter of Isaac 
and Amanda Brown. Mr. Wilst)n and his wife 
have a family of four children: Bertha, born 
March 24, 1874, died Nov. 18, 1874; George P., 
born Jan. 31, 1875; Blanche C, born March 13, 
1877, and Henry, who died in infancy. Himself 
and wife are members of high standing in the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics Mr. \V. 
is a Democrat, but his career in the Civil War 
Indicates that his principles are allied to those exist- 
ing in the brave days of old, " when none were for 
party but all for the State." 

'~'^ -t^-^i V*- 



t 



y ILL I AM HARVEY, one of the earliest set- 
tlers of Chami)aign County, is widely and 
favorabl}' known as one of the most valua- 
ble residents of this section, to whose development 
and growth he has materially contributed during 
the period of forty-eight 3-ears in whicli he has 
lived here. He first settled in the embryo village 
of Urbana, where he engaged as a contractor and 
builder. Afterward he purchased a farm of 'i.'iO 
acres, part of which, in 1870, he laid off as an addi- 
tion to Urbana, the lots being readily taken u[) by 
those desirous of establishing a permanent liomc in 
that locality. This was called the Harvey addi- 
tion, and now forms an important part of the city. 
Mr. Harvey was born in Berks County, Pa., Aug. 
23,1814. His parents were .lob and Mary (Fix) 
Harvey, who were also natives of the Ke^'stone 
State, descending on the father's side from English 
ancestry, and on the mother's fnjm the (iernian. 
Job Harvey, in 181.S, when our subject wasasmall 
boy four years of age, emigrated to Stark County, 
Ohio, and engaged in farming. Thence in 1 83'.l 
he came to Illinois, settling near the .Sangamon 
River on the western line of Champaign County. 



There the mother died in 1862 and the father fol- 
lowed four years later. During the period of his 
residence in Pennsylvania Job Ilarvcy siu-ved as a 
soldier for a short time in the War of I 812. The par- 
ental household included eleven children, of whom 
five are now living, namely, Mary, William. Sam- 
uel, Moses and John S. 

William Harvey was reared on tlic faiin with his 
brothers and sisters, and received a limited educa- 
tion in the pioneer .school. He remained a mem- 
ber of the, family household until twenty-one years 
of age, and afterward served an apprenticeship of 
three years at the cabinet-maker's trade. In the 
meantime he pursued his studies as oi)|)ortunity 
permitted, and taught school two winters after learn- 
ing his trade. The present possessions of our sub- 
ject are the result of his own industry, economy 
and good judgment. He had no resources to be- 
gin with aside from his resolute will and industri- 
ous hands, but he seldom speaks of the dilllculties 
which he encountered while forming a substantial 
basis for the property he now possesses and enjoys. 

In 18()'J he erected the substantial brick dwelling 
on his farm in Urbana Township, and the following 
year built tiie house which he occupies in the village. 
Both his farms and village property are well cared 
for, the buildings kept in good repair, and every- 
thing about theuT denoting the wisdom and forc- 
tiiought of their proprietor. Mr. Harvey has 
served as .lustice of the Peace, Street Comuiis- 
sionci'. City Marshal of Urbana and Deputy Sheriff 
of the county. He has represented his ward in the 
City Council for a period of six years. He was at 
one time owner of the carding-mill at Urbana, and 
has been interested in many of tlie enterprises lead- 
ing to the advancement of its industrial interests. 
He is a stanch Democrat [Mjliticaliy, and ui)holds 
the princii)les of his |)arty by his vote and intluence 
as opportunity affords. 

Tlie marriage of Willi.am Harvey and .Miss H;ir- 
riett Hutcliinson took |)lace in Stark County, Ohi(i, 
in 1837. Mrs. II. is the daughter of Alexander 
and Martha (Ciu-ry) Hulcliinson, natives of Ire- 
land. Her father came to America early in life, 
and located in Lancaslcr County, I'm. Of the chil- 
dren of the [larenlal household, elevi'u in number, 
only Mis. Harvey survives. By her union with 



••Mjf^ 



t 



I 



A- 



714 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



our subject she has become the mother- of tin/ fol- 
lowing tliree children : Athalia became the wife t)f 
II. II. Harris, and has tliree children — AVilliani H., 
John H. and Charles H. Kmily, iMrs. .Tolinson, of 
Urbana, hsis two children — William and Teddie; 
Jane, Mrs. Hoffman, has three children — Robert. 
Myrtti and Frank. 





ANIEL E. BIRDZELL, a native of this 
county, is comfort.ably located on section 
19, in St. Joseph Township, of which lie 
li.as been a resident since the spring of 
18r>7. Here he has 128 acres of well-cultivated 
land, sujiplied with good buildings, and has em- 
ployed his time in the [leaceful pursuits of farm 
life, contented with his lot and enjoying tlie esteem 
of his fellow-citizens. 

Our subject was born on his father's farm in St. 
Joseph Township, Aug. 21, 18.t7. His parents, 
John P. and Catherine L. (Hudson) Hirdzell, were 
natives of Indiana. The former was born April 18, 
1820, and departed this life at his liome in St. 
Josejih Township, March l.'i, 1880. His wife, Cath- 
erine, was the daughter of Joim II. and Lydia 
Hudson, and still survives, making lier Inniie in 
St. Joseph. The parents after their marriage located 
near Terre Haute, Ind., where John Birdzcll en- 
gaged in various occui)ations and continued to 
reside until 185.'). He then removed with his family 
to this county, and located upon the farm now 
occupied by his son, Daniel E., of our sketch. It 
originally contained 320 acres, which the father of 
our subject brouglit to a good state of cultivation 
and which presented under his excellent inaiiage- 
ment one of the neatest and most desirable home- 
steads in St. Joseph Township. The parental family 
included the following children, viz., Joshua S., 
deceased; Allen; Daniel E., of our sketch; David 
R. ; Laura A., the wife of Jose)>h H. Stayton; 
Lydia A., Mrs. David 15. Stayton. Jr., and Walter 
W., now deceased. The mother is still living, mak- 
ng her home among her cliililrcii. 

Mr. Hirdzell attende(l the district school during 
his boyhood and youth, and when twenty-three years 



of age was married, in April, 1880, to Miss Addie 
M., daughter of William H. and Tryphena Albaugh. 
Mrs. B. is a native of this countv, born in 18G0. 
Her parents were natives of Maryland and West 
Virginia, respectively ; the mother resides in Mober- 
ly. Mo., and the father is deceased. After marrijige 
Mr. and Mrs. Birdzell took a trip to Portland, 
Ore., and upon their return located on the old 
homestead, where the3' still remain. In addition to 
the ordinary labors of the farm Mr. Birdzell has of 
late years been engaged quite extensively as a 
dealer in fine horses and cattle, in which he has dis- 
played excellent judgment with good results. The 
househohl includes three children : Lucretia P., Paul 
F. and Cecil Blanche. Our subject is Democratic 
in politics, and his estimable lady has been a mem- 
ber of the New-Light Church at Prairie Hope 
since 1876. 




AMILTON JEFFERSON, wlu» 1ms been a 
resident of the Prairie State for thirty-five 
years, is now living in retirement in 
Clianipaigii, and with his family occupies 
one of the most handsome and substantial resi- 
dences. His has been a bus3' life, in which for 
years he was actively engaged in farming, but 
afterward went into the livery business, and fol- 
lowed it successfully in Chami)aign from 18G0 until 
1880. Since becoming a resident of tliiscount}' he 
has taken a genuine interest in its welfare and prog- 
ress and has contributed his full share toward 
bringing it to its present condition. He h.as now 
arrived at the advanced .age of seventy-nine 3ears, 
during which time he has bnilt up for himself a 
record as an honest man and a good citizen, and h.as 
full}' established himself in the esteem and confi- 
dence of all who know him. 

Mr. Jefferson w.asborn in Frederick County, Md., 
Jan. 23, 1808. and is the son of Leonard and Bar- 
bara (Nichols) Jefferson, natives of the .same State 
as their son, and descended from e.^ccellent F^nglish 
.and (Jernian ancestry. The father of our snl)ject, 
who was a tanner by trade, removed from .Maryland 
with his wife and sou Hamilton, to Ohio, in 1812. 
They located in Chillicothe. Ross County, but soon 
afterwaril rented a hotel and t'arni about four miles 



i 



1^=^ 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



tlS 



\ 



from tlic city, wliere they remainerl eight j'enrj?. 
Mr. Jefferson then purchased •"JOO acres of Imul in 
Faj'ette County, which was unimproved and con- 
sisted mostly of timber. This lie improved and 
lived niion the remainder of his days, his deatii oc- 
curring in 18,t2. The mother had died some years 
before. Of tiio six children comprising the par- 
ental household, three .are now living: Hamilton of 
our sketch; Elizabeth, Mrs. Fisher, of London, 
Madison Co., Ohio, and John, who is engaged in 
farming in Faj'ette County. 

The primary studies of Hamilton .lefferson were 
ccmdueted in the jnoneer log school-house among 
the Uuckeye hills. This was furnished with the 
puncheou floor of those days, and light was admitted 
through greased paper in place of window-panes. 
The teacher used a birch gad freeh', and in other 
respects the sj'Stem of education was widely dif- 
ferent f-i'oni that of the present day. Vouug Jef- 
ferson remained at home until reaching his majority, 
then farmed on rented land in his own county for 
five j^ears. During this time he had saved suffi- 
cient means to i)urchase !.")() .acres of land iu Madi- 
son County, upon which he took up his abode until 
18.51, in the meantime liaving added 200 acres to 
his first possession. He was uow desirous of seeing 
something of the great West, and coming to Jllinois 
purchased 1,050 acres of land in ^'ermilion County 
where he farmed extensively for three years. At 
the expiration of this time he purcliased five acres 
in the city of Champaign, upon whicii he removed 
and wliieli lie has since occu[)ied. 

After abandoning the farm Jh'- Jefferson eng>aged 
ill mercantile pursuits for two years, tlien returned 
to his former occupation, to which he added the 
buj'ing and selling of land, and also engage<l iu tin; 
livery Ijusine.ss. He has assistc<l materially in the 
building up of Champaign, whicii at the time of his 
locating there consisted of only two stores and 
about a dozen houses. He assisted in the organiza- 
tion of the First National Bank of the city, being 
one of the lii'st stockholders, .■iiid there are few en- 
terprises to whicii he has not contributed by his 
means and iiilluence. 

The marriage of Mr. .lefferson took place in Fay- 
ette County, Oliit), in \x-2'.K the lady of his choice 
being Miss Mary Allen, a native of thai county. 



Of this union there were born six children, three 
now living. Their eldest son, James Willis, mar- 
ried Miss Arniilda Landers, and they have four chil- 
dren — .Sophia, James. Thtun.asand George. Eliza- 
beth J., who became the vvife of Jackson Thomp- 
son, is a resident of Chamiiaigu, and has three 
children — Martha, Ellen .and Clara. William I. mar- 
ried Miss Lydia Patten, and they have three chil- 
dren — •William, Mabel and Earnest. Mrs. JLary 
Jefferson departed this life in Denver, Col., iu 1880. 
The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married in 1882, was Miss Susan Staley, who w.as 
born in \'irginia and w.as the daughter tff Joseph 
and Margaret (llizy) Stale3', natives of West Vir- 
ginia, where Mr. S. was engaged in farming, and 
whence he removed, in 1854, to Illinois, .and 
located in this county, on land between the cities 
of Champaign and Urbana. Mr. Stale j' was born 
in 1802, .and departed this life May 20.:18f>.3. His 
wife is still living and a resident of Champaign. 
Their family of eight children were, Susan, Mrs. 
Jefferson; Mary, Mrs. Nelson; J.,ouisa, Mrs. Gouch; 
Henrietta, Mrs. Gay; George A., Calvin C, Ella, 
Mrs. Keither, and Peter B. Mr. Jefiferson is lie- 
publican in politics and has always fearlessly advo- 
cated the principles ofjiis party. As a citizen and 
business man he has been an important factor in the 
interests f)f his section and is \ allied accordinglv. 



t 



^f^ 



r^^REDERICK DEMLO. Among the self- 
^i^gj made men of this county who were born on 
is foreign soil and commenced life humbly 
and with little means, the subject of this history 
deserves more than a passing notice. He was born 
in the town of liowersdorf. Province of Pomera- 
nia, Prussia, Oct. 2, 1834. His parents were .Jacob 
and Fredricka Demlo, natives of the same country. 
In 18G3 they emigrated with their family to the 
United States, and at once sought the prairies of 
Illinois. Mr. I), located in Champaign County 
and made it his home until his death, which oc- 
curred in 1870. The mother is still living in Cham- 
paign, and is now seventy-nine years old. Their 
seven cliildrcn were Christ, .John, Frederick, Fred- 
ricka, Suphiti, Dora and Mary, all of whoiu came 
»► 



1 ' 

i 



4= 



716 



4 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-t 



with their parents to Champaign. All are now 
married and reside in this county. 

The subject of this sketch was the third child of 
the family, and in accordance vvith the laws and 
customs of his native country, was placed in school 
at an early age and continued his studies until 
fourteen years old. At that age also he was con- 
firmed in the Lutheran Church. He soon after- 
ward left home and commenced working on a farm, 
receiving for.liis services about $20 per 3ear, and 
a certain amcjunt of linen and woolen cloth, which 
his mother manufactured into wearing apparel. 

After^rriving at years of manhood our subject 
w.as married in his native town to Miss Fredricka 
Ohemkv, who was also bom there and baptized in 
the same church .as her husband. Two years later 
they set sail from Hamburg for the New World, 
embarking on the 1st of June and landing in New 
York City in .Tul}', after a voy.age of six weeks. 
From there they proceeded directly Westward, lo- 
cating at once in Champaign County. They were 
comparatively among strangers, and Mr. D. was in 
debt. He did not lose any time, however, deplor- 
ing his ditticulties, but immediately began to search 
for em|)l()3inent, in which he was successful. He 
engaged at farm wvvk for four years following, by 
the da^- or nmnth, saving in the meantime as much 
of his earnings as possible. At the expiration of 
this time he purchased a team and eng.aged to 
work un the Wabash Railroad, which was then be- 
ing built from Decatur to Champaign. After sev- 
eral months' lal)or without recomjiense, the con- 
tractors ran away and cheated him out of his hard 
earnings. 

During the time, iiowcver, in which Mr. iiemlo 
tiad l)een a resident of this locality' lie had by hon- 
esty and industry secured for himself substantial 
friends who were re.ad^' to do for him all that he . 
was disposed to ask of them. He located upon a ' 
tr.act of rented land, which he cultivated one 3'ear 1 
successfully, and then purchased sixty-eight acres 
in Tolono Township. This he occupied four years, 
then sold out and purchased eiglity acres in .Scott 
Township, where he lived until 1881. In that year 
lie sold this also, and secured possession of the farm 
which he now owns and occupies. Cpon this he 
has brought about great improvements and has . 



more than doubled its value. He li.os a shapely 
and substantial set of frame liuildings, and his 
stock, machinery and other farm appurtenances are 
well cared for and kept in first-class condition. 
The premises in all respects indicate the industry 
and energy of the proprietor. 

Mr. and Mrs. Demlo became the parents of six 
children, as follows: .John, who lives at home; An- 
nie, the wife of John (irierr, of Champaign; So- 
phia. William, I'henie and Charles, at home. Our 
subject is Republican in politics, and both he and 
his wife soon after coming to this county became 
members of the Presbyterian Church, to the sup- 
port of which the^' have contributed liberally and 
cheerfully, and by the various members of which 
they are held in high esteem. Our subject on 
starting out in life w.as particularlj' fortunate in 
his choice of a companion, Mrs. D. having been the 
true helpmeet of her husband in all his undertak- 
ings, and materially assisted him in the establish- 
ment of the homestead and obtaining tiic compe- 
tency which tliey now enjoy. 



AMLEL D. JONES has during the last ten 
years held the position of Superintendent 
of the Champaign Country Poor House, and 
has proved himself exceedingly' etlicient as 
a count}' oflicer. Mr. Jones is a native of England, 
and w.as born in the city of Liverpool. July 10, 
181(). His parents were David and Elizabeth Jones, 
natives of Wales. , 

David Jones was a prominent physician in J.iver- 
pool. He was educated in Manchester. England, 
and continued the practice of medicine until his 
death, wliich occurred in Wales, where he had re- 
tired on a small farm. His wife died in 1848; she 
was the mother of three sons: John, uho emigrated 
to America and settled in Campbell, Me. : David 
T., who now occupies the old homestead in Wales, 
and is the youngest of the family, and an emi- 
nent ph^'sician, and Samuel J). 

The subject of this sketch w:is reared ami edu- 
cated in Wales, remaining with his parents until he 
had attained the age of manhood. Fib. "22, 1847, 
he married Miss Catherine Morris, ilaughter of 




i 




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4 



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I 



'' 

i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



719 



John M. and Alice Morris. In the month of April, 
1850, he started for America witli his family, and 
after landing at the city of New York, May 16, 
first proceeded to A'ermont, where he was em- 
ployed as quarryman in the State sl.-ite works, 
which position he retained fonr j'ears. He then 
came West to Chicago, but finding no opening 
there for business, he only remained four months, 
and then went to Kane County, 111. lie remained 
there for four years, and in the fall of 1859 came to 
Champaign County, where he bought a tract of 160 
acres of land in East Bend Township, to wliich he 
soon after removed his family. After cultivating 
and improving his farm for eight years he sold it, 
and purchased another in the vicinit}', containing 
eighty acres. Upon his appointment as Superin- 
tendent of the County Poor House in 1877, he 
rented this farm. He has since bought another 
small farm in Flast Bend Ti)wnship, containing fort.y 
acres. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jones have had two children — Car- 
rie, who is the wife of \V. Howard, residing in East 
Bend T<:)wnship, and Lizzie, wiiodied at the age of 
seven, in Vermont. Mr. Jones furnislies nil the 
teams required for the business of the county 
farm, and also four cows. He receives a salary of 
$600 per annum. He is faithful in the discharge 
of the public duties of his position, and is a highly 
esteemed member of the community. Mr. and Mrs. 
Jones are both members of the Baptist Church in 
Urbana. 




^*?%. AVID WOLF. Tlie birthplace of this 
iJ) gentleman, who is well known as one of 
the most worthy citizens of Hensley Town- 
ship, and whose portrait is presented in 
connection with this sketch, was Fa^^ette County, 
Ohio, and the date thereof Dec. 2, 1822. He is the 
son of Charles Wolf, who, with his father, David 
Wolf, was a native of Virginia. The great-grand- 
father was born in France, whence he emigrated 
when a young man, and settling in the Old Do- 
minion, there married and reared a family. David 
Wolf, one of the sons, spent his childhood and 
youth in Virginia, whence he afterward emigrated 
to Ohio and was one of the earliest settlers of 
-4* 



Fa3'ette Count3^ He took up a tract of Oovernment 
land at a time when Indians and wild animals were 
plenty and very troublesome. The former finally 
became so hostile that the grandfather of our sub- 
ject was obliged to leave that section. He went over 
into Kentuek3' and spent two 3'ears, then returned 
to the land which he had located, which, however, 
he was onl}' permitted to occupy but a few years, 
as he was cut down in the prime of life and ceased 
from his earthly labors. He had in the meantime 
been married in Virginia, and among his children 
was Charles, the father of our subject, who was a 
.small boy when the family moved to Ohio. 

Charles Wolf grew to manhood in the Buckej'e 
State, remaining a resident there until 1829. That 
j'ear he came West to Indiana, and settled in Tippe- 
canoe County at an early period in its history. He 
first rented a farm two miles from the embr3'0 city 
of Lafayette, and afterward purchased land in 
Perry Township, Clinton County. Indians at that 
time roamed unrestrained over the country, one of 
their chief towns being located six miles distant. 
His land consisted mostly of timber and in the 
midst of it he built a log cabin. Shortly afterward 
he purchased a tract of prairie in the same township 
which he improved, put up more modern build- 
ings, and occupied until his death. In earl}' man- 
hood he had married Miss Sarah Emi'icli, wluj was 
I)orn in \irginia, of German parentage. Sjie died 
in Tippecanoe County, ind., in 1820. 

David Wolf was a lad of seven years when his 
parents removed from Ohio to Indiana, and one 
\'ear later his mother died. There were no free 
schools in those days, and his father was unable to 
give hiiif any oi>portMnities for education. Two 
years after the deatli of his mother, his fatiier was 
married to Miss Phebe Leach, wlio proved a kind 
stepmother to the lonely boy. He remained under 
the home roof and assisted in clearing the farm, 
being put to work as soon as large enougli to lift 
an ax. When twenty-two years of age he started 
out for himself, receiving U>v his first labors but !i!8 
per month. Soon afterward he was emploj^ed to 
take a drove of cattle to Detroit, the round trip 
occupying six weeks. After returning home he 
resumed his labors by the month, and in clue time, 
by the closest economy, saved money enough to 



n 



720 



-A 



4 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



buy a horse. He seciirerl a mate to this, on time, 
and then rented a tract of hmd which he cultivated 
until l<sr)4. He was, liowever, dissatisfied with his 
prospects and the result of his labors, and in the 
fall of that year started on horseback for Illinois. 
Coming to this county he liargained for ninety 
acres of land which is now included in his jjresent 
farm. He had but *100 in cash, and with this 
made a first payment on his land and went in debt 
for the rest. 

In the meantime our subject had been married, 
and the following year brought his familj\ There 
was no house on his little farm and he had no money 
with which to build, but he managed to put up a 
small structure of one room, and then commenced 
in earnest the cultivation of his land and the im- 
provement of a homestead. In 18.57 he met with a 
sore affliction in the* death of his wife, and feeling 
lonely- and discouraged returned to the home of his 
father in Indiana. After two years spent there he 
returned to his farm with the resolution to clear 
himself from debt. His efforts were soon crowned 
with success. He relieved himself from embarass- 
nient, proceeded with the cultivation of his land, 
and after the lapse of a few years put up a good 
set of farm buildings, including a shapely and con- 
venient dwelling, and commodious frame barns for 
the shelter of stock and the storage of grain. He 
also added to his first purchase, and is now the owner 
of 2J57 acres of as good land as the sun shines upon, 
besides a fine assortment of high-grade stock, in- 
cluding cattle, horses and hogs. 

The first wife of our subject was formerly Miss 
iSarah J. Trotter, who was born in Tippecanoe 
County, Ind., and was the daughter of Matthew 
Trotter. The second wife of our subject, to whom 
he was married in I8.i«, was Mrs. Emeline Trotter, 
a native of Ohio, and the daughter of Ezekiel Mc- 
Karland, and widow o.* Matthew Trotter. This lady 
departed this life in 1HU7 at the home of her hus- 
band in Champaign Townshij). The maiden name 
of his present wife was Miss JIaria Holloway, and 
they were married in 18(!7. Mrs. Wolf was l)orn in 
Montgomery County, Ind., and is the daughter of 
Isaiah Holloway, who is now a resident of Farmer 
City, III. Of the lirst marriage of our subject 
there were liorn two children — .lasper N. and 



Thomas N. ; of the second there was one child — 
Charles G. The children of his present marriage 
are, Frank, Louie, Anna and J. Alpheus. Mr. and 
Mrs. W. are members in good standing of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and our subject, politi- 
cally, is an uncomproTJiising Democrat. 



^- 



-€^B- 



l^ICHARD TOWNER. 

jm'-' history is only biographj'. 



Emerson says all 
So we find this 
.strikingly exemplified in the communitj' 
^) with which the gentleman of whom we now 
write is identified. Its history is only the biog- 
raphy of the lives of a few men, chiett\' among 
whom is himself. He is a farmer and stock-grower 
living on section 23, Sidney Township. He was 
born in Vigo County, Ind., Oct. 31, 1822, and is 
the son of Elijah and Phiebe (Hicks) Towner. 
His father was a native of New York, and his 
mother of Pennsylvania. In about the year 1810 
the parents removed from New York to Indiana, 
where he engaged in farming. They passed the 
remainder of their lives in that State. The father's 
death occurred about the year 1830, and the moth- 
er's about 1835. 

Richard Towner began to earn his own living 
at nine years of age, and during his life has passed 
thi'ough many vicissitudes. He started out b^' do- 
ing general farm work while a boj', which he con- 
tinued until about eighteen years of age. In 1837 
he was employed in Danville, 111., and in 18.38 in 
Champaign County, which has been his home with 
the exception of four years spent in McLean C'<»un- 
ty. At the age of eighteen he obtained a situation 
as driver on a stage line between Danville and 
Peoria, belonging to J. E. McClmi, since Judge 
McClun, of Bloomington, III. During the last 
year of his exi>erience in stage-driving, he w.as 
married, March 27, 184.5, to Miss .loanna Blunt, 
the daughter of Henry and Sarah Blunt, of this 
State. She became the mother of nine children — 
Helen A., Sarah F., Madoia F., Earnest M., Izoria 
P., Claudius M., Fannie. Dolly and Diilcena J. 

In April, 18C6, Mr. Towner had the misfortune 
to lose his wife by death. In November, 18()7, he 
contracted another marriage, with Mrs. Sarah T.ay- 



I 




AQl-Rcres. 



•■^-^T 



RESIDENCE OF DANIEL N I5EWAN DER , 5EC'5 .28 & 33 , H EN5LEY TP. 




ffi 



RESIDENCE OF JOHN CLAR K , 5E C. G , ^ R.14-.WJ. COMPKUMISE TP. 



__ffi 



4 



^^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



721 



1 



lor, the widow of Isaac Taylor. Slic was born in ' 
Vigo Count}'. Ind., in the 3'ear 1841, and was the 
daughter of James and Matilda Siner. By her 
first husband, Mr. Taylor, she had two children — 
Matilda E. and James F. Of her union with our 
subject she became the mother of four children — 
Lilliace A., Ida A. and Ada ()., twins, and Mary B. 

During the four years that Mr. Towner spent in 
McLean County, 111., he acquired enough- capital, 
b}' industry and eounoni}'. to purchase eight}' acres 
of prairie on section 23, adjoining the place wliere 
he now resides, and ten .acres of timbered land <in 
section 21, .Sidney Townsiiip. He also owned a 
phaeton and farm wagon wortli about §150. In ; 
1852 he packed his wagon with such household 
goods as he could conveniently carry, and with 
$250 in ready money. Invested in an old log cabin 
belonging to John Patterson, of Hickory Grove, 
.St. Joseph Township. His neighbors kindly vol- | 
unteered their assistance iu hauling it out and set- ; 
ting it uj). As soon .as he became settled in this 
primitive abode, he commenced to break and im- 
prove his land. 

Mr. Towner was the first settler south of Salt | 
Fork, on the prairie in Vermilion County, and 
spent five years in cultivating his laud in that place, 
then, in partnership with his brother, B. H. Towner, ' 
he bought out the stock of goods belonging to D. 
J. and A. Rankin, and engaged in the lousiness of ! 
general merchandising in Old Homer, now Homer 
Township. By trading in Iowa lands they cleared 
over $1,960. They continued iu business until the '•■ 
year 1863, when our subject enlisted, December j 
29, in Co. B, 10th 111. Vol. Cav. He served val- 
iantly until Aug. 9, 1865, when on account of dis- 
ability contracted while In the service, he was ] 
mustered out at Jefferson Barr.acks, St. Louis. At 
that time the credit sj'stem fiourished, and through 
the depression caused by the war, he was unable j 
to meet his ]lal)iliti('s, and lost |!2(),00(), which left 
him in an emb.arrassed condition financially, but he 
has since been able to recuperate and make up his 
losses. 

Mr. Towner owns eighty acres of excellent land 
in it fine state of cultivation, which he obtained of 
the (Jovernment when it was bare, unimproved 
^' prairie, in the year 18G2. He is now in comfort- | 



I 



able circumstances, and the enjoyment of a pleasant 
home in which to pass his declining years. Him- 
self and wife are both members of the United 
Brethren Church. He Is a member of the A. F". & 
A. M. In politics he is a Republican. 

The portrait of Mr. Towner, on an accompany- 
ing page, forms a fitting adjunct to this sketch of 
his worthy and u.seful life. 

JUDGE J. O. CUNN1N(;HAM, who presided 
over the County Court for several years, is 
one of the best-known residents of I'rbana 
and vicinity, of which he has been a resi- 
dent since the i)ioneer days. His birth took place 
in Erie Count}', N. Y., Dec. 12, 1830. His p.arents, 
Hiram W. and Eunice (Brown) Cunningham, were 
natives respectively of New York and \'ermont, 
and after their marriage, which took place in 1830, 
in Erie County, N. Y., removed in 1833, to Huron 
County, Ohio. Hiram \Y. Cunningham w.as a car- 
penter by trade, and while iu (_)hio carried on farm- 
ing. The parental family included ten children, of 
whom but four are now living besides our subject. 
The eldest, a half-brother, J. C. Sheldon, is a resi- 
dent of Urbana; Albert P. is a druggist in Cham- 
paign; Olive, Mrs. Fisher, resides at Emporia, Kan., 
which place is also the residence of Edwin W. 

The Cunningham family is of lowland Scottish 
descent, and the first representatives who came to 
this country settled in New England and engaged 
in agricultural pursuits. The grandfather of our 
subject, Layton Cunningham, w.as a native of Con- 
necticut, where he married. .Soon after he became 
a pioneer in Western New York, and there raised a 
family and spent his last days. The father of our 
subject, vvith his estimable wife, was a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, In which he otlicl- 
ated as Class- Leader for a period of forty years. He 
was noted for his active interest in educational and 
temperance matters, and frequently held official 
[jositions in the county. His death took place in 
Clarksfield, Ohio, July 11, 18UG. The mother sur- 
vived her husband nearly three years, dying March 
9, lK69.at the same place. 

The subject of this sketch was trained to farm 



■•► 



i 



t. 



n 



722 



CHAMPAIGN COUKTY. 



=^ 



pursuits, and commencerl his education in a log 
scliool-liouse, where he attended during the winter 
season until eighteen years of age. He afterward 
took a course in Baldwin Institute and Oberlin 
College, and occupied his vacations as a teacher. 
After leaving Ohio he resided and taught in Ver- 
million Count}-, Ind., one year, and took up his 
abode in Urbaua, this county, in .June, 18.53. Soon 
afterward he purchased the Urliana Union, which 
he continued to publish until 18,58, and which was 
made notable by its active support of Gen. Fremont 
for the Presidency. At the close of this campaign 
Mr. Cunningham sold out his paper and resolved to 
take up tlie study of law. He returned East to 
Cleveland, Ohio, and after attending the law school 
there and supplementing his studies by private 
reading, was admitted to practice Itefore the close 
of that year. He opened his first law office in 
Urbana May 1, 1859, and soon afterward became 
tlie partner of .Judge fSim, witli whom he continued 
six years. From 18G5 to 18G!) he practiced alone, 
and in the year last named associated himself with 
William B. Webber, with whom lie remained in 
partnership for seven years following. Since 1876 
he has continued alone. 

Our subject was elected County Judge in 18(51, 
and served four years. He has been an active 
businessman and fairly successful in tlie accumula- 
tion of property. He is a stockholder in the Illi- 
nois Printing Company, of Danville, 111., and ;^in 
company with William C. .Jones com|)iled a work 
entitled "A Practical Treatise upon the Jurisdiction 
of, and Practice in the County Courts of Illinois," 
in 18,s;^. He was editor of the I'nion and Uazette 
at Urbana two years, and assisted in the organiza- 
tion of the I., B. A' \\ . R. R. Co., in wiiich he was 
a Director several years, and was one of the 
Trustees of the Stiite University from 18(!7 to 
1873. 

Judge Cunningham w.as married in 1853 to Miss 
Mary, daughter of Col. P. D. McConoughey, of 
Bainbridge. Ohio. Tiiey have a beautiful home 
near the city limits of Urbana, comprising a farm 
of eighty acres, with a liandsomc dwelling and suit- 
able out-buildings. Mr. and Mrs. C. are connected 
with the .Methodist EpiscopMl Church. The Judge 
iias long been a member of the Musonic fraternity, 



having been Master of his lodge for six years, and 
has filled high positions in the (irand Lodge of 
Illinois. He is also a Knight Templar. 



"^fi^ 



JS^Sg^ 






^ OSEPH PIERCE, a native of Bi'llitt County, 
Ky., is now a highly respected resident of 
Ilarwood Township, in possession of a good 
farm embracing 120 acres of land in a 
thorough state of cultivation. He was in e.arl}' life 
trained to habits of industry, and his propertj' has 
been accumulated solely through his own exertions. 
Our subject was born Jan. 1. I8il, and was the 
thiril child of John and Matilda (Weeks) Pierce, 
natives of the Old Dominion. His father followed 
fanning all his life and spout his days in the State 
which gave him birth. Joseph remained under the 
parental roof until nineteen years of age, and then 
going into Washington County, Ky., engaged as a 
farm laborei' for a 3'ear. He then took a contract to 
make 10,000 rails at thirty-seven and one-half cents 
per hundred. After the completion of this, he fol- 
lowed teaming one winter and in the spring began 
laying his [)lans for the establishment of a home and 
domestic ties. On the 14th of December, 1842, he 
was married to Miss Margaret M. Lanham, who 
was a native of his own State, and tlie second child 
of John and Ellen Lanham, also natives of the Blue 
Grass State. 

Our subject and his wife soon after their mar- 
riage, located on a farm in Marlijn County, K}'., 
which they occupied for five years following. Mr. 
Pierce then determined upon a removal to the 
West, and coming into Greene Count}', III., ])ur- 
chased a farm of 150 acres east of Kane. He occu- 
pied this for a period of fifteen years, in the mean- 
time redeeming the land from its original condition 
and building uji a good homestead. In 1804, how- 
ever, receiving a good offer to sell, he disposed of 
his property and returned to his native State, where 
he purchased 113 acres of improved land in Wasii- 
ington County. He remained there iivc years, but 
there was a charm about the prairies of Illinois 
which led liim westward once more. Coming to 
this county he purcliased eiglity acres on section 16, 
in Ilarwood Township, to which he soon afterward 



* 



t 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



723 






fvdded forty acres, making 120, which constitutes 
his present homestead. He also owns 100 acres on 
section 20. 

iMr. Pierce has been fairly pruspereil in iiis labors, 
hut himself and his wife have met with severe 
attliction in the loss of seven of the ten children 
who came to brighten their home and which they 
had h<Ji)ed would all remain with them until their 
labors on earth had ceased. Those whom they laid 
awiiy in sorrow and with tears were, Margaret M., 
John Henry, Cedonia. William Kdward, Matilda 
Jane, Harriett Ann and Franklin. Of tliose living 
Angeline became the wife of William Deshazier, a 
prosjjerous farmer of Harwood Township, owning 
a homestead ne.ar his father-in-law, and they have 
one child, Jessie ; Elvina is the wife of Charles An- 
derson, who occni)ies a portion of the home farm; 
tliey have three children — Ellen G., Margaret M_ 
and Josephine. Joseiih is the youngest son and is 
at home with his parents. 

Mr. Pierce devotes his entire attention to tlie 
raising of grain. He is Democratic in politics but 
takes no active part otherwise than depositing his 
vote as a dutiful citizen on election day. He has 
frequently served his township as Road Commis- 
sioner and his district as School Director, but has 
never aspired to political offices. He has in all 
respects built uj) a record as an honest man and a 
good citizen, and in return is rewarded with the 
sincere respect and esteem of his neighbors. Mrs. 
Piei-ce is a member of the Catholic Church at Ran- 
toul. A lithographic view of the |)leasant home 
of Mr. Pierce is shown elsewhere in this work. 

^5j}U.STAV STUMPF. This worthy farmer, a 
ill (=1 resident of Ranloiil Township, owns and 
'^^Jj occupies 170 acres of land on section 0, free 
from incumbrance and e(juipped with tasteful new 
buildings, indutling a good residence. Here, with 
a genial, intelligent and industrious wife, ami 
bright and promising children who yet remain in 
the home, he is in the enjoyment of a large share 
of the pleasant things of life to which he is justly 
entitled and has fairly earned by his industry 
and economy. His possessions are the result of his 
-Mm 



own labor, and he may be pardoned for a feeling of 
pride and satisfaction in viewing his surroundings, 
and the methods l)y which he became proprietor. 

Mr. .Stumpf has been a resident of tiiis county 
for a period of seventeen years. He was born and 
r(;ared on the other side of the Atlantic, first open- 
ing his eyes to light in the Grand Duchy of Baden, 
six miles from the River Rhine, on the .5th of De- 
cember, 1830. In accordance with the laws and 
customs of his native country, he commenced at- 
tending school when six years of age, and |)ursued 
his studies until fourteen. He then commenced to 
assist his father on the farm, continuing there until 
seventeen years old, when he entered the arra^'. 
After a service of five months he returned to his 
father's house, but being of an ambitious turn of 
mind and seeing little prospect of advancement or 
a competence in his own country he decided to seek 
his fortunes in the New World. He .accordingly 
set sail from Bremen in the montli of March, 1852. 
and after a voyage of thirty-five days set foot upon 
American soil. He landed in New York Cit^' with 
about $10 in his pocket, and made it his first busi- 
ness to secure employment. 

The Erie Railroad being in process of construc- 
tion at the time of Mr. Stumpf's coming to this 
country, he engaged in assisting to grade .and lay 
track for two months, and thence going to Penn- 
sylvania, worked on a plank road for a mouth. 
Afterward he was variously employed, on a railroad, 
in a sawmill, digging ore and butchering until 1868. 
In the spring of that year he started for the West, 
locating first in Livingston County, 111., where he 
purchased a tract of wild prairie land at ^12.50 an 
acre. He remained in possession of this |)ropert3', 
improving it and increasing its value, until 1870, 
when he traded it for his present farm. This, how- 
ever, would scarcely be called a farm at the time 
of his purchase, being simpl3' a tract of uncultivated 
land. Having given much of his life to the tilling 
of the soil, he realized the possibilities lying under- 
neath the sod in this section, and set to work with 
coui'age and hope to build ui) a peiin.'inent home- 
stead. The residt of his labors vve have .'Uready 
noted. 

The wife of our suliject, to whom lie w;is married 
in Pittsburgh, Pa., .Ian. 29, 1855, was formerly .Miss 



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i 



4i 724 



f 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Regina Schmidt, a native of Bavaria, and born 
Dec. 13, 183(i. Mrs. S. has proved the true help- 
meet of her husband, who cheerfully acknowledges 
that to her assistance and wise counsel he has been 
largely indebted for the success of his later years. 
Of their children, who were six in number, Louisa 
became the wife of Tilman Goodfelt, and lives with 
her husband in Franlilin County, Neb. : John is at 
home with his parents; Mar}' became the wife of 
David Engleman, and died in 188G, when twenty- 
four years of age, leaving four children ; Rosa, 
Gustav and Annie are at home with their parents. 
Since becoming a citizen of the United States 
Mr. Stumi)f lias tai\en a genuine interest in its 
political affairs, and upoTi tirst becoming a voter 
identitied himself with the Republican party, of 
which he has since l)een a sincere and hearty sup- 
porter. He has contriliuted no little to the status 
of his townshi|i, in building up a good iiome and 
carrying on his farming operations in a most praise- 
worthj' manner. Mr. and Mrs. Stumpf are mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church. A lithographic view 
of the handsome residence, outbuildings, etc., on 
the farm of Mr. Stumpf, is shown elsewhere in this 
work. 



S^THAiN ALLEN BIRDZ 

fe) this county, born in the 
1^ 22, 1865. Great chanc 



;THAN ALLEN BIRDZELL is a native of 
-he city of Urbana, Feb. 
iges have taken place 
in his native town since his boyhood, and since his 
father, John Birdzell, migrated from Indiana to 
this locality. The latter was born near Cincinnati, 
Ohio, in 1828, altliough his parents" permanent 
residence was in Indiana at the time. Our sub- 
ject's mother, wiio in iier girlhood was Miss Cath- 
erine L. Hudson, was a native of the same State as 
her husband, and came with liim to this count}' in 
1854, stopping first in the vicinity of Urbana for 
about three years, and tlience removing to a farm 
on section 19, in St. Joseph Township, whicli finally 
included 320 acres of some of tlie choicest land in 
that locality. 

.lohn Birdzell was a man of great industry and 
energy, and the property which he accumulated 
was the result of his own perseverance. After a 
Worthy career, during which he established himself 

4 » 



fully in the confidence and esteem of his fellow- 
citizens, he departed this life March It), 1880, on 
the homestead which he had eliminated from the 
uncultivated prairie. With the exception of two 
years spent in California, most of his life was 
passed in St. Joseph Township. The parental fani- 
il}' includes three sons and two daughteis, of whom 
the subject of this sketch w.as the eldest; Daniel C. 
and David C. are residents of Champaign County; 
Laura A. is the wife of Joseph H. Stayton, a farmer 
of St. Joseph Township; Lydia A. married David 
B. Stay ton, Jr. 

The boyiiood and youth of our subject were 
passed after the manner of most farmers" sons, at- 
tending the district school, and assisting his parents 
as his services could be made available around the 
homestead. He remained under the home roof 
until his marriage, in 1875, his chosen bride being 
Miss Mahala O., daughter of Reuben C. and 
Amanda Koch, who came to this county in the 
spring of 1860. The parents of Mrs. Birdzell had 
a family of four sons and five daughters, who are 
recorded as follows: Sarali C. became the wife of 
Abram Hoy; Mahala is the wife of our subject; 
Augusta married Ch.arles P. Drullinyei'; Frank M. 
is unmarried, and a resident of St. Joseph; Mar}' 
R. died when an interesting young girl of thirteen 
years; John Otis died when eighteen months old, 
and Levi L. when an infant of a month, also 
Charles W; Cora S. lived to be onl}' nine years of 
age. 

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Birdzell re- 
mained on the farm two years, and then took pos- 
session of the farm belonging to Mrs. B. in St. 
Joseph Township. Mr. Birdzell afterward desir- 
ing to change his occupation, moved with his fam- 
ily into the town of St. Joseph, in the fall of 1882, 
and engaged first in the drug trade which he after- 
ward abandoned to become a partner of John W. 
.Somers in the grain business. In 1884 he sold out, 
and wishing to recujierate his health, visited Hot 
Springs, Ark., where he remained two months with 
excellent results. Upon returning to St. Joseph 
he became the partner of Messrs. Irons it Fox. 

The fine residence of Mr. Birdzell is built of 
brick, and pleasantly htcated, constituting one of 
the attractions of the town. Four bright children 



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M^ 



4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



725 



complete the happiness of the home circle, named 
respectively, Charles Allen, Walter M., Luther 
Eiirl and Lorin G. One brother of Mr. Birdzell, 
Joshua .S., died when a promising young man twen- 
ty-four years of age, on the farm near Mayview. 
Another, Waiter Wesley, died at the same place 
when a boy of nine years. 

';f?OHN H. LOVINGFOSS, although not a per- 
sonal owner of real estate, has for four 3-ears 
successfully conducted what is known as the 
Lynn Grove Farm, which is one of the finest 
in Sidney Township, and is located on section 31. 
He was born in Pennsylvania, July 9, 1825, and is 
the son of Henry and Mary (McKown) Lovingfoss, 
the former a native of Belgium and the latter of 
Ireland. The parent.s removed from Penus3'lva- 
uia to Ohio, where they both died, the father June 
9, 1853, and the mother May 2, 1805. 

In 1873 John II. Lovingfoss removed from Ohio 
to Champaign County. 111., where he has since 
resided. His educational advantages were limited 
to such as could be casuallj' gleaned in the old log 
school-house of the pioneer d.a3's of Pennsylvania, 
but by making intelligent use of such means as were 
within his grasp he acquired a good common-school 
education. From boyhood to the present time he 
has been engaged in the inirsuit of farming. 

On Jan. 15, 1852, Mr. Lovingfoss was married 
to Miss Mary J. McCaffert}', daughter of Charles 
and Margaret (Hunter) McCaffertj', who both died 
in Ohio. Mrs. Lovingfoss became the mother of 
four children, whose names and dates of birth are 
as follows: Ellen J., born April 23, 1854; Albert 
N., Oct. 1, 1856; James II., Dec. 7. 1858, .and 
Charles H., Aug. 23, 1860. Of these but one has 
survived, James H. Tiic mother of these children 
was removed by death, and our subject subse- 
quently' contracted a second marri.age, with Miss 
Jane Woodruff. .She was born in 1842, and died 
March 23, 186!S. They liad three cliildren: (Jeorge 
E., born Sept. 4. 1863; William IL, Aug. 1'.), 1865, 
and Mary E., Aug. 15, 1K(;7. The youngest is 
deceased. 

Mr. Loviugfoss, on .Ian. 7, liS6'J, was married fi)r 




the third time, Mrs. Minerva Black being the other 
contracting partj'. She was the widow of John 
Black, 1)3' whom she had three children: .I.ames M., 
born Jan, 16, 1.S63; Anna C, Oct. 1. 1.S64. and 
Louisa C, June 3, 1867. The f.ather t)f these chil- 
dren died in April, 1867. Mrs. Black is the daugh- 
ter of Absalom Koush. of Adams C'ount3'. Ohio. 
By her marriage with our subject three children 
have been born, viz.: John Edgar, Jan. Ki, 1870, 
Elva E., Oct. 12, 1871, and Gertie E., May 20, 
1877. Five of our subject's children are living at 
home. He also has a granddaughter, Puttie E. Ken- 
ned3', born Oct. 25, 1872, vvho has made her home 
with him since eleven months old. Mr. and Mrs. 
L. are both highly respected members i>i the Pres- 
byterian Church, and in politics he is a Democrat. 

lEORGE N. WYNINGER, editor nnd pro- 
prietor of the .St. Joseph Ewjic, publishes a 
bi-weekly paper, which he established in Au- 
gust, 1886, and which, in connection with its well- 
appointed job office, has become one of the indis- 
pensable features of the town. The paper is a fonr- 
column folio, devoted to the interests of the people 
in that section, reporting the principal events that 
occur from time to time, and giving a faithful 
exposition of matters likely to be of interest to the 
residents of the township. The job department is 
equipped with a fine assortment of everything 
essential to the '.'art preservative," and the pro- 
prietor by his wise and discreet management has 
fairl3' ingratiated himself into the goi)d-wi!l of the 
people. 

The boyhood days of Mr. Wyninger were spent 
in Boone County', Ind., where his birth took place 
on the 3d t)f February, 1H59. His p-arents, William 
and Martha J. (Howard) Wyninger, were natives 
of Tennessee and Kentuck3-. respectively. Our 
subject received the advantages of the common 
schools and his time when not in school was em- 
ployed upon his father's farm. He remained in Boone 
until thirteen \-ears of age and then going into Car- 
roll County. Ind., eng.aged in various occupations 
four years. Then, desirous of seeing something of 
the .Southwest he crossed the Mississippi into Ar-' 



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4 



I 



\ 



726 



■•► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




kansasand Missouri, and upon returning to this side 
of the Father of Waters took up his abode in .St. 
Joseph and here conchided to remain. His taste 
had alwa\'s inclined to the newspaper business, and 
in 1884 he purchased the job office of V. J. Oallion, 
which he conducted two years, and then estalilished 
the Ea/j/f, which he lias .since continued in a nian- 
'ner satisfactory to all concerned. 'I'lie paper is 
Republican in politics, and a downright spicy little 
sheet, which contril)utes its full quota toward keep- 
ing the town lively and prosperous. 

Mr. W. has been quite prominent in local affairs 
since coming here, and in 188.5 was elected both 
Town and Village Clerk. Those who know him 
wish him and the Eai/le abnndant success, as he is 
an enterprising citizen and should be encouraged. 

|«^,t;L>SON A. GRAY, an ambitious and enter- 
prising young farmer of Rantoul Township, 
manages his father's old homestead of 485 
acres, and also 280 acres belonging to himself. He 
possesses more than ordinary' ability as a business 
man, and having had a lifelong experience in 
agricultural i)ursuits is eminently fitted for the task 
which at [jresent devolves upon him. The home- 
stead on sectutn 19, a view of which is presented 
in this work, was established by his honored father 
in 18G1, and is equipped with the finest descrii)tion 
of farm buildings and machinery. In addition to 
the ordinary pursuits of husbandry Mr. Gray is 
operating a dairy, the i)roceeds of which ^ield 
annually a handsome income. 

The subject of this history is a scion <if an old 
and excellent family, the later desC(Midants of whom 
became well known in Pennsylvania, where he him- 
self was born in Wayne, Erie County, Aug. 13, 
1857. His father, William A. Gi'ay, was a native 
of the same town, his birth taking place IJec. 15, 
1821. His grandfather, Matliew A. Gray, w.as born 
in the eastern part of Penn.sylvania or New Jersej', 
and became one of the earliest settlers of Erie 
County.. He secured possession of a tract of timber 
land in Wayne Township, cut down the trees and 
pi'epared the soil for cultivation, and for manj' 
years industriously occui>ieil himself in its iniprove- 



nient, establishing a comfortable home, where he 
remained until his death. His settlement was made 
before the days of railroads or canals, and for a 
nuinl)er of years Pittsburgh was the only depot for 
supplies. Mathew Gray became a man of promi- 
nence in that section of country, being rarely intel- 
ligent and po.ssessed of decided views concerning 
.State, national and local affairs. He was for a long 
time Deacon in the Presbyterian Church, after the 
establishment of a society there, and his opinions 
were held in much respect, both religiously and 
politically. The grandmother before her marriage 
was Miss Esther Smith, a lady of .Scotch-Irish 
descent. By her marriage with M.atliew Gray she 
became the mother of eleven children. Two of 
these died in infancy, two died in j'outh, and seven 
lived to mature years, were married and reared 
families. 

Among the sons who inherited in a marked de- 
gree the excellent qualities of both parents was 
William A., the father of our subject. He received 
careful home training, and was educated in the pio- 
neer schools, which were conducted in a log cabin. 
When not in school, his education being principally 
carried on in the winter season, he assisted his f.athei' 
in clearing the land and tilling the soil. He 
remained a member of the household until estab- 
lishing domestic ties of his own. At his marruage 
his father gave him 100 acres of land, which he 
operated intelligent!}' and successfully, and in time 
added to his real estate by the purchase of 160 
acres more. He prepared the greater part for cul- 
tivation by clearing it of the forest trees, and 
erected a good set of frame buildings. This farm 
he occupied with his family until 1851), then i-elling 
out, purchased a one-half interest in a tlouring- 
mill and woolen factory at Cynthiana, Ky. Two 
years later he traded that properly for eighty acres 
of land in Kansas and a half section in Rantoul 
Township, this county. His family removed to 
this locality in February-, 1802. 

The |>urchasc in Rantoid Township consisted of 
wild prairie, and before the arrival of his family 
Mr. Gray put ui) a house and made things as com- 
fortable as possible for their reception. After 
taking ()osscssion he occupied this homestead until 
1874, then leaving it in the hands of a tenant. 



1 



t. 



■<^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



729 



f 



returned East and spent a year in Rochester, N. Y. 
Afterward he went to Pennsylvania, and becoming 
a resident of Corry, Erie County, lived liieru until 
1879. In the spring of that year he returned to 
the West, and locating upon the farm in Kantoul 
Township remained there until his death, which 
took place Aug. 'M), 18^0. The mother of our sub- 
ject, who became the wife of William A. Gray Jul}' 
0, 1845, was formerly Miss Sarah Mead, and was 
born in Youugsville, Warren Co., Pa., .Sept. 4, 
l&il. She was the daughter of John Mead, a na- 
tive of Meadville, Pa., whose father, John Mead, 
.Sr., of Crawforil County, that State, was a promi- 
nent man in that section of Pennsylvania, and in 
honor of whom (in connection with a brother) the 
city of Meadville was named. 

The family at first were driven from that section 
by the Indians, and took refuge in the fort at 
Franklin, fifty miles distant. In this flight they 
were assisted b}' a friendly tribe. In due time after 
their enemies had been removed from that locality 
they returned, and the grandfather spent the last 
years of his life at Meadville. There also the ma- 
t'^nial grandfather of our subject grew to manhood, 
and iioori setting out for himself iu life removed to 
Y, 1 sv l|r-. He was first employed in a sawmill, 
and woi il industriously at whatever his hands 
could find to do. He was of an enterprising and 
thrifty disposition, and in a few years, by wise 
economy had saved enough to purchase the saw 
and grist mills which he had first entered as a 
laborer. After operating these successfully for a 
number of years, his accumulations still steadily 
increasing, he began to purchase land, and finally 
became the proprietor of a valuable tract of 400 
acres, to which he gave his chief attention, and 
established a good home, where he spent the re- 
mainder of his days. When a young man he mar- 
ried Miss Sallie Huffman, of Susquehanna, Pa., vvh(j 
cheerfully shared in his labors and rejoiced in his 
successes. She died at the homestead in Youugs- 
ville, having become the mother of two children, a 
son and daughter. The latter, Ida, who was born 
March 8, 1847, became the wife of M. E. Stamey, 
and died of consum|)ti<jn Jan. KJ, 187.'j, while on a 
visit to her father. 

After the deatli of her lui»baud the moliier of 



our subject was married the second time, Dec. 23, 
1885, to Mr. E. M. Bartlett. Mr. B. was born in 
Newry, O.xford Co., Me., July 18, 1H30, and is the 
son of Jonathan and Nancy (Barker) Bartlett, na- 
tives of the same town as their son. Tiie grand- 
parents of Mr. Bartlett were of English birth and 
ancestry, who, crossing the ocean early in life, 
located in Oxford County during its first settle- 
ment. 

Nelson A. Gray, of this sketch. w:is in the second 
year of his age when his parents removed from his 
native State to Kentucky, and was five j'ears old 
when they became residents of tliis count}'. His 
early studies were conducted in tiic district schools 
of Rantoul Township, and his educaticjn completed 
in the University of Illinois, where, after a four 
years' course he graduated, in June. 1883. After 
leaving scliool he returned to the farm, the duties 
of whicli have always been very attractive to liim, 
and in addition to the raising of corn ami wheat 
has of late been giving much attention to the l)reed- 
ing of flue stock. 

Mr. Gray's life career commenced amid unusu- 
ally happy surroundings, and after providing a 
good home for the reception of his bride, he w;is 
united in marriage with Miss Minnie Collins, at the 
home of her parents iu Rantoul Towushii), l''eb. 1 1, 
1885. Jlrs. Gra}' is the daughter of Charles and 
Mary (Cerrie) Collins, natives respectively of Ohio 
and Illinois. Her birth took place in Schuyler 
County, this State, Oct. 11, I8(i4. Her maternal 
grandfather, who was a descendant of excellent 
.Scottisli ancestry, and himself liorn in the; Land of 
the Thistle, emigrated to the United States at an 
early day, and coming to the West located among 
the first settlers of Schuyler County. There he 
still resides, having now reached the advanced sige 
of eighty-two years. He possesses in an eminent 
degree the sturdy and reliable characteristics of his 
race, and as a man and citizen has exercised a de- 
cided influence in shaping the affairs of the vicinity 
where he has lived so long and is so bigiily re- 
spected. 

Our subject and hi> wife are the parents of 
two bright children — Sarah E., born Nov. 22, 
1885, and (ieorge A., March 15, 1887. .Mr. (!. is 
favored with a good constitution, and combines 



i ' ' 

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t. 



730 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



strictness of moral principle with energy and decis- 
ion of character. He is orthodox in religious 
views, being with his amiable wife, a member in 
good standing of the Methodist Episco[)al Church 
at Gray's Scliool-house. Politically lie is a true 
Republican, and upholds the principles of his party 
with an earnestness and fearlessness which at once 
indicate his sincere belief in the principles which 
he advocates. 



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^:^ 



<^*ti~- 



^^iEOKGE A. .SMITH. The huiiieste.id of the 
III I—, gentleman whose name stands at tlie head 
^^5) of this sketch is pleasantly located on sec- 
tion 11, Scott Township, and embraces 24U acres 
of land, with a handsome and substantial set of 
frame buildings, a view of which appears on an- 
other page, and forms a most valuable adjunct 
to the iiietorial department of this Ai.p.im. He 
came to this county in the spring of 1H74, soon 
afterward becoming a resident of Scott Township, 
and liy the exercise of energj' and industry' has im- 
[iioved one of the finest farms in this section of the 
county. His land lias been made tillable by the 
aid of seven miles of tile, and being a natural nie- 
clianic he onlj- [laid out ijilOO to hired help in the 
erection of his buildings, which, being mostly done 
by his own hands, are of first-class workmanship. 
His st(jck and farm machinery are of the Itest de- 
scription, and everything alumt tiie jiremises indi- 
cates thrift and prosperity. 

Mr. Smith is a native of Lake County, this State, 
born Jan. G, liS4«, and is the second child of George 
S. and Beatrice (Yule) Smith, who were natives of 
Aberdeen, Scotland. They emigrated to the United 
States before their marriage, and coming to the 
West located on a farm in Lake County, 111., where 
they still reside. The parental household included 
eight children, three sons and five daughters. 
George A. lived at honu' until lie w.as eighteen 
years old, pursuing hi.-* studies in the common 
.schools and assi.'^ling in the laliors of the farm. At 
the age mentioned he went to the home of his 
uncle in Kenosh.'i County, Wis., where he worked 
one year, and afterward took up the carpenter's 
4» 



' trade, which he had learned in his native county. 
He then returned home and remained in his native 
county until the fall of 1872. Thence he pro- 
ceeded to Ft. Scott, Kan., and from there to Mis- 
souri, where he farmed one year on rented land. 
His next journey was into this countj'. 

Mr. Smith was married in his native county, Jan. 
1 1, 18()9, to Miss Mary E. Goodnow, who was bora 
in Du Page County, III., Jan. 26, 1842. This lady 
was the daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth 
(Puflfer) Goodnow, the former a native of Boyl- 
ston, Mass., and the latter of Millburj-, in the same 
State. After marriage they came to this State and 
located at Downer's Grove, Du Page County, 
whence they afterward removed to Lake County, 
where Mr. G. died Nov. 10, 1869. Mrs. G. still 
survives, and resides with her son-in-law in Scott 
Township. Mr. and Mrs. Goodnow were the jiar- 
ents of three children, one son and two daughters, 
all of whom are now deceased. 

The wife of our suliject died at the home of her 
husband in .Scott Township, Feb. 16, 1887. She 
was a lady highly respected by a large circle of 
friends and acquaintances, and a consistent mem- 
ber of the Baptist Church. They had no children, 
but adopted two, named .Joseph and Mary. The lat- 
ter became the wife of .Tames Coon, a farmer of 
Scott Townshi]j, and is the mother of one child, a 
son, Elmer. .Mr. Smith is Kepublican in politics, 
a Baptist in religion, and has been intrusted with 
the minor oftices of his township. As a farmer and 
citizen he is held in high respect by the commu- 
nity of which he has been a member for over thir- 
teen years. 



'i^nH 



l^fs-rs. 



z<^EORGE W. COUDEN is the only surviving 
(|[ (=, representative of one of the pioneer families 
^^^ of Champaign Count}-, and is the owner of 
a fine estate, located on section 27, .St. Joseph 
Township, where he was born .)une 18, 18.5.5. His 
father, a native of Ohio, was born Oct. 1.'?, IHOd. 
He emigrated from his native State to Cham|)aign 
County about forty years ago, and soon affer his 
marriage to Miss .lulianne Dv.ellinger, which event 



occurred Sept. 18, 1845. Ou his arrival in this ^ ' 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



731 



count}" he settled on a farm about five miles south- 
west of the town of St. Joseph. He cultivated ami 
iui|)rove(l hi:< land, carrying on a successful farni- 
ing business, .and passed the remainder of his life 
there. He did not long survive the death of his 
second wife, wliieh occurred March li), 185'J, his 
demise taking ()lace Aug. 12, 1859. .Seven chil- 
dren were born of his second marriage, namely. 
Phili]) H., William, Taylor, Harrison; Henrietta, 
the wife of Addison L. Wood; (ieorge W., and 
Martha M., the wife of Lee Marshall. 

The subject of this notice passed his boyhood 
upon his father's farm, attending school during the 
winters, and in the summer time assisting in the 
farm labor. In his twenty-second year he was 
unite'l in marriage with Miss Alfaretta Paxton, 
the daughter of D. P. Paxton, formerly a resident 
of Indiana. After his marriage. Mr. Couden set- 
tled on his present place, and has become one of 
the most substantial and successful farmers in the 
vicinity, while his kind disposition, courtesy and 
hospitality have won the regard of all who know 
him. In conducting his farm he has made a spec- 
ialty' of breeding Norman draft horses, of which he 
has some tine specimens in his well-built and con- 
venient stables. 

Mr. and Mrs. Couden have four interesting chil- 
dren — Otis, Carrie, Roscoe F. and Freddie. Mr. 
Couden has served as School Director for several 
years, and himself and wife are both highly es- 
teemed members of the Christian Church at Pleas- 
ant Grove. 



ZEPHANIAII M. DUNN. One of the linest 
farms in St. Joseph Township is located on 
section 12, and invariably attracts the eye of 
the traveler on account of its finely laid out fields, 
its neat and substantial fences, and the commodious 
farm buildings which at once indicate the Uiste and 
means of its proprietor. Mr. Dunn obtained pos- 
session of his i)resent property mostly by the exer- 
cise of his own industry and enterprise, and ranks 
among the progressive men of this section who 
have been the chief instruments in developing its 
resources. 

Our subject is a native of Kentucky, born near 



Harrison, in Cynthiana County, April 18, 1831. 
His grandfather, Benjamin Dunn, a native of the 
Old Dominion, removed from there to the Blue 
(irass regions in early manhood, and it is supposed 
was of English parentage. He became a successful 
and extensive planter in the cotton <listricts, and 
spent his last days in Kentucky. His wife was 
formerly Miss Massa Mills, and they reared a familj- 
of six sons and four daughters, of whom Zeplianiali, 
Sr., the father of our subject, was the eldest. He 
also was l)orn in Harrison County, whei-e he 
received a common-school education, and upon 
reaching manhood was married to Miss Lavina 
Browntield, a native of the same county. The 
mother of our subject was the daughter of .lolin 
and Anna (Clemens) Browntield. 

After marri.age our subject's parents continued 
to reside in their native county until the fall of 
1834, then came north to Central Illinois, and 
located in what is now .Somer Townshi|>, this 
county. Here the elder Dunn purchased a half 
section of land, and in due time liecanie one of the 
most extensive stock-raisers in this locality. He 
labored until the fall of 1877, and then started 
across the Mississippi to Missouri on business, and 
while in Atchison County, the latter State, he was 
taken with fatal illness and died. The wife and 
mother preceded him to the home beyond, depart- 
ing this life Feb. 22, 1877. The thirteen children 
of the parental household lived to maturity, married, 
and reared families of their own. 

The subject of this history, who was the fourth 
child of his parents, was but three years of age 
when they became residents of this county. His 
education was obtained mainly in the subscription 
schools, and during the latter days of attendance at 
one of these institutions he was obliged to w.alk 
two and one-half miles each vvay, and worked for 
his board by feeding cattle for .Mr. A. Busey. He 
w.as married, when twenty-two years of age, to Miss 
Klizabeth, second daughter of Samuel and Sarah 
Mapes, who were among the pioneer settlers of 
Champaign County. After marriage Mr. Dunn 
l)urchased fifty-six acres of land in Ogden Town- 
ship, this count}', where he began the career of an 
independent farmer, and upon which lie remalne<l 
1 until the outl)reak of the late war. Thence he re- 



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732 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



moved to the farm of his father, which he occupied 
two years, and then disposing of liis own land in 
Ogden Township, pnrciiused the land whicli consti- 
tutes his present homestead. The improvements 
which we see on his farm to-daj' have been brought 
about by iiis own perseverance and industry, and 
indicate in a marked degree the character of the 
proprietor. In addition to mixed husbandry he 
has given mucii attention to the raising and breed- 
ing of graded stock, and has realized a handsome 
income annually. The grain which he raise* is 
mostly consumed by his horses and cattle, and he 
ships numbers of the latter every year to the 
Eastern markets. A view of his residence, together 
with its surroundings, is shown elsewhere in this 
work. 

Mr. and Mrs. Zephani:ii\ Dunn, .Ir.. liecanie 
the parents of eight children, si.x sons and two 
daughters, and have lieen called to mourn the loss 
of all but two. .John S. died when a promising 
young man twenty-two years of age; J. F. married 
Miss Jessie IloUoway, and lives in St. Joseph Town- 
ship; Matthew F. remains at home with his parents- 
Mr. Dunn served three years in his township as 
l»oad Overseer, and lias been a meral)er of the bcliool 
Board from the second year of his residence here. 
The wife of his youth and the mother of his chil- 
dren passed from earth at the homestead on the 3d 
of J uly, 1 883. In February, 1 884, he was married to 
Mrs. Phd'be Mapes, daughter of Charles Molloway, 
Fsq., of A'ermont, and widow of Samuel Mapes. 
Mr. and Mrs. Dunn are members in good standing 
of the Christian Church, and our subject politically 
clings to the doctrines of the Jacksonian Democ- 
racy, with which he became imbued when a young 
nuin, and wliich he considers the true basis of Gov- 
ernment. Mr. Dimn was appointed executor of his 
father's estate prior to his death, and iicted in that 
capacity with entire satisfaction In all concerned. 






Jir]AMES W. NANSCllUYCK, a representative 
I of irresistible energy and a good example of 
I a |)rogressive farmer, living in l.udlow Town- 
}/ sliip. is a na'ive of Hrown Township, Frank- 
lin Co., Ohio, antl was born Aug. 7, lt<3s. He 



is the son of David and Esther (Bailey) Van- 
schoyck, the former a native of Franklin Count}', 
Ohio, and the latter of Pennsylvania. The grand- 
father of our subject, John \'anschoyck, descended 
from German ancestry, and was one of the earliest 
pioneers of Franklin County, Ohio, to which he 
removed from Pennsylvania when a young man. 
He located upon a tract of timber land, from which 
he cleared a farm and lived there until about 1857. 
He then came to this State and spent the last years 
of his life with his son near Leroy. 

David V'anschoyck spent his entire life in his 
native county. AVhen reaching manhood he bought 
a tract of timber land in Brown Township, where he 
built the house in whicli his son, James W. of our 
sketcli, was born. His life was pass<!d after the 
manner of the early settlers of that day and he 
lived contentedly, tilling the soil and enjoying the 
friendship and respect of all who knew him. He 
rested from his earthly labors in 1854. He had 
married in early life ^liss Esther Bailey, and they 
became the parents of ten children, seven of whom 
lived to mature years. The mother is still living 
with her children in Brown Township, Franklin Co., 
Ohio. 

The subject of this history was the second child 
of his father's household and was sixteen years old 
when the latter died. He took charge of the farm, 
which he managed until 1861, and at the outbreak 
of the late Civil War enlisted in Co. C, 20th Ohio 
\'ol. Inf., and served three years and four montlis. 
He participated with his comrades in the battle of 
Bull Run, with true soldierly courage enduring- 
all the privations :uid hardships of a soldier's life 
until the expiration of his first term of enlistment. 
He then returned home and rested a month, after- 
ward becoming a member of the 18th Ohio Infantry, 
and participated in the battles of Perryviile, Ky., 
Shiloh and Chickaraauga, when his regiment joined 
the command of Gen. Sherman, and he was in all 
the battles from Chattanooga to Atlanta, including 
the siege and capture of that city. He received his 
final discharge Aug. 14, l.S(!4, and returning to the 
old homestead in Franklin County, Ohio, resinned 
farming until l!S<)7. In the spring of that year he 
came West and purchased Kid .-icres of Land on 
section 10, Ludlow Townshij). Eighty acres of this 



f 



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i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



73S 



were inuler eiiltivation and a small frame house stood 
upon it. Mr. \Mnschoyck planted trees and liedges, 
liroke the remainder of the land and live<l iii)on it 
until 1871, when he sold out and [nirchased the 
farm which he now own.* and occupies. This com- 
prises the northwest quarter of section 1;'). The 
land is all improved, furni-shed with a good set of 
frame buildings, and forms one of the most desir- 
able farms in the township. A Iithogra|)hio view 
of hi.s residence and its surroundings i.s shown else- 
where in this woi"k. 

Our subject was married in his native State, 
April 12, l^r.'). to Miss Annie, daughter of Charles 
and Mar\- .J. (Ferris) Holmes. Mrs. Vanschoyck 
was born in'Franklin Countj^, Ohio, July 14, 1.S44. 
Her" father, a native of New York, removed to 
Ohio when a young man and located in Franklin 
County, where he spent the remainder of his life, 
dying Oct. 5, 1874. The*'mother w.as reared in 
Franklin County, Ohio, and is still living there, 
among her children. The hou,sehold of our subject 
and his wife includes seven children — Arthur, 
Charles, Wilbur. Nora, Orville, Dora and Belva. 
The parents are consistent members of the Method- 
ist Episcojial Church, and socially ISfr. V. belongs 
to Ord I'ost No. 372, G. A. K. 



<oSp=!) DWARl) S. FISHER. The real estate of 
IWl this worthy resident of Ogden Township 
J'^ — -^ consists of a quarter of secti(m 17. in this 
count}', and another quarter section in \'ermilion 
County. Mr. Fisher became a resident of the 
Prairie State in 186.5, first locating in Vermilion 
Count)', whence he removed to Cham|)aign County 
in 1881. He lias followed agricultural pursuits 
since boyhood, and would not feel .at home else- 
where than on the farm, or occupied in .any other 
vocation than that which now eng.ages his atten- 
tion. He has lived the life of an upright, conscien- 
tious man, filling worlliily his position as the head 
of a family, and .an important member of society. 
Our subject is a native of W.ayne County, Ind., 
born Fel). 18, 1826, and the son of .lohn and .lane 
(Starbuck) Fisher, of North Carolina. The former. 



who was born Kept. 7, 1702, dep.arted this life at 
Inion City, in Randolph County, Ind., on the 8th 
of February, 1881, in the eightj'-cightli year of his 
age. John Fisher came of a famil}' noted foi- lon- 
gevity, strong physicallj', and retaining their mental 
faculties remarkal)ly until the close of life. The 
wife and mother, who w.as born in 17"J8. also died 
in Indiana, passing away on the 4th of February. 
1 882. She w.as a member of the Methodist Episco- 
l).al Church, but her husband belonged to the So- 
ciety of Friends, having joined them when forty 
years of age. B<jth were of fair complexion and 
had blue eyes. He was five ftet ten inches in 
height, and weighed 1 GO pounds. The mother was 
of average size. Of their sixteen children, nine 
grew to mature years and seven died in infancj'. 
Daniel A. first mai-ried a Miss Baldwin, who died 
a few years later, and he was then married to a 
Miss Sherman; he is now deceased. Joseph died 
in California some twentj'-three j'ears ago; Edward 
S., of our sketch, was the third child; Phebe first 
married. Mr. Baldwin, and after his death became 
the wife of David Bailey, and was widowed a sec- 
ond time; her third husband w.as Nathan Reed; 
James died in boyhood; Robert first married Miss 
Henderson, who died early in life; his second wife 
was Miss Cotton. Annie J. in earl}' womanhood 
became the wife of J. Commons, who died, and she 
then married Charles Pearce; John married a Miss 
Freeman, and Lydia E. m.arried J. R. J.aclcson. 

Edward S. Fisher came to Illinois in 186.'), lo- 
cating first in Vermilion County, where he resided 
until 1881, being in the meantime located upon 
1()0 acres of land in Oakwood Township. In the 
spring of the year mentioned, he came to Cham- 
paign County and located upon his present farm, 
also embracing a quarter section of land. Here he 
has followed the ordinary routine of a farmer's life, 
and by his ui)right and honest methods, has secured 
the esteem of his fellow-citizens. He was elected 
Commissioner of Highways, and has been Justice 
of the Peace for two 3'ears. In 1887 he was 
elected Township Supervisor by a majority of thir- 
teen, there being four candidates in the field. This 
office he h.as filled with credit to himself and satis- 
faction to all concerned. He is a stanch Kepiib- 
lican in politics, and nothing pleases him better 



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734 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



than to note the march of progress in his com- 
munity both in an educational and moral point of 
view. 

The niariiage of our subject to .Miss Elizabeth 
Clements took place Nov. 22, 1849. Mrs. Fisher 
is the daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth (Branden- 
burg) C'leiuents, and was born Dee. 22, 1X34. Her 
father was a native of Ohio, born in IT'.U, and 
reared to farming pursuits. He followed this vo- 
cation in Indiana during the latter years of his life, 
and died on the homestead in Wayne County, 
June 11, 18()i>. He was a good man in the broad- 
est sense of the word, a consistent member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and b}- his patient 
industry and good management, accumulated con- 
siderable property. He was prominent in local 
affairs, and held in high respect by his fellow-citi- 
zens. The mother uf Mrs. Fisher was born in 1795, 
and survived her husband only three years, dying 
at the homestead in Wayne County in 1 868. She 
was also a member of the Methodist Church, and 
in the various relations of life, fulfilled her part 
with fidelity, leaving behind her a record of wo- 
manly virtues and kindly deeds. 

The seven children of our subject and wife are 
recorded as follows: Joseph married Miss Marcia 
Board ; Nancy .1. became the wife of Elias Free- 
man; .Tames married Miss Annie Morris; Elizabeth, 
John. Ella and Matilda are at home with their par- 
ents. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Fisher were, 
James, who married Miss E. Boyd; Matilda, who 
married Josephus Ladd; Maria, Mrs. James Peel; 
Samuel, who married Miss Eveline Gray; Susan, 
Mrs. John Jones; William married Mrs. Lovina 
Knox, and Anthony married .Miss M.atilda Horn. 

A lithographic view of Mr. Fisher's handsome 
residence is shown on another page. 

ROF. S. W. SHATTl'CK, M. A. C. E., who 
holds the Chair of .M.ithematics, and is 
f^' business agent of the University of Illi- 
nois, is well and favorably known by the 
people of Champaign, where lie resides. He is a 
native of Groton, Mass., and was born Feb. 18, 




1841. He is the son of Walter and Roxana 
(Fletcher) Shattuck, natives of the same place as 
theii- son. The father of Prof. Shattuck nearly all his 
life was engaged in mercantile pursuits, and in later 
years as a private banker. He departed this life at 
his home in (iroton, in 1870, and his beloved wife 
followed five years later. The grandfather of our 
subject W!is a Captain iu the War of 1812, and his 
great-grandfather was a Captain in the Revolution- 
ary War. The parents of our subject reareil a fam- 
ily of ten children, five now living, namely, Mar- 
tha, Mrs. Cory; Susan, Mrs. Carter: Samuel W., 
Abbott and Mar3'. 

Samuel W. Shattuck commenced attending school 
at an early age, and was graduated at the A'ermont 
State Military College in 18G0. The following 
year he was engaged as a teacher in the college. 
During this time and prior thereto he had been 
Sergeant Major of the Gth Massachusetts Infantry. 
Upon the call for soldiers the (5th was among the 
first to respond, and w.is the first to report 
for duty at Washington, D. C. At the expir- 
ation of his term of service of four months he 
returned to his duties as a teacher, onl3' remaining 
until 1863, when he was appointed Adjutant of the 
8th Vermont Infantry. In 1864 he was jiromoted 
Adjutant General of the Brigade with rank of Cap- 
tain. At the battle of Cedar Creek he received a 
shot in the leg, and his horse was shot from under 
him. He engaged in all the battles of the Shenan- 
doah Valley, and continued in the army until' the 
close of the war. Soon afterward, returning to 
Norwich he became Professor of Mathematics and 
Military Tactics in the college, and was its acting 
President for one year. He was also appointed In- 
spector General for the State of \'ermont, with the 
rank of Colonel. 

Prof. Shattuck came to Illinois in 18t;.s, having 
been appointed to the Chair of Mathematics in the 
State University at Urbana. Five years later, 
while Dr. Gregory was in Europe, he was acting 
Regent of the University, and was Vice President 
from 1874 to 1876. As a scholar and executive 
orticer he is seldom equaled or surpassed. 

Prof. Shattuck was married, in 1866, to Miss 
Adelaide White, of Columbus, Ohio, and the claugh- 
ter of Capt. I'hilo White, of that cit3'. Of this 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



7sr 




T 



union there have been born four children — Ch.irles 
W.; Annie F.. Ktlith A. and Walter I-". The Pro- 
fessor is Republican in politics, a worthy nicnibcr 
of the G. A. K., and in all respects .1 highly es- 
teemed citizen and member of society. The fam- 
ily residence is located at No. 108 Hill street, 
where its inmates enjoy the society of the cultured 
people of the city. 



^1 ELIM II. PEABODY, Ph. 1). and LL. D., 
President of the I'niversity of Illinois, is 
a native of Rockingham, Windham Co., 
Vt., born Aug. 20, 1829. He i.s the son of 
Rev. Charles H. and Grace S. (Ide) Peabody, the 
former a native of New Hampshire and the latter 
of Vermont. The tirst generation of Peabodys of 
which we have any account came from England 
in the year 103,5, and settled in Essex County, 
Mass. From that branch descended all the Pea- 
bodys of America. 

The f.ather of our subject in early life learned 
the clothier's business and carried on the same in 
New Hampshire until 1831. He was converted to 
religion in 1830. and became impressed with the 
feeling that it w.is his duty to labor in the cause of 
Christ. He accordingly entered upon a course of 
study in Newton Theological Seminary, Newton, 
Ma.ss., where he spent five years and graduate<l in 
1836. His first charge was at Sutton, Worcester 
Coutit3% that State, where he laliored for four 3'ears, 
then accepted a call fnim R.andolpli. Mass., and 
filled a charge there until his death in 1842. Pre- 
vious to this evvnt, from the 1st of .January until 
March, he had been holding revival meetings, dur- 
ing which time he overworked and contracted a 
severe cold. He took to his bed, but w.-is sent for 
to preach the funeral sermon of three or four boys 
who were drowned. Although scarcely able to 
leave the house, he consented to the reijuest, and 
the result was an additional cold from which he 
never recovered. Rev. Charles H. Peabody was 
born .lune 12, 1779. He departed this life in 1M12. 
His wife, the mother of our subject, was born Aug. 
20, 1804, and is now living at Randolph, Mass. 



The_v had onlj' two children — Selini H., our subject, 
;inil Mary 1., who became the wife of Rev. L. 15. 
Steele, of Pittsford, \'t. 

Selini H. Peabody during his younger years 
atteudi'cl tlic public schools anil the acadeni_v of his 
native town, tin; latter of which was conducted by 
John P. (lulliver, now a professor in Andovcr Theo- 
k)gical Seminary. In the fall of 1 .s42 he entered 
the IJoston Latin School and for one year made his 
home with the family of Simon G. Shipley. After- 
ward lie went to live with his uncle, .Simeon Ide, in 
Claremont, N. H., where he worked for his board 
and attended the .academy taught by the sons of 
Rev. Dr. Lord, of Diirtniouth College. Daring the 
same time he was employed in a paper-mill and 
also in setting type, remaining in Claremont until 
the spring of 184.5. In the meantime he had never 
lost sight of his original intention to secure a col- 
legiate education. He had been a close student 
and was now fuUj^ prepared to enter the institution 
toward which all his hopes had turned, but he had 
no money. He now returned to Randolph, Mass., 
and for the lack of something better engaged with 
a carpenter and worked* at his trade until nineteen 
3'ears old. 

In the fall of 1S4I) Mr. Peabody commenced 
teaching, his first school being at Hillerica, Mass., 
where he taught ten weeks at the rate of iJlO per 
month. The winter following lie taught three 
months in P.raintree, Mass. After this he became 
.assistant teacher in the academy at Nashua, N. II., 
and by this time had secured sufficient means to 
enable him to go on with his studies at the Cni- 
versity of X'erinont, which he entered in September, 
liS4S. and from which he graduated four years 
later. In the meantime he also taught .school at 
intervals in liilleric.a and elsewhere. At the begin- 
ning of his junior year in college he w.os ap- 
pointed assistant teacher in the public High School 
at liurlington, \'t., and during his senior yc.ar 
taught school in Franklin, Mass., three montiis. 
Before graduating he was appointed Principal of 
the Burlington High School, the lirst of its kind 
established in the State of \'ermont. After one 
year in this institution he accepted the Professor- 
ship of Mathematics in the seminary at Fairfax, 
\'t., and after spending one year there became con- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



V 



nectcfl witli tlic l'ulytochiii<' College. I'liiladelphia, 
as Profess(JV of Matlieiuaties and Civil Engineering, 
wliich po^iitiun he held from 18r)4to 1857. He then 
turned his steps westward to Eau Claire, Wis., where 
he laid out and platted liie town and also served as 
master carpenter in tiie luiilding of honses and 
stores. Prof. I'eahody opened tiie United States 
Land Office at Ean Claire, in tiie Register Depart- 
ment of which he was chief clerk, and where he 
remained until December. 1859. The Fond du Lac 
High School then having been established, he l)e- 
came its Principal until 18(;2. Afterward he went 
to Racine, where he was appointed Superintendent 
of Schools, remaining as such until Se|)tember, 
1865, and then accepted a position as Professor of 
Natural .Sciences in the High .School of Chicago. 

In .September, 1871, Prof. Peabody returned 
East and became connected witii the Agricultural 
College at Amherst, Mass., as Professor of Ph3'sics 
and Engineering. Three years later he returned 
to the Garden City and accepted his former position 
in the High School, and occupied it until 1878. He 
then came to Champaign and was apjiointcd Pro- 
fessor of Mechanics and Engineering in the Illinois 
Industrial University. In February, 1881), he was 
proffered an editorial position in a publishing house 
in New York City, which he accepted with the 
expectation of abandoning teaching as a life work. 
After reaching New York he was appointed Editor- 
in-Chief of the American edition of Chambers' 
Encyclopedia, which was then being published un- 
der the title of the "Library of Universal Knowl- 
edge." In the meantime he also edited a monthly 
magazine and was engaged in other literarj' work. 

In August, 1880, Prof. Peabody was unani- 
mously re-elected to his former position in the 
University, of which he was at once notified and 
also of his appointment as Regent pro tempore to 
fill out the unexpired term of service made vacant 
by the resignation of Dr. (iregory. In March fol- 
lowing he was elected Regent, which position he 
has since held. Dr. Peabody is also known as the 
author of a charming series of juvenile books on 
natural history, in addition to text books on 
v.'iiious branches of mathematics and a num})er 
of scientific treatises. His Ihorougli education 
and natural abilities have liiiely adapted him for the 



responsible position which he now liolds and in 
which he has distinguislied himself as an executive 
and instructor of more than ordinary ability. 

The marriage of Prof. S. II. Peabody and Miss 
Mary E. Pangborn, of Burlington, Vt., was cele- 
brated at the home of the bride's jiarents in 1852. 
Mrs. P. is the daughter of David K. Pangborn. of 
\'ermont, and by her intelligence and synipath}' 
with her husliand's life-work, is well fitted for his 
companion and life partner. Of tliis congenial 
union there have been born four children — Grace, 
Cecil H., Arthur and Kate F. The Professor politi- 
cally is a Republican and takes an active interest 
in current events, keeping himself well posted in 
regard to national and political afl'airs. 

It may be projier to state briefly that the Uni- 
versity of Illinois is a well defined aggregation of 
several distinct colleges, with special faculties and 
courses of instruction. The work is divided among 
tlie four colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, 
Natural Science, and Literature and .Science, with 
the two detached .s(Oiools of Military Science and 
Art and Design. Each college is supervised by a 
Dean and tlie Professors divide up their work in 
the different departments according to the more or 
less close relations of the subject. The head of the 
faculty and Regent of the University is our subject, 
Prof. Peabody. 



^<¥^^ 



<^OIIN CLARK. In 1808 the subject of this 
notice selected this county for his future 
home, and coining here jiurchased laud from 
tlie Illinois ('entral Railroad at *8 per 
acre. This was located on section 0, Compromise 
Township. It was uncultivated, and from it Mr. 
Clark has eliminated one of the finest farms in this 
section. It embraces 370 acres, all enclose<l and 
improved, and he has upon it a good set of farm 
buildings, including a substantial and commodious 
dwelling, tastefully finished and furnished, in the 
rear of which is a good barn and all other necessary 
onthou.ses for the storage of grain and the shelter 
of stock. After spending several years in the culti- 
vation and improvement of his land Mr. Clark re 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



739 



tired from active labor and is now enjoying wisely 

the fruits of his early industry. 

The suliject of this liistory, wlio is of excellent 
birth .and parentage, lirst opened his eye.s to light 
in Forfarshire, Scotland, April •>, 1830. His par- 
ents, William and Mary (Doniddson) Clark, also 
natives of Scotland, had a family of four chiltlrcn, 
two of whom, Thomas and Alex.andcr, are deceased. 
Isabell, the wife of David Freeman, remains in her 
native land. Thomas emigrated to the L'nited 
States, and located in Cook County, 111., ulience he 
subsequently moved to Kansas, where lie died in 
1886. John, of our siietch, thus remains the only 
representative of the family in this country. 

Mr. Clark was reared on liis father's farm in For- 
farshire, and when twenty-three years of age. May 
23, 1853, he w.as united in marriage with Miss Jane 
Butters, a native of his own county, and the day 
following they .sailed from Glasgow for the United 
States. After a tedious voyage of fifty-two days 
on a sailing-vessel they arrived in New York Har- 
bor and took up their abode in New York City, 
where they remained two years. In the spring of 
185.5 they came westward to Chicago, residing in 
that city a year, and subsequently removed to a 
farm in Cook County where they remained until 
January, 1868. When Mr. Clark first arrived in 
Chicago he had but $6 in his pocket, ^5 of which 
he was obliged to pay in advance for the rent of a 
house, and thus with >ifl, commenced keeping house 
in the United States. While living in Cook Coun- 
ty, and when their son John was only three weeks 
old, their house was burned down and they were 
then left penniless. Friends came to their rescue, 
however, and they soon recovered their losses 
bj' industry and ecoiiomy. On coming to this 
County, they located upon the present homestead of 
the family. He first engaged in mixed husbandry 
but later, finding it more profitable and less labor- 
ious, turned his attention chietty to stock-raising. 

Of the five children born to Mr ami Mi-s. Clark 
one died in infancy and was buried in Chicago. 
Those surviving are, Alexander. liobert B., John 
A., and Elizabetli, the wife of Alfred Jinkson. In 
January, 1886, our subject and his wife returned to 
their native .Scotland, where tiiey remained four 
montiis, visiting among the friends of tlieir cliild- 



hood. The father of Mrs. C. was living at that 
time, but has since passed away. They sailed from 
New York on the steamer "Oregon," whicii was sunk 
on tlic return trip in New York Harbor. They re- 
turned on the "State of Georgia," and were but 
nine days going fiom Chicago to Dundee, Scotland, 
wiiich was a great contrast in point of time to their 
voyage of thirty years before. 

The fine homestead of Mr. Clark, a view of 
which may be found in this work, with its broad 
acres and handsome residence gives ample evidence 
■ of the progress which he has made since becoming 
an American citizen. He has served as School 
Director, Road Commissioner and Tnx Collector of 
his township, and no man more generally responds 
to the call for assistance in the furtherance of any 
enterprise calculated to benefit his community. For 
man J' years Mr. and Mrs. Clark were members of 
the Congregational Church, but .as this denomina- 
tion is not represented in Penfield, they, in 1886, 
identified themselves with the Baptists. 



-r 



^/AMES H. DUNLAP, Postmaster at Savoy, 
Station Agent of the Illinois Central Rail- 
road, and Agent of the American Express 
Companj', is known by most of the citizens 
of Champaign Township, by M'hoin lie is highly re- 
spected as a gentleman of intelligence and ability, 
and one who disciiarges the duties of liis several 
offices with promptness and satisfaction. He was 
appointed Postmaster in 1875, and the following 
year was instrumental in iiaving the express office 
established here, and lias continually hold the 
agency. He has been Station Agent since 1874, 
and has also been telegraph operator since 1880, .at 
which time the office was established. 

Mr. Dunlap has been a resident of Champaign 
County since a child two years of age, and nearly 
all his life has been spent in the neighborhood wliere 
he still resides. His biith took place in West Chi- 
cago, Cook County, this State, on the 2d of No- 
vember, 1854. His parents were Menzo and Ara- 
bella (Pierce) Dunlaii, by whom he was reared to 
manhood, educated in the common schools, and 
trained to haliits of industry and those principles 
■» 



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740 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



which are the foundation of a successful and honor- 
able course through life. His early years were eni- 
])loyed in farming pursuits until December, 1874, 
when at the age of twenty years, he was appointed 
Agent of Savoy foi the Illinois Central Railroad. 
Six months later he received his commission as 
Postmaster. He is Republican in politics, Presi- 
dent of the Board of Trustees of the Savoy Method- 
ist PCpiscopal Church, and has always taken an 
active interest in the advancement and welfare of 
his county and community. Socially he belongs to 
Western Star Lodge No. 240, A. F. ifr A. M., and 
is a memiier in good standing of Knights of Honor 
Lodge No. 841, both of Champaign. 

The wife of Mv. Dunlap. to whom he was mar- 
ried in Farmer City, De Witt Co., 111., on the 2"2d 
of April, 1877, was formerly Miss Henrietta, 
daughter of .T. N. and Eliza (Ballzell) Coon. Mrs. 
D. was born in Shelby Count}', Ohio, April 6, 1856, 
and at the date of her marriage resided at Farmer 
City, 111. (Jf this union there were born five chil- 
dren : Burleigh H., Feb. 10, 187.5; Rosa E., May 
20, 1879; Louie N., Oct. 10, 1880; Albert M. and 
Isabell .L. the latter twins, Jan. !'>, 1884. Our 
subject and his wife are connected with the Method- 
ist Episcopal Ciuirch, to the support of which they 
have coutril)utcd liberally and cheerfull}', and dur- 
ing their long residence here have become the 
center of a large circle of friends. 

The portrait of Mr. Dunlap is given on a pre- 
ceding page. His inflexibility and uprightness in 
the different positions he so efficiently fills, together 
with his general worth and nobility of character, 
will secure for the picture a hearty welcome from 
the entire patronage of this Album, which it mater- 
ially assists in embellishing. 



pSAAC HIXENBAliOH. The farm of this gen- 
I tleman, with its fine residence and handsome 
/|\ out-buildings, lies like a picture in the land- 
scape of Ogden Township, and is located on the 
southwest quarter of section 30. It embraces 129 
acres of choice laud, which has been managed in the 
wisest manner and wiiicii has responded liberally in 
rich products to the iiaud of one of the most skill- 



ful agriculturists in this part of Champaign County. 
To aid him in the successful tilling of the soil Mr. 
Hixenbaugh has availed himself of the experience 
of older men, and of the .skill of tlie inventor, 
adapting his fields to that in which they are likely to 
be the most |)iolific, and cultivating the soil and 
gathering in the grain with the Ijest modern farm 
machinery manufactured. The farm stuck is of 
the best description, his stables containing espec- 
ially fine animals, among which is a thoroughbred 
Lawrence colt, Bonny Scotland b}' name, but 
registered St. Joseph, who, if he lives and no ac- 
cident happens to him, will be heard from hereafter 
throughout this part of the State. 

Mr. Hixenbaugh came to Illinois in 1868, with a 
cash caiiital of *;200. By a series of wise invest- 
ments, and the outlay of judicious labor he is now 
in possession of a good many thousands worth of 
property, with the prospect of being able to pass 
his declining years in the enjoyment of the luxuries 
of life which he has so justly earned. His early 
years were passed in Marion County, W. Va., with 
his parents, Isaac and Martha (Ogden) Hixenbaugh. 
He was born May 4, 1846, and as soon as old 
enough, commenced attending school in the winter 
season while in summer his youthful services were 
made available on his father's farm. Tiie latter 
was a native of Pennsylvania, born of excellent 
parents on the 24th of Jul}', 1802. Besides himself, 
his brother Jacob became a member of the family 
at the same time, and lived to years of manhood. 

The father of our subject removed from Penn- 
sylvania to Illinois in 1868, his death taking place 
in this county in August, 1874. His wife, Martha, 
was born in 1806, and departed this life Sept. 20, 
1868, while the family were living in Ogden Town- 
ship. She fulfilled worthily the duties of wife and 
mother, and was a consistent member of the Chris- 
tian Church. The eight children of the parental 
household were : Sarah, who became the wife of 
George Underwood ; John, who enlisted in the 25th 
Illinois Infantry, and died at St. Louis, Mo., while 
in service ; Mary, the wife of Thomas Freeman ; 
Morgan, who married Sarah A. Whittzel; Adam, 
who inarricd M;irgaret White; Martha, who died in 
girlhood; Isaac, of our sketch, and Henry B. 

The boyhood and youth <>f our subject were 






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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



741 



passed with his parents on a farm, and he removed 
with tliem to Illinois in 18G8. He was reared to hab- 
its of industr)', and those principles which consti- 
tute the true man and citizen, and thej'ear after his 
arrival in this State, and after laying his plans for 
the establishment of a home, feeling that life was 
incomplete without a wife and companion to en- 
courage him in times of dilliculty, and rejoice with 
him in seasons of success, he proffered his band and 
fortune to Miss Mary M. Freeman, who accepted, 
and they were made husband and wife on the 19th 
of August, 1870. The birth of Mrs. Ili.xenbaugh 
took place in Ogden Township July 10, 1849, her 
l>arents being Thomas and Nancy (Redman) Free- 
man, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter of 
Illinois. The twin sister of Mr. Freeman was 
named Mary ; she became the wife of David Meade 
and is now deceased. The parents of Mrs. H. are 
living in Ogden Township. The children born of 
her union with our subject are: Louis M., Jan. 22, 
1871 ; Clarence N., Oct. 20, 1872; Thomas F., Dec. 
5, 1875; Clara B., Oct. 10, 1 877, and Electa G., Dec. 
22, 1879. Two of these, Electa (i. and Thomas 
F., rest in the quiet churchyard at Homer. A litho- 
graphic view of Mr. Hixenbaugh's residence is 
shown on another page. 



V 

r 



/^^ IIAHLES A. BENGTSON. of Harwood 
/l(^-\^ Township, came to this country from his 
^^J^ native land, Sweden, in 18G8, and at once 
began to make himself familiar with its customs 
and institutions. He was possessed naturallj' of a 
receptive mind and the ambition necessary to suc- 
cess. He began life at the foot of the ladder, but 
has made his way steadily upward until he is now a 
prominent property owner of Harwood Township, 
and ranks among its most highly respected citizens. 
His comfortable homestead on section 7 comprises 
eighty acres of land, every fool of which he has 
made available for some purpose, and upon which 
the work has been well done. He makes a si)ecialty 
of breeding Morgan horses and Holstein cattle, and 
exhibits some of the finest animals in Central Uli- 
nois. Mr. Bengtson is onlj' one among scores of 

4« 



his country-men who are numbered among the most 
valued citizens of the Prairie State. 

Our subject spent his early years in the town of 
Linkoping, Sweden, which is situated about 108 miles 
southwest of Stockholm. It h.as a cathedral and 
other churches, a town hall, a librarj-, a House of 
Assembl}', an old castle and a gymnasium. It is 
the See <jf a Lutheran Bishop, and the population 
of the city is over 8,000. Amid these surroundings 
our subject was born, on the 28th of Maj', 1847, 
but with all its advantages he was induced to 
believe that there were still greater in the New 
World, and determined to try them. His parents 
were John and Johanna C. (Peterson) Bengtson, 
and he was their third child. The father emigrated 
to America in 1852, and sixteen years later his 
family came. Our subject came with the various 
members of the family and located near La Fa3'ette, 
Tippecanoe Co., Ind. Charles A. was employed as 
a farm laborer near the city for four or five years, 
and then changed his location to Benton County, 
although pursuing the same line of work. 

Our subject removed from Indiana to Iroquois 
County, this State, in 1881, and thence to Ford 
County. In the meantime he had saved what he 
could of his earnings, and was now enabled to pur- 
chase 120 acres of improved l.aud. He was married 
on the 11th of December, 1872, and soon after his 
purchase took possession of his home with his fam- 
ily. Two years later he sold the farm in Ford 
County and purchased eighty acres in Champaign, 
upon which he has remained since that time. He 
has been keenly observant of what was going on 
around him, and there are few native born Ameri- 
cans who have exhibited a greater degree of intel- 
ligence and enterprise, although not having to 
contend, as he did, with the dilliculties of a strange 
land, new customs and different people. 

The wife of our subject was formerly Miss Clara 
J. Errickson. She is a native of the same country 
as her husband, was born Jan. 24, 1851, and came 
alone to America when a young lady, in 1872, 
casting her lot among strangers and caring for her- 
self until her marriage witli Mr. Bengtson. She is 
the daughter of Swanson and Christina Margneritta 
Errickson, also natives of Sweden, where they 
were married and spent their entire lives. The 



1 



t 



a 



i ^ 742 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



mother passed to her long home in 1872, and the 
father in 1875. Of the seven children born to our 
subject and his wife the record is as follows : Alfred 
W. was born Sept. 25, 1873; Amanda M.,Sept. 22, 
1875; Adalina A. and Anton W. (twins), Aug. 13, 
1877; George Conrad, Feb. 28, 1880; Brewer I., 
May 18, 1882, and Tillie J.,.Tuly 22, 1885. Amanda 
died Sept. 2, 187<i; Adalina, Nov. 4, 18)S0, and 
Anton, Sept. 26, 18«(). Those living are at home 
with their parents. 

Mr. Bengtson is independent in politics, aiming 
to give his support to the candidate whom he believes 
best qualified for oflice. His influence has always 
been stiongly in favor of the establishment and 
maintenance of schools and churches, and whatever 
besides is calculated for the welfare of his commu- 
nity'. He is a man of decided views, although quiet 
and unobtrusive in his manner. His opinions are 
held in due respect by his fellow-townsmen as those 
of a man temperate in his impulses, clear-headed 
and cool, and one whose judgment is usually safe 
to follow. 

"" ( : 






ylLLIAM J.KHMAN. Among the respected 
citizens of Sidney is the subject of this 
sketch, a carpenter and builder by trade, 
and one of the leading real-estate owners of the 
place. He was born in Lebanon County, Pa., Dec. 
20, 1820, and his parents, Michael and Christiana 
(Spangler) Lehman, were both natives of the same 
place. Neither of them are now living, although 
they attained to an advanced age. 

William Lehman is the third in order of birth of 
a family of nine children. The names of his 
brothers and sisters are Henrj', Michael, John, Isaac, 
Catherine, Mary, Elizabeth and Susan. After at- 
taining his m.ajority our subject was united in 
marriage with Miss Rebecca Ilaak, also a native of 
Lebanon. Her parental family included ten chil- 
dren, and the names of her brothers and sisters 
were Isaac, Henry. .John, Benjamin. George, Cath- 
erine, Mary, Sally and Elizabeth. The marriage 
of our subject with Miss Haak was blest by the 
birth of eight children : F. W., Henry L., Daniel 
M., Cyrus P., Samuel G., David S., Elizabeth, who 
died in infancy, and Amanda, the wife of Dr. Hess, 



of Sidney. Henry was killed at the battle of Chan- 
cellorsville, while gallantly defending the " Stars 
and Stripes ; " F. W. was wounded at the battle of 
Gettysburg, and Daniel M. also served in the late 
war. 

The wife of our subject passed from her earthly 
career to the enjo3'ment of an everlasting peace 
bej'ond, and Mr. Lehman formed a second matri- 
monial alliance, with Miss Zerby Sibley, the daugh- 
ter of John and Catherine Siblej'. Six children 
were born to them, namely : Hiram and John, de- 
ceased; Edward, in Kansas; Emma, the wife of 
Charles Hay, who is in the railroad business in 
Kansas; Lizzie, the wife of Charles A'ernon, of Sid- 
ney, and Minnie, who is single. 

In 1 805 Mr. Lehman removed with his family 
from his native State to Cass County, Ind., where, 
in addition to following his trade, he also engaged 
in sawing and cutting lumber. In 18G7 he re- 
moved with his second wife and ten children to 
Urbana, and since that time has made his home in 
this county. For a number of years he has been a 
resident of Sidney, and has been for a long time 
one of the Trustees of the village. He owns several 
lots with excellent dwellings upon them. In i)oli- 
tics he is an uncompromising Republican, and in 
religion, himself and wife are members of high 
standing in the Lutliernn Cluircli. 

\|p^, ICODEMUS FULL, who for several years 
I jjj has been active and prominent in the rural 
l[\/M) community of St. Joseph Township, was 
born and reared in the Old Dominion, first opening 
his eyes to the light in Franklin, Pendleton County, 
April 1, 1831. He comes of excellent German an- 
cestry, his grandfather, George Full, having been 
born in the Fatherland, whence he emigrated with 
his wife, Catherine, soon after his marriage, and 
was among the early pioneers of Virginia. They 
reared a family of two sons and three daughters, 
among whom was George, Jr., the father of onr 
subject, who was born on the old farm in Pendleton 
County in the early part of the year 1800. Like 
his father before him he followed agriculture. He, 
too, received a limited education, remaining under 



1^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



^ 



743 



the home roof until his nianiago. His wife was 
formerly ^liss Margaret, flaughter of Martin Judy, 
of (Terman parentage, and after marriage they set- 
tled down in Pendleton County, where they reared 
a family and spent their entire lives. 

Of the children born to George and Margaret 
Full, but three are living. Nicodemus, of our 
sketch, was the second sou and sixth child, and re- 
mained under his father's roof until twenty-two 
years of age. He then started out in life on his 
own account as a farm laborer, working at *10 per 
month. In 1853 he left the Old Dominion, and 
coming to this county resolved to establish a home 
for himself within its borders. He was willing to 
work and wait, and continued employed as before 
until he had accumulated sntticient means to buy 
the necessary things with which to commence rent- 
ing a farm. He operated as a tenant for three 
years, upon laud belonging to D. B. Stayton, and 
then purciiased his present farm of IGO acres on 
section 9, in St. Joseph Township. 

The land upon which our subject located first 
could scarcely be dignified by the name of a farm, 
because it was simply raw prairie, uncultivated and 
unfeneed. One of his first duties was to put up a 
tenement, which was built of plank, and was 16x26 
teel in area. The floor was not even nailed down, 
and the walls were destitute of plaster. He occu- 
pied this for about seven years and until able to 
erect a frame dwelling, and thereafter gradually 
added other handsome and substantial buildings, 
which are now among the chief attractions of the 
estate. Of late years Mr. Full has given much 
time to the raising of fine stock, in whicii Inisiness 
he has made the larger part of his money. His 
stables contain some noble specimens of Belgium 
and Norman horses, his cattle and hogs are of ex- 
cellent grade, and he has obtained quite an enviable 
reputation as a breeder in this locality. 

The lady, wlio for a period of over twenty years, 
has presided over the domestic affairs of our suli- 
ject's home, and been his earnest sympathizer and 

counselor in his undertakings, was in her girlli 1 

Miss Nancy J. Breese, a native of Tippecanoe 
County, Ind., who came to this county in the 
year 1852. Her pMienls died ninny years ;igo. 
The father died while on his way to Chicago, and 



the motiier in Ciiampaign County, IH., in 1862. 
Of her marriage with our subject there were born 
two children only, a son and daughter, (ieorge C. 
and Vida May. When Mr. Full first began voting 
the old Whig party was in existence, and he identi- 
fied himself with its followers. Later, feeling that 
he could not endorse Republican princijiles, he 
went over to the Democracy, with which he has 
since affiliated. He has meddled but little in poli- 
tics, however, his otlicial experience including the 
duties of a Constable only, which he discharged 
two years. 




EORGE CON D IT, dealer in hardware at 
Rantoul, established his business here in 
1877. He is a native of Licking County, 
Ohio, and was born May 22, 1839. His parents, 
James B. and Amanda (Sampson) Condit, are na- 
tives of New Jersey. Soon after their marriage the 
parents removed to Ohio, and located in the town 
of Jersey, where, and in Johnstown, the father of our 
subject engaged in mercantile business. He con- 
tinued there until 1867, and on coming to Cham- 
paign County engaged in the grain trade, and as 
a banker, carrying on the latter business with Mr. 
Burnham, under the firm name of Condit & Co. 
They continued together several j'ears, when Mr. 
C. disposed of his interests to his partner, and re- 
moving to Pontiac omliarkcMl in the hardware 
trade. 

Our sui)ject grew to manhood in liis native 
county, receiving a fair education in the common 
schools, and came to this locality in 1857, before 
his marriage. lie engaged in farming for about 
fifteen years, abandoning this, however, in 1872, to 
establish his i)resent business. He carries a good 
line of everything needed in his department, in- 
cluding farm implements. In 1873 he associated 
himself in [jartnership with Mr. A. Fromlet. The 
latter gentleman retired in 1876, and his place was 
taken by C. McFarland. Business was transacted 
for several years under the firm name of Condit & 
McFarland, wiien tiio latter retired, and our subject 
lias since conducted the business alone. He is a 
thorough business man, and has built uji an exten- 



•►■-4«- 



i 



i 



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.t 



744 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



] 



sive and lucrative patronage. He is well known 
throughout this section, and is regarded as an up- 
right, honorable man. 

During his residence on the farm, in 1864, the 
marriage of Mr. Conilit and Miss jMary Carr, of 
Champaign, was celebrated at the home of the 
bride's parents. Mrs. C. was born in Indiana, and 
is the daughter of Adam Carr, who removed from 
there to this county in about 1850. The children 
of this union'are James A.,_StelLa^and Charles. The 
wife and mother departed this life in the spring of 
1885. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married in 1886, was Miss Lizzie Piffer, of Ran- 
toul. They have a pleasant and attractive home, 
and enjoy the society of many friends. Both are 
members of the Congregational Church, in which 
Mr. Coudit has officiated as Deacon for several 
years, and also as a teacher in the Sunday-school. 
Politically he affiliates with the Republican party. 



JOHN W. RICHMOND is widely and favora- 
bly known as an importer of French draft, 
Percheron, English draft, also Cleveland 
Bay and English coach horses, his head- 
quarters being in Fisher Village. He is a gentle- 
man of great energy of character, always busy and 
revolving some new project in his mind, always 
pleased, of course, when these prove of benefit to 
himself, and almost as well pleased when they prove 
to be of use and convenience to his fellow-citizens. 
Our subject is the sou of Wilson aud Mary (Judy) 
Richmond, natives of Ohio, the latter being a sister 
of J. II. Judy, of whom a sketch is given elsewhere 
in this work, together with that of the parents. 
The parents of Mr. Richmond soon after their mar- 
riage emigrated from the Buckeye State to Illinois, 
where Mr. Richmond engaged in farming and stock- 
raising and where he still lives. The mother died 
in Hittle (irove Township, Tazewell County, in 
1854. 

Wilson Richmond came to Tazewell County in 
18.'K), and liis wife in 1826. They, togetlier with 
others, exi)crienced the hardships of the winter of 

4* 



the deep snow, when the grandfather of our subject, 
Joseph Richmond, was frozen to death in crossing 
the prairie from Mackinaw to Hittle's Grove. In 
companj' with Samuel Jud^' he had gone from the 
Grove to Mackinaw for provisions. On the return 
trip Joseph Richmond, when within a short distance 
of home, exhausted by cold and fatigue, dropped 
down unable to proceed further. His companion was 
obliged to leave him and he died in the snow, being 
found by the settlers the following morning, sitting 
upright as when Jlr. Judy had left him. It required 
about thirtj'-six hours before they were able to get 
ids bodj' in a position so that it could be coffined. 
Of the nine children born to Wilson and Mar}' 
(Judy) Richmond, four died in infancy and live 
lived to adult years. Since that time Jane, who 
became the wife of Thomas H. Bell, departed this 
life in Newcomb Township, Jan. 11, l.s87. (A 
sketch of Mr. Bell will be found elsewhere in this 
work.) Frank married, and is farming in Brown 
Township, this county ; Nancy became the wife of 
Joseph Headrick, a prosperous farmer of Newcomb 
Township; Mar}", Mrs. John L. Knott, resides with 
her husband on a farm in Missouri. 

John W. Richmond was born in Hittle's Grove 
Township, Tazewell County, this State, July 26, 
1846. His boyhood and youth were passed on his 
father's farm, and during the winter seasons he 
availed himself of the instruction afforded in the 
common schools. He remained a member of the 
parental household until thirty-live years of age, 
having at the earlj- age of tifteen years assumed 
the management of the farm. The responsibility 
thus placed upon him b}' wise and judicious parents 
admirably developed his natural business talent and 
litted him for the further duties of life, in which 
he iias been more than t)rdinarily successful. He 
became a resident of this county in 1881, in the 
meantime having purchased a large tract of laud 
in Newcomb Township. The residence of himself 
and his family, however, is in the village of Fisher, 
where he has a handsome dwelling in the midst of 
finely laid out grounds, and everything calculated 
for the comfort and pleasure of its inmates. 

Mr. Richmond was married, Sept. 20, 1884, in 
the city of New York, to Miss Nora Ilavenhill, 
who W!is born in Kendall County, this State, April 



^1 



•^0^^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



745 



16, 1802. Mrs. R. is the daughter of Hiram and 
Sarah (Richmond) Havenhill, the former a native 
of Kentucky and the latter of Ohio. Her fnther's 
family included nine ciiildren. Mr. Haveiiliill is 
still living anil is a resident of Kendall County. 
Tliu mother died there .Ian. 11,1 870. Mr. and Mrs. 
Ric-hniund are tiie parents of one child, a son, 
Wilson R. In the sketch of Henson Richmond, 
published on anotlier page in this work, will be 
found some interesting facts connected with the 
history- of the Richmond family, our subject being 
a nepliew of Mr. R. Politically Mr. Richmond 
affiliates with the Republican part3', and sociall3- 
belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member 
of Blue Lodge No. 622, of Hopedale, 111. ; Royal 
Arcli Chapter No. 155, of Delav.an, and Constan- 
tine Commandery No. 51, of Lincoln, III. 

In the prosecution of his business Mr. Richmond 
has made seven trips to the Old World, visiting 
F^ngland, France. Belgium, Holland, Germany and 
Italy. His real estate embraces 1,400 acres of im- 
proved l.aud lying mostly in Brown, Newcomb and 
East Bend Townships. For the draining of this he 
has expended about $12,000 in tile alone. He keeps 
from eight to twelve head of imported horses, 
sometimes more, and has proved himself admira- 
bly adapted to his chosen calling, having built up 
an envialjle reputation in the West .as a good judge 
of horses, in the breeding of which he takes great 
pride and aims to excel. 



-^ ^-^^ ^ 

ellARLE.S K. WRIGHT. This gentleman is 
located on section 21, Newcomb Townshi|), 
of wliicii lie has been a resident since a 
young man of twentj'-one years of age. He is the 
owner of 165 acres of good land, upon which he 
has erected all needful farm buildings, and the 
whole of which constitutes a comfortable and sub- 
stantial homestead. His residence is one of the 
best in the township, and is surrounded by a hand- 
some gi'ove, a view of which is to lie seen on an- 
other page. 

Mr. Wright is a native of Licking County, Ohio. 
whene he was lioni Sept. .'?(), 1840. and th<' son 
of Hiram and Eliza (Blood) Wright, natives I'c- 



] spectively of Vermont and Massachusetts. After 
I leaving New England they located in the Buckeye 
State, whence tiicy removed in aliout 1872 to Illi- 
nois, settling in Newcomb Township, where they 
still reside. The parental family included eight 
children, live I103S and three girls. Our subject 
remained under the home roof and received a fair 
education in the common schools. He was bred to 
farm pursuits, which he has followed all his life. 

Mr. Wright was married in Newcomb Towusliip, 
Sept. 10, 186:3, to Miss Nancy H., daughter of J. 
S. Hannah, of whom a sketch .and portrait appear 
in another part of this volume. Mrs. AV right is 
also a n.ative of Ohio, and was born Dec. 10, 1846. 
Of their thirteen children six onlj' are now living: 
Lewis L., William W., Hiram S., Charles A., Clara 
and Sadie. Lyman F. died when he was two and 
one-half j'ears of .age. The (»thers died in infancy. 
Our subject and his wife are consistent mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episicopal Church, and po- 
litically Mr. Wright is a stanch Republican. Dur- 
ing the first 3'ear of the Civil War he enlisted in 
the 76th Ohio Infantry', which was known as the 
".Squirrel Hunters," but onlj- served a short time, 
the regiment belonging to the State Militia. Mr. 
Wriglit is an intelligent farmer, thoroughly' consci- 
entious, a man of the strictest integrity, and enjoys 
the confidence of his fellow-citizens. 



,f-IC#^^^ 



■S 



OHN A. OSBORNE. A prominent writer 
has said that "all history is only biography." 
We find this especially exempified in tiie 
community of which our subject is a mem- 
ber. Its history is principally the biography of 
the lives of those men who have mostly lived 
worthily' and left a good impress ii|K)ii the places 
which in time will know them no more. Mr. Os- 
borne has fulfilled his duties as a good citizen and 
member of society, and has built up one of the 
best homesteads in Rantoul Township. Although 
jierhaps not at first attracting the eye to any spec- 
ial puiiits it presents a picture of peaceful coiuitry 
life under the proiiriclorsliip iif an indusliidus :iiid 
iiilclligciit man. 

John A. Osborne is a native of lliis State, born 



4 



i 



t 



746 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



near Griggs ville. Pike County, Nov. .3, 1847. His 
father, Thoinas Osborne, was a native of Count}' 
Tyrone, Ireland, where he grew to manhood on a 
farm, and after the death of his father emigrated to 
America, accompanied Ijy liis motlierand five laroth- 
ers. The latter were George, James, Samuel, .luhu 
and Charles. Three of tiiese brothers located in 
this State, one in Kansas and one in Indiana. 
Thomas settled in Oliio, wiiere he worked on a farm 
for a few years, and was married. In 1844 he came 
to this State with his wife, making the journey via 
the Oliio, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. He first 
rented a tract of laud in Pike County, which he 
operated successfull}'. and a few years later pur- 
chased a farm in Brown County, which he has since 
occupied. His wife, the motiier of our subject, in 
her girlhood was Miss Matilda Coulter. Siie was 
a native of the same county as her husband, and 
after becoming the mother of six children passed 
to the other life at lier liome in Brown County, in 
the summer of 1855. 

Our subject was the only son of his father's fam- 
ily, and was five years old when they located in 
Brown County. His first studies were carried on 
in a log school-house with puncheon floor, slabs 
for benches and writing-desks, and in all respects 
finished and furnished after the fashion of those 
days. The system of teaching was widely differ- 
ent from that of the present time, but the boys of 
those days grew up industrious and self-reliant, and 
have since, in many cases, made their mark in the 
world. Young Osborne lived witii his parents un- 
til twenty-three years of age, tlien married and lo- 
cated with his bride on a tract of land in Logan 
County, this State, which he rented for three years. 
At the end of this time he had accumulated a small 
amount of money, and in 1874 became possessor of 
his present homestead. Upon tins lie has brought 
about great improvements. It includes 157 acres, 
all improved and in a fine condition for the rais- 
ing of grain and stock, to wliich he is now devot- 
ing most of his time and attention. In 1879 he 
became interested in tlie bee industry' and pro- 
vided himself with ail the appliances necessary for 
tlie successful carrying on of an apiary. He iiad 
at one time eigiity-nine stands, and luis become 
r quite an expert in tlie management of the industri- 



r 



ous little workers, wliose exam|)le may well be the 
subject of attention by humanity. In addition to 
his farming operations Mr. Osborne is engaged in 
breeding tlioroughl)red l^oland-China liogs, which 
have been carefully selected from the Ijest families 
of that noted l)reed. He also owns a very fine 
thorouglibred llolstein hull registered "The Ra- 
jah," No. ■22G'.(, and has several otlier higii-grade 
thoroughbred animals. He is also breeding Per- 
cheron horses, and has at the head of his stables for 
breeding purposes a very fine horse. 

The lad}' wlio, in 1870, consented to become a 
sharer in the fortunes of oiu' subject was Miss 
Margaret A. Rutledge, a native of Decatur, Macon 
Co., 111., and the daugiiter of Charles and Eliza- 
beth (Reed) Rutledge, the former of Irish ances- 
try. The four cluldren wlio have added to the 
pleasures and responsibilities of tlie liousehold 
are Lilly M., .loiiii ^V^, Cyrus K. and Elizabeth E. 
Our subject is Republican in politics, anil with his 
wife a consistent and valued member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Cliurch. He is in all respects a 
worthy representative of the pioneer element, his 
father having been among the first who located in 
Brown County, endured the hardships and priva- 
tions of life in a new settlement, and received due 
honor as one of the brave spirits who did not 
shrink at the thougiit of toil and fatigue, but was 
willing to give the streugtii of Ids manhood for the 
sake of those who should come after him. A view 
of tlie fine tlioroughljred stock and home place of 
Mr. Osborne is shown elsewliere in this work. 



K. THOMPSON. Some of the most enter- 
prising men of the county reside in Pliilo 
Townsliip. The gentleman whose name 
heads this brief biography is prominent 
among this number. He is the proprietor of a well- 
conducted farm of 125 acres on section 3, Philo 
Township, where he located in 1881. His land is 
finely imjiroved and stocked with the best grades 
of domestic animals, including thoroughbred Short- 
lioni cattle and fine luirses. His present possessions 
are the result of his own industr}'. Since a boy of 
»► 



a 



i 




Residence ofEli Barrett. 5ec. 22 .Brown Township. 




■■■V" i"— -^-^-i*^- ■ ' 



Residence &. BusinessHouseofW. J. Lateer , Fisher. III. 




Fa RM Resi DENce or George Edwards, 5 ec . 18 ,Fhi i lu Tiv.'.tiSM i p. 






.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



749 



i- 



twelve years he has been familiar with the care of 
horses, to the hal)its of whicii animal lie has given 
much attention, anrt has obtained quite a repnla- 
tion as a breeder of the noblest and most useful of 
all animals. 

Mr. Thompson was born in Cumberland County, 
Pa., .June 2'J, liSl;3. His father, John Thompson, 
a native of Adams County, Pa., was reared on a 
farm which occupied a part of the ground where 
was fougiit the battle of Gettysburg. The Thomp- 
sons were of .Scottish origin, the grandfather of i)ur 
subject coming to this country before his marriage 
and settling in Adams County, Pa., where he 
reared a family, and spent the remainder of his 
days. John Thompson was reared on the farm in 
Pennsylvania, and upon reaching manhood was 
married to Miss Elizabeth King, who was a lady of 
Irish parentage. Tiieir wedding took place in 
Cumt)erland Count\', where they located upon a 
farm and whence they removed to Ohio in 1820. 
The father, however, having received a good edu- 
cation spent the earlier part of his life as a teacher 
in the public schools. After his marriage he set- 
tled with his bride near Urbana, Champaign Co., 
Ohio. This remained the home of the parents of 
J. K. until their death, that of the mother occur- 
ring when she was seventy-two years old, and the 
father's in 1880, at the venerable age of eighty-nine 
years. Of their four sons and four daughters one 
died before the parents. .Six are now living. 

Mr. Thompson was the eldest son and third child 
of the family. He remained a member of the par- 
ental household until thirty-one years of age. He 
was united in marriage, in Champaign County, 
Ohio, in the year 1844, to Miss Margaret A. Van 
Meter, whose parents, Col. Henry and Margaret 
(Kenick) Van Meter, were natives of Virginia, 
and of German descent. The fatlier of Mrs. 
Thompson was a man of great energy and indus- 
try, and served as a commissioned officer in the 
War of 1812. After retiring from the army he 
engaged as a fanner and stock-dealer, and accumu- 
lated considerable projjorty. He was Sheriff of his 
count}' for several terms, and was universal!}' re- 
spected as a citizen and business man. IJotii par- 
ents dieil in Champaign Connty, Ohio. 

After his marriage Mr. Thompson located on a 

4» 



farm near Urbana, Champaign Co., Ohio, whence 
he removed in 1876 to Philo Township, this coun- 
ty. Here he has been successfully engaged in ag- 
riculture, and has displayed e.Kcellent judgment in 
the management of his farm and business matters 
generally. He was formerly a Whig, piilitic.ally, 
but since the organization of the Republican i)arty 
has been a firm supporter of its principles. Itoth 
our subject and his wife are connected with the 
Presbyterian Church. A lithographic view of Mr. 
'I'hompson's residence is shown on another Jiage. 



'ff/OlIN M. COLI.ISOX, a retired mercliant and 
farmer of Ranloul, is a native of the Prairie 
State, and was l)orn near Pilot Grove, Ver- 
/ milion County, on tlie 24tli of May. 1844. 
His parents, Absalom and Mary \'. (Clienovvjlh) 
Collison, were natives of Ohio. The former died 
when onr subject was but eight years of age. His 
early education commenced in the district schools, 
and he was afterward sent to a High School near 
the State line of Indiana. He pursued his studies 
here for several months, then returned home to his 
mother, and the following year embarked in farm- 
ing. In 1867 he took up his residence in Rantoul, 
where he embarked in general merchandising. 

Mr. Collison continued in mercantile business 
until 1887, then purchased his present farm, which 
consists of si.Kty-eight acres just outside of the 
corporate limits of Rantoul. During his successful 
experience as a merchant he invested largely in 
farm land, having 200 acres in Rantt)ul and 160 
acres in Compromise Townsliip, 320 in N'ermilion 
County, and eighty acres in Ludlow Township, this 
county, all fertile land and under a good state of 
cultivation. His home is presided over by a lady 
who in her girlhood was Miss Lucj' Waldon, of 
Saybrook, McLean Co., III., to whom he was mar- 
ried Sept. 1, 1886. By a former marriage with Miss 
Sarah A. West, of this county, there were born two 
children — Edna, who died when four years of age. 
and Mabel. The mother departed this life at her 
home Feb. 21, 1884. 

Mr. Collison has been [jroniinent in the local af- 
fairs of his townshij), serving :is Trustee and .School 






;= 



750 



-•► 



U 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ii 



I 



Director, and is uniformly called upon to aid his 
fellow-townsmen m their deliberations upon mat- 
ters of general interest. Socially lie is a member 
of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Rantoul 
Lodge No. 4711. lie is also a K. of F. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. C. are worliiy members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, of which he is Trustee, and to 
the support of which he has contributed generously 
and otherwise advanced its interests whenever the 
opportunity was presented. 

The fatlier of our subject upon locating in \er- 
niiliou County entered a tract of Government land 
embracing 800 acres. lie labored with the true 
pioneer spirit, tilling the soil, building fences and 
putting up the structures necessarj' for the use of the 
family and the shelter of grain and stock. After 
a goodly record he departed this life in 1855, dying 
upon the homestead where he had labored with so 
much patience and courage, and done so much to- 
ward the development and progress of that section. 

.* — -^t>^^«^itf * 

sw; S. WOLFE, attorney at law in Champaign, 
I is a native of this State and was born in 
I Morgan County, .Sept. 21 , 1833. His pa r- 
^^ ents were George and JLary (Simms) Wolfe, 
natives respectively of Greenbrier County,, Va., 
and Spartanburg, S. C. George Wolfe, in 1812, 
removed with his parents to Ross Count}', Ohio, 
the family locating near Chillicothe, where the 
father, Henry, engaged in farming until his death, 
in 1825. He was a man of deep piety and marked 
ability. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary 
War, and late in life united with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, of which he remained a consist- 
ent member for many years. The children of the 
household were Elizabeth, Jacob, Henr}', Catherine, 
Daniel, John, Mary, George and Joseph, all now 
deceased. 

George Wolfe, the father of our subject, was 
reared to fanning pursuits, which he followed in 
Ohio until 182(j, in which year the entire family 
came to this State and were among the early pio- 
neers of Morgan County. The fatiier located upon 
.M tract of ( ln\ cnuucnl l.-iiid wlicrc he remained 
' until 1831), when he sold out and moved into 

-4* 



Macoupin County, where he still pursued his for- 
mer occupation until his death, which occurred iii 
1874. The mother also died that same year. Of 
their seven sons, two died in infancy. The others 
areas follows: James is a resident of .Macoupin 
Count)-, 111. ; J. S., of our sketch, was the second : 
Thomas lives in Barton Count}', Mo.; George is a 
resident of Gerard, this State; Peyton lives in Bar- 
ton County, Mo. (Jeorge Wolfe politically was a 
stanch Re|)nblicau, a strong Prohibitionist, and 
especially interested in the establishment and main- 
tenance of schools. 

The subject of this liiography remained on the 
farm until tweuty-two years old, and pursued his 
early studies in the pioneer log school-house, which, 
however, was different from some others of that 
early period, having a long window on each side. 
They, however, used slabs for writing-desks and 
the system of tea(;hing as well as the structure itself 
in which it was carried on, were widely different 
from those of the present day. Mr. Wolfe early 
in life began to lay his plans for the future. After 
leaving home he purchased live yoke of o.xen and 
commenced breaking the prairie, and was occupied 
at this laborious work for two years, in the mean- 
time keeping in view the intention which. he had 
formed of commencing the study of law as soon as 
possible or practicable. In 1857, he went to Carlin- 
villc, entered a law ollice, and became a thorough 
student of Blackstone, and was admitted to the bar 
two years later. 

Mr. W. commenced the practice of his profession 
at Carliuvillc, but the following year removed to 
Champaign, of which city he was then a resident 
for four years. In 18G4 he took up his abode in 
Chicago, where he remained until 18G7, and then, 
on account of the death of his father-in-law, Will- 
iam Young, returned to Champaign, where he has 
since lived. He has been Attorney for the Illinois 
Central Railroad Company, a number of years, and 
socially belongs to Western Star Lodge No. 240, 
A. F. & A. M., and Urbana Coinmandery No. 16, 
K. T. 

Mr. J. S. Wolfe was married. May 15, 18U2, to 

Miss Celestia A. Young, of Lorain County, Ohio. 

Tiieir residence, to which a host of warm friends 

I and acquaintances often resort, is pleasantly located 



t 



-*- 



~u 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



751 



on Church street, and the office of Mr. Wolfe is 
located in the Rurnhani Block. Our subject is 
independent in politics. Mr and Mrs. W. arc mem- 
bers ill good standinj;- <if tho Methodist Episcopal 
Church, of which the former is Class-Leader and a 
member of the Oflicial Board. He is a careful, 
painstaking lawyer, a man of the strictest integrity, 
and enjoys the ct)nfidence of his fellow-citizens. 



^ ACOB S. COON.S is a prosperous farmer and 
stock-grower, residing in St. Joseph Town- 
ship. He is the son of ^\'iliianl and Chris- 
tina (Smith) Coons, and was born Oct. o, 
l.S-36, in Tompkins County, N. Y., hear Ital^'. The 
Coons branch of the family are of German ancestry, 
and were early settlers of America in the old Colo- 
nial times, wherein they took an active part in the 
various Indian disturbances, with which New York 
was for n long period troubled. His paternal 
grandparents, Jacob and Ellen (Hawthorne) Coons, 
were natives of that State, where his fathei-, Will- 
iam Coons, was born in 1^07. in Schoharie County. 
William Coons' boyhood and youth were passed 
in his native State, and he was there taught the 
cooper's trade. His marriage to Miss Christina 
Smith, daughter of Jacob and Mar}- (Voung) 
Smith, likewise occurred there. The Smith family 
were natives of Virginia, but were subsequently 
among the early settlers of Pennsylvania. After 
his marriage William Coons removed to Marion 
County, Ohio, and subsequently to Wj-andot Coun- 
ty. He passed the remainder of his life in that 
State, his death occurring in 1S52; he left his 
widow with a family of six children, five sons and 
one daughter. 

Jacob S. Coons passed his early life in Ohio, 
where he received the advantages of the common 
schools, and subse(|uently attended an excellent 
select school. He remained with his mother until 
twenty-one years of age, and then went to visit tlic 
old homestead in New York, and the relatives from 
whom his family had been so long separated. He 
spent four years there, engaged in various business 
enterprises, and then returned to Ohio. In the 
autumn of 1858 became to Champaign County, and 

-Mm : 



was engaged for a time in farming by the month. 
He next I'ented a farm and soon acquired sufficient 
c.ipital to purchase eighty acres of land. He has 
cultivated and imprcjved this, and from time to 
time increased its limits until he now owns a fine 
estate containing 170 acres. He has brought his 
farm to a high state of cultivation. It is well 
fenced and tiled, and supplied with a [ileasant resi- 
dence and excellent farm buildings. In conduct- 
ing his farm, Mr. Coons has been especially success- 
ful in raising cattle and hogs. 

Mr. Coons has been twice married. His first wife 
was Miss Susan Cox; she became the mother of two 
children — Ada, the wife of George Neldon, and 
Arthur M. On the 7th of October, 1880, Mr. 
Coons was married to his present wife, Mrs. Cowell, 
of Vermilion County, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Coons are 
botii highly esteemed members of the Methodist 
Church, of which the former is one of the Trustees. 
Mr. Coons is a stanch Republican, and holds the 
belief that in all the affairs of life, political and 
soei.al, law and order should be the regulatois of the 
commonwealth. 

(«^F*HE01)0I{E F. CRANE, during the years of 
his early maniiood and middle age. was em- 
ployed mostly in agricultural pursuits, but 
is now retired from active labor and si)ending his 
da3's in the comfort and quiet which he has so justly 
earned. He is one of the most valued residents of 
Rantoul, and a man for whom its people have the 
warmest and most sincere regard. 

Mr. Crane was born in Peoria County, ne.-ir 
Farmington, 111.. Dec. 'J, 18;3G. He is the son of 
John M. and Louisa (Randoliih) Crane, natives of 
New .Jersey. The grandfather of our subject, 
Harry Crane, was of Scotch ancestry, and located in 
New Jersey in the Colonial days. There he married, 
and reared a fine family of sons and daughters who, 
with one exception, scattered through different 
parts of the East, John M. having moved to Ohio. 
He lived in and around the city of Cincinnati 
several years, where he secured quite a large 
amount of real estate but lost heavily on account of 
its subsequent depreciation. He left that locality 



■•► 




■^ 



f 



.t 



752 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






in 1830, :ui(l coming to Peoria, secured possession 
of a farm where lie cultivated the soil, and in con- 
nection with it operated a sawmill for a numher of 
years. Afterward he sold the farm and purchased 
another, hut suhsc(iuentl3' al>andoiiod agriculture 
and removing t(j the town of Keuney, retireil from 
active business and made his home with his chil- 
dren. His death took place in this county in 1881. 
Mrs. Louisa Crane survived her husband for a 
period of nearly six years, aud died in Fulton 
County iu .January, 18X7. The parental household 
included three daughters and nine sons, with three 
pairs of twins, five of them boys. .Seven of the 
children have passed to their long home. 

The subject of this historj', who was the young- 
est son of the family, grow to manhood in Peoria 
County, receiving a common-school education, and 
remained with his parents until he was nineteen 
years of age. He then started out on his own ac- 
count, engaging as a farmer, stock-trader and 
dealer in real estate. Early in life; he had evinced 
unusual business talents, whicli developed as years 
passed by and he sooii found himself on the road to 
a competency. Wiien tw^enty years of age he was 
united in marriage witii Miss Mary E. Marehant, 
of Fulton County. This lady is the daughter of 
Jonah and Sarah J. Marehant. After their marriage 
the young i)eoi)le went to housekee|)ing in Peoria 
County", where our subject continued nearly a 3'ear 
and then, removing to Abingdon, Knox County, 
engaged in hotel-keei)ing. Thence he removed to 
Fulton Count3' two years later and engaged in 
farming, but afterward returned to Peoria County, 
where he remained three years. His next removals 
were to Stark and Marshall Counties. In the for- 
mer he engaged for nine years in farming. 

Mr. Crane became a resident of this county in 
187G, locating one and one-half miles southeast of 
Rantoul on section I, where he had purchased 320 
acres of the finest land in that locality. For ten 
3'ears thereafter he followed farming and stock- 
raising, and the various pursuits incident to rural 
life, realizing eacii year a handsome income, and 
retired in the spring of 18)S(;, upon a competenc3'. 
Besides his farm property' in Rantoul Township, he 
has 1(10 acres in the northern part of the count}'. 
His farm is now operated b^' a tenant. The in- 



dustrious haiiits of Mr. Crane will by no means per- 
mit him to be idle, and he is now dealing somewhat 
in real estate. 

Of the seven children, foursons and three daugh- 
ters, born to our subject aud his wife, two died 
in infancy. Those surviving are, Anna L., Eva A., 
Estella M., Cassius M. and Austin T. It is hardly 
necessary to state that considering the more than 
ordinary business capacities of Mr. Crane he has 
lieen often called into the C(juncils of his fellow- 
townsmen when deliberating upon (piestions relat- 
ing to the various enterprises inaugurated for the 
welfare of the people. He has taken great satisfac- 
tion in the establishment and maintenance of 
schools, serving as Trustee and encouraging by 
every means in his power, the moral and intellectual 
advancement of his community. Mr. and Mrs. 
Crane became connected with the Christian Church 
in 1870, of which they have since remained consist- 
ent members, and our subject is a Trustee. He votes 
with the Republican part}', and is an ardent Pro- 
hibitionist. 



^.fBRAHAM D. CROSS, Postmaster at Ran- 
i@/l||| toul, is the stanch representative of an 
excellent Pennsylvania familj', of English 
if^y descent, and was himself born near Dan- 

ville, in Lj'coming Couiit\-, in November, 1830. 
His parents were Joseph and Mary A. (Davis) 
Cross; the former was born in England, and the 
latter in Wales. They emigiated to this country 
in their youth and after their marriage settled on a 
farm in Lycoming County, I'a. The quiet of their 
rural life was intei-rui)ted, however, by the w.ars 
with Texas and Mexico, in which Joseph Cross 
served as a Federal soldier, and as he never returned 
from the battle-Held was supposed to have been 
killed. His widow was left with four children, two 
sons and two daughters, of whom our sul)ject was 
the eldest. She afterward m.trried again and the 
children were subsequently scattered. 

Ij)on leaving his mother's home onr subject 
drifted to the city of Phil.'idelphia, where he learned 
the carpenter's trade and from which place, in 
1806, became to the West. Soon after reaching 
the borders of Illinois, he concluded to take up his y 




■<*■ 



■•► 



i 



t,. 

7T 



<^ 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



= f 



abode in Rautoiil and coiniiunceil (ii)erating as a 
builder and contractor. He was afterward made 
condiict()r of a train, and snbsequcntl}-, in connec- 
tion with Ilarvej- E. Bullock, distinguished himself 
as one of the publishers of the Hautoul Neirs, with 
which he remained connected from 1874 to 1877. 
He again returned to the road and was conductor 
on the Nickel Plate Hoad, running from Ft. 
Wayne, Ind., to Belleview, and on the Cleveland 
and Marietta from Cleveland to Valley .lunction. 
He was api)ointed Postmaster in June, 1 880, the 
duties of which oflice he has since performed with 
credit to himself and satisfaction to those who 
recommended him. He gives his whole time and 
attention to the duties of the office and has effected 
some admirable charges in the management. He 
has been a lifelong Democrat, always in good 
standing with his party, and is an attendant of the 
Episcopal Church, to which the various members of 
his family belong. 

Over thirty-five years ago, in November, I80I, 
Mr. Cross was mari-ied to Miss JNIartha Jacoby, the 
ceremony being performed in the Episcoiwl Church 
in the town of Andalusia, Pa. The wife of our 
sul)ject is the daughter of John and Elizabeth 
Jacoby, of Bloomsburg, Pa., and of this congenial 
union there have been born eight children. Of these 
but four are now living: George S.; Lillian E., now 
the wife of O. J. Downey, editor of the Potomac 
(Vermilion County) yen's; Frank Haj-mond, Assist- 
ant Postmaster, and Ruth D. 



-»- i * 



-5^^- 




I 



i^ILLlAM F. HOWARD, of Hensley Town- 
ship, occupies a snug farm on section 24, 
where he settled in l.S(i;). The homestead 
was originally established by his father, from whom 
it was purchased by our subject, who has carried 
out in a ])raiseworthy manner the improvement 
wliicii lie instituted. When our subject first took 
possession of the place there was upon it a com- 
fortable set of frame buildings. In 188.") the house 
was destroyed bj' fire, together with most of its 
contents. Mr. II. witli commendable enterfirise im- 
mediately set about reliuiiding, ,'uid now h.as one of 
the (lU'asantest homes in this [lait of the county'. 
-^^ 



i'lie sidjject of our sketch was born in I'nion 
Townshi[), Urown Co., Ohio, Jan. 2.5, 18,!,s. His pa- 
ternal grandfather was a native of Virginia, whence 
he removed to Ohio, settling in Brown County when 
that section of the country was a wilderness. He 
put up the first mill in the county, which was fur- 
nished with three run of buhrs, one for corn, and 
two for wheat, and was operated b}' horse jiower. 
This mill was a great convenience to the settlers, 
and patrons came from thirty miles away. Mr. 
Howard became the proprietor of an extensive 
tract of land and cleared a farm upon which he 
resided until his death. Among the members of 
the family reared there was Campbell, the father 
of our subject, who was born May 7, 1811. He 
spent his entire life on the homestead and his death 
occurred there in 1886. When a young man he 
purchased a tract of timber land adjoining the old 
homestead, and at the time of his death was the 
possessor of 200 acres, besides other land in that 
vicinity. Campbell Howard was married to Miss 
Angeline Fors_yth, and they became the parents of 
seven children, all of whom save one giew to ma- 
ture years. 

The subject of this liistory was reared on the 
farm and when old enough began to assist in its 
labors, and during the winter seasons attended the 
district school. He remained under the home roof 
until his marriage, and then assumed the manage- 
ment of a portion of the farm. From this he re- 
moved in 1863 to the farm of his uncle, which he 
operated until I8G0. A portion of the year 18(54 
Mr. H. spent in the armj', serving in the 172d Ohio 
lufantr}'. In 18(15 became to this eonnty and set- 
tled on his present homestead. His wife was for- 
merly Miss Mary Baker, a native of Mason County, 
Ky. Their marriage took place Sept. 22, l8o!l. 
Mrs. II. is the daughter of lliraui W. and Margaret 
(Van Biiskirk) Baker, the former a native of Mason 
County, Ky.. where he followed f;uining and spent 
the greater part of his life. His death occurred in 
184!). Mrs. Margaret \'. Baker was born in ^'ir- 
ginia, spent the last years of her life with her chil- 
dren, and died ii] Ilensley ToWTiship, this comity, 
July C, 188;!. 

.Mr. and Mrs. Ilowaid have seven children: 
EleMni)ra, Mrs. I'itniaii. whu lives in Urbaiia; Ida 



H 



I 



?54 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



"^' 



M., Minnie B., Laura, John A., Charles T. and 
Lawrence. Our subject and his wife are promi- 
nently connected with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. That they enjoy the highest regard of 
their luunerous friends is not at all strange. Thej' 
are liigh-minded, honorable people, honest and up- 
right, and generou.s whenever and wherever their 
charity is invoked. Politically Mr. II. supports the 
principles of the Republican part}'. 



--v^/- .-\eaj2j2'E^^-^ 



v^^^i/Zl'inyt^'\/\y^ 



^h^ 



?RANK WILCOX, real-estate and mortgage 
broker, also Abstracter of Titles of Cham- 
/1\ paign, has been a resident of this section 

since lS6o, and is closely identified with the busi- 
ness interests of the city in which he resides. He is 
a native of New Jerse}', and was born between the 
towns of Elizabeth and Newark, March 13, 1834. 
He is the son of Levi, Jr., and Ilulda (Crane) 
Wilcox, also natives of New Jersey, who followed 
farming for some years in their native State, and 
then removed to Oliio. There the father of our 
subject located in Warren County, and engaged as 
a contractor on the old Erie Canal until 1842. 
That 3'ear he removed to Indiana, becoming a resi- 
dent of Fountain County, where he farmed and 
kept a hotel for a few 3'ears, finall}' removing to 
Warren County, the same State, where he continued 
farming and died in 1853. The mother had de- 
parted this life ten 3'ears before, 'i'heir nine chil- 
dren were David B., Anner, Elias C, Orpha, Albert, 
Frank, .Mulford. John and Mary. Of these four 
are living, namel}', Elias, Anner, John and Frank. 
The great-great-grandfather of our subject, who 
was Peter Wilcox, a native of England, emigrated 
to America in January', 1736 or 1737, settling on 
Blue Brook, in New Jersey', which was known as 
the Peter Hill Farm, and which consists of 424 
acres. This tract of land lay between Blue and 
Oreen Brooks, and Peter Wilcox occupied it the 
remainder of his life. He married and raised a 
famil_v of five children, of whom William, the 
second son, was the great-grandfather of our 
subject. William became the father of eleven 
children, his second son being Levi, the grand- 
father of our subject. Levi, Sr.. became the father 



of four children, of whom Levi, Jr., was the father 
of our subject. 

The parents of Frank Wilcox had a family of 
nine children, of whom Frank was the sixth in order 
of birth. The family patroniraic in earh' days was 
spelled Willcockse and was changed to AVillcox by 
the grandfather, Levi, Sr. ; one "1'" was dropped lij' 
the father of our subject. Peter Willcockse was an 
officer in the English armj', a man of great force of 
character. He finally resigned his position, and 
was subsequently engaged in a duel on the ocean 
with a Frenchman. 

Mr. Wilcox of our sketch was reared on the 
Wabash River, in Indiana, and attended school 
during the winter season until fourteen years of 
age. In the summer he assisted his father In the 
labors of the farm. At the age named he engaged 
as clerk in a drj- -goods store at Covington, where 
he remained four J'ears, and then started across the 
plains to California, seeking for an improvement in 
health. After five ^ears spent on the Pacific Slope, 
he returned by water, and in the fall of 185G 
engaged in business at Covington. This he sold 
out in 18.59. spent the following winter in Nebraska 
City, and in the spring of 18G0 started to Pike's 
Peak. There he engaged in mining and located a 
cattle ranch half way between Breckenridge and 
what is now Leadville. The following 3'ear he 
returned to Covington, Ind., and in 1862, the late 
war being in progress, entered the army as Captain 
of Co. v., G3d Ind. \'ol. Inf., and was i)laced on 
duty at Indianapolis as Provost Marshal of the dis- 
trict composed of Indiana and Michigan. 

In the fall of 1863 Capt. Wilcox and his com- 
pan3' were sent to the field and engaged in active 
service during the Atlanta campaign. After the 
battle of Kesaca our subject was commissioned 
Major of the 63d Indiana Infantr}', and the follow- 
ing year was promoted Colonel of the l.')4th Indi- 
ana Infantry, which rank he held until the close of 
the war. He was in the battles of Columbia, S. C., 
Franklin and Nashville. Tenn., and foiiglit the rebel 
(jen. Johnson, from Kennesaw Mountain to At- 
lanta. He received his honorable discharge in 1865, 
and coining to the city of Champaign, became the 
partner of A. B. Eads, and with him opened a real- 
estate office. They made one set of abstracts and 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



755 



L. 

r 



piircliascd another, continuing together until l.sT'.l, 
wlien Mr. Wilcox purchasorl the interest of his 
partner, and since that time has conducted the liusi- 
ness alone. 

Our subject was married at Leavenworth, Kaii., 
in 1S(;0, to Miss Margaret F. Fields. Mrs. W. was 
the daughter of John and Majah (.larvis) Fields, 
and of her union with our snl)ject became the 
mother of four children, of whom only one is now 
living, a daughter. Fannie M.' Their residence is 
located on the corner of Mill and State streets, 
where they extend a generous hospitalit\' to a large 
number of friends and acquaintances. 

Col. Wilcox has taken a deep interest in the suc- 
ee.ss of the temperance miivement, and is an Elder 
in the Presbyterian Church, with which Mrs. W. is 
also connected. He has been Superintendent aud 
teacher of the Sabbath-school, and in all respects 
has identified himself fully with the moral and edu- 
cational interests of this section. He was President 
of the Champaign County Sabbath-School Associa- 
tion for four years, which under his management 
became the Banner county, which position it still 
maintains. He is now serving the fourth year as 
President of the Sabbath-School Association of the 
Thirteenth District of the State. Soci.ally he be- 
longs to the G. A. R. 










^ILLIAM M. WEST, the leading dry -goods 
'^\^/i^lll merchant of Rantoul, is a native of the 
Buckeye State, and was born near the city 
of Cleveland, Sept. 8, 184.5. His father, Munns 
West, a native of Ireland, emigrated to America 
when a 3'oung man twenty-oue years old. He had 
some knowledge of mercantile |)ursuits, having 
served three years as a clerk in his native country, 
but after becoming an American citizen changed 
his occupation somewhat, becoming a dealer in 
real estate and engaged in Jigriculture. of which he 
made a success. 

The mother of our subject, formerly Miss Mary 
A. Higgins, was a native of Euclid, a suburban 
town of Cuyahoga Couuty, about ten miles from 
Cleveland. After marriage the .young people 
located on a tract of land near the city limits. 



whore they continued to reside a number of years. 
In ISo-t, the elder West, deciding to join the tide of 
emigration setting towartl the Prairie State went 
first toRockfonl, 111., aud thence to this county. Un- 
der the impression that farm life would suit him 
best he purchased 320 .acres in Harwood Townshij), 
of wliirli he remained in possession until after the 
outbreak of the late war, and in 1 Si;.) abandoned 
farming and took up his residence in Rantoul. Not 
long afterward he purchased a stock of goods, and 
from that time until 1866 engaged in general mer- 
chandising. In the fall of the \'ear last mimed he 
formed a partnership with M. E. Waiidell, Init a year 
later they dissolved, and Mr. West, purchasing tlu" 
interest of iiis partner, carried on the business alone 
until selling out toC. W. (iiilick. Later he engaged 
in brokerage, and in 1872 retired altogether from 
business. He deijarted this life at his home in 
Rantoul. on the 10th of May, 1881, in the si.Kty- 
second year of his age. Tlie mother had died in 
18(!5, while they were living on the farm. Of their 
eight children, but finir are living, and our subject 
is the eldest of the family. 

William West w.as a bt)y of eleven when his par- 
ents became residents of tliis county. He assisted 
his father on the farm, and after tinishing his pri- 
mary studies entered Eastman Commercial College, 
where he took a thorough course, and became a 
book-keeper. After his father established the store 
in Rantoul, William became his trusted clerk, and 
in January, 1 87.'5, purchased the business. Two 
years later he took V. C. Lennox in as a partner, 
and they continued together four years, at the ex- 
l)iration of which time the stock was divided, Mr. 
West taking the dry-goods and Mr. Lennox the 
groceries, since which time each has conducted 
business alone. 

In addition to his stock and store in Rantoul, 
besides a handsome residence, Mr. West has a good 
farm near the town limits, where he makes a spec- 
ialty of i)reeding Percheron horses. He embarked 
in this enter|)ri.se in 1882, and has now sixty as fine 
animals of this description as will l)e found in this 
section. In 1881-82 he invested considei-ably in 
Kansas and Nebraska lands, and altogether luis a 
prospect of living comfortably in his old age. 

Tiie lady who has presided over the home of <jur 



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t 



756 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



subject for a period of nearly twenty years was 
formerly Miss L. E. Dodge, a native of Union 
County, Ohio, and who Lecame his wife in the 
spring of 1869. She is the daughter of J. K. 
Dodge, formerly of this county, but now a resident 
of Kansas. The five children born of this tiuion are 
Muniis, Charles E., William O., Ray D. and Jessie 
May. The family residence is pleasantly located, 
and is evidentl}' the home of refinement and culti- 
vation. Mr. West has taken an active interest in 
the welfare of his fellow-citizens, serving as School 
Ti iistoe and as a member of the Town Board for 
several terms. He was elected Justice of the Peace 
in 1883, and served acceptably for two terms. Mr. 
and Mrs. W. are identified with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and are among its most devoted 
and consistent members. Socially Mr. West is a 
valued member of the K. of P. 



- -»/^-A. -vLZjJiMg-Sg^l 



*'©g>S/OT?f»>* A/Vv/^ 



JAMES II. TENNANT. Tlie State of Illi- 
nois has developed many of the most exten- 
sive agriculturists the Nation can boast of, 
and the subject of the following sketch may 
well be classed among the number. In Condit 
Township he owns the whole of section 13, and car- 
ries on one of the best conducted stock farms in 
this section of the country. His land is finely lo- 
cated, and in all respects admirably' adapted for 
the purpose to which it is mainly devoted. Nature 
has done much for section 13, and Mr. Tennant 
has greatly aided also in producing one of the 
most attractive spots in Champaign County. He 
possesses the energy and enterprise necessary to 
success in this department of agriculture, ship- 
ping annually large numbers of the finest animals 
to be found in the Mississippi Valley. 

Our subject is a native of New York State, and 
was born in Mayville, Chautauqua Countj", Aug. 
25, 1833. He is descended from an excellent fam- 
ilj', who were widely and favorably known through- 
out New England. His grandfather, Daniel Ten- 
nant, a native of Connecticut, served as a soldier 
in the Revolutionary War. After the independ- 
ence of the Colonies had been established he took 
up his abode in the Empire State, which at that 



day was only just beginning to give pr<miise of its 
future importance. He located in Oneida County, 
being among the pioneer settlers there, and carried 
on merchandising for several years. Subsequently 
he removed to Chautauqua C'ounty, whore his 
death occurred in about 1H4S. 

The father of our subject, Austin Tennant, was 
a native of Sangerfield, Oneida Co., N. V., where 
he was born April 24, 171)9. He received an un- 
usually good education for those days, and in earlj- 
life became a teacher, which occupation he followed 
for a number of years. In about 1S27 he pur- 
chased a tract of heavily timbered land, near which 
was afterward Mayville, Chautauqua Count3', from 
which he cleared a farm, and lived there until 
about 185.5. In the meantime he added to his first 
estate, and became one of the landed proprietors 
of that locality. Upon his removal from there in 
the year mentioned he located in the cit^' of Ash- 
tabula, Oliio, purchasing city property there, where 
he now resides. After the labors of an active and 
industrious manhood he still retains his health and 
mental faculties to a remarkable degree, and now 
is passing his declining j^ears in the eujoj^ment of a 
competency. The mother of our subject was !Mi.ss 
Laura Morgan, wiiose parents, Russell and Eliza 
Morgan, were among tlie earliest pioneers of Chau- 
tauqua County, N. Y., where Mrs. Tennant was 
born. The parental household included three chil- 
dren: Amos H., who lives in Mayville, N. Y. ; Sa- 
rah J., Mrs. Munn, of Warren County, Pa., and 
our subject, James H. 

Mr. Tennant, of our sketch, who was a bright 
and ambitious bo}', after graduating from the dis- 
trict school, entered Westfield Academy, in his na- 
tive county, to prepare for college. His college 
course was pursued in Buffalo, and after gradua- 
tion in 1852, he engaged as clerk at Erie, Pa. Six 
months later he threw up his clerkship and entered 
the employ of the Sharon Iron Company, whose 
headquarters were at Buffalo. His time not being 
fully occupied he began to speculate on his own ac- 
count, and w.os very successful. After being in 
the employment of this company for six years he 
succeeded to tlie business. Two years later he 
went South and commenced dealing in cotton. He 
became proprietor of five river steamers, making 



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•> ■ <' 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



iot 



I 



his headquarters at Memphis, and at the end of two 
years found himself posessod of n fortune of half a 
million dollars. Soon afterward, on account of 
failing health, he was obliged to aliandon active 
business, and coming North to Chicago devoted 
himself to the care of over 0(1,00(1 acres of land, 
and the restoration of his health. 

While in the midst of other liusiness transaction's 
Mr. Teunant had also bought largely "f wild land 
in the West, among which was tiie section which 
he now owns in Condit Township. Of this he took 
possession in 187.3, and commenced the improve- 
ments which Ivave now made tiiis tract so valuable. 
Since then he has divided his time between this 
place and Chicago, spending, however, the past two 
winters in Texas, where he also has extensive real- 
estate interests. In due time Mr. Tennant expects 
to make his home in the Lone Star State. 

The marriage of .1. H. Tennant and Miss Eliza- 
beth T. Hulburt, a native of Eric, Pa., was cele- 
brated on the 27tii of May, 186?). Of this union 
there were born two children : Clara, the only 
daughter, died when eighteen months old; the son, 
George B., completed his education at the United 
States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., and is 
now a civil engineer, and a resident of Grand Rap- 
ids, Mich. 

'AMES A. WILSON, the youngest son of 
William and Martha (Fulton) Wilson, was 
born in Vermilion Count}', 111., April 211, 
1851). When six j^ears old the family re- 
moved to the place where he now resides, on sec- 
tion 9, in Raymond Township. lie received his 
elementary education in the district schools, and 
subsequently entered the West .Side High School in 
Champaign County, whence he gi'aduated in 1883. 
He resides on the homestead, of which he now owns 
an undivided interest. This also is the home of 
his aged mother, who has now reached the age of 
threescore years and ten. A sketch of the parents 
will be found elsewhere in this volume. 

.Mr. Wilson is a man of fine tastes, and has done 
some very creditable work as an artist in cr.ayon. 
He has been employed .at different times as a school 
teacher. Politically he votes the Democratic ticket, 



and served as Collector of Raymond Township two 
years. lie united with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church in 187(1, with which he has since been iden- 
titicd. He is one of the younger members of the 
community, destined lo rank among its representa- 
tive citizens. 



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,... LBERT DUNLAP, deceased, who was 
iLiW widely known as one of the most highly 
resiiected residents of Champaign, was a 
native of the Prairie State, and was born 
at Leyden, Cook County, Dec. 29, 1847. He was 
the son of M. L. Dunlap, who emigrated from 
New York State to Cook County in 183G. In 
early manhood he was married to Miss Emeline 
Pierce, .also a native of the Empire State, and who 
is still living with her son Henry, having now ar- 
rived at the advanced .age of sixty-nine years. 

Mr. Dunlap was the fourth son in a family of 
nine children, seven boys and two girls. When he 
was nine years of age, the family came to Cham- 
paign County, locating on a farm of 320 acres, 
three and one-half miles south of the city of Cham- 
paign, and now known as Rural Home Fruit Farm. 
It was at that time an unljroken prairie. The early 
years of our subject were spent alternately at the 
district school, and af tt^r the manner of most of the 
sons of pioneers, in .assisting to develop the farm 
and establish a comfortable homestead. The father 
laid off several acres of his land for a nursery, the 
first project of the kind in this section of the State. 
When nineteen years okl Albert entered the 
High School at Tuscola, III., where he inirsued his 
studies two terms, and afterward attended the pri- 
vate school at Kinmundy, where he completed a 
good business education. In this institution .also 
he met his future wife, .Miss Elizabeth J. Cl.aytoi-, 
and they were united in marriage on the 10th of 
August, 18G8. Mrs. Dunlap was born in Ross 
County, Ohio, and came West with her parents, 
John and Esther Clay tor, in 1800. They located 
upon a farm in Marion County, III. Mrs. Dunlap 
was the eldest of eight children, and received her 
education in the district and High Scliools at 
Kinmundy. She afterward became a teacher, 



t 



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758 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



whicli profession she followed a mimbev of years. 
She united witli tiie Aletliodist Episcopal Church in 
1864, and has performed all the duties of a wife 
and mother in the most faitliful and devoted man- 
ner. 

In 186i) Albert Dunlap became a partner with 
his father, and brother Merton,in the nursery busi- 
ness. Upon the death of the former our subject 
continued the business in connection with a brother. 
Ill 1880 Mr. Dunlap removed to Savoy, 111., and 
engaged in merchandising, buying grain, etc. He 
commenced in a modest way, and his prompt busi- 
ness methods soon placed him on the road to pros- 
perity. As his trade increased he enlarged his 
facilities, building a more commodious store, and 
putting up a large grain elevator. He also erected 
a dwelling for his family, whom he removed from 
the farm, and closed out the nursery business. 
Such w.as the conlidence in his business integrity, 
that many farmers preferre<l to haul their grain 
longer distances in order to do business with him. 
Many also entrusted their private business to his 
care, and he managed a large amount of property 
belonging to non-residents. He fulfilled all his 
trusts in a faithful and creditalile manner, and fully 
established himself in the confidence and esteem i>f 
all with whom he had dealings. 

In 1H8'), in order that he might give his children 
the benefit of a good school, Mr. Dunlap removed 
his family to Champaign, although continuing his 
business in Savoy, going out on the morning freight 
and returning in the evening to his home in the 
city. On the 22d of November, 1886, he entered 
the caboose of a delayed freight train that had 
stopped to do some switching. Two friends had 
accompanied him into the caboose. The night was 
dark and rain}', and on the way the station agent 
remarked to Mr. Dunlap that the light in the dis- 
tance was the local freight on wiiit'h lie usually re- 
turned home. No apprehension was felt, as the 
local always st<)i)ped, but this train proved to be a 
wild freight, which passed the local at the first sta- 
tion back. Not aware that there w.as a xlelayed 
train ahead, and having been repeatedh' urged by 
the trainmaster to make Champaign vvithin a given 
time, the ongiueer was unable to check the speed (jf 
his train, which was running ver}' fast. They 



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i 



dashed into the standing cars, completely wrecking 
the caboose, engine and many cars. The engineer 
of the wild train, James Near, was killed, and also 
Mr. Dunlap's two companions. Mr. Dunlap was 
taken fnim beneath the wreck badlj' mangled but 
still alive. Kind hands removed him to the near- 
est house, his former residence, where he expired 
in about one hour. Upon being taken from the 
wreck he asked, " Is this a dream.?" Thus ended 
the life of one of the best citizens of Champaign 
County, through the criminal neglect of the train- 
master at Champaign to notify the wild train that 
a delayed one w.as ahead of them, .and urging the 
greater speed. 

At the time of his death Mr. Dunlap was Town- 
.ship and School Trustee, and serving his second 
term as Supervisor. He was also President of. the 
County Grain-Dealers' Association. He became a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
186/), and was in the broadest sense of the word, a 
Christian gentleman, beloved by all who knew him. 
He possessed in an eminent degree that highest of 
all Christian virtues, charity for his fellow-men. 
At the time of his death, his family consisted of 
his wife, three daughters and one son. At the time 
of this calamity Ella Marion was seventeen j'cars 
of .age; Alice, fifteen ; Nellie, ten, and Joseph C. 
but two 3'ears old. Mr. Dunlai) by his wise fore- 
sight, left his family in comfortable circumstances. 
His name is held in tender remembr.ance as one 
who left a record of :iu upright and honorable life. 



yMLLIAM H. VANASLEN. The agricult- 
" tiral implement trade at Tolono is repre- 
^ „ sented in a praiseworthy manner by the 
subject of this biography, who is a native of Cum- 
berland County, Pa. His birth took pl.ace on the 
4th of April, 184.5, anil his parents were Isaac and 
Sarah (Beltzhoover) ^'anaslen, whose ancestors 
originally came from Holland, and located in Penn- 
sylvania .at an early period in its history. Isaac 
Vanaslen was a farmer by occupation, and hy his 
(irst marriage became the father of nine children, 
five of whom died of scarlet fever in childhood. 
Four grew to mature years. Sarah, who became 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



^ 



759 



t 



the wife of Levi Gleim, died in 1881 ; Mary Jane, 
who married Levi Gntshall, and Kate E., the wife 
of W. H. Gipe, are residents of lioiiing Springs. 
Pa.; our subject is the twin of Kate E. The mutlier 
of these children departed this life in 1856. The 
father subsequent!}- married Mrs. Rachel Smyers. 
There were no cliildren of this marriage. This lady 
died in 1885, and Isaac Vanasien in 1878, when 
seventy -three j'ears of age. 

Our subject was but eleven years old when his 
mother died. He continued to live on his father's 
farm until sixteen, attending the district school 
during the winter and farming in the summer. 
Wlien nineteen years of age he commenced teach- 
ing, and the following j'ear entered Uurnham's 
American Business College at Springfield, Mass. 
After leaving college lie resumed teaching in Cum- 
berland Countjs Pa., until the year 1870, when he 
came to Illinois, took a course of penmanship at 
Champaign, under the instruction of II. S. Souder,' 
and for six years afterward was employed success- 
fully as a teacher of penmanship. After this he was 
varionslj' employed during the summer seasons. 

On the 13th of Jlay, 1873, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Jessie A., daughter of Jesse and 
Anna M. .Simpson, of Tolono. On the evening of 
their marriage they went to Pennsylvania, where 
Mr. Vanasien resumed teaching school in Clearfield 
Count}', remaining there until 1875. That year 
he located in Tolono, where he was employed as a 
teacher for nine years following, during the winter 
se.ason, while in the summer he dealt in agricidlural 
implements. In the meantime he formed a partner- 
ship with S. J. Surrell, and the business was con- 
ducted under the firm style of Surrell & ^'anaslen 
until the fall of 1883, when our subject became 
sole proprietor. 

Mr. and .Mrs. Vanasien became tlie [larents of 
one child only, a daughter, Lilly K.,born Sept. 15, 
1876. The}' occupy a pleasant home on Ilolden 
street, and are surrounded by a large cii'cle of warm 
friemls. Mr. V. has made his own w.ay in the world, 
and is now comfortably situated financiidly. From 
a mt>dest beginning he has built up a good trade, 
and his courteous dealings have secured him the 
rcsiject of his community. He has hold various 
local o/lices, and pi)lilically cndor.ses the i)rinci[)k's 

4» 



of the Republican party. Our subject and his wife 
liave been active members of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Ch:irch for a period of fifteen years or over, 
and liave given s|)ecial attention to Salibath-school 
work. 

ylLLIAM ROCK, deceased, one of the hon- 
ored pioneers of .Sadorus Township, and 
who improved one of the first farms laid 
of on section 24, became one of the prominent 
landmarks of the county, and left to his descend- 
ants a name and a record of which they may well be 
proud. He was born in Alleghany County, Md., Peb. 
17, 1799, and departed this life at his home iu 
Sadorus Township, in 188!. He remained a resi- 
dent of his native State until 1831, and in the 
spring of that year emigrated to Indiana, and 
in March, 1835, came to this county. Soon after- 
ward he took up a claim of forty acres in Sadorus 
Township, and built the house which continued his 
residence the remainder of his life. 

The career of Mr. Rock illustrates in a remark- 
able manner the result of determination, persever- 
ance and industry. Upon coming to this count}' 
he had only money enough to pay for his forty 
acres, at §1.25 per acre. At the time of his death 
he was the owner of nearly 2,400 acres of land, 
which, with the exception of 190 acres purchased 
after his will was made, was divided in an equitable 
and satisfactory manner among his children. 

William Rock spent his boyhood and youth as a 
member of his father's household until his marriage 
in 1824. His first wife, formerly Miss Nancy 
Beavers, was born Aug. 15, 1808, and of this union 
there were eleven children: James is deceased; 
Catherine, Mrs. Bryant, resides near Pi.rkville; 
Elizabetli is deceased; Andrew J. is written of else- 
where in this work; Jane and 'William II. are de- 
ceased ; Mary, Mrs. Newton Coler, lives in Sadoriis 
Township; Rebecca married Pierce 8. Coler, and 
lives in Sadorus Township; George is deceased; 
Ann is the wife of Dr. J. G. Chambers, of Sadorus 
Township; John is deceased. The death of little 
Jane oc(;nrred about two years after the arrival of 
Mr. Rock and bis family in Sadorus Township. 
There was scircely enough suit.al)le material iu the 
■ neighborhood in which to enshroud the child, but a 



i 



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-A 



760 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



small piece of white inuslin was finally secured from 
Mrs. Henry Sadorus. There were not even boards 
to be obtained large enough to make a coffin, and 
tlie fatiier and brother hewed out a receptacle for 
the remains from a log. The mother of these chil- 
dren passed from earth Nov. "28, 1847. A year later 
Mr. Rock was married to Miss Nancy Shreve, by 
wliom he had one child, Martin V., who died .Tan. 
9, 18G4. The second wife, who was born .Ian. 2.3, 
1808, still survives him, and is living in St. Joseph, 
this county. 

When Mr. Rock commenced farming in this 
county, his stock consisted of a light four-horse 
team, three cows, a few calves and about a dozen 
pigs, which he had brought with him. The first 
dwelling was built of round poles, and contained 
a solitary room 10x18 feet. In this the family 
dwelt for about eight years. The next residence 
was built of hewn logs, and was one and one-half 
stories in height. The more pretentious residence, 
which was erected in 1848, was built of brick, 
made and burned on his land. The first school in 
that locality was a private one, conducted in a 
little house, which Mr. Rock built especiall3' for 
that purpose. In this five of his cliildren learned 
their letters at the same time. Mr. Rock himself 
learned his letters in the evenings after he was 
married, from a man who was working for him, 
and felt quite proud of his later accomplishments 
in reading. His first lessons in arithmetic were 
obtained by counting the cha|)ters in the Bible, 
which was the first and only reading book he ever 
had. He was a Univer-salist in religions belief, and 
meetings were sometimes held at his house or in the 
neighborhood. 

In this sketch, necessarilj' brief, there is scarcely 
space to detail the experiences of Mr. Rock, as one 
of the earliest pioneers of this county. His family 
never suffered for food, because tliere was jjlenl^' 
of wild game, and when not able to reach the mills, 
which were twenty to sixt}' miles away, they pieced 
out their meager fare on home-made hominy. The 
epicure of to-day might seriously object to the 
"menu" of those times, but the [)ioneers possessed 
in a remarkable degree the quality of contentment 
and made the best of circumstances. 

Mr. Rock politically w.as a stanch Democrat, and 



seldom permitted any other duties to interfere 
with casting his vote on election days, although 
this at first involved a journey to Urbana. He was 
a remarkably healthy man, although at long ])eriods 
suffered from infiammation of the eyes, which 
finally destroj'ed his eyesight. In the management 
of his business affairs he was prudent and far-seeing, 
and looked upon death as one of the least calamities 
that can befall a man, making his arrangements for 
that event with as much calmness as he would to 
Start upon a journey to see a friend. He had 
erected a monument on the private bur^'ing-ground 
on his farm, and there, according to his request and 
his previous arrangement, his body was laid for its 
final rest. The memwry of ''Uncle I5illy Rock" is 
held in kind remembrance by all who knew him, 
and who will often speak of him to their children 
and grandcliildren as one of the resolute spirits who 
aided so materially in developing the resources of 
this section and opening a path for the marcli of a 
later civilization. 



<Sl I^ILLIAM YOUNG, carpenter and builder, 
\/iJl/ ^^ Rantoul, is a native of the Huckeye 
V7 \^ State, and was born in Bethel Township, 
Jliami County, .Ian. .11, 1833. His grandfather. 
John Young, a native of Ireland, and of Scotch 
ancestry, emigrated to the United States when a 
young man, and locating upon a tract of land in 
Virginia, opened up a farm, upon which ho labored 
and i)assed the remainder of his life. Among tiie 
members of his family was a son, .lohn, who was 
born in the Old Dominion, where he grew to man- 
hood, employed at farming and in tiie distillery 
wliich his fatlier operated in connection with the 
farm. The liquor manufactured there w.as tr.ans- 
[torted to Riciimond an<l l!;iltiniore. John Young 
was inherently opposed to the institution of slav- 
ery, and after the death of his father resolved to 
le.ave a section of country whicli upheld it. He 
accordingly sold his property, and removing to 
Ohio, purch.ased a farm in Miami County, whore he 
made his homo until his death. 

Before leaving his native State John Young had 
married Miss Nancj' Northeut. a Kentucky lady. 



n^ 



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o^tf^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



761 



4 



and the daughter of Willis Northciit, a native of 
Seolland, who settled among the early pioneers of 
Miami Countj'. The mother of our subject is 
still living, making her home in Miami County, 
Ohio, and having arrived at the advanced age of 
eighty-nine ^-ears. Of the eleven children horn to 
them, six lived to mature years. Nannu'l, during 
the late war, enlisted in the 8th Illinois Infantry, 
and died in the service; Willis is at Topeka, Kan.; 
Eleanor married Abram Oliver, who died in Mason 
County, this State; .Sarah A. died in Miami Coun- 
ty, Ohio; William, of our sketrh, was the fifth 
child; John, ahso a l-nion soldier, died in West 
Charleston, Ohio, from disease contracted in the 
army. 

William Young, as the son of a pioneer, became 
well acquainted with the didicullics attending life 
in a new settlement. His early studies were car- 
ried on in the subscription schools, and in common 
with other farmers' boys of that period, he was 
trained to habits of industry, and at an early age 
began to assist in the labors around the homestead. 
When nineteen j'ears old, desiring a change, he 
commenced leai-ning the carpenter's trade, at which 
he .served an apprenticeship of three years. At the 
expiration of that time he resumed farming, at 
which he continued until l.S.'jO. In the spring of 
that year he came to Mason County, this State, 
where ho worked at his trade a year, then rented a 
tract of hind, where he carried on farming until 
after the outbreak of the late war. He then re- 
solved to lay aside his personal interests and a.ssist 
in the preservation of the Union, and acciirdingiy 
enlisted in Co. U, 8.5th 111. Vol. Inf., and served 
until the close of the war. His army ex|)erience 
emliraced seventeen distinct engagements with the 
enemy, including such sanguinary battles as those 
of I'erryville, Ky., .Stone River, Chickamauga, Mis- 
sion Uidge and Kennesavv Mountain. He marched 
with Sherman's army from Chattanooga to the sea, 
and was present at the siege and capture of At- 
lanta, whence the army removed northward, ;uiil 
after the surrender of Lee passed in grand review 
before the President at Washington. After leav- 
ing the Caitital our subject |>roceeded with his regi- 
ment to Si)ringfiel(l, where, in June, IKOT), it was 
mustered out. Mr. Young then retuiiied to Mason 

4' 



County and resumed his trade, which he followed 

until 1S71. In the spring of that year he took up 
his ab(»de at Ilantoul, where he has since lived, and 
been successfully engaged as a carpenter and 
builder. Being a natural mechanic, as well as hav- 
ing had the advantages of thorough training in his 
business, he has become an expert, there being 
many evidences of his skill in Rantoul and vicinity. 
In 1.S77 he erected a handsome dwelling for him- 
self on Penfield street, at the corner of Belle ave- 
nue, which, with its surroundings, constitutes one 
of the pleasant homes in Ilantoul. 

The liuly who has superintended his household 
affairs for a period of thirty years, in the meantime 
becoming the mother of four children, was formerly 
Mi.ss Mar^- C. Layman, to whom he was married 
Sept. 8, 1857, in Mason County, 111. Mrs. Young, 
like her husband, is also a native of Ohio, and was 
born in Union County, March G, 1838. She is the 
daughter of Henry Layman, of whom mention is 
made in the sketch of Lewis Layman, i)nblishcd 
elsewhere in this volume. The children of Mr. and 
Mrs. William Young are George W., Alvin, Will- 
iam N. and Grace W. 

Mr. Y'oung became a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in 18.54, and Mrs. Y'oung joined 
three years later. Our sidjject h.as been greatly 
devoted to the interests of his church and religious 
matters in general, serving as Class-Leader for a 
period of twent.y-five years, and being a faithful 
and ellicient worker in the Sunday-school. He has 
been a stanch sui)porter of the Republican i)arty 
since its organization, and illustrates admirably the 
character of a Christian gentleman, which is evinced 
in his private life and in the midst of his family as 
well as in the publle [ilaces to which he has repeat- 
edly been called. 

ESSE B. THOMPSON is the owner of eighty 
acres of line, well-improved land, located on 
s(!ction 2.5, Sidney Townshii). He was born 
'^l' in Fayette County, Ohio, Jan. 1.5, 18.'!:5, and 
is the son of Presley and Loui.sa (Britton) rhom|i- 
son. His parents were both natives of Ohio, and 
died at.letTersonville, that State. Our subject moved 



I 



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t 



762 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



from Ohio to Illinois in 18G-1, bringing with him 
his wife ;ind four fliildreii. He was married in Ohio 
to Rebecca (Armstrong) Wright, daughter of John 
Armstrong. She was born in Fayette County, 
April 1, 18.33. Her mother was a native of A'ir- 
ginia, and her father of Ohio, in whicii State both 
of her paients died. Their daughter, Rebecca, had 
previously married Mr. .lacob Wright, and w.as left 
a widow, [her husband's death occurring Oct. 3, 
1854. He was one of the unf(jrtunatc victims to 
the terrible scourge of cholera that swept over the 
country during that year. By this marriage she 
had one child, Leander A., now living in Kansas. 
Jesse B. Thompson was the eldest of a family 
of seven children — Jesse, Mary C, Susan, Nancy, 
James II., Elizabeth and Minerva. Mrs. Thomp- 
son's grandfather, Joseph Parrot, was ]of German 
origin; he w.as a Captain in the Revolutionary 
War, and lived to be nearly one hundred years of 
age. Her parents had a family of twelve cliihlren 
— Samuel E., Mahala, (ieorge IL, Marj', Nancy, 
Able, Rebecca, Sarah, John, Jane, Joseph and 
Elizabeth. Mr. Thomjison and his wife have be- 
come the parents of four children: Granville, who 
lives in Kansas; Ainy,JoiMi W., and Ida, deceased. 
]\Ir. Thompson is interested in the public affairs of 
tlie county, and has held the odice of School Di- 
rector. His farm residence and out-buildings are 
tasteful and commodious. 

ILLIAM CHERRY. The 320-acie farm 



^p^ comment 



I 



as been the subject of so much 
by the people in that vicinity 
and b^' travelers through Ogden Townshij), lielongs 
to the subject of this sketch, who is accounted one 
of the most skillful farmers in that section of coun- 
try. He located on his present farm in ISCiO, and 
of late years has been e.Ktcnsively engaged as a 
stock-grower, his animals embracing Southdown 
sheep, Clydesdale horses and high-grade Shorl-horn 
cattle. For the accommodation of these he has 
line pasture lands, and .all conveniences for shelter, 
while the main barn and the dwelling will couipare 
favorably with tiie farm buildings of his neiglibnrs. 
iVIr. Ciierry is in all resjjccts an imporUanl factor 



in his community, not only interesting himself in 
the reputation of its farming interests, but con- 
tributing to its religous, nn)ral and educational ad- 
vantages, serving as School Director and Commis- 
sioner of Highways, and occui)yiiig other important 
positions in the counsels of his fellow-tow'nsmen. 
He and his family are regular attendants of the 
Methodist Ei)isc(>pal Church, of which he is one of 
the pillars, and his wife is a Sunday-school teacher 
of several years' standing. Mr. Cherry, |)(>litic:Uly, 
does not confine himself U> party lines, but aims to 
sup[)ort the man best fitted to have custody of the 
public interests, hence m.ay be jjroperly called an 
Independent. 

In common with man}- of the representative men 
of the wide and prosperous West, made so by their 
industry and persistence, Mr. Cherr}- was origin- 
allj' from Engl.and, his birth taking place in Ox- 
fordshire, June 9, 1828. His [larents, Thom.as and 
Ann (Lock) Cherry, were of pure English stock, 
and the former, born Feb. 14, iNOa, is still living in 
his native country. The wife and mother, who was 
liorn in 18()G, depai'tcd this life Sept. 29, 1878, and 
her remains were l.-iid to rest in Albury Church- 
yard. The ten children of the |)arcntal household 
were William, George; Thomas, who died in this 
State in 1870; Jane. Esther, Barbara; Emma, who 
died Feb. 25, 1877; Ann, Eliza and Mar^-. 

Our subject remained in his native England 
about five years after reaching his majority, but 
not being satisfied with his (irospects there decided 
to come to the United States. Boardiuij a sailinsj-- 
vessel at London he landed in New York after a 
tedious voyage of eight weeks, and soon afterward 
proceeded westward to Toletlo, Ohio. He there 
engaged with the Waliash Railway Compan}-, but a 
month later secured work on a farm at ^1(1 per 
month, .\fter remaining in that vicinity one sum- 
mer he ])ushe(l on into Indiana, remaining there 
until his marriage, on the 21st of Februarj', IiS5o. 
His bride was Miss Sarah Leaver, and the wedding 
took place at Attica. Mrs. Cherry is a native c)f 
BucUiughamshire, England. l)orn Jan. 3, 1833, anil 
is the daughter of .fohn and Anna (Lovesey) 
Leaver, who spent their entire lives in their native 
iMigland, ;ind .are now deceased. The father died 
in 188(1, aged ninety-two years. He had followed 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



763 



fiirmiug all his life, and was a greatly respected 
citizen. riR' luotlier preceded her hiisbaiul to the 
(itlicr lilV, (lying- in 18(10, aged sixty-seven years. 
Tlie children of the |)arental family, nine in number, 
were named respectively Ann, Elizabeth, William, 
Mary, Ellen. .John, Sarah, Itlmma and Eliza. The 
latter was burned to death, her clothes having 
caught fire from an open fireplace. 

Some time after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
Cherry came to Illinois, and Mr. C. vvas employed 
at whatever his hands could find to do, in tiie 
meantime saving what he could from his earnings. 
His steady persistence and industry have been gen- 
erously rewarded, as his present surroundings fully 
indicate. In the absence of children of their 
own Mr. and Mrs. C. have performed the part of 
parents to three others, whom they took in their 
infaiKy. The eldest, whom they named .James II. 
C'herr}', received a good education at the hands of 
his benefactors, with whom he remained until reach- 
ing manhood, and in 1883 was married to Miss 
Emma Sinith, and has a comfortable home in Ogden 
Township. The second one, Emma McClarron, 
died when aljout thirtj'-one years of age. Minnie, 
who was born in 1871, still remains with her foster- 
parents. 

^AVID B. STAYTQN, Su., a prominent and 
influential farmer of St. Joseph Township, 
is of Scotch ancestry', ami s[)ent his earliest 
years in the Blue Grass regions, where the 
first representatives of the family settled upon 
their arrival in this country. His father, Joseph 
Slay ton, also a native of Kentucky, was there reared 
and married, and eight years after the birth of his 
son, our subject, departed from the scenes of his 
youth and earl3' manhood to seek his fortune in the 
I'rairie State. He came to this county in the fall 
of 1830, accomi)anied by his family, and [jurchased 
forty acres of land on the cast fork of Salt Creek in 
St. Joseph Township. Here he lived and labored, 
the soil yielding him a rich return for his industry, 
iiiid here he spent the remainder of his life. 

He wisely invested his surplus ca|)ital in .ad- 
ditional laud, and at the time of his death w;is the 
possessor of .'iOO acres, all improved willi llu' ex- 




ception of a valuable limber tract of eighty acres. 
The father of our sid>jecl was twice married, and 
became the parent of eighteen children. Of these 
there are living but three of the first niairiage, and 
but two of the second. David B., of our sketch, was 
the third child and second son, and first opened his 
eyes to the light on the old farm in Mason County, 
Ky.,June 23. 1820. Although but a boy when the 
removal was made to Illinois, he remembers man}' 
of the incidents connected therewith, and the coun- 
try as it api)eared at the time. There were then 
only two families in St. Joseph Township, and no 
school was established until four years later, con- 
si'(puiilly the educational advantages of young 
Stay ton were extremely limited. In the winter of 
1831, one William Peters donated the use of his 
kitclien to the juvenile pioneers, their studies being 
conducted by John Lard, who. when not occupied 
in school, engaged in whipsawiug and farming in 
the neighborhood. Our subject availed himself of 
school privileges for a few weeks during the winter 
seasons, but his services were for the most part 
urgentlj- required upon the farm, where he remained 
with his parents until reaching manhood. 

The young men of those days, usuall\' before they 
were out of their teens, began to make their cal- 
culations for the future, which almost without ex- 
ception included domestic ties and a home of' their 
own. There then appeared no more worthy ambi- 
tion than to build up a good homestead and leave 
an lH)norable name to posterity. It would be 
well if the i)rinciples inculcated by the pioneer 
fathers and mothers had i>revailed until this day, 
for it was these sentiments. In connection with others 
fully as worthy, which rcsiiltcil in such a (lerfect 
buililing up of the great West, aud in giving to the 
historian the line material which he now has to work 
upon. David Stayton in taking the (irst steps to- 
ward the consummation we li;ue alluded to, began 
as a farm laborer in the ueighliorhood of his father 
for the munificent wages of !iil2 \n'\- month. There 
were few lu.xuries with which to coax his monc}' 
from him, so he lived economically and carefully, 
saveil what he could, aud the following year proudly 
took possession of his father's farm as a teu.'Uil and 
also at the same time took unto himself a wife. 
Miss Sarah, the daughter of .bicob and S;nah li.'irt- 



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f 



764 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



ley, of Pickaway, Ohio. Later the young people re- 
moved to section Ki, in St. .loseph Township, which 
is includerl in his present homestearl. His first pur- 
chase consisted of 100 acres, to which he added 
from time to time until he hail a clear title to an 
entire sectiuii. After his children were grown and 
began to eslahlisli homes for tliemselves he divided 
the land among thom. reserving hut 220 acres for 
himself and wife. Of the otTspring of Jlr. and Mrs. 
S., seven in nunil)er, only four survive, namely, 
Elizabeth, the wife of .lohn S. McKlwee; Josoiih II.; 
David B., Jr., and William .1. They are all located 
in the ncighliorliood of their father's farm, and are 
highly respected citizens, having done ample honor 
to the early training of their wise and excellent 
parents. 

Mr. Stay ton, .as one of the pioneers of Champaign 
Countjs was early in life called upon to assist in 
the ailjustment of its loc.il and business affairs, al- 
though he had no ambition whatever for ollice. 
The first position whicii he was called upon to 
fill was that of .lustice of tlie Peace, but he refused 
to qualify and they were obliged to seek a more 
willing candidate. Afterward he was prevailed 
upon to serve as Constable three and one-half years 
and subsequently was elected Collector of St. 
Joseph. He w.as Supervisor one 3'ear, and after- 
ward held the olliccs of Assessor and Collector for 
a period of twenty-five years in St. .Tose|)li, the 
duties of which he discharged with conscientious 
fidelity'. 

Mr. Stayton was a stanch supporter of llie Demo- 
cratic party initil near the close of Buchanan's ad- 
ministration, when he began to feel that tiiere was 
reason for a change in his sentiments, and believing 
that the Union should be preserved at all hazards, 
he therefore cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln at 
the ne.\t Presidential election, and since that lime 
has afliliated with the Reimblican i)arty. 

Mr. Stayton is oi an affable and genial dis|)osition, 
which at once secures him the respect and friend- 
ship of stranger and citizen alike. He possesses 
more liian ordinary Intelligence and is most enter- 
taining to converse with, being able to place before 
the mind's eye of his hearers a vivid picture of 
the early days when he joined in the chase after 
' deer ;nid wolves, and when the cry of the hounds 



was music to his ears. He was of stout and mus- 
cular frame, very active on his feet, and possessed 
the hardy spirit and the nerve which made hiin a 
general favorite and the admiration of the pioneers 
ior miles around. He is wisely spending his de- 
clining years in the csise and comfort which he has 
so justly earned by a life of industrj* and economy 
and. surrounded by hosts of friends, is passing down 
the sunset hill of life with a clear conscience, and as 
one who will leave a good record when he passes 
from the scene of action. 

The mother of our subject in her girlhood was 
Miss Anna Beard, a native of the same county in 
Kentucky as David Hcar(l, who was born in the Blue 
Grass regions and traced his lineage back to a good 
old famil}^ of German descent. Mrs. Stayton was a 
true pioneer wife and mother, looking well to the 
ways of her household, carefully' training her chil- 
dren, and possessed of all womanly virtues. Her 
death took place on the old homestead in St. 
Josej)!! rowiislii[). 






— Ny\rf_ ♦» 



eUAPLKS KIRKPATKICK. M. 1)., a rising 
j'oung physician of IVnlield, coin|)leted his 
medical studies in the College of Indiana at 
Indianapolis, from which he graduate<l in February, 
liSfS."), and commenced the practice of his profession 
at La(U>ga, Montgomery Co., Ind. From tliere, a 
year later, lie came to Penticld, and alllmugh his 
residence here has l)een comparatively brief he has 
already built up a lucrative practice. He has been 
a close student and extensive reader, and as a con- 
scientious i)ractitioner i> rapidly establishing liiniself 
in the confidence of this community. 

Dr. Kirkpatrick was born in Urbana, this county, 
June 1.5, 1S()4, and is the son of John C. and Mary 
(Busey) Kirkpatrick, prominent among the resi- 
dents of that city as valued mendiers of an intelli- 
gent and well-educated community. He remained 
a resident of his native town until sixteen years of 
age. pursuing his early studies in the public schools 
and completing his classical course in the State 
University. Before attaining his majority he was 
united in marriage with Miss Gertrude, daughter 
of John B. Wilson, of Ladoga, Ind., in which city 



n 



,^,.:. 7*-^C.if-^,%'^"^ 




Residence OF Robert H ewerdine , Sec. 16 .(R^ E,j RantoulTownsh ip. 



,--t--— ■- — ' .(.i*i*^>Vyi*i '.. 




Residence OF Henry Kurtz , Sec. 32., Brown Townshi p. 




Residence OF JR. Gu lick, Sec. 28.,Newcomb Townshi p. 



t. 



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767 



I 



she was born and reared. The two children of Di-. 
and Mis. Kirk|)atrick are .John and Ruby. Tliey 
arc; pleasantly located on Main street, and enjoy 
the society of the best residents of the city. 

Dr. K., politicall}', is a star.ch supporter of llo- 
[)ubliean principles, and socially belongs to (Icne- 
vieve Lodge No. IGO, K. of P., being Chancellor 
Commander, and the youngest man in the world 
occupying this position, as he was chosen when but 
twenty-two j-ears old. He is well fitted both by 
earlj' training and natural talents to occupy a high 
position in the medical profession of this county. 

<S^ PHRAIM DRK,SBA(;H, an enlcrprising far- 
fej mer and stock-grower of St. .Joseph Toun- 
l*^'-^ i ship, is possessor of an estate containing 1 20 
acres of valuable land located <mi section :iO. He 
was born in Fairfield County, Oliio, near Lithopolis, 
Nov. 12, J834, and is descended from (ierinan and 
Irish ancestiy, being the sou of John and Anna 
(Hoy) Dresbaeh, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio. 
.John Dresbacii was born in 1801. His wife, Anna, 
was the daughter of Philip and Elizabeth (Irely) 
Hoy. The Irely family were natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, but of Irisli origin, and tlic family of Phllii) 
Hoy descended from German ancestry. 

After his marriage John Dresbaeh lived for a 
time in Fairfield County, Ohio, and then removed 
witii his family to Hancock County, settling near 
Findlay. Not satisfied with the locality, he changed 
his residence to Fairlield, and afterward to Picka- 
way County, making in tiie latter |)lace a perma- 
nent settlement, and building up a liomestead, 
where he died in tiie winter of ItiHtj. He was twice 
married. The death of his first wife occurred in 
Fairlield County, in 1H14. Of this union si.\ cliil- 
dren were born, and of the second marriage there 
were three. 

Kphraim Dresbaeh pas.sed his boj'hood in Fair- 
field and Pickaway' Counties, where he received 
such education as could be obtained at the country 
schools. After the death of his inotlier hr made 
his home with relatives and began the struggle of 
life at a very early age. I'ossessing an obliging 
4* 



disposition he made friends, and employed himself 
in various branches of farm labor until he had 
reached his twenty-fourtii year. He then united in 
marriage with Miss Clarissa E. Croninger, a native 
of Pickaway County, Ohio, and the daughter of 
.lacob and Kli/.abeth (Iliiies) Croninger. After his 
marriage Mr. Dresbaeh settled on a farm in Picka- 
waj' County, .and remained there until the autumn 
of IfSGT, when lie removed with his family to Cham- 
paign County, III. The first year he rented a farm 
in St. Joseiih Township, and subsequently purchased 
his present place. Only a part of the laud was 
broken, but he has since brought it to a fine state 
of cultivation. He is engaged in general farming 
and stock-raising, giving special attention to the 
raising of hogs. 

Mr. and Mrs. Dresbacii had a family of ten chil- 
dren, eight of whom are living, and recorded as 
follows: Elnora S. is the wife of Theodore F. 
Swearingen; Joseph F. is residing at home; Chris- 
sie B. is the wife of O. Ilootz; Clara L., Alma May, 
Arthur C, Minnie (). and Ora A. are with their 
parents. 

In politics Mr. Dresbaeh reserves the right of 
voting for the best man, regardless of party. He is 
interested in public affairs, and has served as 
School Director, giving satisfaction in the discharge 
of his duties. 

KS. M'CV .1. VARNKV. widow of Samuel 
1). \';uiie3', and daughter of liobert and 
Sarali (Fiye) White, natives of New 
Ilaniiishiie, was Ijorii in the Old Granite 
State in I sic. Her falliei- was a blacksmith b}' 
trade, and her maternal grandfather, Klieiiezer 
Frye, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War 
I with tlu' rank of .Majoi-. He also was a native of 
New Hampshire, and when not in the arin^' en- 
gaged in farming pursuits. Late in life he became 
a resident of Northport, Me., where he spent the 
remainder of his days, beloved and honored by all 
who knew him. 

liobert White, the father of Mis. \'aniey, re- 
moved from his native Sl.ile first to I'eacham, \'t., 
1 where he engaged in blacksmithing, and subse- 




/ 



i 



t. 



M^ 



t 



768 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t= 



qucntly, in 1818, went to Maine. In the latter 
State he became quite pioniinuiit in |)ul)Iic affairs, 
served as .Justice of tlie Peace, and was exjjeit in 
the settlement of estates. In the meantime he also 
carried on iiis trade, having a nuniher of men under 
him. lie remaiiu'd a resident of Maine the balance 
of his lifi', dying at tlie ripe old age of eighty- 
seven years. Tlie motlier died when seventy-one 
years old. Of tlieir eleven children, four oidy are 
now living, and three — Mrs. Mary A. Turner, 
Robert F. and (icorge N. — are residents of Odin, 
Marion County'. 

Mrs. Varney, the fourth child of her parents, re- 
ceived careful home training and a fair education 
in tile common schools. She remained under the 
home roof until her marriage with Samuel B. \'ar- 
ney, which took place in Monlville. Me., in Jan- 
uary, 1845. Mr. V. was a native of Maine, born 
in 1814, and the son of Silas Varney, who was a 
farmer liy occupation. Samuel B. was a bright and 
ambitions boy, and through his own efforts obtained 
a practical business education, llis childhood and 
youth were si)ent ui)ou his father's farm, and after 
starting out in life for. himself he engaged in liotel- 
Iveejjing and farming combined in Levant, Penol>- 
scot Co., Me. In 18.VJ he resolved to emigrate to 
the great West, and after reaching the Prairie 
State iiuichascd a tract of land seven miles from 
the city of Champaign, this county. This he culti- 
vated and improved, in tlie meantime visiting 
Missouri and purchasing land tliere also. In con- 
nection with his farming he also engaged in the 
grocery business for a short time. He erected a 
handsome residence on Church street, Chamiiaign, 
which a fc^v months later was destroyed by lire. 
lie soon afterward leluiilt upon the same site. 

Mr. Varney was Democratic in politics, and with 
his wife, became connected with the Presb3teriau 
Cliurih, in which lu^ was a Deacon for many years. 
He was a man of e.Keellent business capacity, ex- 
treme liiiulne.ss of heart, and was imbued with those 
principles which coiistitutetl liiiii an honest man and 
a good citizen, res()ected and beloved by all who 
knew him. Mr. and Mrs. X. became the parents of 
three Children, of whom two died when ipilte 
young, and the remaining (laughter when twelve 
3ears of age. Mrs. Varney aflerwaril adopted tvvo 
4» 



' little girls: Mattie became one of the family wIrmi 
seven years old; she is now married to Dr. M. C. 
Wilson, is living in Downs, McLean County, and 

I has two children — Mabel C. and Warren. The 
other child, Mary, was eight nn)nths old when 
taken by .Mrs. \'ariiev, who has iierforraed toward 

i her the [lart of a kind and affectionate mother; 
she is now fourteen years old, and is [nirsuing her 
studies in the High School of Champaign. 



g=^ OLO.MON V. STAFFORD occupies a quar- 
^^^ ter of section 3C, St. Joseph Township, 
lll/jl) which is an excellent body of land, well 
cultivated and supplied with convenient 
and substantial farm buildings. He took possession 
of tliis place in the fall of 1863, and since that time 
has been indnstriously engaged .as a general farmer 
and stock-raiser, making a specialty of Poland- 
China hogs and draft horses. Our subject, who is 
a native of the liuckej-e State, w.as born near Wash- 
ington, Uie county seat of Faj'ette County, on the 
8th of May, 1814. His grandfather, Z. B. Stafford, 
was a native of Tennessee, and became the father 
of four children. His son Charles, the father of 
our subject, was born in Tennessee, and went with 
his brother-in-law to Ohio. In that State he re- 
ceived his education and developed into manhood, 
and selected from among the daughters of Fayette 
County', Miss Nancy Leverton, who liecame his 
wife in the fall of 1801). This lady was a native of 
North Carolina, and the daughter of Foster Lever- 
ton, who removed to Ohio after the close of the 
Uevolutionary War, in which he had participated 
as a Colonial soldier. Charles Stafford served in tlie 
War of 1812, and after his marriage continued to 
reside in Fayette County, where he became exten- 
sively engaged ui farming and accumulated a fine 
property. The [larenlal family included ten chil- 
dren, all of whom lived to mature years and with 
one exi-eptioii were all married. 

The parents of our subject were of Irish and 

Knglish origin respectively, and Solomon Y. was 

their secoi <1 son and fourth child. He was reared 

I on the farm in Oliio, and received a limited edu- 

I cation in the district .schools of his native town- 




t. 



"^ 



■► ■ 4 » 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



769 






i 



ship. He was carefully trained, however, by his 
excellent p.-xrents, and imbibed those priiiciiiK's of 
honesty and honor which served him so well in 
later life. He remained witli tlieui nntil after reach- 
ing his majority, and when in his twenty-fonrtil 
year was united in marriage with Mrs. Nancy (Wil- 
kinson) lloppis. and they located on a small farm 
of whic'h our snliject became tiie owner, and where 
they lived until the fall of 18lj:J. Uv. S. then 
resolved to seek iiis fortunes in the I'rairie .State, 
and coming to this county, located upon the land 
which constitutes his jnesent homestead. The only 
child of the household was a daughter, .Tane F., 
who became the wife of .lolin IJrown, and died at 
her home in February, lsS2. The motiier had pre- 
ceded her child to the silent land, passing aw.ay in 
the spring of 1874. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married in 1875, w.as I\Irs. Mary J., widow of 
Jacob Rice, and b}' her first marriage had become 
the mother of one child, a daughter, who died in 
iiifanc3'. Mr. and Mrs. S. are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which our subject 
officiated as Trustee and Steward for several years. 
He is a stanch Democrat, politically, and is a citizen 
of due importance in his township, being acknowl- 
edged b}' all as having materially .assisted in its 
development. 



(-•'^SF^HOMAS W. OIDDINGS. This enterpris- 
ing and well-to-do resident of Ludlow 
Township is successfully engaged as a far- 
mer and stock-raiser on section 10. He comes of 
an excellent English family, tiic first representative 
in this country being his grandfather, who crossed 
the ocean and located first in Connecticut, whence 
he removed later to Pennsjdv.ania, where he fol- 
lowed the pursuit of agriculture, reared a fine 
family of sons and daughters, and having built up 
a good record as a citizen, passed to his final rest 
in the Kej'sione .State in about 1810. His son, 
Moses C, who was born in Lancaster, Conn., was the 
father of our subject. The grandfather, .Sil;is (ijd- 
dings, at his death left his widow with nine children, 
si.v sons and three tlaughters. 

Moses C. Giddings, being the eldest son, was 




largely de])ended upon to assist his widowed mother 
in the care of the famil\' and the management of the 
homestead, in which he nol)ly exerted himself nntil 
each member could take care of himself. The estate 
conii)rised a body o! laml 100 acres in extent, situ- 
ated eight miles from what afterward liecame the 
fionrishing city of Frie, Pa. When the father of our 
subject tot)k possession of it it was lieavil_y timbered. 
He was a very industrious and energetic man and 
cleared the land, disposing of the timber by means 
of two sawmills which he erected on the place, and 
which for a period of several years were ke|)t 
steadily at work. 

M()ses Giddings remained in Pennsylvania nntil 
1857, then disposed of his interests there, and com- 
ing to Warren County, this State, imrchased a farm 
in Floyd T(.)wnshi[), which he cultivated and oc- 
cupied the balance of his life. After reaching the 
age of fourscore years, he passed to his final rest 
on the l-2th of .May, 1880, regretted by all who 
knew him as being a citizen of more than ordinary 
worth and ability. He was a strict teni[)erance 
man. and had been reared in the Presbyterian 
Church. After his marri.age, however, he became 
a Methodist. In common with his cousin, .loshua 
U. Giddings, who became famous as an Abolitionist 
before the war, Moses C. was also I)itterly opposed 
to slavery, and upon every occasion gave expression 
to his views upon this subject. It is scarcely neces- 
sary to s.ay that during the later j'cars of his life 
he was an ardent Republican, the principles of 
which party he cheerfully enilor?ed after the aban- 
donment of the old Whig doctrines. 

The mother of our subject before her marriage 
was Miss So|)ludiiia Stafford, a native ^° New York, 
and daughter of .Ies.se Stafford, of that State. She 
accompanied her husband to Illinois. They liecame 
the parents of thirteen children, whom they trained 
to habits o( industry and those principles which 
m.ade of them reliable citizens and useful niemliers 
of society. After building up a gt)0<l record as 
wife, mother ami frien<l, Mrs. Sophronia (iiJ.dings 
de|)arted from the scenes of earth at her home in 
Floyd Townshii), on the 1 'Jth of .May, 1 875. Flevcn 
of her children lived to become men and women, 
and ten are still suiviving. Jesse died in Henry 
County, Iowa; ll.innah, Mrs. Alartin, is a resident 



7"^ 



^t 



770 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 



of Coloniflo; Sebastian, of IMoiiinoiiUi, 111.; Sa- 
miuitha. Mvs. St3ies. of Colorado; Edwin W., of 
Campbell, .Minn.; Silas, <if Poll< (irove, Iowa; 
Marion is deceased; John VV^ lives in Lndlow 
Township, tliis county, and Henry C. on the home- 
stead ill W.'irren County; George W. and Harriet 
A., Mrs. Ogden, live in Ft. Collins, Col. 

Thomas W. Giddings, the niuth child of his |i:ir- 
cnts, attended school witli his brotiiers and sisters, 
and with them assisted in the labors on the farm. 
lie was fourteen years old when iiis [larents came 
to Illinois, and remained a member of the family 
until the outbreak of the late war. lie then en- 
listed in Co. C, 13.sth 111. Vol. Inf., entering the 
service in 1865, and was detailed for duty chietiy 
in Kansas and Missouri. After lu'ing mustered out 
he returned to his home in Warren Conuty, and in 
the spring of ISIUJ, in partnershii) witii a neighbor, 
eng.aged in general farming and stock-raising. This 
[)artnei'shi|) was dissolved two years later, and after 
assuming the management of liie home farui one 
year our subject crossed the Mississiiipi into Mis- 
souri, and engaged in the herding of cattle. In 
the fall he shipped lyO animals to Buffalo, and as 
many more to Warren Comit}', the latter of which 
lie fed until the following sjjring, when he sold 
them and resumed farming with his brother. A 
year later lie purchased a tract iif land in Floyd 
Townshii), and engaged in farming and stock rais- 
ing until IHTT). In the spring of that year he came 
to this county and purchased the southeast quarter 
of section 10, in Ludlow Township, where he in- 
dustriously employed his time until l.SS;i, and was 
remarkably successful in his faruiiiig openitions. 
Th.at year liC added to his landed estate, and in 
company with his lirother bought the northeast 
(piarter of section 10. Two years later he pur- 
chased the interest of his brother, and is now the 
possessor of a half section under a line state of cul- 
tivation and supplied with excellent farm Iniildings. 
Nothing has been left undone to [ireserve its repu- 
tation as one of the finest homesteads in this [lait 
of Chamiiaign County. 

On the 15th of November, l.S(;,s, after .Mr. <i id- 
dings had begun to lay the foundation for a home, 
he selected as his fiitnri' wile and helpmeet Miss 
Laura A. Wiggins, to whom he was married in 



Floyd Townsiiip. Mrs. G. was born in the latter 
named township, -luly 2, 184'J, and is the daughter 
of Benjamin F. .anil Mary Jeanette Wiggins. Tlie 
former, a native of Oneida County, N. Y., removed 
to the West in the pioneer days, and located in 
Warren Cnunty, 111., where he improved a faiiu and 
reared a family. lie was married in early maiihood 
to Mi-ss .Jeanette Mattson, also a native of tiie Em- 
pire .State. The motiier of Mrs. (i. dep.arted this 
life at her home in Warren County. Mr. Wiggins 
afterward became an inmate of the houie of our 
subject, and died in 1883. 

The six children of Mr. and Mrs. (iiddings are 
Warren L., Archie, Cornelia, Nellie (who died 
when two years old), Orlo and Irena. The family 
attend the Jlethodist Episcojial Church in Ludlow, 
of which the parents have been members several 
years. Mr. (Jiddings, politically, is a stanch Re- 
publican, and fearlessly ui)liolds the principles of 
his party. A view of the residence of Mr. G. is 
sliown on ancither page of this work. 



bEW E. STE^■ENSON, Postmaster at St. Jo- 
seph, and also a leading druggist and jeweler 
of the place, was born among the iiills of 
Southern Ohio, near Ilillsboro, the comity seat of 
Highland County, on the 21st of Ajiril, 1850. Ills 
parents, Elislia and Nanc^' A. (Iveelor) Stevenson, 
were natives of the same State. The father of our 
subject followed farming in Ohit) until 1854, when 
with his family he came west to Ch.iinpaign County, 
III., locating at I'rbana, where he engaged in farm- 
ing, and where he still resides, htiving, however, 
retired from active labor .some years ago. 

The children of Elislia and Nancy Stevenson, 
thiiteen in number, consisted of .seven sons and six 
daughters, twelve of whom lived to mature years 
and with the exception of three were all married. 
Three of these came West with their parents, and 
the ri'm;iiniiig ten were born in Champaign County, 
where they still reside. Arthur A. is deceased; 
Lcnv E., of our sketch, was the second born; Cin- 
derella became the wife of C. A. Lawliead ; he is 
now decea.sed. Sarah J. is a resident of Urbana; 
Elislia is passenger conductor of the I., B. it W, 



■^^rif-^ 



I 



CHAMPAIGN CUUNTY. 



771 



.t 



R. R.. and makes his Ikhiic in Imlianapolis, Tnd. ; 
Snsaii is the wife of Edward Stephens, of St. Lonis, 
Mo.; Josephine married Edward Swan, a well-to-do 
farmer living south of I'rbana, 111.; Charles II. is 
a condnetor on the Santa Fc Haihoail. with head- 
quarters at Las Vegas, N. M.; Williain F. is Assistant 
Postmaster and a pharniaeist, and resides in St. 
Joseph; lienjamin F. lives in Oakland, 111.; Eliza- 
beth is the wife of Edward (!. Ilaninier, of Fihana; 
Uriah .S., the youngest, remains with his parents. 
Alferretta died in infancy. 

Mr. .Stevenson was a lad four years of .age when 
his parents came to this countj'. and his education 
was hegun and completed in the public schools of 
Urbana. He remained at home working on a farm 
until he attained the age of twenty-three years, 
and then entered the drug-store of William .Sim, of 
Urbana. in the ca[)acity of a clerk, and remained 
four j'ears, acquiring in that time a thor<iugh knowl- 
edge of the drug business in all its branches. In 
Januar}-, 1877, he came to St. Josei)li and i)urchased 
the drug stock of W. B. Sim, and since that time 
has cinitinued in the trade here, adding an excel- 
lent stock of drugs and medicines, wall-paper, 
paints, oils and jewelry. He was ap|)ointed Post- 
master in 188.5, having been a stanch adherent of 
the Democratic party since exercising the' right of 
suffrage. He wai a strong Union man during the 
w.ir, and illustrated his principles in the most forci- 
ble manner by proffering his services in aid of its 
preservation, becoming, in 1.SG4, a membor of Co. 
A, i;!.')th 111. Vol. Inf., and fidlilliiig all tlie duties 
required of a faithful soldier until his honorable 
discharge at Mattoon. Sei)tember 28 following. 

One of the most important events in the life of 
our subject was his marriage, which took place Dec. 
28, 1877, his chosen bride being Miss Ada (). C'off- 
man. Mrs. S. is a native of Urbana and the 
daughter of Noah I?, and Margaret Coff'mau, at 
present residents of Ft. Scott, Kan. Of this union 
there is one child only, a daughter, Mae Agnes, now 
an interesting girl of eight years. The family resi- 
dence is pleasantly located. 

Mr. .Stevenson has lor many years l)cen a mem- 
ber tif the Masonic fraternity, is a Knight Tem|)lar 
an<l also belongs to the I. O. O. F. and O. A. K*. 
Both he and bis estimable lady arc nuunbcrs in good 




standing of the Methodist l-Ipiscopal Church, in 
which Mr. .S. has been a Trustee since the organiza- 
tion of the societj' at St. Josei)h. He is actively 
interested in .Sunday-school work, and has ofliciated 
as Su|)erinlendent, serving also as chorister and a 
teacher. He is one of those men necessary to the 
well-being of every community, who knows just 
what is to be di^ne at all times and how to do it, 
and is willing to ;ud by his means and inlluence 
every euter|)rise calculated for the welfare of the 
people. 



F. WILSON, who is a dealer in horses and 
engaged in the livery business on Walnut 
street, is contributing his full share toward 
the business interests of the city of Cham- 
paign by carrying on his department in a methodi- 
cal ,and .systeni.'itic manner, and in which he has 
been established since April, 1887. His large barn 
on Walnut street contains some of the best travel- 
ing stock and vehicles in the city, and his patrons 
coniprise its best people. 

Mr. Wilson is a native of the Prairie State, and 
was born in Piatt County, Sept. 18, ISo2. He is 
the son of Henry L. and Margaret (Hubbard) Wil- 
son, both natives of Ohio. The former, who wa.s 
also a dealer in fine horses, removed from the 
Buckeye State U> Illinois, and located in Piatt 
Couut3'. where li(! remained until 18.J4. He then 
puichased a farm in Newconib Township, Cham- 
paign County, which he occupied two years, and 
thence removed into ihc village of Mahomet, where 
he continued his business as a purchaser and shipi)cr 
of line horses until his death, which was brought 
about in the following sad manner: His office was 
located adjacent to Llewellyn's drug-store, and 
one night while sleeping there the store was set on 
lire, and Mr. Wilson, unable to escape, was burned 
to death. This melancholy event occurred on the 
10th of May, 187(;. Mr. Wilson during the late 
war enlisted in the 12.')lh Illinois Infantry, serving 
nine months, and was liuMlly discharged on account 
of physical disabilit}'. He belonged to the Kepul)- 
lican party and vvas a member in good standing \jf 
the Masonic fraternity. The mother of our sid)ject , 
is still living, making her home at Mahomet. Of T 



-•►- 



i 



«► l i ^"^ 



4 



772 



C H AMPAIG N i:;OUNTY. 



the parental liouscliold, incliicling five children, two 
only are now living, our snhjeet, H. F., anrl his sis- 
ter, Mrs. Dorothy Pugh, of Mahomet. 

The subject of this biography received a practi- 
cal education, attending school until sixteen years 
old. He inherited the same love for that noblest of 
animals for whicli his fatiier was noted, and at an 
early age engaged in buying and sellirg, while at 
the same time operating a livery stable in Mahomet. 
Desirous of a larger field for his operations, he re- 
moved to Champaign, and first leased a stable on 
Neul street, whicii lie occupied until burned out, in 
1887. His loss at that time aggregated 12, .500, 
partially covered by insurance. Three valuable 
horses were destroyed, besides office fixtures, har- 
ness, etc. On tlie 14tli of April following Mr. 
Wilson purchased the large livery barn on Walnut 
street, where he is now permanently established and 
is building up a fine patronage. Politically he af- 
filiates* with the Democratic party. 

The marriage of H. F. Wilson and Miss Burzetta 
Fetty was celebrated at the home of the bride's 
parents in Maliomet, in 1872. Mrs. Wilson is the 
d.'iugiiter of Nimrod Fetty, and by her union with 
our subject has become the mother of three chil- 
dren. The eldest, eleven years of age, named 
liiniself Harry F. Tlie others, aged two and one- 
half years and three niontlis respectively, arc un- 
named. 




i, ETER ROOS, Professor of Industrial Art 

and Design in the Universit}' of Illinois, and 

a native of Sweden, was born at Lyngbj'e, 

Kristianstad Lien, the •22d of February, 

18S0, where he received the fundamental part of 

his education. From childhood he siiowed a strong 

propensitj' for art, an<l soi>n after liis confirmation 

entered that field under the instruction of a cele- 

lir.ated a/tist in tlie cit3' of Kristianstad, with whom 

he remained for nearly four years. 

In 1871 Prof. Roos cniigraUKl to America and 
located in Hoston, as a deeorater and designer. In 
a little over a year he was elected teacher <»f draw- 
ing in the Ho.ston city schools. Mi' also formed a 
partnership to establish the Hoston Art Academj'. 

»► li ^— — ! ■ 



From this school was sent ((uite an extensive ex- 
hibit of students' work to the Philadelphia Exposi- 
tion in 1870. This was awarded the medal of the 
Centennial Commission. At this time he was called 
to take charge of tlie Art Department of the Uni- 
versity of Illinois. Owing to urgent engagements 
in Boston he relinquislied that position for two 
years. In 1880 he returned upon a renewed call to 
the Chair of Art and Design. 



•«-4S^ 



^?W^ 




%ift A.I. ABSALOM B. VALLANDINOHAM, 
who is well and favorably known in Com- 
promise Township as a stirring, energetic 
citizen, is of excellent old Kentuck3' stock, 
being born near Lexington, in Fayette County, 
Sept. 1, 1817. His father, John Vallandingham, 
was born near Georgetown, where he grew to man- 
hood and married Miss Ann Bainbridge, who was 
liorn in Baltimore, Md., but reared in Kentucky. 
After marriage the young people took up their abode 
in Scott County, whence they removed to Owen 
Count3-, where the father of our subject became 
owner of a plantation of nearly 1 ,000 acres, together 
with from ten to twenty slaves. The parents reared 
a family of ten children, and the father departed 
this life in about 1850, at the age of fift3--three 
years. The wife and mother survived until 1876. 
Maj. Vallandingham was the eldest child of the 
household, and under the encour.agement of his 
father received a good education, as did his brothers 
and sisters. He grew to inauhood in Owen Countj', 
and in 18;$9, when twent^'-two years of age, was 
united in marriage with Miss Maiy Vallandingham, 
a distant relative. He engaged alternately in farm- 
ing and teaching and in this way provided com- 
fortably for the needs of his growing famil}', which 
in the course of time included five children. Of 
these tiie record is as follows : Pickard is farming 
in Owen County, Ky. ; Ann became the wife of 
John M. Richards, and died leaving a son and 
daughter; Elizabeth, the wife of J. M. Arnctte, 
resides in Frederickstown, Mo.; John, during the 
l.ate war, wa,s killed in tlie Confederate r.'inks, liav- 
ing been induced to enter the service by some of 






4 



i 



^^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 







his cousins; Arrailda, who ninrriorl Willis ITall. is 
mIso dead; she left one son. 

Mrs. Vallandinghani, after licing the affectionate 
and faitiifiil companion of her husband ten years? 
departed this life at her home in Owen County, 
Ky., in the suninicr of IS+i). The second wife of 
our subject, to whom he was married in March, 
lS.")-2, was Miss Malinda Joiinson, who died the 
following year. On tht' 2 1st of October, l.S5(>, he 
was iiuited in marriage with Miss Jennie Eli/ahcth 
Coons, who was born in Fayette County, Ky., Oct. 
28, 1832, and w.as the daughter of Henry C. and 
Margaret Coons. That same year Maj. Vallanding- 
hani t>pened a hotel at War.saw, K}'., which he con- 
ducted until the breaking out of the war. In 1861 
he acted as Provost JIarshal of Warsaw, and had 
charge of a company of home guards until this 
department of the military was disbanded by gen- 
eral order and requested to enter the regular serv- 
ice. The Major assisted in recruiting the 18th 
Kentucky Infantry, and was afterward detailed for 
the Secret Service of the United States Army, to 
look after the guerrilla element of the Blue (Irass 
State. In 18()4 he recruited the ;!7th Kentucky 
Infantry, and was coniinissioued Major, serving the 
interests of the Union faithfully until the close of 
the war. 

In 18(57 Maj. V.allandingham left the Blue (irass 
regions and came north into Illinois, locating lirst 
near Bloomington, McLean County. In common 
with man}' other Southerners he had lost all his 
property' during the war, and upon coming to this 
State was compelled to begin life anew. He first 
rented a tract of land, where he followed farming, 
and also engaged as a law ijractitioner in Mc'Lean 
Countj'. Three years later he came to this county, 
continuing as a farmer .and counselor-at-law, and 
was instrumental in obtaining the right of way for 
and constructing the Ilavanna, Rantoul & Eastern 
Railroad. Upon the completion of this he located 
at Cifford, where he h,as since resided. In 1882 he 
abandoned his law practice, and now (h'votes his 
time to looking after his property and acting as 
"mine host" of the C<)nimercial Hotel. He owns 
twenty-two town lots in (Jifford, besides three acres, 
two houses ami his residence properly. 

Maj. \'allandinghani in early life alliliafed with 

4' 



the Whig party and after its disbandment sup- 
[lorted Uepublican principles until 1875, since which 
time he has been identified with the (Treenbackers. 
Although repeatedly solicited to fill resjionsible 
olliccs he has invariably declined, preferring to give 
his time ;ui<l attention to his home and business 
affairs. He has always lived well and extracted 
as much enjoyment from life as possible, being 
possessed of that genial disposition which enables 
him usually to look only upon the bright side. 
.Socially he is a Royal Arch Mason. Mr. and iMrs. 
V. are members in good standing of the Christian 
Church, in which, as elsewhere, our subject has dis- 
tinguished himself .as an active and valued member. 

-^/^A,-^fclia2r®^«■^^fe•>«^^5i/^^^r^^»>~•w-... 

T. PKARMAN, M. 1)., who has been a resi- 
dent of the Prairie State for over thirty-five 
years, is one of the leading physicians of 
/ Champaign County, of the Regular School. 
He was born in Hardin County, Ky., Oct. 29,1829, 
and is the son of John and Sarah (Lyons) Pear- 
man, natives respectively of (ieorgia and ^'irginia. 
John Pearman, Sr., served as a soldier in the War 
of 1812, and was present at the battle of New Or- 
leans. After retiring to civil life, he engaged in 
farming [lursuits in Kentucky, to which State he 
had removed with his parents when a boy, and 
there became acquainted with his future wife, the 
mother of our subject. In 1851 he sold out his in- 
terests in Kcutucky, and emigrating to Illinois, 
purchased a farm in Edgar County, which h« culti- 
vated until 18(iO, and then, on account of old age, 
retired from active labt)r. He subsequently made 
his home with his son, .Samuel Pearman, near P.'ii'is, 
where he died at the advanced age of eightv-four 
years. The mother departed this life in 1881. 
They were the parents of eight children who lived 
to mature years, and three of whom still survive. 
These are, Martha, Mrs. Piuell, of Edgar County; 
Dr. .!. T., our subject, and Mary, Mrs. Sisk, of \'er- 
niilion Township, E<lgar County. 

The subject of this biogr.aphy spent his e;irly 
years upon his father's farm, and received a com- 
mon-school ediK'.'itlou. When twenty-one years of 
age he commenced teaching, s[iending one year 






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774 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



•►-■-^- 



1 



thus occupied in Kentucky. He iiuvsued the same 
calling after coming into Eflgar County, and in 
18.t2 commenced reading medicine with Dr. 
Thom.is Smith, of ^Grand View, 111., gradu.ating in 
1858, at Rush Medical College, Chicago. He lo- 
cated in Edgar County, where he remained eight 
years, in the meantime perfecting himself still fur- 
ther in his profession by attending a course of lec- 
tures in the winter of 18(;0-(il. There he had a 
fine practice. He entered the army as Surgeon, 
and was assigned by Oen. Nelson as Surgeon for 
the 15th Indiana Regiment. From theie he was 
transferred to the hospital .at Nashville, Tenn. 
After two months he was t.iken ill and sent home, 
whence, after one month, he returned to his duties, 
suffered a relapse, and was obliged to abandon his 
Connection with the service. 

In lS(i3 Dr. Pearman, wishing to enlarge the 
field of his operations, removed to the city of 
Chain[)Mign, wliere he has since established a fine 
prac'tice, mostly within the city. In 1K78 he was 
appointed Surgeon of the Illinois Central Railroad, 
his jurisdiction extending from Kankakee on the 
north to Gilm.an on the south, a distance of 120 
miles. He is a member of the State, County and 
National Medical Associations. Politically he aflil- 
iates with the Republican party, and sociallj' be- 
longs to the M.asonic fraternity. He has always 
taken an active interest in the progress and devel- 
opment of his adopted county, interested in its ed- 
ucational and moral welfare, and in 1881 was ap- 
pointed by (iov. CiiUoni, a 'I'rustee of the Univer- 
sity of Illinois. 

Dr. rearnian was married, in 1858, to Miss Eliza- 
beth Elliott, who w:is born in Edgai- County, III., 
and was the daughter of .John and Elizabeth (llan- 
na) Elliott, of Ohio. They reinoveil to Illinois in 
tlu! pioneer days .and located in Edgar County. 
Of this union there were born live children, the 
record of whom is as follows: Ida l)ccanic the wife 
of C. II. Stei)hens, of Logansport, III., and they 
have one child, Sabr.a ; .1. Ora is a i)hysician and 
surgeon, having a fine i)ractice in Chicago; Ira E. 
is a clerk in the Merchants' National Hank, of Chi- 
cago; Minnie and Myrtle are at home with their 
father. .Mrs. I':ii/.abetli I'carman departed this life 
in the latter j)art of August, 18.S1. The second 



wife of our subject, to whom he was married in 
1883, was Miss Mac Columbia, a native of Cham- 
paign County, and the daughter of Curtis and 
Nancy (Cox) Columbia, natives respectively of 
Kentucky and Illinois. Of this marriage there has 
been born oiie child — Arthur C. The family resi- 
dence, which is located on South Neal street, would 
be at once singled out as the home of refinement 
and culture, and is the resort of the cultivated 
people of Cii.ampaign. 

.xj«^ •*-"^<f}j 1^:^- >«=^*f- 



IjENJAMIN CODDINGTON, dece.ised, was 
for m.inv years a highly esteemed citizen of 




Sidney Township. He was born May 8, 
ss^' 1S28, in Ohio, and was the son of .lohn and 
Susanna (Roadamer) Coddington. His parents 
were natives of Pennsylvania, where his father was 
born A\nM 1, 1774, and his mother, May 24, 17X9. 
His family' reuKjvod to Ohio and thence to Illinois, 
where they were among the pioneers of this State. 

Proliably no portion of the fertile State of Illi- 
nois is better adajjted to agriculture and stock- 
raising than that embraced within the limits of 
this county, and the early settlers patiently en- 
dured the many i)rivations and hardships to which 
they weic exposed, looking hopefull}' forward to 
the future with a faith and courage that were al- 
most sublime. Time lias wrought marvelous changes, 
and the prairies, once desolate w.astes covci-ed with 
cf)arse, matted grass, now wave with harvests of 
golden grain and form rich pasture lands for vast 
herds of cattle and sheep, and to-d.ay the children 
of the pioneers are reaping the harvest which their 
fathers planted at the costly price of sutTering and 
privation. 

Mr. Coddington was active and entcr|)rising in 
business, and in his early life cleared and improved 
a fine farm. His uprightness and integrity of 
character won a large circle of frieiuls, and in his 
home he was a kind fatlici- and loving husband. 
His death occurred on the old homestead, April Di, 
18(i5, and he is buried in Bliss Cen)Otery near Sid- 
ney. Mr. Coddington was in every respect a mo.st 
estimable man, and his death was not only a loss to 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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775 



his family, but to the coiniminitv, by which he was 
beloved and sincerely mounied. 

Mr. Coddington's marriage to Miss Delilah 
Thomas took place Dec. 10, 18iK Mrs. Codding- 
ton was born Jan. 13, 1825. Ilcr father was twice 
married, and she had two own sisters older than 
herself, Marj' and Margaret, and eight half broth- 
ers and sisters, whose names are : Harriet, Me- 
lissa, Rebecca, .Teminia, .Iosei)h, Henry, Jefferson, 
and one who died in infancy. All are now de- 
ceased with the exception of Harriet and iMclissa. 
Mr. and Mrs. Coddington h.ad a family of nine 
children born to them: Joseph, married to Miss 
Carrie McElroy, lives in Sidney Township; Cather- 
ine, the wife of Henry McElroy, is living in Mitch- 
ell County, Kan.; Mar}- S. is dead; Sarah J. is the 
wife of James McElroy; John, married to Miss 
Emma Woodcock, resides in Sidney Township; 
Elizabeth, the wife of Isaac George, likewise resides 
in that townshii); Clarissa is dead; Benjamin F. and 
Alice are single and live with their mother. 

Mrs. Coddington's estate contains 210 acres of 
valuable, well-improved land, with a pleasant resi- 
dence and excellent farm buildings. She conducts 
the business in her own name and is greatly assisted 
bj- her son Benjamin, who is general manager of 
the place. Mrs. Coddington is a highly esteemed 
member of the United Brethren Church, a sincere 
Christian, and a refined and courteous lady in every 
sense of the word, .and possesses the affectionate 
regard of a large circle of friends. 



R. J. W. TRISLER, one of the rising young- 
physicians of the city of Urbana, located 
here in 1886, and in the com para tivelj' 
short time of his residence has alreadj' es- 
tablished himself in the esteem and conlidcnce of 
the people. He is a native of Brown County, Ohio, 
and was born Nov. .s, 18.5S. His parents, 'Abra- 
ham and Christina (Davis) Trisler, fornierlj' of 
Ilamcrsville, Ohio, engaged there in farming pur- 
suits for a number of years, but .-ifterward removed 
to Riplcj', Brown County, where the mother died 
in 1875, leaving a family of eight children. These 
were Randolph, now Superintendent of the public 




schools of Cincinnati; Lafayette, a teacher in that 
city; Sarah, Amanda, Dr. J. W. ; Charles, of Kan- 
sas, Clara and Maria. The father Of our subject 
was a member of the Democratic part}', and held 
the ofliee of Justice of the Peace in Brown County 
for a number of years. Botli parents belonged to 
the New-Light Church. 

Dr. Trisler remained with his parents on the 
farm until eighteen years of age, attending the 
schools of his native count}'. He afterward went 
to Mason County, Ky., and entered Dover Acad- 
emy, where he studied for eighteen months, and 
soon .afterward commenced reading medicine under 
the instruction of Dr. W. A. Dixon, of Rii)ley, 
Ohio, and then attended lectures at Jefferson Med- 
ical College, Philadelphia, frt)m wliich he gr.adu.ate;'. 
in 1884. He commenced the practice of his pro- 
fession at Decatur, Brown Co., Ohio, whence, after 
three .and one-half years he removed to Wellington, 
Kan. Eighteen months later he came to Illinois 
and located at Urliana, where he has since followed 
his practice with success. He is a close student 
and an extensive reader, and bids fair to occupy 
an enviable position among his brethren of the pro- 
fession in this county. 

Dr. Trisler was married, in 1882, to Aliss Emma 
AVost, of Decatur, Oiiio, and they have become the 
parents of two children — Bessie and Carl. 



»-^^»»-^»^ 



<^5*?-rt^fe.* 



^OHN T. AINSWORTH, who since 1879 has 
been farming extensively in Ludlow Town- 
ship, is the pro|)rietor of a fine est.ate on sec- 
tion 28, where he lias a commodious resi- 
dence, and .'dl other buildings necessary for tiie 
carrying on of agriculture in a lirst-class manner. 
His farm estate comprises tOO acres, many of the 
fields enclosed with beautiful hedge fences, of 
which he planted live miles the second year after 
taking possession, and has planted more as time 
and opportunity afforded. He also hns a pond em- 
bracing an area of about two acres, which is stocked 
with (ierman carp. Mr. Ainsworth look i)ossession 
of this property in 18(!1), when the hind was unim- 
proved, and since that time has given to it his en- ♦ 



-•► 



4 



i 



t 



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776 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






tire attention, nnd, as i# fvidont, with the lia])piest 
rest! Its. 

The subject of this history is a native of this 
State, born in Lynchburg Townshij), Mason County, 
Jan. 23, 1847. His father, William Ainsworth, 
was a native of the town of Blackburn, Lancashire, 
Kngland, the .son of Thom.is Ainsworth, a weaver 
by trade. He emigrated to the United States in 
about 1842, and proceeding directly westward, lo- 
cated in Mason County, 111., where he established a 
permanent home, .and spent the last ye.irs of his 
life. Willi.im Ainsworth was quite young when 
apprenticed to a silversmith and watchmalcer, serv- 
ing until eighteen years ol<l. Then, in company 
with his elder brother, he set sail for the United 
States. Coming to Illinois, as we have said, he 
settled in Mason County, and was soon afterward 
attacked with fever and obliged to place himself 
under the care of a physician. He thus contr.acted 
a debt of $60, which he paid in work for the Doc- 
tor at $8 per month, as he had but threepence in 
his pocket when landing here, and no capital to go 
on. He finally borrowed money from an elder 
brother, and entering a tract of land, commenced 
farming on unimproved prairie. He still owns 
his first purcliase, and has brought about a v.ast im- 
provement in its original condition. It includes 
a series of beautiful and productive farms, and fine 
farm buildings, including a residence, b.arn, and 
sheds for the shelter of stock. 

The wife of William Ainsworth, the motlier of 
our subject, was formerly Miss Elizabeth Pendle- 
ton, who was born in Church P.arish, Lancashire, 
England. Thej' became the parents of ten chil- 
dren, and the mother departed this life at the home 
of her husband, in 18G0. John T., of our sketch, 
was t<ie eldest of tlie family; Sarali, the eldest 
daughter, resides witli lier father, and Elizabeth A., 
the wife of J. J. Ainsworth, is also a resident of 
Mason County. These are the onlj' survivors. 

Our subject received his early education in the 
district schools of iVIason Count}', and afterward 
attended Virginia Academy in Cass County. When 
nineteen years old his father returned to England 
and left him iu charge of the farm. Prod\ice was 
high, and his management of the farm proved ver}' 
successful, lie continued there until 1809, then 



removed to this county and located upon the land 
which he now occupies. lie still has charge of the 
land belonging to his father, and his entire time 
and attention are given to agricultural pursuits. Me 
has built up an enviable reputation as a farmer, 
stock-raiser .and business man, and is one of the 
imjiortant factors of an enterprising and industri- 
ous community. 

The marri.age of Jf)hn T. Ainswortli and Miss 
Frances Penny, took place at the home of Lewis 
Layman, in Champaign County, 111., in the spring 
of 1873. Mrs. Ainsworth is the daughter of AVill- 
1am (t. and Ellen (Duff) Penny, and w.as born in 
Sangamon County, 111., May 20, 1846. Their 
three children are AVilliam P., Nellie E. and Fran- 
ces L. Our subject ;ind liis wife are devoted mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. 
Ainsworth. politically, is independent. He has been 
connected with local affairs since coming to this 
section, being a man of excellent judgment, and 
possessing a good fund of general information. 
Since 1875 he has been one of the drainage com- 
missioners for Big Slough Special Drainage District, 
embracing .an area of 12,000 acres, which originally 
was worthless land, and has now been brought to a 
good state of cultivation. He served as Highway 
Commissioner through 1871-73, and is a man whose 
opinions are solicited upon all matters of interest 
concerning the welf.are of his township and neigh- 
borhood. 



;EORGIvW. TKEES, one of the substantial 
Farmers .and stock-growers of Illinois, re- 
^^j! sides on section 20, St. Joseph Township. He 
is one of the self-made men of the State, having 
acquired his fine property through the exercise of 
industry, energy and good management. He was 
born in Clermont County, Ohio, near Moscow, M.ay 
16, 1846, and is the son of William and Delila (Mc- 
Adamfe) Trees. Ilis grandfather, John Trees, was 
a native of Pennsylvania, of German extr.action, 
whose wife was a native of North Carolina. 

William Trees was born in Clermont County, 
Ohio, Nov. 14, 1807. He was i-cared on his fatlier's 
farm, and remained in his n.ative county until his 
marri.age with ISliss Delila McAdams, who was like- 






■ ► i r^ 



■•►-■-^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



777 



wise a native of the same coiiiily. lie then re- 
solved to go West, aiifl removed to IndiaiKi witii 
his j'Oiing wife, and aftei' an experience of four 
3ears returned to his native conntA' iu Oliio, where 
he continued to reside until his removijl to Cham- 
paign Countj', 111., in 1SG8. I'pou his arrival he 
located in Rantoul Township, where he still resides. 
Ml', and Mrs. William Trees became tlie parents of 
fourteen children, seven boys and seven girls, all of 
wlioni with the exception of three lived to matur- 
it.v; nine are still living. His wife, who was born 
in Clermont County, Oliio. in 1808, died in Sep- 
tember, 1880, after a long life of usefulness and 
self-sacrifice. .She was a noble woman who lived 
to i)romote the interests and happiness of her 
family. She left eighty-four grandchililrcn. Her 
father was head of a family' of twenty-four children, 
and his grandchildren were numbered by the hun- 
dreds. 

Cieorge W., wlio was the tenth in order of birth, 
passed his boyhood attending the common school 
and assisting his parents, until he reached the age 
of twentj'-one, when he resolved to go West in 
search of a career in life for himself. He carrie to 
Champaign County, 111., where for a year he was 
engaged as a wage-worker by the month. Bj* 
economy and industry he had then acquired enough 
money to purchase forty acres of land. This he im- 
proved and cultivated and subsequentl}' sold at an 
advance which enabled him to make another pur- 
chase of 1(50 acres. He improved this tract also, 
and sold it, purchasing the place which he now owns 
and occupies, most of which is cidtivated, well 
fenced and tiled. 

The marriage of Mr. Trees to Miss Jennie Hay 
occurred in October, 1873. She is the daughter of 
.lohn and Amanda Ray, residents of Vermilion 
County, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Trees have an interest- 
ing faniil}' of four children, whose names are as fol- 
lows: Ilattie I)., Lillian 1'.. Merrill .1. and Mertie 
May. 

Mr. Trees is engaged in general fanning and 
stock-raising, giving special attention to Short-horn 
cattle, the best breeds of hogs, and thoroughbred 
horses. He realized *2,200 as the proceeds of a 
stock sale on his farm Feb. 23, 1887. Mr. Trees is 
recognized in the comnuinity as a man of excellent 



business qualifications, and received the appoint- 
ment of Drainage Commissioner of the Miller 
District. Himself and wife have been for many 
years members of the Methodist Church, of which 
he is one of the .Stewards. He takes a personal 
interest in the cause of religion, and has been a 
teacher in the Sabbath-school for ten years. Politi- 
call3' Mr. Trees is not restricted by party spirit, liut 
votes for the man whom he considers best qualified 
to (ill the position. 



»-*-^- 



-^ 




;[]__^IIIAM J. DUNLAP, editor and manager of 
the Champaign wecklj' and daily Gazette, 
is a native of the Prairie State, born in Ley- 
iS^ den, Cook County, Feb. 8, 1841. He is the 
son of Mathias I>. and Emeline (Pierce) Dunlap, 
natives of New York State, the former of whom was 
liorn in Cherry Valley, Sept. 14, 1814, and spent 
his childhood and youth upon the farm of his father, 
William I. The latter subseqnenth' removed to 
Pulaski, Oswego Co., N. Y., where he lived until 
emigrating to this State. Here he located at Troy 
Grove, La Salle County, whence he removed to Ley- 
den, Cook Count}-, and afterward to Champaign 
Count}', where he died in 18.58. 

Mathias L. Dunlap was a gentleman of good edu- 
cation, and was engaged in teaching school at Troy 
Grove. He afterward secured a clerkship at Chi- 
cago at the time it was a village of 5,000 inhabitants. 
He subsequently became book-keeper for a firm of 
contractors on the Illinois and Michigan Canal at 
Lemont, where he remained two years. After com- 
ing into Cook Count}', he entered a piece of Gov- 
ernment land in Lej'den, which was then twelve 
miles west of the city limits. There he followed 
farming and surveying, in the meantime holding 
the ollice of Townshi|i Supervisor, serving thus for 
several 3'ears. In 1854 he was elected to the State 
Legislature, when Cook County sent but four mem- 
bers to that body. He was Democratic in politics, 
and cast his last Presidential vote for Frank Pierce. 

After leaving Cook County, IMathias L. Dunlap 
located upon 320 acres of land south of Ch!im|)aign, 
which he h.ad purchased in 1855, ami which is now 
known as "l^ur.'d noiiie." He removed his family 



i 



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IL 



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778 



CHAMPA tGN COUNTY. 



to that place iu 18y7, wlieie he iii;i(h' his home un- 
til his death, whieh (leciinx'il Feb. 14, 1H75. He 
was a man of rare intelligence, possessing a good 
fund of genera! informaliion, and was the agricult- 
ural correspondent of the Deinu/ratir Press, before 
its consolidation with the Chicago Tri/jun(',a.n(\ then 
of the Tribuiif until the day of his death, a [leriod 
of twenty-two years. He was also a contributor to 
various western journals almost from the first day 
of his arrival in Illinois. The parental family in- 
chided eight sons and two daughters, of whom 
Hiram J. was the second child. 

The subject of this history after reaching years 
of manhood engaged as a farmer and fruit-grower 
until 1S74. He had received a good common-school 
education, and after leaving the |)ioneer schools at- 
tended for a time Wlieaton College, at Wheaton, 
111. He became connected with the weeklj' (rctzette 
of Champaign as local editor in 1874, which posi- 
tion he occupied five years and until the ap- 
pointment of the editor and proprietor, George 
Scroggs, as Consul to Ilanilmrg, in 1871). Mr. 
Scroggs then selected Mr. Dunlap as editor-in- 
chief, and after the death of Mr. S., in 1880, Mr. 
Dunlnii was np|)ointed manager of the [laper. He 
commenced the publication of the daily Gazette in 
188;], and has conducted it successfully until the 
present time. It is the only daily i)aper in Cham- 
paign County', and the organ of the Repulilican 
party in this locality. 

Mr. Dunlap is a clear and forcible writer, and 
commenced his literary labors in his youth. For 
three years he was the agricultural correspondent 
of the Chicago Tribune, and has been connected with 
other papers in the West in the same capacity. He 
possesses excellent business ability, being one of the 
Directors of the Building Association of Cham- 
paign, and for man_y years Secretary of the Agri- 
cidtural Board, and interested in all enterprises 
tending to the welfare and progress of the county. 
He is Republican in principle, and uniformly casts 
his vote and exerts his influence in support of his 
party. Socially he is a member in good standing 
of the iMasonic fraternity, in which he was for nine 
years High I'riest, and was Master of Jilue Lodge 
in Champaign one year. He w.as Supervisor of 
Champaign Townshii) for nine consecutive 3'ears, 



and has served .as a delegate to the various county 
I and State conventions. 

j Hiram .1. Dunlap w.as united in marrifige with 
' Miss KUen L. Baker, of Cobden, Union Co., 111., 
Nov. 18, 18G1. Mrs. D. is the daughter of Carret 
II. and Ebnina (Clapp) Baker, who were natives of 
New York State. They arc pleasantly located on 
West Clark street, and enjoy the society of the 
most cultured people of the vicinity. Asiile from 
his city interests, Mr. D. is the owner of a fruit 
farm two miles south of Champaign. 



->>■- 



..o»o.-$5^><^..o*o.. 




REDERICK B. BATTLES, who has distni- 
guished himself as one of the intelligent 
and progressive farmers of Harwood Town- 
ship, is located on section 28, and has just inaug- 
urated the breeding of fine stock, starting out with 
a herd of imported Ilolstein cattle. Among these 
!ire Younger Hendrick and Vic Duvries, both im- 
ported, and also Bessie L'Oiel and Victor of Har- 
wood. With this handsome showing he expects to 
raise a herd which will compare favorably with 
anything of the kind in the county. Aside from 
this and the raising of grain and h.ay in large 
quantities, he .also keeps a dairy of fifteen fine cows. 
The farm liuildings are amply suited to the pur- 
poses for which they are intended, the house being 
sh.apely and commodious. The proprietor takes 
much |)ride in the result of his labors, and may be 
freely pardoned in supposing that there arc few 
who will surpass him in good management, enter- 
prise and industry. 

Mr. Battles is a native of Dorchester, M.ass., and 
was born Dec. I.'), 1828. He is the fifth child in a 
family of ten born to his parents, Joseph and 
Judith (French) Battles, .also natives of the Bay 
State. Joseph Battles served .as a .soldier in the 
War of 1812, in the place of his twin brother, 
Benjamin, who had been drafted and w.as a mar- 
ried man. 'J'hc; grandfather of t)ur subject, Jona- 
than Battles, was a Captain in the Revolutionary 
War in command of a Mas.sacluisetts company. His 
grandmother was formei-ly a Miss Porter, a de- 
scendant of a i)rominent f.'imilv in New England 



4 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



779 



various iiieiiibcrs of wliidi after ward scattered in 
dilferenl (xirtioiis of the West. 

The father of our subject was one of tlie pioneer 
settlers of l.owcll, and became largely interested in 
cotton manufactures. He was one of the lirst 
to establish a mill there, and his elder brother, 
Krank I<\, is now .Superintendent in one of the Mas-sa- 
cluisetts cotton mills, having held the same i)osi- 
tion for a period of fort}' years; the mill em- 
j)loys 2,000 hands. Another lirothei', Jose|)h P., 
has just retired from a similar position in the At- 
lantic mills, at Lawrence, which he had held for 
fort}^ years. .*-itill anc)ther one, Charles, was Super- 
intendent and Paymaster in another establishment 
of the kind, where he was employed for thirty 
years. 

Our subject passed his childhood and youth in 
his native city, and upon reaching manhood served 
an apprenticeship as a molder, being thus em|)loyed 
until 1851. In the spring of that year lie started 
by vessel around Cape Horn, from Boston for Cal- 
ifornia, and njjon arriving on the Pacific Slope 
selected his location in the Suisun Valley, where he 
engaged in farming. After a residence there of 
two and one-half ^-ears he returned East as far as 
lona, .Mich., where he engaged in a sawmill for two 
years. 

While a resident of Michigan Mr. Battles, on the 
1st of February, 18.57, was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary A. Wiser. Mrs. B. was born in Harris- 
burg, P.a., Dec. 18, 1834, and was the fifth child of 
Henry and Elizabeth (Reinhart) Wiser, natives of 
Pennsylvania, and among the most highly respected 
people of the farming districts. Ileuiy Wiser, the 
grandfather of Mrs. Battles, and his father-in-law, 
John Heinhart, were both soldiers of the Revolu- 
tion. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Battles came 
to Douglas County, III., and .shortly .afterward to 
Champaign County, locating on the south half of 
section 28, which had been jnirchased b}' the brother 
of our subject. This has been the home of Mi-. 
I>attles since 1857. Upon his first arrival here his 
lUMghbors were few and far between, and the land 
wholly uncultivated. Nothing but a wagon tract 
marked the line of travel, and here, in common 
with their remote neighbors, they struggled with 



the dilliculties of the wilderness until the soil 
yielded them a return for their labor, and the 
blooming aspect of the cijimtry induced a more 
generous colonization. 

The five sons and two daughters born to our 
subject and his wife are all living with one excep- 
tion. Benjamin, the 3oungest, passed away in 
earl}- chiklliood. Those surviving are Frank W., 
Frederick, Mar}^ A., Elizabeth B., John F. and 
Joseph. The latter and his deceased brother Ben- 
jamin were twins. The eldest daughter. Mars', is 
the wife of Albert Tompkins, who operates a rented 
farm about half a mile from the residence of his 
father-in-law. Our subject is a Republican in pol- 
itics, and his estimable wife is a worthy member 
of the IMethodist E|)iscopal Church. A lithographic 
view of the thoroughbred herd of Ilolsteins and the 
handsome home of Mr. Battles is shown elsewhere in 
this work. 



i 



^j?=9iE()R(;E WEBSTER is numbered among the 
jll gj=-, intelligent and prosperous farmers of Ran- 
^^Jl U>i\\ Township, where he located on section 
9, in 1872. At that date there was a small house 
and a few acres under cultivation. He now has a 
farm of 100 acres, finely laid out in grain fields 
and pasture lands, and equipped with good stock, 
creditjible farm buildings, all necessary machinery, 
and the usual appliances required by the i)rogressive, 
modern agriculturist. His course in life, altlKjugh 
[lerhaps not distinguished by an}- remarkable event, 
has been that of a peaceable and law-abiding citi- 
zen, eondncting his business and farming trans- 
actions in a praiseworthy manner, and enjoying 
the esteem and confidence (jf his fellow-men. 

The early home of Mr. Webster was located in 
New Lel)anon, Colninbia Co., N. Y., where he was 
born under his father's roof, on the 5th of January, 
1815. His parents, Aurelins and Elsie (Brockw.ay) 
Webster, were natives of Rensselaer County, that 
State, where they grew to years of maturity and be- 
came husband and wife. After his marriage Mr. 
W. i)urchased a sawmill in East Nassau, Rensselaer 
County, which he operateii for a number of years, 

■ •^^m 



i 



I 



780 



! 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



and thence removed to Columbia County, where he 
had previously bought a farm, upon which he lo- 
cated and lived until his decease, March 13, 1886. 
The grandfather of our subject, Constant Webster, 
occupied himself the greater part of his life in 
blacksmithing and farming, and possessed that res- 
olute and industrious spirit which resulted in Bis' 
prosperity and secured for him a comfortable home. 
He also was a resident of Rensselaer Countj', where 
he looked his last upon the scenes of earth, and 
where his remains were laid to rest. 

The subject of this sketch was the fifth of ten 
children born to his jxarents. He passed his boy- 
hood and 3'outh after the manner of most farmers' 
boys, and in common with his brothers and sisters 
assisted in the lighter labors around the homestead. 
His studies, begun in the common schools, were 
completed in the academy at Lebanon, and he re- 
mained under the home roof until his father's 
death, in ISdIi. In December of that year, having 
nearly reached his majority, he started for the 
West, and located in the borders of Indiana until 
June of the following 3^ ear. He then came to Del- 
avan in Tazewell County, this State, where he 
worked by the month two years, and afterward for 
a few months clerked in a store. His constitution, 
however, would not permit of indoor employment, 
and without imuh regret he returned to farming. 
He continued a resident of Tazewell County until 
1H72, when he made his advent into this county, 
and purchased a tract of land now included in his 
present farm. After oceupj-ing this for a jjcriod 
of about nine years he left it in charge of a tenant, 
and removing to Kantoul engaged in general mer- 
chandising, living in town two years. He then 
returned to his farm, where he has since resided 
and superintended its cultivation and improvement, 
He has never enjoyed robust health. 

The marriage of our subject and Miss Mary II. 
.Slaughter took place at the linnic of the bride's 
parents in Delavan, 111., April 1,'), 1873. Mrs. Web- 
ster was born in Delavan Township, Aug. 20, 1853, 
aiid is the daughter of William and Sarah (Hudson) 
Slaughtei', pi(jneer settlers of Tazewell County, to 
which they removed from Ohio in 1S52. Of this 
marriage tluu'e have been born three children — 
Frank, Nelson and I^dith, all at home with their 



parents. Mr. Webster politically is a decided Re- 
publican, and keeps himself well posted upon the 
current events of the day. Mrs. Webster is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Cluinh. 



#"# 



-V-— 




W. TERRY, a retired farmer who is si)end- 
ing his life quietly in the city of Urbana, 
*'^^S was born in Darke Count3', Ohio, Oct. 13, 
1817. His parents were Nathan and Delilah (West- 
fall) Terry, natives of Ohio and Kentucky. His 
grandfather, Enos Tei'ry, was born in New .lersey, 
to which State his parents emigrated from Ireland 
and where they spent the last years of their life. 
Enos Terry served as a Colonel in the War of 1812, 
and the final treaty with the Indians w.as made at 
his house. He afterward removed to Ohio with his 
family, where he became an extensive farmer and 
land-owner, and was also identified with the politi- 
cal alTairs of that section, being Associate Judge of 
Darke a number of years. He also married and 
reared a famil}', among whom was Nathan, the 
father of our subject. He was bred to farming 
pursuits, which he carried on near the old home his 
entire life. His family consisted of seven children, 
of whom only three are now living: Sarah. Mrs. 
Furnas, of Miami County, Ohio; George W., of 
our sketch; and Linus, a carriage manufacturer of 
iMianii County. l5oth the families of Imujs and 
Nathan belonged to the Christian Church. 

The subject of this history remained at home 
with his p.arents, attending school and assisting in 
the lal>ors of the farm until fifteen 3'ears of age. 
He then went to Logans[)ort, Ind., where he served 
an apprenticeship of five years at saddlery and har- 
ness-making, and then worked two years as a jour- 
nej^man. In 184.') he jjushed further westward into 
Illinois, stopping the first two j-ears in Tazewell 
County, whence he came, in 1847, to Champaign 
County. Here he jiurchased eighty acres of land in 
Somer Township, to which he afterward added sixty 
acres, which he improved and cultivated until 18G1), 
with uniform success. At this time, wishing to aban- 
don farming pursuits, he erected a fine brick resi- 
dence ;il the intersection of Main and Coler streets, 
into which, when completed, he removed his family 



■•► 



i 



t 



I 



-4^ 



a 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



7!S1 



and wliere he lias since lived. He sold the farui in 
l!^7.S. While a resident uf I rliana 'rowMsiup he 
was intrusted with its various ollices, tiie duties of 
which he fulfilled with credit to liiniself and satis- 
faction to his constituents. 

Mr. Terry was niarrie<l in 1841), to Mrs. Eliza 
Adkins, a native of Ohio, and the daughter of 
James and Asenath (Hall) Young. Her parents 
were natives of Oliio, and her father was one of the 
earliest settlers of the Buckeye State. Of the ten 
ciiildren comprising the parental houseliold, five 
only are now living, namely: Mrs. Elizur Tenne}'; 
Mrs. Mar}- .Soniers, of Sonier Township, this county ; 
Walter, who is farming near Normal; Mrs. Sarah 
Moore, of Ford County, 111., and Naomi, Mrs. 
Ditto, of St. .Joseph Township, this county. James 
You}ig came to Illinois in 1842, and locating on a 
farm in Urbana Township cultivated the soil until 
he rested from his earthly labors. Both he and his 
wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. By her first marriage Mrs. Terry became 
the mother of two children — William and AscuaLli. 

Mr. Terry is R(qHiblican in politics, and during 
the late war assisted in the i)reservati6n of the 
I'nion by enlisting in Co. B, TOlh 111. Vol. Inf., and 
serving three years. He was promoted Sergeant, 
and was present at the battles of Vicksburg, Jack- 
son, Blakesley, and many utlier engagements and 
skirmishes. He is a member in good standing of 
the I. O. O. V. and the G. A. It., and a fair repre- 
sentative of the substantial farmers and business 
men of Champaign County. 



-mm- 



J ^ AMES G. OLDHAM, of Urbana, lias ob- 
tained a local reputation as a breeder of fine 
stock, in which lie lias had a valuable ex- 
perience and lieen remarkably successful. 
He is a native of Fayette County, Ohio, and was 
born Oct. 2, 1847. His parents, John (!. and Anna 
(Warner) Oldham,, were natives respectively of 
Virginia and Ohio. John Oldham was an extensive 
farmer and stock-dealer, and the owner of about 
800 acres of land in Fayette County. In connec- 
tion with farming he also operate<l a blacksmith .•ind 
cooper shop. His life was one of industry and cn- 

■4» 



erg}', and he remained in Ohio, to which State he 
had removed at an early day, until his death, in 
1852. Mrs. O. survived her husband thirty-three 
years and died near Urbana in 188j. Both parents 
belonged to the Society of Friends, and [(olitically 
the father of our subject was a stanch adherent of 
the old Whig party. 

The parental family included ten children, eight 
now living, namely: Jane, Mrs. Daniels; John E. ; 
Massey, Mrs. Williams; Simeon W. ; Elizabeth, Mrs, 
Lukens; Abiier W.; J. W., and .lames G., of our 
sketch. The grandfather of our subject, Edward 
Oldham, was a native of \'irginia, ;uid married Miss 
Jane tiardner, who w:is of English descent. The 
mother of our subject- was the daughter of Levi 
Warner, a native of the Keystone State, reared 
among the t^nakers, and whose grandparents, also 
Quakers, emigrated from England at an early period 
in the history of this country and engaged exten- 
sively in farming. 

Mr. Oldham, of our sketch, w.as bred to farm 
life and at an early age learned to depend upon his 
own resources. When thirteen yuars old he com- 
menced working out at ^7 per month, and made 
himself so usefid that in the fall of that s.ime year 
his \tages were raised to iil5 per month. The year 
following he received ¥17. In the meantime he 
prosecuted his education by attending .school in the 
winter, so that at seventeen years of age he en- 
gaged :is a teacher at Madison, Ind., in the vicinity 
of which |)lace his labors had been carried on since 
he was ten years of age. 

Our subject c;ime to Illinois in 1804, and rented 
a farm three miles east of Urbana. He operated 
ui)on rented land until 1 S7.j, and then purcha.sed a 
farm in Urbana Townshi)), winch he occui)ied until 
1 882. In the meantime he had been engaged in buy- 
ing and shipping stock, of which he imide a success, 
and vvhrch he has continued since 1871. He deals 
only in the best grades, and has in his st;ibles a num- 
ber of blooded horse^, usually keeping no less tliiui 
twelve on hand. Mr. Oldham became a resident 
of Urbana in 188.'!, at which time he began dealing 
in city property, and is at the present doing more 
to build U[) and im|)rove the city than any oilier 
one man. 

In view of the career here detailed it is hardly 



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i 



f 



782 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



*► ■ <• 



necessary to say that Mr. Oklhatn has arrived at 
his present position, financially, through his own ef- 
forts, and he possesses tiie respect and esteem which 
are tacitlj' accorded all those who have been success- 
ful in surmounting difficulties, and have thus at- 
tained that independence of character which con- 
stitutes the substantial and reliable citizen. 

Mr. Oldham was married on the 9th of March, 
1871, to Miss Bell L., daughter of .John and Maria 
(Uoe) McDonald, natives of Virginia and Ken- 
tucky respectivelj-. Of this union there are two 
children — Ora B. and Ada 1'. 



-*- 



1- 



1^^ AMUEL A. KIRKPATRICK, of St. Joseph 
=>i^^ Townr'hip, is the third son and fifth child 
I of .John C. and Mary C. (Busej') Kirkpat- 
rick, and was born on the old homestead 
Dec. 22, 1860. The Kirkpatricks are a family 
widely' and favorably known in the Buckeye State, 
where James Kirkpatrick, the grandfather of our 
subject, was born, reared and married. He after- 
ward removed to Tippecanoe Count3-, Ind., and 
reared a family of sons and daughters, among wliom 
was John C, the father of our suliject, who became 
a resident of Illinois in 18.')1. He possessed the 
excellent traits of his Irisli and German ancestry, 
and by his energy and industr}' became a leading 
light in this locality, assisting with his brother pio- 
neers in developing the resources of the country, 
and building up fr(jm the uncultivated {):airic the 
fine and fcitile stretch of land which is now con- 
sidered one of the most valuable in the Prairie 
State. His first |)urchase comprised a portion of the 
present site of Chamitaign. 

John C. Kirkpatrick followed fanning for many 
j'ears, and is still living, but retired from active 
labor. He became paiticularly successful in the 
raising of cattle for the markets, from the proceeds 
of which he realized quite a fortune, which he in- 
vested in real estate to the extent of 800 acres, 
wliicli now comprises one of the finest farms in 
Ciianipalgn County. The beautiful residence is 
surrounded by clmice shade trees. Hanked by good 
barns and other out-buildings, and in f.act is very 
nearly perfection in all that constitutes the modern 



country home. The parental family included the 
following children, all living, viz., Marion F., Al- 
bert J.; Elizabeth, the wife of D. R. Dilling; Hat- 
tie B., the wife of C. A. Barricklow; Samuel A., of 
our sketch; Charles S., Jesse C. and Eannie. 

Our subject remained a member of the house- 
hold until 1884, and on the 23d of April of that 
j'ear, was married to Miss Ella Day, of Fountiiin 
County, Ind. Mrs. Kirkp.atrick is a native of the 
count}' mentioned, and the daughter of Michael 
and Jane Da}'. After marriage, the J'oung people 
made their preparations for a permanent residence 
on the old homestead, where they have still re- 
mained, and where our subject, like his father be- 
fore him, has successfully followed farming and 
stock-raising, and made a specialt}'' of fine horses, 
breeding and importing direct from Scotland some 
of the best specimens of Clydesdales to be found 
' in Illinois. He also has a small herd of thorough- 
bred Short-horn cattle, and has acquired quite an 
enviable reputation as a breeder of fine stock. In 
conjunction with this he has raised large quan- 
tities of corn annually, it being consumed mostly 
Ijy the farm stock. 

Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick, there 
has l)een born one child, a son, (ilenn B. Mr. 
Kirkpatrick received a good education, completing 
his studies in the Normal School at Ladoga, and 
for two winters thereafter conducted a school in 
Champaign County. He finally concluded, how- 
evt'r, that farming was preferable to teaching, but 
by a judicious course of reading keeps himself well 
informed upon matters of general interest. 



JOSEPH R. HUD.SON, the fourth son of John 
and Lydia Hudson, of St. Joseph Township, 
was born near Rising Sun, now the county 
seat of Ohio County, Ind., March 18, 1846. 
He came to this count}' with Iiis parents when a 
boy eight years of age. and coni|)loted his educa- 
tion by a limited attendance at the district school. 
He has been continuously a resident of the old 
homestead, and before reaching his majority was 
united in m.arriage with Miss Nellie Koep, a n.ative 
of Ohio, but whose parents were from Pennsylva- 



nia- 



* 



ffi' 



M 



T '-, >ii ..U. 




RESIDENCE OF W^ F, H WAR D , 5 E C , 24- , HEN5LEY TP, 




RESIDENCE OF ROBERT DAV 1 5 , 5 E C . 13 , IVl A HOM ET T P. 




"SYCAMORE HOME ;' = R. B . IVI0RRI5 , 5EC,lb,URBANA TP 



ffi. 



^ 



t 



■^•- 



■•► 



^' 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



785 






Ilia. Of this union there was buni one daughter, 
Amelia M., now the wife of Josepli Riee, of St. 
Jose[)h Township. The mother departed this life 
when the ciiild was but an infant. 

The present wife of our subjeet, Iv wliom lie was 
married in the spring of 1880, was furnierly Miss 
Margaret Mc(iraw, a native of New York State, 
who came to this county with her parents when a 
child. She is the daughter of Roger and Mary 
McGraw, the former of whom is deceased; the 
mother resides in Urbana. Both Mr. and Jlrs. 
Hudson are members and regular attendants of the 
Catholic Church at Champaign. 

The homestead of our subject includes I GO acres 
of choice land, with a handsome and substantial 
residence, which was put up in the summer of 
1886. The barn and out-buildings are commodi- 
ous and convenient, and the premises in all respects 
indicate the supervision of an enterprising and in- 
telligent proprietor. Mr. Hudson has given his at- 
tention principally to the raising of grain and 
stock, in which he has been eminentl}' successful, 
and is reckoned among the well-to-do and inde- 
pendent farmers of St. Joseph Township. He is 
pre-eminently an expert in the cultivation of the 
soil, and his stock operations yield him annually a 
handsome income. 



^^ HRISTOPIIER L. HOWSKR. one of the en- 
,|( ter[)rising young farmers of St. Joseph, of 

^^^ whom much is expected in tiie future, was 
born not far from his present residence on the 8th 
of November, 18G4. He is the third son of Jona- 
than and Margaret J. (I)illman) Howser, who lie- 
came residents of this county in 1854, settling 
upon a farm in St. Joseph Township, where they 
still reside. 

Our subject received the advantages of the com- 
mon schools, and remained with his parents until 
his marriage, which took place in the spring of 1 H8t, 
when he was in the twentieth year of his age. 
The lady destined to become the sharer of his home 
and fortune was Miss Millie J. Reeder, a native of 
Montgomery County, Ohio, born in I8(;i, and the 
daughter of Henry H. and Kmma (Neil) Rcedei', 



who became residents of this county in 1870, and 
are now residing in I'hilo. 

After their marriage Jlr. and Mrs. llonser lo- 
cated u[)()n their present homestead on section 31, 
which embraces eiglity acres of improved laud, 
with a handsome two-stor}' residence, a good barn, 
and all necessary out-buildings. Mr. H., in addi- 
tion to general farming, has already distinguished 
himself as a successful stock-raiser, giving his at- 
tention mostly to hogs and cattle, numbers of which 
he fattens each year and sliii)s to the Eastern mar- 
kets. 

To this little household, established early in life, 
there have been born two children, a son and 
daughter, Herman Blaine and Laurel Bertram. Mr. 
Howser since becoming a voter has uniformly ex- 
erted his inlUience in support of Republican princi- 
ples, and takes an intelligent interest in cuunty and 
local affairs. 

^OUN 11. lll'DS(JN. The line farm of iiOO 
acres, which is located on section ;iO, in St. 
Joseph Township, and invariably attracts 
the ej'e of the traveler through that section 
with its thrifty grain fields, and pasture lands 
neatly fenced, its handsome and imposing resi- 
dence in the midst of a beautiful grove, and the 
other shapely' and convenient out-buildings, has been 
for years the prujierty of the gentleman whose 
name stands at the head of this sketch. Of this he 
took possession when it was but an open prairie, 
with neighbors few and far between, and since that 
time he has given to the place his undivided care 
and attention. On all sides are evinced the indus- 
try and enterprise of an intelligent and wide-awake 
man, and one who, without question, has' been 
largely identified with the agricultural interests 
and the welfare of his township. 

Mr. Hudson was born in Ohio County, Ind., near 
the thriving town of Rising Sun, the conuty seat, 
March 22, isil. His father, John Hudson, a na- 
tive of Kngland, was born in 1803, and in 1820 
emigrated to the United States and was married in 
Ohio to Miss Lydia Mcdvinsy, a native of the Buck- 
eye State. After marriage the 3'oung people re 



<- 



■*►— B-^ 



i 



t. 



786 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



'} 



inained for :i time in Ohio, and liiencc removed to 
ludiuiia, of wiiicli tiio_v were residents until 1854. 
Tlien, v>itli their fauiil}' of nine cliililren, tlicy cnnie 
to tliis eount}', loeating two miles soiitli of Uriiana 
upon a farm wliieli the father rented for one year. 
He then purchased tile farm whicli lie^ on section 
ly, and is now occui)ied Ijy his son Josepli R. He 
is in the enjoyment of good liealth and all his fac- 
ulties. The niotlier's death tooic place May 23, 
1887. 

The parental family of oxir subject included ten 
children, of whom only seven are living. Of these 
.John H. was the tiiird son, and was fourteey 3'ears 
old when liis parents came to this county. He com- 
pleted his education in the scliuols of Tcrre Haute, 
Ind., and remained with his parents until reaching 
bis tweutietli year, wlien lie started out on his own 
account l)y renting a fai'ui. At the expiration of a 
year ■ he purchased eiglity acres of land which is 
now included in iiis present hortfiestead, and to 
which he has suljseqtienlly added until the farm 
emiiraces oGO acres. L![)ou laying his jjlans for the 
future, one of tlie most important steiis toward the 
estal)lisluncnt of a home of his own was his mar- 
riage with Miss Kliza, tlie daughter of Jonathan 
and iMartha J. Houser. 

The 3()ung people after their marriage remained 
a year (;ii the homestead of the elder Hudson, and 
then removed to their own farm on section 30. 
The (list modest dwelling was re|)laced in 187G by 
till' present line residence, and Mr. Hudson has 
licen continually adding improvements since taking 
possession. Most of his accumulations have been 
the result of liis success as a grain-raiser, altliougli 
he has dealt largely' in i^attle, keeiiing usually about 
seventy liead which he fattens on gra;js. He is also 
engaged considerably in tlie lireeding of draft 
horses, and exliibits some tine spceiinens. 

Tlie home circle of .Mr. and Mrs. Hudson was 
completed by tlie Ijirth of eiglit children, six sons 
and two daughters, named res|)ectively, Lettie L., 
Clifton A., Charles H.. Joliii M., Oscar, Perry, 
Frederick M. and Carrie. All are at home with 
tlieir parents. 

The career of Mr. Hudson has been essentially 
that of a self-made man, who early in life became 
dependent upon his own resources, and who has 
4* 



been prosiiered through his own perseverance and 
industry. Upon first starting out for himself his 
outlit consisted of one horse which had been given 
him by his father. He lalxired industriously, lived 
economicall}' and was remarkably fortunate in his 
investments. He is now ranked among llie repre- 
sentative farmers of Central Illinois, and his estate 
adds greatly to the value of [iroperty in his com- 
munity, as well as forming one of the most attract- 
ive features of the landscape. 

( a ^ . 
-^ ' ^S^ ' '■^ 



/>^E0UG1-: W. PUTNAM, who is well known 
\ll ,— p as a member of the firm of Putnam IJros., 
^^^Jj the leading business house at Peutield, is 
with his lirother conducting an extensive trade in 
agricultural implements, besides having a store of 
general iuerchaiidis(i and a grain elevator. Mr. 
Putnam was born on the 3d of May, 1852, when 
his parents were residents of tlie city of Rochester, 
N. Y., where he lived until two years old, and then 
moved with his parents to Worcester County, Mass., 
remaining there until twelve 3'ears of age, and then 
came with them to Illinois. His boyhood and 
^•outh were passed alternately in the district school 
and employed in the lighter labors of the farm 
until a j'outh of seventeen years. 

Our subject's father, a gentleman of much nat- 
ural ability, who valued tlie advantages of learning, 
being desirous that his son should receive a college 
education, [ilaced him in the High School of Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio, where he pursued his stutlies until Ihe 
death of the former. He returned home after a 
time but subseiiucntly resumed his studies until 
failing liealth obliged him to abandon them, and 
his school life was [iracticallj' ended. Afterward 
he i-esumed work (Hi the farm until February, 188.3, 
his mother in the meantime having given him a 
portion of the land. At the date mentioned, in 
company with his brother Edgar, he engaged in his 
present business, and they n(jw pay over to the 
railroad com[iany annually more than oiie-ii:Uf of 
the freight charges at Peutield IStatiou. 

On the 22d of April, 1878, our subject w«s 
uiut(!d in marriage with Miss Florida Kirkpatrick, 
at the home of the bride's parents in Charity, \'er- 




f 



<^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



787 



iiiiliim Co., 111. Mrs. P. is the daughter of S.-imud 
and Uebecca Kirkpatiiek, and was hoiii in Indiana; 
her father is proprietor of a fine farm in Vermilion 
County, this State, and is one of the leading agri- 
culturists of that section. The tiiree children of 
Mr. and Mrs. Putnam are, Nellie, Earl and Harry. 
Mr. P. is a strong ttnipcrance man. Democratic 
politically, and socially a niember of the Knights 
of Pythias. 




\ 1 



THOMAS R. COSliEY was horn among the 
Ohio hills, in Hamilton County, Dec. 29, 
1848. He was the third child of Samuel M. 



and Elizabeth (Malsbury) Cosbey, the fornicr a na- 
tive of Ohio and the latter of New Jersey. The 
father of our subject was the son of Samuel and 
Ellen (Lee) Cosbey, of Scotch descent, and his 
mother was the daughter of William and VA\/ai 
(Bowman) Malsbury, natives of New Jersey. 

The childhood and 31 >uth of our subject were spent 
on his father's farm and his education was con- 
ducted in the district schools of .Sycamore Town- 
ship. When he was fourteen years of age the 
famil}' were bereft of the kind care of the affec- 
tionate mother who passed from earth in middle 
life, and Thomas U. was placed in the home of an 
uncle. He remained there a year, and afterward 
tt)()k u[> his abode with another uncle, remaining 
the same length of time. His father was then mar- 
ried and the family once more estaljlished under the 
same roof. The second wife of Samuel Cosbey 
was formeiiy Miss Ellen Steefel, a native of New 
Jer.sey, and with them our subject ivmained until 
he was twenty-four years of age. He then begin 
farming on his own account and, lielieving that he 
would be enabled to maintain a family, on the l.Slh 
of June, 1874, was united in marriage with .Miss 
Maggie Meier, who was the eldest of seven children 
born to John M. and Kunignnda (.Seitenfaden) 
Meier. Hw p.arents were natives of IJavaria and 
came to America during the great foreign emi- 
gration of 1848. 

Mr. and Mrs. Cosbey so(jn after their mairi.-ige, 
established themselves on a farm in llamiltun 
County, Ohio, which they occupied until the spring 
of 1884. Then coming West they located on a 

<■ 



farm of i40 acres in Ilarwood Township, whicii 
was owned by the father of our subject. Here Mr. 
Cosbey has si nee successfully followed farming and 
stock-raising and has Itecorae one of the impcjrtant 
factors in the agricultural interests of this section. 
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Cosbey, seven in 
number and all living, are recorded as follows: 
Linn Leonard was born in 1875; Carl Walter, in 
the year 187G; Myra Mabel, Oct. 22, 1877; H.al- 
ley. May 31, 1879; Miles Milo, May 5, 1881 ; lola 
Edith, Nov. 5, 1883; Lola May, Aug. 14, 1886. 
The home and its surroundings form a pleasant 
picture of country life in the midst of peace and 
plenty. Our subject has never been an ottice-sceker, 
although occasionalK" ollifiating'.as Township Clerk 
or Trustee. His political sympathies are with the 
Ropul)lican party, and religiously, with his estima- 
ble wife and her parents, he adheres to the doctrines 
of the Lutheran Church. 



''J'C"* 



T. EUGATE, M. I)., a popular and iironii- 
nent physician of Urban.-i, located in this 
city in Novendier, 1808, whence he h.ad re- 
moved from Pike County, 111. He was born 
iirCvytheville. Wythe Co., Va., June l.'i, 1831, and 
is the son of Wilbourn and Iv.iphemia (Thom|)S()n) 
Kugate, natives respectively of \'irginia and North 
Carolina. Mr. Fugate was .-i Huguenot. His ances- 
tors lied to this country before persecution, locating 
in South Carolina. His father was prominent in the 
alTairs of his native county in \'irginia, occupying 
an ollicial position the greater part of his life. He 
studied medicine in his younger days, but never 
practiced. He removed with his family to Pike 
County, .Misstniri, and there became a partner 
in the Howling (!reen Ueiiuhliatii, with which he 
was associated for thrive years. Then, in partner- 
sliii) with Mr. lUock, he engaged in meicantile pur- 
suits, and in 183;") purchased a farm which he 
occupied until 1 St;.',, lie Ihin sold out and re- 
moved to Mt. Sterling, 111., near which town he 
purchased land and lived for some time. After 
disijosing of his [iiopcrty there he became a resi- 
dent of Camp Point, where he died on the 2d of 
Hecend)er, 18(;(;, at the advanced age of eighty-six \ 



-¥- 



I 



i 



t 



788 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



j'ears. During his early life Willxjiini Fugate was 
a Whig, politically, but later east his lot with the 
Democratic party. Ucligiously he was an old- 
school I'rcshytcriau. He possessed a remarkable 
nieiiiory, especially in regard to names and dates, 
and wherever lie lived was readily recognized as a 
man of more than ordinary* ability, well fitted to be 
a leader among his fellows, lie was a great ad- 
mirer of Masonic principles, and connected himself 
with the fraternity when a 3'oung man, becoming 
prominent and establishing many lodges in differ- 
ent localities. The six children of the parental 
household arc recorded as follows: J. T., of our 
sketch, was the eldest; Dr. Jerome W. is practicing 
in Lawrence, Kan. ; Elizabeth" married Dr. A. L. 
Darrah, of Bloomington, 111.; 13r. L3'curgus W. has 
built up a flue practice in and around Colchester, 
McDonough County ; David \V. and Miranda are 
residents of Camp Point, 111. The mother survives, 
and is living with her son, our subject, at Urbaua, 
being now seventy-six j'ears old. 

The Doctor spent his younger days in teaching 
school, and pursuing his studies under competent 
tutors at Barry, in Pike Ciuunty, 111. \V'hen twenty- 
two years of age he determined to see something 
of the world, and proceeding to Virginia, traveled 
South and East and in various other sections for 
several years. Upon returning to this State he 
resumed his former occupation, and devoted his 
leisure hours to the study of medicine. After a 
thorough course in the .Missouri Medical College he 
was admitted to practice, in 1851), entering upon 
his profession in the city of St. Louis, of which he 
w<is a resident until the breaking out of the Hebcll- 
ion. He then returned to Pike County, 111., where 
he followed his i)ractice until 18()8. In that year 
he turned it over to his brother, Lyeurgus W., and 
removed to Urbana, where he has since been 
actively engaged. He is prominent and pO[wlar 
among his professional brethren in this city, and 
belongs to the SUite, County, and District Medical 
Societies. He has been a close student, an exten- 
sive reader, and has won his way fairly' to the con- 
fidence and esteem of the people of Champaign 
County. 

Dr. Fugate was married in 18(;2, to Miss Dora 
Parkes, who was born in Adams County, 111., in 

4* 



1838, and is the daughter of Orsamus and Jane 
(Burnham) Parkes, natives of Ohio. Of this union 
there are three children: Minnie, Mrs. Raj-, of Ur- 
bana, who has two children — Wayne and Carlos ; 
Wilbourn W. and Alice (i. are at home with their 
parents. Tlie famijj- residence is pleasantly located 
at the intersection of High and Broad streets, 
where its inmates enjoy all the comforts and many 
of the luxuries of life. The Doctor and Mrs F. 
are members in good standing of tlie Bai)tist 
Church, and number among their friends and asso- 
ciates the leading people of Urbana. 

^I^jKOWN MATHEWSON, who is worthily 
lY^sL fulfilling his misson as a meml)er of the 
'|®j)jll farming ci)mmunity of Compromise Town- 
^^^ ship, for tlie last twentj'-two years has been 
industrioush' cultivating IGO acres of limd on sec- 
tion 4. Here he has a good set of farm buildings, 
with all the machinery required by the modern ag- 
riculturist. Our subject is a n:itive of Rhode Isl- 
and, and was born at Smitlifield. Sept. 11, 1810. 
His early years were passed after the manner of 
most farmers' boj's, and he started out quite young 
in life to do for himself. Going first to Oxford, 
Mass., when but fifteen years of age, he worked 
nine mouths in the year and sjieiit the remaining 
three in school, in the meantime doing chores for 
his board. He was thus occupied for a period of 
two years, and then returning to his native State 
engaged in a livery stable at Providence, where he 
worked for a year, in the meantime revolving in 
his mind a i)lan by which he would be enabled to 
see something more of the world, and find if there 
were not something better for him in the future. 

At the expiration of this time Mr. M. proceeded 
first to Utica, then to Buffaki and Niagara Falls, 
and from there walked about 200 miles through the 
country to Albany. He thence proceeded by boat 
to Schenectady, and from there to New York City, 
finally arriving in Hartford, Conn., where he en- 
gaged to work bj- the month, and was thus occu- 
pied two 3'ears. He now determined to seek the 
West in earnest. Proceeding first to Cincinnati and 
finding nothing to kec[) him there, he went into 



-*Hi-^ 



I 



<4^ 



_t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



789 



I 



Frankfort, Ohio, and was afterward variously en- 
gaged, being in tlie lumber-yard and f)n the eanal, 
driving a cooper's wagon sometimes, and linally 
rented a piece of land and settled down for live 
years. 

After becoming his own man on the farm, and 
feeling the neeossity of a companion and helpmeet 
to cheer his solitude, Mr. .Alathewson was united in 
marriage with Miss Marie Williams, of IJntlcr 
County. Ohio, and thej- went to housekeeping in 
modest stj'le upon the rented land. In due time 
the family was increased bj' the birth of four chil- 
dren, one of whom died in infancy, and the other 
three grew to maturity and married. Lewis W'., 
the eldest son, chose for his wife Miss Mollie Can- 
non, of Cincinnati, and where he is now Citj' En- 
gineer; James married Mrs. Elizabeth Jackson, and 
is farming on section 2 in Compromise Township, 
this county; Alice, the wife of C. W. Lamliert, is 
living in Nebraska. 

Mr. Mathewson, in 1845, abandoned farming for 
the time, and moving into Cincinnati purchased a 
number of teams and commenced dra3'ing. This 
proved a very successful venture, and he contin- 
ued for seventeen j^ears, during which time he pur- 
chased several lots, and in 18()1 sold them all in 
order to come to Illinois. He reached this county 
in July, 1865, and purchased 100 acres of land in 
Compromise Township, where he built a small 
house, into which he removed his family the fol- 
lowing spring. Ten years later he met with an 
aflliction in the death of his wife, who departed this 
life on the 7th of January, 1875, and was buried in 
the cemetery at Maplewood. 

The present wife of our subject, formerl}- Mrs. 
Harriett ("Wells) Thrapp, and to whom he was mar- 
ried Jan. 7, 1882, is the daugiiter of Richard and 
Susannah (.Sapi)ington) Wells, and was born in 
Knox County, Ohio, Sept. 6. 1827. Her father was 
a native of Anne Arundel County, Md., was born 
Jan. 4, 1800, and in early life learned the carjjcu- 
ter's trade at IJaltiraore. He worked there several 
3-ears, and when twenty-six years of age was mar- 
ried and removed to Ohio, locating among the ear- 
liest settlers of Knox County. Thence he removed 
to Licking County, and engaged in farming there 
for a perioil of thirty-five years. Subsequently he 
M^ '■ 



removed into Delaware County for the pur|>ose of 
educating his chihiren, and died there .May 27, 
1871. His wife, formerly Miss Susannah Sapping- 
toM, was l(orn Oct. 11), 1808, in the eastern part of 
Mar3'land, near the shores of Chesapeake Bay. Iler 
parents died when she was but four years of age, 
and she was reared by her uncle, Charles Wil- 
loughby. She departed this life Aug. .31, 1843, 
during the residence of the familj* in Licking 
Count}'. Her children, five in number, were John 
T., Harriett A., Rebecca J., Richard N., and a babe 
who died unnamed. These worthy people filled 
their niche in life, and were devout members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Churdi. 

The grandf.ather of our subject, Joseph Mathew- 
son, was a native of Rhode Islan<l, where he spent 
his entire life engaged in farming pursuits, and 
passed from the scenes of his earthy labors on tlie 
18th of November, 1812, at the age of sixty- 
three years, ten months and. fourteen da3's. His 
wife, who in her girlhood was Miss Bettie Brown, 
was a native of the same State as her husband, and 
also died there Feb. 17, 1842. She survived her 
husband many years, having at the time of her 
death reached the advanced age of eight^'-eight 
years, one month and seven days The great-grand- 
father of our subject, Othiniel Mathewson, a na- 
tive of the same State as his son, lived to be one 
hundred and one years, seven months and twent}'- 
eight days old. His death took place on the 18th of 
October, 1800. 

SIIBEL II. BAILEY, of lUntoul Township, 
came to this seclit)n of the country- in the 
spring of 1801, and located on a farm four 
'*'*' miles west of the village of Rantoul. After 

engaging in farming for a period of ten years he 
moved into town and took charge of a nursery, 
which he conducted until admonished li}' failing 
health that he must retire from active lalior. Of 
his family, one son, Algernon S., after serving in 
the Union army as a member of Co. I, 12th III. 
Vol. Cav., died of disease contracted in the service. 
Ki'edeiick S. resides here, and Edward I)., in Clark, 
Dak. Laura E. married F. A. Brown, of Dakota, 




r 



»» ■ <•- 




790 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



and Charles \V.. tin- yotiiiyest, is n grain dealer and 
Postmaster at Tunflinson. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Lenox. 
Berkshire Co., Mass.. Sei)t. U, 1819. His parents, 
Caleb and Betsey (Hills) P>ailcy, were natives of 
CfMinecticiit and Mass.achusetts respectively, and 
the former of English and the latter of German 
ancestry. Caleb Bailey early in life learned the 
shoemaker's trade, afterward engaged as a merchant, 
and during the latter i)art of his life devoted him- 
self to farming. The eight children of the parental 
household comprised five sons and three daughters, 
six of whom survive. Ashbel II. was the eldest of 
the family, and spent his early life in his native 
tovn. receiving his education at the district school 
and Lenox AeadiMny. Fpiin the removal of the 
-parents to Ohio he accomiianied them, and grew to 
manhood on the farm. He had a natural love of 
learning, and after T)ecoming a resident of the 
Buckeye .State entered (irand River Institute at 
Austinliurg, Ohio, where he became fitted for a 
teacher at the age of sixteen years. He subsequentlj- 
attended Western Reserve Teachers' Seminary two 
years. He commenced teaching in the district 
school, and advanced until he became Superintend- 
ent of Schools in Ashtabula County, Ohio, and was 
also connected with the Board of Examiners eight 
years. 

While a resident of Ohio Mr. Bailey w.-is united 
in marriage with Miss Laura M. Wright, of Ashta- 
bula County, and daughter of Col. J)avid Wright. 
The young people located at Jefferson, Ashtabula 
County, where Mr. B. taught several years, and 
then at College Hill. He became agent for Terre 
Haute and Ohio Female Colleges, and*vas thus oc- 
cupied ten years, coming to this county soon aft- 
ward. Mrs. Laura M. Bailey departed this life in 
the summer of 18G8. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married in 1870, was formerly- AFIss Sarah E. Smead, 
who, like her husb.and, was in earlier years a teacher, 
and at the time of her marriage was engaged in her 
profession in Madison. Ohio. She also is a native 
of Massachusetts, whence her p.arents removed to 
Ohio when she was a 3'oung lady sixteen years of 
age. 

Mr. liailey has been prominent in the affairs of 



this locality since coming here, representing Ran- 
toul Township in the Board of .Supervisors for a 
number of years, and in 1880 was elected to the 
State J>cgislature on the Republican ticket, serving 
in the Thirty-second General Assembl}'. Much of 
his life has been devoted to reading and study, he 
being one of those men who wisely consider the 
time well si)cnt which is given to the impr(jvoment 
of the niijul. Up keeps himself well (wsted upon 
current events, and although having little to do 
with general politics, casts his vote in support of 
Republican principles. Nothing ple.ases him better 
than to be able to encourage the various worth}- 
enterprises calculated for the general welfare of his 
fellow-citizens, and his voice is always heard on the 
side of truth and justice. The .agitation of re- 
ligious and educational questions finds no more in- 
terested listener than himself, or one who more 
zealously encour.ages every measure for the intel- 
lectual and moi'al advancement of the people. His 
home in Ranloul is the resort of the intelligent and 
educated people of the place. He h.as been con- 
nected with the Congregational Church for a pe- 
riod of twent}' years, and of which Mrs. Baile}' is 
also a member, being the active sympathi/.or of 
her husband in his religious ide.as and literary 
tastes. 



li^^HOMAS H. BELL, one of the self-made 
(fn^\ nien of Newconib Township, was l)orn in 
^^^ Madison County, Ohio, Pel). 8, 184."), and 
is the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Smith) 
Bell, natives of the .same county, where the 
father died in June, 1848. The parental household 
included six children, of whom Thomas H. was the 
fifth. He resided in his native county until seven- 
teen years of age, and until after the outbreak of 
the late war. He then enlisted as a Union soldier 
in Co. A, 113th Ohio \it\. Inf., and served three 
years. At the battle of Kciniesaw Mountain he was 
badly wounded in the head, l)ut finally recovered 
and resumed his place in his regiment. 

After the close of the war. in the spring of 1806, 
Mr. Bell came to Illinois, stopping in McLean 
County a short time, and thence went to Kansas. 
Afterward he returned to Ohio, and after a brief 



4 



i 



I 



<^ 



-•» ■ <• 



niAMPATr.N rOTTXTY. 



roi 



staj' in Madison t'oimly. tiiiallv soltU'il in la/owcll 
County. 111., where he liverl six years, and in the 
springs of 187.") came to Champaign County, locat- 
ing in Ncwconib Township, where he pnicliascd a 
tract of land and commenced its ini|)rovement and 
cultivation. Fie is n<iw tiic pi^)ssessor of ISO acres, 
with good buildings and valuable farm machin- 
ery, and in both his agricultural and business oper- 
ations h.as been eminently successful. Ue is re- 
garded as a good citizen and worthy member of 
the community, and is contributing his share to- 
ward the development and progress of this section. 
Mr. Bell was marricil in Tazewell County, 111., 
Dec. 31, 18C8, to Miss .Tane Richmond, a n.ative of 
that county, who was born Oct. 2G, 1840. Of this 
union there have been born si.x children — Norah, 
Benjamin, Laura, Harvey, Bessie and James. ]\Irs. 
Bell departed this life in Newcomb Townshi[>, .lan^ 
11, 1887. Our subject is Re|)ublican in polities, 
and takes an interest in general and local affairs. 



1 r 



J'~'OriN M. JIINTURN. i)hysici.an and sur- 
geon at RantonI, first drew breath in the 
village of Callensville, Pendleton Co., Ky., 
April 16, 1854. His ancestry is traced as 
follows: William W. Miuturn, his paternal grand- 
father, was born in Virginia, Sept. 1, 1791, and mar- 
ried Mi.ss Tirza Fellows, of Point Pleasant, May 20, 
1810. She was born June 18, 1799, in Shelbourne, 
Mass., and became the mother of eleven children. 
The great-grandfather of our subject, .Samuel P. 
.Minturn, was of German descent and a native of 
Holland, whence he emigrated with his parents in 
the latter part of the sixteenth century. Ilis father 
was .Samuel P. Minturn, Sr. The family of the 
jatter included eleven children, of whom the mother 
was formerl}^ Miss Catherine Ilowel, <if Warwick, 
t)range Co., N. Y. 

The father of our subject was born in Point 
Pleasant, Va., Juno 19, 18:50, and during early 
manhood, in 1849, became a resident of Pendletcui 
County, where he married Miss Susan Ann W ill- 
iams, of th.at county, Oct. .5, I 8.51. Of the four chil- 
dren born to them, namely, John .M., William \V., 
-^•- 



.Mary T. and Anna 15., <jnly <)ur subject and one 
brotiier survive. John M., being the eldest (jf the 
family, p;issed his boyhood iu his native town, and 
after a lirief course in the primary schools studied 
under a private tutor an<l ol)taineda gooil acquaint- 
,anee witli l.:itin, ( ii'rmnn and Knglish. He after- 
ward made himself useful as clerk in a geueial mer- 
chandise store, and in 1 87(i began the study of 
medicine, while at the same time carrying on gen- 
eral merchandise. After he had sullicientlj' ad- 
vanced he entered the .Medical Department of the 
Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, and 
was gr.aduated with honors in 1880. .Soon after- 
ward he returned home and commenced the prac- 
tice of his [)rofcssion. Four years later, desiring 
a broader field of oi)eration, he came to the West 
and located in Rantoul, where he h.as since been a 
valu.able addition to the profession. 

Dr. Minturn married while in his native State. 
his bride being Miss Sallie Kennedy, of Paris, Ivy., 
their wedding occurring April 2."), 1880. Of the 
three children born of this union, only one is 
living, a daughter, Winnie St. C. The others died 
in infancy. Dr. Minturn is Examining Surgeon for 
the United States Pension Department, to which 
office he was appointed July 1.), 188.'). He is con- 
nected with the Christian Church, and in all re- 
spects is .in addition to the community. 



.'^^ ▼ vet. 




AVID A. KING, formerly a highly re- 
spected f.armer of Urbana Township, is 
now living in ease and retirement iu the 
city on East Main street. He became a 
resident of Illinois in 18.55, locating first in Hens- 
ley Townshii), this county, where he purchased 100 
acres of land, which he occupied until 1882. He 
was successful in his farming operations, and now 
in his declining years is enjoying the fruits of his 
early industry. He is still in possession of his farm 
proijerty, which is occupied by a tenant. 

Mr. King is a native of Bourbon Countj', Ky., 
and was born .June 5, 1818. He is the son of Rob- 
ert S. and Rebecca (Ford) King, n.atives res|)ect- 
ively of \'irginia and Maryl.'ind. His father, who 
w.as a wheelwright by trade, became a resident of 




t 



■*► 



792 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



I 



n 



Keimuky in 1796, to wliicli State lie lonioved with 
liis fatliL'r, David King, Sr. The latter built the 
fnst lirick iiunse in Madison Count}-, and was en- 
gaged in the saddleiy and harness business. When 
a young man lie served as a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary War. His son Kolicrt S., the father of our 
subject, spent the remainder of liis life in the Blue 
Grass region, where he married and became tlie 
father of thirteen children. Of these five are now 
livng, namely, John P., David A., Thomas F., 
Robert A., and Margaret, Mrs. King. Robert S. 
King during the war was a stanch Union man, and 
with Ids excellent wife a member of the Methodist 
Episcojial Ciiurch during a period of sixty-three 
years. His home wasthe headquarters of the Meth- 
odist cleigynieii of that vicinity during their con- 
ventions and otlier important meetings. Although 
a .Southerner he was never known to take a drop 
of lU'dent spirits or have licjuor in the iiouse but 
once, and that was ordered by the pli_ysician in a 
case of sickness. He was a Henry Clay Whig of 
the old tyite, and rounded up a worthy and useful 
life at the age of eightj--sevcn years. The mother 
was seventy years old at the time of her death. 

Our suliject received ids earl}' education in the 
pioneer log school-house, with its ininciieon floor 
and greased paper for window panes. He remained 
under the parental roof until twenty years of age, 
and then became overseer on a farm of slaves, wiiieli 
position he occupied for six years following. After- 
ward he engaged in the manufacture of furniture 
in Clark County, Ky., for a period of sixteen 
years, giving emploj'ment to several men and ap- 
prentices. In 18.5.5 he sold out and made his first 
entry into the Prairie .State. 

Mr. King of our sketch was married, in 1840, to 
ftliss .1. K. ISIitclicIl, a native of Montgomery 
County, Ky., and they became the jiarents of eleven 
children, of whom nine are still living: John W. 
married .Miss Kate Fry, ;uid tiiey liavo four children 
— lilanche, Earle, Roscoo C. and Kate; Harriet, Mrs. 
Fisher, of Hensley Township, has six children — 
Coyner, Alice, Delia, Jennie, Kliza and Minnie; 
Margaret, Mrs. Ellen, of Hensley 'I'ownsliip, has 
three children — Frank, William and Nellie; Bessie, 
Mrs. CofTinan, is a resident of Hensley Township, 
and .Susan B., Mrs. Montgomeiy, of Condit Town- 



ship; Roxy, Mrs. Fry, of Urbana, has two children 
— Bessie and Ethel; Isaliella, Mrs. Stickrod, of 
Champaign, has two sons — Willie and Harry; 
James R. m.arried Miss Lotta Nicely, and the}' live 
at (iirard, Kan. ; David A., Jr., married Miss Bell 
.Stickrod, and they have two children — Flora and 
Cora; they live in Condit Township. Mrs. J. E. 
King died at the home of her husband in Hensley 
Township, Aug. 30, 1 880. 

For his second wife Mr. David A. King married 
Mrs. Mary A. (Christie) Brewer, a native of New 
York City, and the daughter of Samuel and Sar.ah 
(iJ.iy) Christie, of New Jersey. Her father was a 
contractor and builder, and the parental hou.schold 
consisted of three children, two now living — Mrs. 
King .and Abraham Christie, of Nebraska. The first 
husband of Mrs. King, Ashael Brewer, was one of 
the old settlers of Champaign County and a native 
of Maysville, Ky. He died in Urliana Township 
ill 1881. 

Mr. King is one of the representative citizens of 
this county, and since his residence here h.as been 
closely ideutilicd with its business and agricultural 
interests. He is Democratic in politics, and has 
been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
for a period of fifty-five years. During that time 
he served as Class-Leader and Steward, and has .al- 
w.ays contributed liberally and cheerfully of his 
means for the support of the Gospel. 

lOHN M. IIADDEN, M. D., a popular and 
successful physician of Seymour, III., is the 
son of Gawin and Sarah (Martin) Iladdcn. 
natives of Indiana County, Pa. They lo- 
cated in their native county after their marriage, 
where they are now residing and engaged in farm- 
ing pursuits. Their eight children included four 
sons and four daughters, of whom our subject '.vas 
the second. He was born in Indiana County, Pa., 
Aug. 7, 18 12, and pursued his (ii'st studies in the 
common schools. He remained under the home 
roof until nineteen years tif age, and in the fall of 
18(11, after the first call for troo|)s to defend the 
Union, enlisted in the G7th Pennsylvania Infantry, 



T 

1 



.» 



I 



-4»- 



CIIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



795 



t 



serving till the cluse of the war. At the battle of 
Wineliester he was capture<l by tlie rebels, and for 
a period of two months confined in Libby and 
Belle Isle prisons. He was finally paroled and 
in October, 1803, exchanged, and joined his regi- 
ment at Bull Run. He was particularly fortunate 
in his after career as a soldier, escaping wounds and 
iniprisonracnt, .and at tlie close of the struggle, 
received his honorable discharge and was mustered 
out at Ilarrisburg, Pa. 

Our subject then returned to his old liorae in 
Indiana County, and resumed his studies in Plum- 
ville Ac.ademj', where he .ittendcd six montiis and 
then entered Shelocta Academy, where he spent one 
year, and from there went to Greenville, Pa., where 
he attended a select school two years. In the me.an- 
time he had been p.aying his own expenses by 
money earned during the hours when not in school, 
mostly as teacher. After completing his studies he 
entered the oflice of Dr. Thomas IMcMullen, of 
Greenville, with whom he read medicine three 
years, and completed his professional studies in the 
Medical Department of the University of Michigan 
at Ann Arbor. After a thorough course of one 
j'car in this institution, he returned to Greenville 
and commenced the practice ot his chosen profession 
in partnership with Dr. McMullin, with whom he 
oper.ated two years. He then returned to the Uni- 
versity and remained one year, after which he 
received his diploma. He came to Champaign 
County in the spring of 1872, and located at Sey- 
mour, where he has built up an extensive and 
profitable patronage, and is liighly esteemed as a 
physici.an and surgeon. 

The marri.age of Dr. .John M. Iladden .and Miss 
Jennie K. Johnston was celebrated in .Scott Town- 
ship on the 24th of October, 1878. Mrs. H. is the 
daughter of (ieorge and Esther (Irwin) Johnston, 
who were natives of Ireland, where the father died. 
The mother afterward emigrated to America, and 
died at her honie four miles north of Seymour in 
18G3. The parental family consisted of five chil- 
dren, of wiioni Mrs. Haddcn was the second. She 
w:is born in Ireland in about 1844. She is a lady 
highly respected in her community and a member 
in good standing of the .Methodist Chuich. The 
Doctor politically is a Ue[)Ublican. 



eAPT. JOHN B. LESTER, whose name is 
familiar throughout this county, and who 
gave some of the best years of his life to the 
service of his country when he earned the title 
which he now bears, is the sixth child of Benjamin 
and Deliverance R. (Baldwin) Lester, the former a 
native of New York and the latter of Wales. The 
mother of our subject emigrated with her parents 
to this country at an early age, and after her mar- 
riage with Mr. Lester they located first in Cincin- 
cinnati, Ohio, whence they afterward removed to 
Switzerland County, Ind., and later, in 1852, to 
Champaign County, 111. The father purchased a 
tract of Land in Newcomb Township, where his 
death occurred in 1857. The mother is still living 
at an .advanced .age. Their family' of twelve chil- 
dren, six sons and si.x daughters, were born mostly 
in Switzerland County, Ind. 

The birth of our subject took place in the latter 
named county, Feb. 2, 183(), and he lived there 
with his parents until sixteen years of age, thence 
removing with them to this county, of which he 
has since lieen a resident. He remained a member 
of the parental household until his marri.age, which 
took place in Newcomb. Oct. 12, 18G5, the l.ady of 
his choice being Miss Elizabeth A., daughter of 
Hiram and Lydia (Allamang) Trotter (see sketch 
of Hiram Trotter). After his marri.age he located 
upon a farm of his own, on section 23, in Newcomb 
Township. 

On the 7th of August, 1862, young Lester en- 
listed in Co. F, 125th 111. Vol. Inf., .as a private, 
and on the 4th of November following received his 
commission from Gov. Yates as First Lieutenant. 
In March, 1803, he w.as promoted Captain of his 
comp.any and served in that capacity until the close 
of the war, winning the admiration and esteem of 
his companj' to a man. He was eng.aged with his 
comrades in some of the most important battles of 
tiie war, and at Kenncsaw IMountain his clothing 
was rent with seven bullets. In the engagement at 
Altoona he w.as surrounded, together with the left 
wing of his regiment, l)y the rebels, but succeeded 
in cutting his w.ay through and personally captured 
and held the rebel olliccr in command. He still 
has in his possession the sword which he took from 
that commander. Capt. Lester went through the 

■» 



■■I 

T 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



Atlanta campaign under Oph. Shovmnii, after which 
the troops ]>rocee(lecl to Washington, passed in 
grand review before the Chief Executive, and 
were tlieu mustered out aud returned to their 
homes. 

Capt. Lester on returning to civil life again took 
up farming in Newcoinb Towiishiii, where he has 
since occupied himself in the cultivation of the 352 
acres of land which constitute his present home- 
stead. He is a decided Repuljliean, politically, and 
occupies a good position sociallj' and in the regard 
of the business community. He became a member 
of the Masonic fraternity in 185.'), and now belongs 
to Mahomet Lodge No. 220, at Mahomet. In the 
G. A. R. he is a member in good standing of Ft. 
Worth Lodge No. 300, at Fisher. 

The wife of our subject was born in Frederick 
County, W. Va., June 26, 1842. Of the eight chil- 
dren who came to bless their union five only are 
now living, viz., Marion, Rosa, Wiley, Lydia and 
Nellie. Those deceased are Sherman, Sanford and 
George. Mrs. Lester is a lady held in high respect 
and a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Capt. Lester was a member of the Board of 
Supervisors for three years. He has not been an 
aspirant for political honors, but has preferred to 
attend to his business of farming. The accompany- 
ing portrait of Capt. Lester will be received with 
pleasure by all who know him, and recognized as 
that of a worth}' and honored citizen. 



y.ILLIAM HRKINKU. Mr. 15reiner took 
possession of his place in llarwood Town- 
ship in liie spring of 1870, and has resided 
there, with the exception of a liricf interval spent 
in nieiciiandising at Ludlow, since that time. The 
improvements, wiiicii aic noliccMliIe on account of 
their superiority, are due to the ingenuity and 
industry of the owner who. as a man, citizen and far- 
mer, is regarded as one of the most valuable mem- 
bers of the community. Much of his land is 
devoted tograin-r;iising, the grain bieingeliiell>' util- 
ized oil the farm in the feeding of stock, in whicli 
<lepartuu'nt of agri<'idture Mr. IJreincr takes great 



delight. His stables conUiin some fine specimens 
of Norman liorses. In cattle his favorites arc the 
Short-horns and his swine arc of tlie Poland-China 
Ijreed. The farm liuildings are finely ada[)ted to 
all the requiremeuts of the modern agriculturist, 
combining convenience with taste in their structure, 
and the fences and farm machiner}- are kept in first- 
class condition. 

Mr. Breiner is the representative of an e.vcellent 
old family and spent his early life, until a boj' of 
thirteen years, in the township of Bethlehem, Hun- 
terdon Co., N. J., where he was born on his father's 
farm, Sept. 6, 1839. The family included thirteen 
children, of whom our subject was the second born. 
His parents were Francis J. and Anna (Overpeck) 
Breiner, the father a native of Strasbnrg, German\', 
and the mother of Pennsylvania. Margaret, the 
mother of Francis J. Breiner, was horn in the same 
old German city as her son, Strasbnrg, the capital 
of Alsace-Lorraine, famous for its historic interest, 
and one of the points of attack by the German army 
in 1870, during which many of its most important 
buildings sustained great injury, but were afterward 
restored as far as possible to their original condi- 
tion. Among the other public institutions is the 
library, containing nearly 400,000 volumes, and the 
famous University which is the .admiration and am- 
bition of the intellectual German youth. Its rail- 
ways and canals connect it with all the great rivers 
of France, and with the Danube, are important aids 
to its commerce. Its lofty houses, spacious squares 
and streets, intersected by branches of the 111, form 
a scene exceedingly picturesque and over which the 
American traveler lingers with deep admiration. 
The father. of our subject, however, only retains 
faintly in his mind's eye the jiicture of his native 
city, as his parents emigrated to Anieriea when lie 
was a child of six years. 

After the Breiner family iiad landed on Anieii- 
can shores they proceeded to a point near I'liiladi'l- 
phia, where they located and spent the remainder 
of their days, the father being occupied in weav- 
ing. The mother of our subject was the daughter 
of .I.acob and Catherine (Shumaker) ()veri)eck, and 
w.as liorn in Pennsylvania, t)f which State her par- 
ents were also natives. The father died in middle 
life aud the mother was afterward married to Ira 



i 



J. 



♦- 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



797 



Cliiie. Of tliis latter union tlu-rc were horn seven 
children. 

After their marriage Francis and Anna Breiner, 
in 1852, came to Illinois and located in Fairvievv, 
Fulton County, where Mr. B. followed his trade as 
a carpenter, and upon accumulating sufHcient 
means purchased, first, 1.52 acres of unimproved 
land on the northwest quarter of section 5, in what 
is now Prairie C'it3' Township. He took possession 
of this in the spring of 18u7. One of his first duties 
was to put up a house for the shelter of his family, 
which proved quite a pretentious structure for those 
times. Iieing 1 Gs2G feet in area with two stories and 
a basement. It was verj' substantiallj' built, and, 
with his estimable wife, he still occupies it. He 
sulisequently added to his original purchase of 
land 13o acres, so that the farm now contains 287 
acres and is one of the most fertile tracts in that 
section. Francis Breiner is now a hale and hearty 
old man, seventy-four years old, active and ener- 
getic as many men a quarter of a century younger. 
The mother has kept even pace with her husband 
and is in the enjoyment of good health. They have 
performed their part in life in a quiet and unobtru- 
sive manner and now, surrounded by many friends 
and all the comforts of life, are spending their de- 
clining years amidst the peace and plenty so justly 
earned. 

William Breiner, of this sketch, spent his youth 
and early manhood with his parents, being trained 
to habits of industry, but receiving onlj' a limited 
education. After reaching his majoritx' he rented 
a tract of land adjoining his father's homestead, 
where he began farming for himself while he 
boarded at home and assisted his father when not 
busy with his own concerns. There was little com- 
fort in working for himself alone, and on the 22d of 
August, IKCl, he secured a partner to share his fort- 
unes, being married to Miss Elizabeth Dunbar, 
wiiose acquaintance he had made years before. 
Tills lady was the second child of Warder and Eliza- 
beth (Logsdon) Dunl)ar, natives of Kentucky, who 
occupied a farm on the same section as our suliject. 
Mr. Breiner, abandoning the land upon which he 
had been working, rented a tract near by, in War- 
ren Count}', where he remained eight years with 
satisfactory results He was then enabled to pur- 



chase forty acres of this, and continueil his occu- 
pancy of the log cabin which he had previously 
built until he could put up a more pretentious 
dwelling. This latter structure was 16x24 feet in 
area, with one stor}' and basement, to which he 
afterward added a kitchen 10x16 feet. This he oc- 
cupied with his family a little more than eight 
years, being prosperous, as usual, and then com- 
menced to look about him for something still better. 
There was a tract of 160 acres on section 22, in 
Harwood Township, which he very much desired 
and of which he soon managed to secure possession 
after selling his Warren County farm. Upon this 
was a house already begun, which he finished, and 
into which he removed his family in August of the 
same year (1870). He afterward added to his 
lauded estate by the purchase of eight}^ acres in 
Kansas. 

Mr. Breiner for several years afterward was con- 
tinuously engaged in farming and stock-raising, but 
in the winter of 1876, imagined he would like to 
change bis occupation, and engaged in merchandis- 
ing. This he tried to his satisfaction for one year 
and then returned to the farm, drawing a lon<^ 
breath of relief after he had been reinstated as a 
member of the rural community. 

Of the three children born to Mr. and Mrs.' Brei- 
ner, a little son, Willie T., died in infancy'; Emma 
lola became the wife of John Darsham,of Rantoul, 
and they have one son. Earnest Esel. The yotnig- 
est son of our subject, also Esel by name, remains 
on the homestead assisting his father, Mr. B. was 
married the second time, Nov. 13, 1881, to Mrs. M. 
M. Taylor; she is the daughter of Charles F. and 
Mary (Holtz) Ahlert, natives of Germanj', who emi- 
grated to the United States when their daughter 
Mary was but six years of age. They located in 
New York where they remained several years and 
until after the first marriage of their daughter, who 
then took up her residence with her husband in 
New York City. After the death of the latter she 
went to Chicago with her sister, where she met her 
present husl)and. 

Mr. and Mrs. Breiner have continued on the farm 
since tlieir marriage, enjoying the respect of the 
community around them, and filling their places 
wortliilv in life. Both air members of the Christian 



i 



■•► 



i 




798 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






Church, with which i)ur subject has l)een connected 
for a period of twenty-seven years. lie cast his 
first Presidential vote for Al)rahain Lincoln, and 
has supported the Republican nominees for that 
office since that time. lie served his township as 
School Trustee and Road Commissioner f<jr three 
years, and was then elected School Trc:isurer, which 
position lie holds at the present time. He has been 
an earnest worker in the Church and Sunday-school, 
being Superintendent of the latter in Harwood 
Township for five j-ears, and at present occupies 
the same position in the Pleasant Vale Sunday- 
school. During the last fourteen years he has 
labored as a Christian teacher among the young, and 
nothing pleases him better than to see a houseful of 
bright young faces listening with interest to the 
precepts of the Master. 

Mr. Breiner, in 188G, was elected Justice of the 
Peace, which office he still holds, and the duties of 
whicli he is disciiarging in a manner creditable to 
himself and satisfactory to his constituents. 

RMSTRONG A. GGINGS, one of the early 
pioneers of tiic I'rairie State, is widely and 
favorably known throughout this county 
^J as a man eminently woi'thy the respect of 

its best citizens. His has been a life filled with in- 
dustry and usefulness, and after building up a record 
as an honest man and good citizen he is now prac- 
tically retired from its sterner duties and in 
a comfortable home in Rantoul Township is spend- 
ing iiis later daj^s pleasantly-. In locating a home 
in the West, he traveled over a long stretch of 
country, his native place being Fredericksburg, 
Md., where he was born Dec. G, 1810; this he left 
with his parents in 1839, for the new and unde- 
veloped West. 

The father of our subject, Roswell Goings, was a 
native of Maryland, of German ancestry, his gi'and- 
father having emigrated to America during the 
early settlement of Maryland, where he located and 
spent the remainder of his life. Among the sons 
was Roswell. who was born in Maryland and who 
lived there until 1811. wiien he removed to Penn- 
isj'lvauia and purciiased a farm in (ireenc County, 

<■ 



i 




which he occupied until 1831). That j'car he came 
overland with his familj- to Illinois and settled in 
that part of Tazewell County now included in 
Woodford County, taking up a tract of (lOvern- 
ment land, improving a f.arm and establishing a 
comfortable homestead, which he occupied until his 
death, which occurred in aliout 18C0. In early 
manhood he was married to Miss Lett, also a na- 
tive of Maryland, and who departed this life .at the 
home of her son in California in about 18(>7. Her 
father was a native of Germany, who emigrated to 
this country when a young man, and during the 
Revolutionary AVar assisted in establishing the 
independence of the Colonies. He was wounded .at 
the battle of Br.andywine, but lived to return to 
civil life, found a home, and rear a family. 

The subject of this slietch was the fourth ciiild 
and second son of his parents, and but an infant 
when they removed from !Maryl.and to Pennsyl- 
vania. He grew to manhood in Greene County, 
that State, and when twenty years of age accom- 
panied his parents, first to M.ason County, Va., .and 
then to the furtiier West. This latter journey w.os 
made via the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers 
to Peoria, which w.as then a village of a few stnag- 
gling log cabins. Mr. Goings purchased a claim in 
Tazewell County, ten miles e.ast of the hamlet, and 
as soon as the land came into market proceeded to 
Springfield on horseback and entered it. Among 
the persons interested at this sale was Stephen A. 
Douglas, who officiated as crier. The claim of Mr. 
Goings had been improved by the building of a 
log cabin, into which the family removed and lived 
for a time, and then he sold out and purchased Land 
adjacent. He remained a resident of Tazewell 
County thirteen ye.ars, then removed to La .Salle 
County and ])urchased land near the present site of 
Tonica. This he improved and transformed int(.> a 
good farm, which he occupied until 1879. In the 
spring of that year he sold out and came to this 
county, and now lives with his son. 

Mr. (ioings was married in November, 1S35, to 
Miss Mary (Jreen, a native of N'irginia, who was 
born in .lune, 1811. She remained the faithful and 
affectionate companion of her husband for over 
thirty years, and then departed this life at their 
home in La Salle C'ouuty, Oct. 18, 18(18. The nine 



i 



t 



-4^ 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



799 



cliililren liorn of this congenial union are recorded 
as follows: Eiiwaril is a resident of St. Louis, Mo.; 
Susannah is the wife of William Buren, and they live 
on a farm in Livingston County, 111. ; Frank is in 
Beadle County, Uak.; Sarah E. is the wife of Ray- 
mond P. Francis, a farmer of Ludlow Township; 
Eliza married .James Gregory, and they are residents 
of Livingston County; Mary, Mrs. Dudley Witty, 
lives in La Salle County, and Elisha is farming in 
Kantoul Township, this county. Two are deceased. 
Mr. and Mrs. Goings became members of the 
Meliiodist Episcopal Church in early life, with 
which the mother remained connected during her 
lifetime, and in whicli Mr. G. still retains his mem- 
bership. He was the pioneer Methodist of this 
connt^', and while residing in Tazewell and La Salle 
Counties his house was the lionu! of the preachers, 
and the place at which the neigiiborhood meetings 
were frequently held. 

Elisha Goings, the son above menlioncd, was 
liorn in La Salle County, III, Nov. 2i), lissa. He 
remained with his parents until after reaching his 
majorit}', and was married Nov. 8, 187G, to Miss 
Julia Foster. This lady is a native of Copenhagen, 
Denmark, where she was born Sept. 5, 18.55; she is 
the daughter of A. T. and Catura Foster, natives 
respectively of Denmark and England. Tlie family 
emigrated to America in 18GG, and the i)arents are 
now residents of Ft. Scott, Kan. Mr. and Mrs. 
Elisha Goings have five cliildren, viz., Lilly, I>':innie, 
Arthur, George and Chester. Tliey are members 
and reguhu- attendants of tiie Methodist Episc()|)al 
Church, and valued factors of an intelligent corn- 
ninnitv. 



^^ 




^ILLIAM DAVIS, of llarwood Township, 
A\/i\/// •'•'*•' opened Ills eyes to the light in llnnt- 
iugdon County, Pa., on tiie lOth of No- 
vember, l^2:i, and was tlie third child of Evan 
and Lutitia (Conlcy) Davis, also natives of tiie 
Keystone State, and the father a stonemason by 
trade. In 1837, when our subject was a boy of 
fourteen years, his father gatliered together his 
household goods, and with his family set out for 
the farther A\'est, and coming into this State lo- 
cated near Fairview, in Fulton County, where he 



i 



commenced farming after the methods adopted by 
the people of the Prairie State. He lived a quiet, 
uneventful life, and finally removed to Prairie 
City, McDonough County, where both parents 
closed their eyes upon the scenes of earth. 

Young Davis remained a member of the parental 
household until the daj' after he was twenty-three 
yeai's of age, and on the evening of that d?iy was one 
of the chief actors in an interesting ceremony, by 
which he became the husband of Miss Susan, third 
child of .lohn and Susan (Martin) Wolgamot, who 
were born near Ilagerstown, Md. The wife of our 
subject was a native of Mar^iand, born Dec. 12, 
1823. The young people after their marriage 
located on a farm of eiglity acres, near Fairview, 
which our subject had purchased a short time 
previously. Three years later he sold this and 
purchased a quarter section near Canton, which he 
retained until 18.53. He then changed his property 
into a stock of merchandise at Prairie City, Mc- 
Donough County', and was in trade there for three 
years following. During the great depression iu 
grain and pork, which will still be rememl)ereil by 
many of the settlers of that region, Mr. Davis was 
compelled to close out liis liusiness at a great sacri- 
fice. He then took up butchering, which he fol- 
lowed thirteen years in Prairie City, and in 1868 
came to this county, resolving to resume farming. 
He managed to secure possession of a tract of land 
from the Illinois Central Railroad, in Harwood 
Township, which he has since retained his hoM 
upon, and upon whicii he has etfectcd a remarkable 
and admirable change. The soil liad never been 
turned by the plowshare, ;uid there was neither a 
buikling nor a fence upon it. He now has a farm of 
eighty acres, on section 10, smiling with grain and 
pasture liehls, neatly fenced and with comfortable 
luiildings. It |)reseiits the picture of a pretty rural 
home, which should satisfy the ainliition of any 
ordinary [lerson. 

The seven little children, who came one by one 
to the liouschold of our subject and his wife, were 
named respectively Sarah R., .Tohn E., William II., 
Samuel (!., George IL, Edward and Nettie. The 
lliiiil child, William, was taken troiu the home cir- 
cle when but twenty-two months old; Sandi is 
the wife of Samuel Barber, a carpenter by trade. 



ik 800 



-^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 

r 



and a resident of lijintoul; tbey have a family of 
seven children — Minnie, Lntitia, \Icnnie, Nellie, 
Willie, Pearl and Maud; John married Miss Ida 
Hewitt, of Ludlow, and follows farming near the 
homestead of Mr. Davis; within the precincts of this 
little household are the children — Ertic, Lida and 
Elma; Samuel married Miss Jennie Counteman, and 
is a resident of Chicago, being a conductor on 
the Illinois Central llailroad. Of tiie three children 
born to them, Stella and Claud are numbered vvith 
the dead; Amanda, a bright girl of ten years, is 
with her parents. George married Miss Emma 
Smith, and lives in the northern part of this 
county, being a successful farmer; Edward mar- 
ried Miss Annie Doak. and lives on a farm a short 
distance north of his father; Nettie is the baby. 

Mr. Davis, in 1869, was elected School Trustee, 
and served nine years in succession. He was Col- 
lector four or five years, and was elected Assessor 
eight years ago, which position he still holds. He 
was elected on the Republican ticket. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. Davis are connected with the Baptist 
Church, and are the most highly valued by those 
who know them best. 

<»1^\ALENTINE J. GALLION, Justice of the 
\.m' Peace and Supervisor of St. Joseph Towu- 
^ ship, first opened his eyes to the light near 
the Atlantic coast, adjacent to the cit}' of Ilagers- 
town, Washington Co., Md., on the 5th of March, 
1835. His father, James W. Gallion, departed this 
life while still a young man, and when our subject 
was but a boj', so that the latter has but little 
knowledge of him. The mother ■ in her girlhood 
was Miss Margaret S. Troulman, a native of Penn- 
sylvania. The parental family included four sons. 
Our subject passetl his early life in his native 
county, and in common with his brothers enjoyed 
the advantages of the public school near Hagers- 
town, and the excellent training of a wise and judi- 
cious mother. He remained with the latter until 
twenty years of age, and then commenced to learn 
the trade of a sliii) carpenter, at which he worked 
four years. In the meantime, lieing fond of read- 
ing and study, he had not neglected his books and 
now began teaching, wliich occupation he followed 



with success until the outbreak of the late war. 
Then, laying aside his personal plans and interests, 
he responded to the first call for trooi)s by enlist- 
ing in Co. F", 0th W. Va. Vol. Inf., in which lie 
served four years, and was successively promoted 
Second and First Sergeant, and finally Eirst Lieut- 
enant of Com))any K, with which rank he served 
until the close of the war, being mustered out in 
June, I8C5. 

In the month of July following his retirement 
from the army Mr. Gallion came West, locating 
first in Champaign, where he engaged in general 
merchandising. Two j-cars later he resolved to 
follow agricultural pursuits, and secured possession 
of eighty acres of laud at Burr Oak, where he fol- 
lowed farming two years, and then resumed his 
former occupation as a teacher in St. Joseph, where 
he continued until elected a Justice of the Peace, 
in 1874. Since that time he has given his attention 
to the duties of his office, which he has held con- 
tinuously for over thirteen years. He took his seat 
with the Board of Supervisors in the si)ring of 
1880, and has since remained in that position. 
He is a gentleman well versed in the duties of his 
office and common law generally, and is frequently 
called upon toact as Adiuinistr.atorof estates, which 
he usually succeeds in adjusting with credit to him- 
self and satisfaction to all concerned. 

Our subject was married in the Old Dominion, 
in August, 1866, to Miss Julia W. Gallion, also of 
West Virginia. They have three children living, 
namely, Charles II., Marshall E. and Grace M. 
Florence N. is deceased. Mr. Gallion and his wife 
united with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
youth, to the support of which they contribute lib- 
erally and cheerfully, and in which Mr. G. is a 
Trustee. Besides his farm propeity he owns sev- 
eral buildings in St. Joseph, from the rents of 
which he derives a snug little income in addition 
to that afforded from his office and general store, 
which is located in St Joseph. 



i>ILLIAM S. FUNKHOUSER, who became 
resident of Somer Townshii) in 1804, 
and occupies a comfortable home- 
stead, where he is carrying on agriculture in an in- 




* 



h 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



801 



IT 

1 



tuUigent and successful manner. His fartn con- 
sists of 120 acres, a large portion of which is de- 
voted to tlie raising of corn and stock, the latter 
consisting principally of horses and hogs. 

Mr. Funkhouser was born on a farm near Law- 
rcuceville. Dearborn Co., Ind., Oct. 14, 184-2. He 
is tlie son of .lacob Funkhouser, who was born in 
Heaver Country, I'a., in l.SIf<, whence he emigrated 
to Indiana with his father's family' at a very early 
age, while tlie country was yet a wilderness, and 
Indians and wild animals roamed tiu'ough the for- 
ests. The grandfather of our subject, Abraham 
Funkhouser. was also born and I'cared in IJeavcr 
County, Pa. He left Indiana in about 1852, and 
locating in Greene County, 111., died there at the 
age of seventy-nine j'ears. The father of our sub- 
ject still lives in Hamilton Count}-, this State. 
The parental family included seven children. Our 
subject remained under the home roof until his 
marriage, which took place Nov. 1, 1865. His 
wife was ft)rmerly Miss Sarah F. Kirby, who was 
born in this county and was tlie daughter of James 
Kirby. There were twelve children in our subject's 
familj-, seven of whom survive, namely, Jasper, Ida 
JIa}', Edward J., George C.,Gu3'. Ernest and Jessie 
Pearl. 

James Kirb}- was born in Pickaway County, 
Ohio, in I.SIO. He married Miss Susan Trickle, 
March 17, 1830. The parents of Mrs. Kirby set- 
tled in Oiiio at an earl}' day, whence they removed 
to the present site of Danville, III., in about 1825. 
There Mr. Trickle erected the first mill in \'ermil- 
ion County. Subsequently the}' came to this 
county, where they passed the renin indcr of their 
days. The gran<lfather of Mrs. F., Elias Kirby, a 
native of Maryland, settled in Ohio when a young 
man, making his first location in Pickaway County, 
whence he afterward remove<l with his family to a 
point near Attica on the Hig Shawnee. The graml- 
mothcr of Mrs. F. was formerly Miss Polly .lolnison, 
whose father was a native of Virginia. The par- 
ental household consisted of ten children, five sons 
and five daughters, all of whom came to Illinois 
together. Mr. and Mrs. Kirby became the parents 
of fourteen children, two of whom died in infancy, 
and two after reaching adult years. Tliere arc now 
remaining live sons and live daughters, all of whom 



are married and settled in Illinois, save one who is 
in Iowa. 

Politically our subject is a stanch supi)orter of 
the Independent party. He has been School Di- 
rector. He was formei'l}' a member of the United 
Brethren Church, but is not now connected with 
any religious organization. His services as School 
Director extended over a period of fifteen years. 

|r^EV. ANTHONY JOSEPH WAGNER, Pas- 

\t^ lor of St. Patrick's t'iiurch. at Tolono, is a 
Iv: \Vi native of Philadelphia, Pa., and was born 
\^Feb. 8, 184'J. If is p.arents, John and Eliz- 
abeth W.agner, were natives of Alsace. France, and 
after marriage, in about 1840, emigrated to the 
United States and located in the Quaker City. 
John 'Wagner there engaged as a contractor and 
builder, ctmtinning this business until his decease, 
in about 1850. The mother, who remained a 
widow, is still living at Pliiladelithia, having now 
arrived at the age of seventy-two years. The par- 
ental family included four sons: John, who is pas- 
tor of a Catholic congregatit)n at Pottstown, Pa. ; 
James, in tlie War Department at Wasiiington, D. 
1). ; Peter A., an importer of rattan, at Philadel- 
phia, and Rev. Anthony, of our sketch, who is the 
youngest of the family. 

Our subject's early education \vas conducted in 
the School of the Christian Urotiiers at Philadel- 
phia, and when thirteen years old he entered the 
Academy of the Christian Brothers in New York 
City. Later he took a classical and philosophical 
course in St. John's College, at Fordliani, N. Y. 
He entered upon his theological studies in St. 
Charles' Seminary, at Overbrook, Pa., and after 
gniduating, came West, and was onlained at Peoria, 
111., on the 13th of December, 1878. He ofliciated 
as assistant Priest for some time at Champaign, in 
fact until appointed to his present charge at Tolono, 
on the 10th of August, 1879. 

The church edifice at Tolono was liuill by Rev. 
Patrick Toner, in 1871. He olliciated until 18711, 
and then, on .account of failing health, retired and 
returned to Ireland. Our subject then succeeded 
to his charge. The church building is 80.\42 feet 



i 



irtt 



t 



802 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



in area, ami the parish contains ahmit ninety fam- 
ilies. Since the time when Father Wagner touli 
charge, a residence and thirty acres of ground have 
been inircliascd,and tlic cliurch property' altogether 
is valued at $10,000. As pastor and preacher the 
present incumbent has fulfilled his duties in a man- 
ner creditable to himself and liighly satisfactory to 
his parishioners. 

JOIIN CRAWFORD. One of the fine home- 
steads wliieh lie on section 23, Scott Town- 
ship, is the property of the suljject of this 
sketch, of which he came into possession in 
1875. It embraces 210 acres of finely improved 
land, with a comfortable and convenient dwelling, 
good bai-ns and outhouses, and all the appliances 
of a first-class country estate. Mr. Crawford is a 
native of Morgan County, Ohio, and was born 
April 30, 1840. His parents, Simeon and Elenor 
(Hainsworth) Crawford, were natives respectively 
of Ohio and Maryland. They settled in Morgan 
County, t)liio, after their marriage, whence they 
removed to Hocking County, and from there to 
Wisconsin. Ju about 18,5G they came to Illinois 
and located iu Logan County, but afterward re- 
turned to Ohio. Later they came back to Illinois 
and took up their abode in Bondville, this county, 
where they spent the remainder of their days. 

The family of the above-mentioned couple con- 
sisted of nine children, of whom our subject was 
the fifth in order of birth. He was reared to farm- 
ing i)ursuits and rem.-iined in his native State until 
after the outbreak of the Rebellion. He then prof- 
fered his services to assist in llie preservation of 
the Union, becoming a meml)er of the !)Oth Oiiio 
Infantry. At the battle of Chickamauga he was 
wounded in the breast and finger, and afterwird, at 
the battle of Stone River, injured by a fall. He 
was mustered out of service at Camp Dennison, 
Ohio, in 18C5. He then came to Logan County, 
III., where he took up his residence for a brief 
period, then, returning to Oliio, he was married in 
Logan, Hocking County, on the 3d of l^ecember, 
ISO'), to Miss Julia A. Slaker. Mrs. Crawford was 
born iu Hocking County, Aug. 20, 184.'), and is 



the daughter of George and Henrietta (Rohberg) 
Staker, both natives of (iermany. Her parents 
emigrated to America in early life and settled in 
Muskingum Count}', Ohio, whence the}' removed 
to Hocking County, and i)assed the remainder of 
their days. They had a family of eight children, 
of whom Mrs. Crawford was the fifth iu order of 
birth. 

After his marriage, Mr. Crawford at once re- 
turned to this State, and purchased a farm in Logan 
County which he occupied five years. He then 
sold out and removed back to Ohio, locating in 
Pickaway County, where he remained six years, 
and in 1875 returned to Illinois. He then settled 
in Scott Township, of which he has since been a 
resident, and besides being prospered in his farm- 
ing and business operations, has secured the confi- 
dence and esteem of all who know him. The eight 
children of our subject and his wife are, Curtis A., 
Anna Belle, Ross C, Minnie M., Olive G., Harry 
P., Nellie F. and Luvernia Henrietta. Mr. Craw- 
ford has taken a genuine interest in the prosperity 
of his adopted county, and, in his township has 
served as .School Director and Trustee. Politicall}' 
he affiliates with the Republican i)arty. 



^<^5«t^- 




— J»t^ 



RS. CHARLOTTE VAN FLEET, daughter 
of Abrani and Philomela Payne, and widow 
/// LB of Christopher B. Van Fleet, is a resident 
of Stanton Townshi|), and owns a fine farm 
of 150 acres on section 30. She has lived in this 
county since 1873, when her husband purchased the 
present homestead, but only lived to enjoy it a lit- 
tle over three years, his death taking place on the 
19th of August, 187G. 

Mrs. Van Fleet is a native of Washington Coun- 
tj', Ohio, and was born Oct. t), 1828. Her parents 
were natives respectively of Connecticut and Mas- 
sachusetts, and her father, born in 1792, died in 
Marion County, Ohio, in 1870, when sevent3'-eight 
years of age. The mother diet! six days later, aged 
.seventy-two, and their remains were laid to rest 
side by side in the burial grountl at Pleasant Hill. 



-►— ■-4» 



i 



i 



ffi" 



M 




'^frtf^-T-r-rfy--' 



Sgg^>j^54g:>feA- ■: :.-.■ 



Residence of THOMAS LAVERICK;5eg.3I.(r-h-w-) ayres tp. 




^ 



RESIDENCE OF Z. fvl . D U H N , 5 EC . 13 , 5T. J 5 E P H TOWNSHIP. 



^ 



i^ 



U 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



805 



Grand father Payne, also born in Cnnneeticut, re- 
moveil to Ohio durinir the early settlement of the 
State, and with his wife, Ilaunali, lived tliere the 
remainder of his days. The Paynes were of En- 
glish origin, and a family who lieeanie prominent 
in the New England States for tiieir nniform suc- 
cesses financially, and their excellent (inulitics as 
citizens. 

The parents of Mrs. N'an K. had a family of thir- 
teen children, two of whom died young. Those 
who lived to maturity arc recorded as follows: 
Benjamin L. remained single, and became a resi- 
dent of Kans.ns, where his death took place when he 
was sixt3'-three years old ; Stephen and his sister 
Eliza Ann. now the wife of David J. Brady, are 
also residents of Kansas; Philomela died when two 
years of age; Abram married Miss Sarah .1. Smith, 
and is a resident of Ogden Township, this county; 
William, who married Miss Sarah J. Bartrom, 
served as a Union soldier during the late war, and 
died in the army at Memphis, Tenn., after having 
l)articipated in many important battles; his widow 
is a resident of Marion County, Ohio; Charlotte, 
of our sketch, was the seventh child ; Angelina, 
now Mrs. Henrj' K.ell3% is a resident of Dubuque, 
Iowa; David J. married Miss Marinda Wiseman; 
he was a soldier in Co. I, 174th Ohio Vol. Inf., and 
was killed during one of the battles in Tennessee, 
on the 7th of December, 18G4; Charles F. is mar- 
ried, and living in Ohio; Philomela (2d) passed 
from earth when eighteen months old; Emeline be- 
came the wife of \'ictor Ta3'lor, and they are resi- 
dents. of Pilot Grove, 111.; Susan M., Mrs. Joseph 
Contu, is living in Marion Count>', Oliio. 

Mrs. Van F. spent her childhood with her brothers 
and sisters at home, and received the excellent ad- 
vantiiges afforded by the common schools of the 
Buckeye State. Whc^n eighteen years of age she 
was united in marriage, Aug. 1, 1846, with Chris- 
topher B. \''au Fleet, who was a native of Marion 
County, that State, and born Dec. 24, 1824. He 
was deprived of a mother's care when two years 
old, and was reared by his grandparents, who lived 
upon a farm in Marion Count}'. His childhood and 
youth were passed after the manner of most farm- 
ers' boys, attending school during the winter season 
and working on the farm in summer. He was 




twenty-two years of age wlien married, and engaged 
in farming in Ohio until the outbreak of the late war. 
He then enlisted in Co. J, Gijtii Ohio \'ol. Inf., en- 
tering the ranks Nov. I'J, liSGl,and serving until 
April 5, 1803, when he was discharged for phj^sical 
disability. He was unwilling, however, to give up 
the struggle, and believing that he was yet good 
for a fight with the rebels, rc-eulisted on the 1st of 
September, 1864, to serve until the close of tiie 
war. This time he was assigned to the 174th Ohio 
Infantry and remained, as he had desired, with his 
comrades until the surrender of the Confederate 
army. He was promoted Corjjoral, and met the 
enemy in some of the most inii)ortant battles of the 
war. 

After retiring from army life Mr. \ an Fleet re- 
turned to his native county in Ohio, where he 
remained engaged in farming six years. In 1871 
he emigrated to Vermilion County, this State, and 
thence after two years took up his abode in Cham- 
paign Count}'. The sister of Mr. Van F., Mrs. Abi- 
gail Harraman, resides in .Marion Count}', Ohio. 
The children of Mr. \'an Fleet were as follows: 
Asa B. was born Feb. 28, 1848; he was studious 
and made good progress in scho(jl, and at nineteen 
3'ears of age commenced teaching, which he contin- 
ued for seven successive winters. Afterward he 
engaged in merchandising in iMarion County, Ohio, 
until 1870, in which 3'ear he sold out and came to 
Illinois. His time subsequently for a few years was 
emplo3'ed in teaching and farming alternately. 
After the death of his father he was called to take 
charge of the homestead. The second son, Harvey, 
died when two 3'ears of age; Marilla died when an 
interesting girl of nine 3'ears; Andrew E. married 
Miss Mary A. Johnston, and is a resident of 
Thiiyer Count3', Neb.; Princess L. became the 
wife of Pierce Dunn, and is living in Vermilion 
County, this State; Anna E. remains on the home- 
stead; Almira died when two 3'ears of age; Clara 
M., a teacher, makes her home with her mother; 
Samantha E. is also at home, assisting in the duties 
of the household. 

Christopher B. Van Fleet, althougli a resident of 
Stanton Township but a brief time, was recognized 
as a worthy- citizen, and in liis farming o|H'rations 
was eminently successful. He left a comforUible 

■» 



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t. 



•^^ 



■^^ 



, i 806 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



lionie and fine property to his widow, who since liis 
death has sustained the reputation of the estate and 
kept it up after his own praiseworthj' methods. 
He unifornilj- casts his vote with the Republican 
party. 



■if/OSEPH CODDINGTON is a pn.minpnt fann- 
er and stock-gniwer, residing on section 12, 
Sidney Towiisliii). He is the son of Benja- 
min and Delilali (Thom.os) Coddingtoii. and 
was born in Sidne3' Township, Oct. 21, 18-1.3. His 
parents were natives of Ohio, where his father was 
born in 1823, and his mother in 18-24. (For his- 
tory of parents, see sketcli of Benjamin Codding- 
ton). 

Joseph Coddington was the eldest of a family of 
nine children, comprising three sons and six daugh- 
ters. He p.assed his boj'hood and youth on the 
parental homestead, assisting his father on the farm 
in the summer and attending school during the 
winter. The educational advantages of tlie west- 
ern frontier were beginning to improve at that 
time, and he made the best use of all the oppor- 
tunities afforded him, and during his life at home 
also acquired much useful experience in systematic 
farming. His marriage to Miss Clara McElro^' 
took place Nov. 23, 1871. Mrs. Coddington is the 
daughter of Samuel and Mary A. (Franklin) Mc- 
Elroy. and was born .)uly 13, 1853, in or near 
Marietta, Ohio. She is the eldest of a familj- of 
six diildren, three sons and three (laughters. Her 
l)arents were natives of Oiiio, but are now living 
in Sidney Township. Mr. and Jfrs. Coddington 
had a family of three children liorn to them — 
Grant, Essie May and Maiy Delilali. The twu el- 
rler are deceased. 

May 14, 18G4, Mr. Coddington enlisted in the 
service of his country' for 100 da\'s, and was kept 
on guard duty on the Government Island near 
Rock Island. He was a faithful and elllcient sol- 
dier, and after serving more than his full time, was 
mustered out at Camp Butler, about the 16th of 
September, 1864. After his return, he remained at 
home until 1874, and then removed with his fam- 
ily to Mitchell County, Kan. Remaining there a 
few d.aj's, and encountering some of the cyclones 



incident to that region, he decided to return to 
Illinois, where he has since resided. 

Mr. Coddington is the owner of a fine estate con- 
taining eighty acres of valuable land, all of wBich 
is under cultivation, with the exception of five 
acres of timber. His residence and farm buildings 
are substantial and well appointed. He takes great 
interest in stock-raising, giving special attention to 
hogs of the Poland-China breed. The manage- 
ment of his farm is carried on with system, aidetl 
by the best modern improvements. He possesses 
a thorough knowledge tif agriculture in all its de- 
partments, and b3' close and intelligent api)lication 
to business h:is met with marked success. In busi- 
ness transactions he is always guided by honesty 
and integrity of character; in his home life he is 
affectionate and indulgent, and his genial disposi- 
tion has won a large circle of friends 1)3' whom he 
is held in the highest esteem. With his wife he is 
a member of the United Brethren Church, in which 
he is Class-Leader and also Assistant Superintend- 
ent of the Union Sundaj'-school. 

--^ ^-^ ^ 



J "w/ AMES R. MClRE. Among the pioneers of 
I Champaign County, the number of which is 
I slowly but surel3- decreasing, this gentleman 
j) deserves more than a passing notice. He 

has been one of the most reliable men in the busi- 
ness and agricultural communit3-, being [lossessed 
of more than ordinar3' abilit3', great resolution and 
energy of character, and those qualities upon which 
the prosperit3' of a section and country depend. 
He is descended from an excellent family, who 
trace their ancestors back to Germany, and the first 
representative of whom, after reaching this countr3' 
located in New York State. His grandfather, Henry 
More, of German parentage, was born in Columliia 
Count3', N. Y., where after reaching manhood he 
engaged in farming pursuits, being located for ii 
uumberof 3'cars on a tract of land at Chatham Four 
Corners.- Thence he went into Delaware Connt3' and 
purchased a large tract of timber land, from which 
he cleared a farm, and where he remained occupied 
in its improvement and cultivation until his death. 
Among the children of Hcin-y More was Henry, 



:!±r#^ 



t 



■^•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



807 



U 



Jr., who was born on the farm at Chatham Four 
Corners, and was but a boy at the time of tlie re- 
moval to Delaware County. There he grew to 
manhood, and was occupied after the manner of 
most fanners' sons until his marriage. The maiden 
whom lie chose to share his fortunes was Miss Bet- 
sey Ann Farrington, who was born in Delhi, Dela- 
ware Co., N. Y., and was the daughter of March 
Farrington, a native of Massacluisetts, who i-c- 
nioved to Delaware County, N. Y., during its early 
settlement. Mis daughter Tauliua was tlie tirst 
white child born in Meredith Township, that county. 
This w.as during the time th.at tlie Colonies were 
struggling for their inde|)endence. Mr. Farring- 
ton cherished a hearty contempt for the Tories, 
and as soon as his services could be made available 
he shouldered his musket and started for the scene 
of conflict, and did not leave the held until peace 
was established. Mr. F. then returned to his home, 
where he remained engaged with his private con- 
cerns until 1S12, and then as soon as the guns be- 
gan liring again left at once for the field of battle, 
where he served until the end of the second con- 
flict. He was permitted to escape unharmed, and 
spent his declining years in Delhi with the mother 
of our subject. 

After their marriage Henry More, Jr., and his 
young wife settled down on the old homestead, in 
a section which had not even then been disturbed 
by the building of canals and railroads. In addi- 
tion to his farming he set aside a parUof the house 
for the accommodation of travelers, the homestead 
being located on the main road leading from Delhi 
to the Hudson River. Thus em|)loyed, and pass- 
ing a comparatively uneventful life, he remained 
until his earthly labors were terminated on the 
•27th of October, ISU, being stricken down in 
his prime, when but thirtj'-nine years of age. He 
had previously visited Michigan and contemplated 
a removal there, but his untimely death essentially' 
changed the whole future for his family. 

Our subject, who \»as born in Delhi, N. Y., May 
17, 1829, w.as the only son in a family of five chil- 
dren born t<j his parents, and was but twelve years 
of age when his father died. The mother, with 
excellent management and forethought, kept her 
familv together and gave the children a good edu- 



t 



<^ 



cation, fitting them for teaching. James R. gradu- 
ated from Delhi Academy when seventeen years 
old, and at once entered u|)on his profession as a 
teacher. He was thus eini)loyed for several win- 
ters, engaging in farming during the summer, lie 
continued a resi<lcnt of his native county until 
1,S.51. when he migrated to Michigan and |>ur- 
chased a tract of land in St. Joseph County, where 
he engaged in farming and teaching altcrnaUly 
until 18o'J. He then sold out and, accompanied by 
his little family, came to this county and rented 
land in Rautoul Township. This he occupied un- 
til 18G0, and then purchased a portion of the land 
included in his present farm. His course from the 
beginning was marked by good judgment and de- 
liberation, and he was uniformly prosperous in his 
undertakings. He followed closely the principles 
which had been instilled in him by his excellent 
parents, lived honestly and uprightly, was prompt 
in meeting his obligations, and secured the respect 
and esteem of all who knew him. He ailded by 
degrees to his real estate, and is now possessed of 
160 acres in the home farm near the city, eighty 
acres on section U), and another eighty on section 
12 in Rautoul Township. It is all improved and 
enclosed, and furnishes every facility for the suc- 
cessful raising of stock and grain. 

On the 6th of October, 18,52, ilr. More took an- 
other important step in life, becoming united in 
marriage with Miss Louisa M. Lee. The wedding 
occurre<l in Delhi. N. Y. Mrs. More was born in 
Roxbury, Delaware Co., N. Y., March 8, 1821), and 
is the daughter of John and Mittie (Baker) Lee, 
natives of Delaware County, the latter liorn in Rox- 
bury, and the daughter of Joseph ;ind Eunice 
Baker, natives of Connecticut and pioneers of Del- 
aware County. The parents of Mrs. More, to- 
<rether with two brothers and one sister, died in 
Roxbury, all within three weeks, in 1850. Her 
l)aternal grandfather, Daniel Lee, was also a native 
of Connecticut, whence he emigrated to the vicin- 
ity of the future town of Roxbury, N. Y., during 
the early settlement of the Empire State. Later he 
removed to Westcrnville in Oneida County, where 
his decease occurred. 

The six children of Mr. and Mrs. James U. 
More comprise a family of which they may well 

>► 



'i 



1 



.t 



808 



CHAAIPAIGN COUNTY. 



*T* 



I 



Ijc proud. Ella, tlu6 ehlest tlaugiiter and child, be- 
came the wife ofrT) A. Pillars, a resident of Cliam- 
paign; Henry is farming in Rantoui Township; Kd- 
ward N.; Anna married Samuel K. Tubbs, and re- 
sides in Auburn, N. Y.\ Fred and Nellie are at 
home with their parents when not engaged at their 
studies in school. Our subject and his wife are de- 
vout members of the Episcopal Church, and Mr. 
More, wlio in early days was a stanch adherent of 
the old Whig iiartj', now cheerfully endorses Ke- 
|)ublican principles and gives his vote and inlluence 
in support of them. 



Vf OHN L. LESTEK. The 100-acre farm lying 
one and one-lialf miles west of (iifford and 
six miles east of Kantoul, has been a subject 
of much comment by travelers passing 
through that section, enibi'acing as it does one of 
the finest bodies of land in Compromise Township. 
This, like most of the homesteads adjacent, was 
built up gradual]}' from a modest i)eginning, and is 
the property of tiie above-named gentleman. He 
commenced life in a modest manner, and the quar- 
ter century of steady labor which he has given to 
the completion and beautifying of his home, has 
resulted in the draining and tilling of a large por- 
tion of the land and the erection of a beautiful 
dwelling, in addition to the other buildings re- 
(juired by the modern agriculturist. The stables 
contain fine horses, and the sheds and pens display 
numbers of cattle, hogs and sheep, all in good con- 
dition and well cared for, and the whole presenting 
a rural scene which is a delight to look upon. 

Mr. Lester is a descendant of excellent English 
ancestry, and his father, Thomas, was born in En- 
gland. When a youth of fifteen 3'ears, in company' 
with his father, he came to the United States on a 
pleasure trip, landing in New York City about one 
3'ear previous to the beginning of the Kevolution- 
ar}' War. They remained a few months visiting in 
the States, but the temperature being a little warm 
for English subjects they found it convenient to go 
over to Canada. Young Thomas was left there in 
charge of Gen. Drummond, while his father set out 
upon his return to Knghind. This was the last time 
Thomas saw his father and he was never more 

■^« . 



heard from by his friends. Thomas subse(pienlly 
enlisted in the Canadian arm}', but a year afterward 
deserted and went over into the ranks of the Colo- 
nists. He served in tiie army of Gen. Wasliiugttni 
until tlieir indeijendtnce had been estaltlislicd ami 
was honorably discharged. 

After retiring from the service Thomas Lestei' 
went into Oneida County. N. Y., and purcha.sed 100 
acres of heavily timijcrtMl land, which he cleared 
and transformed into a good farm, where he passed 
the remainder of his days. He reached the ad- 
vanced age of sevent^'-eight years, passing to the 
other life in Im.tK. The mother of our subject was 
formerl}^ Miss Delight Vanderwalker, a native of 
Oneida County, N. Y., whose parents were l)orn in 
Holland. The family consisted of ten children, 
namely, George W., Martin, Leonard, Mary Ann, 
Nancy: .John i^., of our sketcii; Charles, Fannie, 
Elizabeth and i\Ielissa. Those living are Mar\' Ann, 
Eli/.al)etii and John L. 

Young J>esler passed his early years under the 
parental roof, attending school during the winters 
and assisting in\ the farm in summers until seven- 
teen years of age. Then, in 1845, with a cash capi- 
tal of *6 in his pocket, he started in life for him- 
self. Upon arriving at his destination, which w:u5 
Monroe, Mich., he had &1 left. His first business 
was to procure employment, which he ol)tained with 
the AHchigan Southern Railroad Coni|)any, with 
whom he remained two years, working at sevcnt}'- 
Gve cents per day and boarding himself. At the 
expiration of this time he visited his father and 
mother in Oneida County, N. X. After a time spent 
among old friends he engaged with the AUian}' & 
Boston Railroad Comi)any. with whom he remained 
a year, and then went into the New York & Erie 
Railroad Company, witli which he servdl accepta- 
bly for a period of nine j'ears. In IS^T he made 
his first visit to the Prairie Stivte, and locating in 
Springfield became an engineer on the (Jreat West- 
ern Railroad. 

The following year, with Uie view of changing 
his occu|)ation and making arrangements for a per- 
manent abiding-place, our subject jjurchased Hit 
acres of wild prairie land in Compromise 'J'own- 
shij), this county, on section :?. for ^fi [ter acre. 
There was no house within five miles. He had ni>w a 



f 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






faniily. and his first business was to provide for 
them a suitable dwelling, which he had ready in the 
spring of IHCl, and of which they took possession. 
In the meantime there arose a necessity for more 
hard cash than he could obtain by working on his 
land, so he resumed railroading as engineer with 
the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and was 
thus employed until ^[arch, I8(i4. He then aban- 
doned the road for good, and turned his undivided 
attention to farming. He met with uniform success 
fron the start, and added to his first [inrchase by 
degrees, allowing none to run to waste or Ije neg- 
lected, and draining the swamp sections with tile. 

It is hardly nccess.ary to state that Mr. Lester 
h.as been piomincnt in township affairs, his fellow- 
citizens naturally looking to him to assist in filling 
its important ollices. He served as Supervisor 
three years, and with the exception of one year h.as 
been School Director since 18,tG. He and his ex- 
cellent wife have for many years been connected 
with the Baptist Church, and since liecoming a voter 
Mr. L., having imbibed the principles of freedom 
which were an essential element of his father's 
character, has uniformly encouraged Republican 
ideas. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was married 
on the UUh of February, 185-2, was formerly Miss 
Mary .Jones, a native of I!r;idford County, Pa., 
born .Jan. 12, 1828, .and tiie (huighter of Daniel 
and Jane .lones, natives <if the same county. Of 
the three children born of this union one luily is 
living, Charles II., who is married and a resident of 
Dakota; he has one child. .Jane R. dieil in Su.sque- 
hanna, Pa., when al)Out three years of age, in 
lSi)G. Daniel T., liorn July 22, 1863, died at the 
home of his father in Compromise Township, on 
the ()tli of February, 1882, when a promising young 
man nineteen years of age. 

^^KORGE L. COLLINS. This highly re- 
llj (— ^ spccted resident of .Scott Township may lie 
^^^ properlj' clas.sed as one of its self-made men, 
who from a mftdest beginning has arisen to a good 
Ijosition among his fellow-citizens, both socially and 
financially. He started in life when twenty-one 

4« 



years of age, with no capital bnt his strong hands 
and willing disposition, and for two years was em- 
ploj'ed as a farm laborer in Piatt County, and 
afferward in M.ason County for a period of three 
years. He then rented a farm in Shelby County 
where he reniained two years, and from there re- 
moved to P)0ndville, where he was employed by S. 
M. Athens, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a grain buyer. 
At the expiration of this contr.act he came into 
Scott Township and rented a farm. He afterward 
lived in Hondvillc and Colfax Township, and then 
returning to Scott Township inirchased the farm 
which he now occupies. 

Upon taking (lossession of this Mr. Collins began 
the establishment of a permanent homestead in which 
he has admirably succeeded, and where he has ac- 
cumulated suflicient means to enable him to p.ass his 
declining years surrounded by the good things of 
earth. He has also secured for himself the con- 
fidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens, by whom 
he is regarded as an imporUant factor in the busi- 
ness and agricultural interests of this section. He 
is Democratic in jiolitics, has served as School 
Director, and has t.aken a genuine interest in all 
matters [leitaining to the welfare of his county and 
community. 

Mr. Collins vvas born in Vermillion County, Ind., 
AiM-il 1;'), 1S4(>. He is the son of Aaron and \'ir- 
giuia (Fidtz) Collins, the former a native of the Old 
Dominion and the latter of Pennsylvania. They 
removed to Indiana soon after their marri.age, 
locating in Vermillion Count}', whence they re- 
moved in the spring of 1857, to Piatt County, this 
State. Five years later the}' took up their abode 
in Danville, 111., whence they removed to (ir.ayville, 
where the father of our subject departed this life in 
February, 1884. The mother still survives and 
lives in Danville, 111. Of the twelve children 
which comprised the parental household, ten lived 
to bccuime men and women. Our subject remained 
with ills parents in Piatt County until he reached 
his m.'ijoiity. His subsequent course we have 
.already indicated. 

Mr. Collins w.as m.anicd in Mahomet, III.. Nov. 
18, 1875, to Miss Catherine, daughter of .lames and 
Aiuia (Ivelly) P.owes. The parents of Mrs. C. were 
natives of Ireland, who emigrated to this country 



f 



4 



810 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4: 



while young. Tlie father died in Seott Township, 
this county, in April, 1.S8-2. The mother is living 
witii our subject. Of the three children born to 
Mr. :ind Mrs. Bowes, Mrs. C. was the eldest. Her 
birthplace was Cincinn.ati, Ohio, and the date 
thereof Jan. 23, 18.54. Of her union with our sub- 
ject there have been born two children, both 
daughters, Blanche G. and Maude M. Mrs. Collins 
is an intelligent and worthy lady, and a devoted 
member of the Methodist Church. 



^■'I' w~ 



-m 




! 



s^'^ AMUEL D. MANDEiVILLE is .an extensive 
farmer and stock-grower, living on section 
1.5, Sidney Townsliip. He is the son of 
Elijah and Hulda (Denton) Mandevillc. 
Thej' came of Freuch and German extraction, and 
were married in their native place, Seneca County, 
N. Y. In 1859 they removed from New York and 
settled in Champaign, 111., where Mrs. JMandeville 
died in 1800. After the death of his wife Mr. 
Mandoville returned to New York, but after re- 
maining there one year removed to St. .Joseph 
Township, in this county, where he engaged in the 
■ business of f.irming and stock-raising until the last 
fifteen years of his life, when he made his home 
with his son. Dr. J. W. M.-uidcville, of Thilo, with 
whom he remained until his death, which occurred 
Oct. 10, 1885. He vvas buried by the side of iiis 
wife in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Chauipaign, 111. 
Formerly he was a Presbyterian, but afterward 
became a member of the Congregational Church. 
Samuel D. Mandcville was born in Ovid, Seneca 
Co., N. Y., July 2, 183',), and remained at home 
until eighteen years of age. when he reuKJved to 
Chanipiiign, 111. During his lirst year in this place 
he held a clerkship in the store of A. (). Wood- 
wortli ; at the expiration of the year he was appointed 
in!Ui!iger of a general store at St. .loseph, by Mr. 
Woodworlii, for whom he conducted the business 
for iilioiit six months. He then purchased the 
slock of Mr. \Voodwt)rlli and entered into business 
for himself, which he successfully cari'ied on until 
18(ir), when he sold out his stock to Kelly & 
Shreve. During the next three years he was en- 
gaged in stock-raising, (leMling extensively in sheep 



and investing in wool. During the two following 
years he entered into p.artnership with William O. 
Shreve, in osage plant raising. He was at this 
time a resident of Champaign, and while living 
there was married, Feb. 3, 186U, to Miss Mary A. 
Coffeen, of Homer, 111. She was the daughter of 
M. D. and Marj' (Elliot) Coffeen, highly respected 
and well-known people of this county. She was 
born Sept. 3, 1840. H^r death occurred May 10, 
1884, and her remains were tenderly laid to rest in 
the cemetery at .Sidney. 

Mr. Mandeville's family consisted of seven chil- 
dren: Ira F., who was born July 2.5, 1870; Ollie 
M., born April 27, 1872; Huld.a, M,ay 10, 1870; 
Ethel G., Sept. 1, 1878; Anna B., Jlarcii 17, 1880; 
Paris and Carrie were twins, born March 14. 1884. 
Carrie died Sept. !), 1884, and was buried b}' the 
side of her mother. 

Mr. JIandcville is now- holding the oflicc of Su- 
pervisor, representing his township on the Comity 
Board. In 187(1 he held the ofiice of Assessor of 
Sidne3' Township, and was Postmaster at St. Joseph 
for a term of five years. He h.as charge of 147 
acres of well-fencc<l land, and gives considerable 
attentitm to stock-raising. He is one of tlie Trustees 
and Stewards of tlie Methodist Church, of which his 
wife was also a highly esteemed member. His po- 
litical interests are identified with the IJepulilican 
I)arty, and in its success he always evinces the most 
earnest zeal. 

ylLLIAM M. JONES, a gentleman in the 
prime of life, and a fanner of St. Joseph 
Townshiii who is entitled to much credit 
for his industry in building up (Hie of its finest 
homesteads, is tlie second son of Lewis and Sarah 
(Street) Jones, who were residents of Sidney Town- 
ship at the time of his birth, which took pl.ace Dec. 
8, 1848. The branch of the Jones famil3' to wlncli 
our subject belongs traces its origin in this countrj' 
back to tlic Old Doininiun, where the grandfather, 
Maj. Matthew Jones, was born, and from which he 
removed to Ohio at an early period in the history 
of that .State. He there married Miss Elizalieth 
Allen, who was born in 17!)2, and they reared a 






u 



i» ^ B ^ 



CIIAMPATON roUNTY. 



811 



¥ 



family of six chiltlren. The ninternal srvandfatlier 
of our subject, David Street, served as a soldier in 
the War of 1812, and was married to a Miss Dun- 
can, of Kentuckj\ who was of (ierman descent. 
The Jones faniil}' first originated in Wales, from 
which the first representatives emigrated to tiiis 
country during the Colonial days. 

Lewis Jones, the fatlier of our sul)ject, was l)orn 
July 3, 1816, and married Feb. 23, 1843. His wife, 
Sarah, was born March 1!). 1814. After uniting 
their fortunes the3^ migrated to this State, locating 
first at Macoupin, whence they removed to this 
county in the spring of 1 8 13, where the elder .Tones 
purchased a small tract of timber land, built a log 
cabin, and continncd to live nntil April, 1849. He 
then sold out and purchased ■ the f.arni now oc- 
cupied by his son, our subject. This he secured 
from the Government .at $1.2.5 per acre. It is lo- 
cated on section 32, .and is included in the present 
fine estate embracing 320 acres of valual)lc land, 
which, under the wise manipulation of its pro- 
prietor is numbered among tlic finest homesteads 
in this county. 

At the time Lewis Jones settled here the present 
flourishing citj* of Urbana was an unpretentious 
hamlet of one house. Ho lived to see the country 
developing around him, and the march of tiie iron 
horse over fields which, wlien he came here were 
traveled only by wild game and now and then a 
solitarj' traveler. He did not live to old age, how- 
ever, but p.assed from the serenes of earth in the 
forty-third year of his age, on Christmas Da3', 
Is.'iS, He left a wife and four children, of whom 
the subject of this sketch was the second. 

William M. Jones i)assed his boj"hood and 3'oulli 
on the old homestead, attending the district school 
and assisting his mother .as best he could ••ifler the 
father had pa.sscd away. Upon reaching manhood 
he began farming on his own account, still remain- 
ing on the homestead, to which he brought a bride 
on the (ith of October, I ISSC. This lady was for- 
merly Miss Nora 15. Cooper, a native of this county, 
and the daughter of David and Nancy (U'ise) 
Cooper, who removed from Ohio to this Sl:ite in 
about I.SGO. 

.Mr. .bines has continued on the old homeste.ail 
uj) to this time, an<l has .added b^' degrees a large 



^^ 



acre.-ige of the fertile land adjoining. Aside from 
general farming and stock-raising he has given 
much attention to the breeding of Belgian horses, 
having about four head of as fine animals as are 
contained in any of the stables of this section. Mr. 
Jones also fattens numbers of cattle annually, 
which he slii|)s to the Eastern markets and the pro- 
ceeds of which j'ield him a handsome income. The 
land is largely devoted to the raising of grain, being 
finely adapted to this purjiose by its thorough 
drainage with tile, and its admirable location, which 
enables it to I'eceive the sunshine and the .atmos- 
phere best calcuLated for the growth of vegetation. 



-..r^i^tii^s^^TT^ 



:>i'%-rv 



1]SAAC FRANCIS. Among the early settlers of 
I .St. Joseph Township the name of our subject 
/£ is worthy of an honorable place. He was born 
Nov. 9, 1825, in Madison Count3% Ohio, near La 
Fayette. His grandfather. Reason F'"rancis, was one 
of the pioneers of the l.atter-named State. lie 
lived there in the e.arly d.ays, when wolves and bears 
were frequent visitors, and upon one occasion dis- 
patched an .aggressive bear with a tomahawk. His 
wife's maiden name w.as Margaret Bair. Her father 
was likewise one of the early settlers of Ohio. He 
was a brickmason by tr.ade, and the founder of 
London, the countj' scat of Madison County. 

Our subject's father, John Fr.ancis, came to Ohio 
with his parents in the early days, where, after at- 
taining to manhood, he ni.arried MissN.ancj' A'anee. 
She was a native of Virginia, and the daughter of 
John Vance. In 1840 her father left his Kastern 
home with the intention of settling in Champaign 
County, 111., but earthly- plans arc in the hands of 
a Higher Power. On the journey his death oc- 
curred while seated at the breakf;ist table. The 
family' of Mr. Vance is of Scotch extr.action, .and 
that of Mr. Francis of Knglish lineage. After his 
niarri.agc John Francis settled in Madison County, 
Ohio, and engaged in farming there, 'becoming one 
of the principal wheat-growers of the neighborhood. 
He passed the remainder of his life in Madison 
County, wliere his death took place in August, 
1.S38. He had been twice mairicd. ami was the 
father of six children. 



1 



^ 



812 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



Isaac Francis was the eldest child of his father's 
first marriage. His boyhood was passed at home 
among the green field.'; of his native county until 
the death of his mother, after which he made his 
home with str.ingers. He first engaged in farm 
labor as a wage- worker by the month, and when he 
had I'eached the age of twenty resolved to seek his 
fortune in the West. He came to Champaign 
County, 111., and first found employment in Homer 
by the month, and next, like Abraham Lincoln, 
took a job of rail-splitting, at which he worked 
faitlifully summer and winter for two years, receiv- 
ing thirty-seven and a half cents per hundred. 

In 1849 our subject married Miss Eliza J. Gazle, 
but their married life was of short duration, her 
death occurring in the following August. In 18.55 
he was married the second time, to Miss pjlla Van 
Brunt, the daughter of Samuel Van Brunt. After 
his marriage he rented a f.arm for five years, and in 
185'J purcli.ased his present place on section 33, 
containing 12(1 acres of choice land. The place 
had originally but few improvements, but his farm 
is now well tiled and fenced, and su|)plied with a 
good barn and pleasant farm residence. His former 
dwelling-house was destroyed by fire in 1882, but 
fortunately it was [Kirtially covered I13' an insurance 
of $450, which afforded some .a,ssistance in liie 
building of another house. 

Mr. and Mrs. Francis have a family of three chil- 
dren, two sons and a diMightcr — Kdgar, Cniton W. 
and .Jennie. In jxililics he is a stanch l\ei)nblican. 
Mr. Fiancis is jnsl and kind in disposition, temper- 
ate in his h;ibits, and possesses tiie esteem of all 
who know him. 



RS. ELIZABKTH (EVANS) GABRIEL, 
who may be justly numbered with the 
eai'ly pioneers of Ch.ampaign Connt^^ lo- 
cated in Riintoul Township on a tract of 
wild land, in 18G7. She became familiar with .all 
the dilliculties of settlement in a new country, 
and performed wcn-thily the duties of a pioneer, 
being among those ncjble women witiioutwhom tlie 
settlement of this eonntv would have been much 




1- 



less advanced than it is at the jM-esent time. She 
evaded no dut3', and labored eheerfidly with her 
family during the days when such labor was nec- 
essary to their well-being and to the establish- 
ment of a home. Her first husband, Phine.as Allen, 
was drowned in the Hocking River. He w.as cross- 
ing a trestle work during high water, and falling 
from the bridge was drowned. His body was found 
three months later. 

Mrs. Gabriel w.as born Feb. 11, 1822, in that 
part of Athens, Ohio, wiiich is now included in 
Vinton County. Her father, David Evans, was a 
native of Virginia, and her grandfather, Caleb 
Ev.ans, removed from the Old Dominion to Ohio in 
about 1840, and settled near Columbus, where he 
spent the balance .of his days. His son, David, 
who was a young man when this removal was made, 
married in the Buckeye State and located on a 
timber tr.act in Athens Township, Vinton County. 
He first erected .a log cabin, which, however, was 
soon replaced by a more modern structure, and 
cleared a part of the land, and remained there until 
his death, which occurred in 1854. The maiden 
whom he chose for his wife, Miss Sallie Roderick, 
was born on the Scioto River in Ohio, and died at 
her home in Vinton County, in 1844. The parental 
household included eleven children. 

Mrs. Galiriel remained with her mother until her 
marriage, .assisting in the houschcjld clnlies, learning 
to spin, weave and knit, and to cut and make the 
clothing for the famil}'. Her first marriage took 
jilace on the 12tli of May, 1842, when she became 
the wife of Phineas Allen, the gentleman above 
mentioned, who w.as a n.ative of Athens County, 
Ohio, and was the son of Phineas Allen, Sr., who 
emigrated from his native State of New Jersey to 
Ohio in the pioneer days, and locating in Athens 
County, Ihcrc p.as.sed the remainder of his life. 
Phineas Allen, Jr., spent iiis entire life in his native 
county, and during his last years was engaged in 
the management of his father's farm. Mrs. Allen 
was m.arried to William (Jalirioi in 18(;i, who died 
in lH(;;i. Mrs. (iabriel removed to Franklin County 
in 18(15, renting a farm, which her sons worked 
until |8(;«, when they came to Champaign County, 
and bought forty acres in Condit Townshi|), and 
later moved to Ranloul Township. Here she iin- 




I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



813 



t 



provcfl a fnrm and lived for several _vears, display- 
ing great skill in tiie management of the plaee. 

In 1881 Mrs. Gabriel removed to the village of 
Rantonl. B_v her first marriage slie l)eeamc the 
motlier of six child I'en, two of wliom are deceased. 
Those surviving are Harvey, who is a resident of 
Indiana; (ieorge, living in Arivansns; Sarali, who 
married Providence Mounts, and is a resident of 
■ Pawnee, Kan., and Tartus, who manages the farm. 
The second son, Sanford Allen, was born July 3, 
1845, and during tiie war enlisted in the fall of 
1861, in the 75th Ohio Infantry. At the bloody 
battle of (iettysburg he laid down his life, and his 
remains were laid to rest in a soldier's grave. He 
was a bright and promising young man, and Ser- 
geant of ids company. Of the second marriage of 
Airs, (iabriel there were no cliildrpn 




ON. S. H. BUSEY. The gentleman whose 
name heads this sketch is one of the oldest 
pioneers of Ciianipaign County, having 
come here in 1836 with his parents, when a 
lad twelve j'ears of age. Here lie grew to man's 
estate, .and Bnislied the education wiiich was begun 
in his native county. He was born Oct. 24, 1824, 
in Greencastle, Ind., his parents being Col. Mat- 
thew W. and Elizabeth (Bush) IJnsey, whose fam- 
ily consisted of eight children, of wliom our sub- 
ject was tiie second in order of liirth. 

When Mr. Bnsey came to this county, the ueigii- 
bors were few and far between, but possessed in an 
eminent degree the social spij-it which prevailed in 
the pioneer days. Tlie iieiglilKjrs were all ac- 
quainted with each other for twenty miles around, 
and it was considered almost a duty to attend tlie 
dances, weddings and funerals whicli occurred in 
the county. The schooling of young Busey was 
mostly carried on in a log cabin with punciieoii 
floor and greased paper for window-panes. He re- 
mained under the home roof, assisting his parents 
in tile duties incident to tlie opening up (jf a new 
farm, and after arriving at years of manliood w.as 
married, in 1S48, to Miss Artemesia .Jones, of 
(Jreeiicastle, Ind., formerly of Kentucky, wiience 
siie removed witli lier parents, .lohu \\. and Alice 



(.Scott) .Tones, to Greencastle, Ind., when a child. 

Of the union of our subject and wife there were 
born eight children, of whom the record is as fol- 
lows: John W. married IMiss Ada Tobias, and the}' 
have two children — Frankie and Katie; tliis son is 
carrying on an extensive stock farm in Compro- 
mise Township, and breeding Short-horn cattle 
and Clydesdale horses. Augusta Bnsey is the wife 
of W. P. Morgan, an attorney of Minneapolis, 
Minn.; Frances, Mrs. H. Riley, lives in Champaign, 
where her husband is engaged in the jewelry busi- 
ness; Matthew W. married Miss Kate Richards, 
and they liave two children — Paul W. and Virginia; 
he is a partner in Busey 's Bank. .Tames B., who is 
farming in Newcomb Township, this county, mar- 
ried Miss Kate Kaucher, .and they have two chil- 
dren — Martin M. and Simeon H. ; Alice, IMrs. (i. 
Freeman, of Urbana. has three children — Simeon 
H., Jessie and George; George W., who is now 
in Arizona, lias charge of the Colorado River In- 
dian Agency; William H. is conducting a stock 
ranch at Great Bend. Kan. 

In 1853 Mr. Busey began the improvement of 
what is now known as the Uiiiversit}' Farm, which 
he occupied until 1866. He then became a resi- 
dent of Urbana where he was for many years en- 
gaged in the drug and grocer^' business. At the 
same time he was first and foremost in the enter- 
prises which were calculated to develop and in- 
crease the prosperity of this couiity, among which 
was the First National Bank of Champaign, of 
which he was the originator, and one of its first 
Directois. He afterward sold out his interest in 
this institution, and established Biise}' Bros." Bank, 
at Crbana, which he withdrew from in 18711, in or- 
der to give more of his attention to his extensive 
farming interests and his lands which were scattered 
throughout this county, and of which he has quite 
an area in Kansas and Nebraska devoted to stock- 
raising. 

In the spring of 1 877 Mr. B. was elected Supervisor 
of I rliaua 'rownship. Mud that same year was chosen 
to rei)resent his county in the Legislature. He is 
a stanch sup|)orter of the Democratic party, and 
has often liecn urged to allow his name to be placed 
before the people as their candidate for Congress. 
He has always taken an active interest in bencvo- 



r 



i 



t. 



i 



814 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTV. 



lent enterprises, and has been wenerous in contrib- 
uting his time and money for tiio building up of 
his township and county. 

The Busey family I'csidence is a fine modern 
structure, pleasantly loc^ated, and its inmates are 
surrounded by all tho comforts and luxuries of 
life. Mrs. Busey is connected with the Baptist 
Church, and is a lady highly esteemed for her ex- 
cellent qualities of characti'r. 



"^y-y^ ■•'^ejiejZ/^^^S^^^^ 



»/^t,Qi/inn^>^'\/\^^ 



^?=?jKOR(iE W. (tRISVVOLI), Supervisor of 
(|[ (— ^ Harwood Township, is a well-to-do farmer 
^^J^ operating 160 acres of land on section 17. 
He may be pardoned for priding himself upon his 
"Yankee" blood, as it has been the means of mak- 
ing him one of the most prosperous, thorough and 
energetic tillers of the soil, who came to the West 
in their young manhood and I'esolved to make 
their mark. 

The early home of Mr. (iriswold was in the thriv- 
ing little town of Sharon, Litchfield Co., Conn., 
where his birth took place on the I2tli of August, 
1836. He was the first child of P'raneis W. and 
Eunice (.Surdam) (Jiiswold, the former a native of 
New York and the latter of Connecticut. The year 
following the birth of our subject, his father, talc- 
ing Ills family and household goods with him, pro- 
ceeded to Sullivan County, N. Y., and located on a 
farm, where he engaged in agriculture until 18.o2. 
He was a man wide awake to what was going on 
aniinul liiin. and wlu-ii lie lieai'd iif Ihc tide of em- 
igration setting toward the central portion of this 
State, he dctciinined to join tho caravan, and see 
what there was for him in the larger fields of the 
less thdioiiglily culti\aled West. He located fust 
in Kmidall County, this State, but five years later 
moved into I'eoria County, taking possession of a 
farm in Klmwood Township, near the now flourish- 
ing city of I'eoria. There our subject remained 
under the parental roof iiiilil the winter of I .S59. 
Being then twenty-three years of age, he eoneluded 
that it was hii;li time to begin the establishment of 
a home of his own. lie took the first important 
stej) toward llu^ accomplishment of this end on the 
2Htli of Decemlier following. I>eiug united in mar- 



riage with Lucy, eldest child of Joseph and Ann 
(Enzer) Co.\, natives of England, who emigrated 
to this country early in life, and located •■) I'eoria, 
III., during its early settlement. 

After their marriage, the young people took up 
their residence on a small farm in Brimfield Town- 
ship, where they remained three years, but not be- 
ing quite satisfied with the results, returned to a 
farm in Elmwood Township, which thej' occupied 
for twelve years thereafter. In the meantime Mr. 
Griswold had been prospered, and accumulated 
quite a little sum of money with a fine assortment 
of farm implements. Believing, however, he could 
do still better by removal to this county, he dis- 
posed of his property in I'eoria County, and em- 
barked in a like enterprise in this county. Purchas- 
ing 160 acres of w-ild land in I larwood Township, 
he first provided a suitable shelter for his familj', 
and soon afterward entered vigorously upon the 
tilling of the new soil. The results of his labor 
have been eminently satisfactory, and the traveler 
passing through Harwood Township acknowledges 
there is scarcely a more desiralile homeste.-ul there 
than that of.Oeorge W. (4riswold. A view of the 
place is to be seen on another i^.age. The greater 
portion of the land has been devoted to the raising 
of grain, and of late years Mr. G, has given much 
attention to the breeding of Norman horses, of 
which he intends to make a sjiecialty in the future. 

Mr. G. is strongly Re|)ublicaii in politics, .-iiid 
keeps himself well [josted upon cunent events. 
Having abandoned tlie greater |iart of his farm 
labors with the exception of the departinenl spoken 
of, he has abundant time for reading and argiuiient, 
and while never offensive in the ex|)ression of his 
views, takes geniiine delight in bringing up strong 
reasons in support of them. He w.'is elected .Super- 
visor <jn the People's Ticket, and has filled the 
offices of Commissioner of Highways and School 
Director for several years, the duties of which he 
has discharged with credit to himself and satisfac- 
tion to his constituents. 

Mr. and Mrs. Griswold became the parents of 
three children: The eldest daughter, Julia, died in 
1873, when twelve years of age; Elza W. and 
Blanche are at home witli their parents. The son 
Elza, has the chief mMnageinent of his father's farm, 



I' 
i 



» ► ■ ■^- 



I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



815 



aiul is ;i inomisiug' yoinig incnilH'r of n inm-c tli.in 
ordiuaiily intelligent coniuuinity. 

Tlie father of our snbject, Francis W. (Jriswold, 
after the death of his wife came to this county, and 
made his home with his sou until his death, which 
took place in 18H5. According to his wish, his 
remains were taken l)ack to Peoria County. 



-'N'Tyv. ■A^jaje^/©^^**-! 



*g§^/cW?I»v- -v/^y^ 



OVIS HOGART C01>E. This gentleman 
|S) since 1865 has been identified with the busi- 

ji^^, ness interests of Rantoul, and to his energy 
and enterprise the town is largely indebted for the 
extent of its business transactions, and the reputa- 
tion it has gained as a desirable locality for those 
who are indisposed to be idle. Mr. Cole represents 
the agricultural implement trade, and is cxtensivelj' 
engaged in buying and shipping grain, while at the 
same time giving much of his time and attention 
to the breeding of Pereheron horses. Of the lat- 
ter he has some fine animals, and is, building up 
quite a reputation in this line throughout Central 
Illinois. 

Mr. Cole is a native of the Dominion of Canada, 
and was born June 14, 1827. He is the son of 
Conrad B. Cole, who was born in the same locality', 
and who after reaching manhood married Miss 
Sarah A. Kennady, of ^'ermont, her birthpl.ace be- 
ing near St. Albans. Her parents subsequently re- 
moved to Canada, where she met Conrad B. Cole, 
and where, after her marriage to him she spent the 
remainder of her life. The father of our subject 
was a carpenter bj- tra<le, and also engaged in farm- 
ing. The ten children of the parental houseiiold 
consisted of five sons and five daughters; two of 
the sous arc now deceased. The paternal grand- 
father of our subject, Barnard Cole by name, was 
born in the Mohawk X'alley.in New York State, be- 
ing the son of Daniel Cole, a native of what was 
then Little York, Imt now included in New York 
City. The family were originally from Holland. 

The subject of our sketch, wim was the ehlest 
child of his parents, passed his childhood and youth 
near his birthplace, and when nineteen yeais old 
si)ent two seasons upon the lakes as a sailor. Then, 
con('liiding that terra firma would suit him lietter, 



he remained (ju land and learned the millwright's 
trade, which he pursued in the State of New York 
until the spring of 18.5.i. For ten years afterward 
he was a resident of Wolvortou, Canada, whence 
he c.-inie to this county in 186.5. He engaged first 
as a contractor and builder, which he followed un- 
til 1.S71, and then began dealing in lumber and 
grain. His yard and its contents, including a flour- 
iug-mill, waii destroyed by fire in 1872, the whole 
involving a loss of $7,300. He recovered from 
this disaster as soon as possible, and resumed the 
grain and coal trade, by degrees adding agiicult- 
ural implements, and now carries a full line of 
everything required by the modern farmer. Be- 
sides his stock and town property he owns a good 
farm in Kantoul Township, the proceeds of which 
yield him a handsome sum aninially. 

Mr. Cole began dealing in fine horses in 1879. 
He has now thirty-seven head, nearly all I'crclier- 
ons, models of beauty and S3'mnietry, and embrac- 
ing some of the finest animals of the kind in Cen- 
tral Illinois. At the head of his stables is the cel- 
ebrated horse " Monarch," imported from France 
by Timothy .Slattery in 1880. and which took the 
second prize at the horse show in Chicago in issi. 
He is one of the finest horses in Champaign County, 
and is valued at a high figure. 

The first marriage of Mr. Cole took place in the 
spring of 18,')G, when he w.as united to Miss Kliza- 
belh Ilinchehvood, who w.as a native of Scotland, 
and the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Ilinchel- 
wood. who enugrated from that country with their 
family in 184."), and are now residents of Oul.-irio. 
Mrs. Cole depaited this life after becoming the 
mother of one daughter, Elizabetli A., who is now 
the wife of Tliomas IJttle, of R;intonl. The pres- 
ent wife of our sul)ject, to wjioni lie w.-is iii:inicd 
in 1862, was formerly Miss Jsabeile lloiicyuian, {>{ 
Kirkcaldy, Scotland, who came to the I'nitcd States 
with her parents when a little girl. Of liiis niar- 
ri.age there have been no children. 

Oiu- subject cast his first presidential vote for 
(ien. Winfield Scott, and since exercising the right 
of suffrage has been the stancii sui)porter of Re- 
puhlican principles. He was .Justice of the Pe.ace 
two terms, and has served as Collector ol K'antoul 
Township twoteiins. He keeps liiinsclf well poslc 



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champaKtN county. 



upon cm-rent events, and no ni;in in the township 
feels greater satisfaction in c(7ntcmphitinu: its prog- 
ress and general welfare than he. Mr. Cole iden- 
tified himself with the Masons in Canada in Octo- 
ber, 18oS, and since that time has been a valued 
member of the fraternity. As the friend of law. 
order and progress, he is filling his niche in life 
worthily, and building for himself a good record. 



'lt?$t R. EDWIN A. KRATZ. The gentleman 
ii whose history we briefiy note in the fol- 




lowing lines is a worthy member of the 
medical pi-ofession of Cham])aigji County, 
having been located in the city of the same name 
for a period of twenty years. He is a graduate of 
the ['niversity of Pennsjivania, and by a course of 
close study and extensive reading has thoroughly 
fitted himself for his chosen profession. Since 
commencing his practice in this vicinity his skill 
and judgment have uniformly commended him to 
the people and the result has been profitable both 
in a financial and social sense. 

Our subject is a n.ative of Plumsteadville, Bucks 
Co., Pa., where he was born July 12, 1844. He is 
the son of Henry and Annie (Stover) Kratz, also 
natives of the Keystone State, llenr^- Kratz pur- 
sued the occupation of a farmer, and became the 
father of a family of twelve children, five now de- 
ceased. Those surviving are Aunetta, of Penns}'!- 
vania; Henry S.. of Ft. Worth, Tex.; Jordan H.,of 
Greenwood, Del.; Catherine, of Danboro, Pa.; Reu- 
ben S., on the old homestead, and Fernando, of Dan- 
boro. 'J'he mother dei)arted this life March lo, 1 887, 
when seventy-two years old. The father is still liv- 
ing. For the last twenty-five or thirty j^ears he has 
been known as one of the most extensive and pros- 
perous farmers in Bucks County. His father, Phillip, 
was born on the old homestead at Plumsteadville. 
His grandfather, also Phillip, spelled his name with 
an " F." The family descended from the Swiss and 
the first representatives in this country located in 
Kastern Peinisylvania in about 1707. 

Dr. Kratz was reared on his father's farm, where 
he remained until twenty years of age. At the 
early age of sixteen he commenced teaching a pri- 



vate school in his native town, and in the fall of 

1862 li.id charge of the public school in Springfield, 
Bucks County. He was also Secretary of the 
Teachers' Association in Springfield Township. In 
1864, toward the close of the late war and before 
he had reached his majority, he enlisted in Co. A. 
19Sth Pa. Vol. Inf., and was clerk temporarily at 
brigade headciuarters. He engaged in the battle at 
Preble's Farm, Va., Boydstown Plank Road, and 
was at the capture of Ft. Steadman in the Old 
Dominion. At the battle of Dunwiddie Court 
House he w.as shot through the chest and in the left 
arm below the elbow, also in the right arm above 
the elbow. He laj' in the Mt. Pleasant Hospital, 
Wiishington, D. C, for eight weeks, and was unfit 
for duty for three and une-h.alf months. In fact, 
he has never since been a well man, and is now un- 
able to ride on horseb.ack and unfitted for manual 
labor. As soon .as able to return home he received 
his honorable discharge on .account of disability. 

After the" war, in 18GG, and when but twenty-two 
years old, J'onng Kratz started for the West. He 
stopped in Ohio for about one year and then came 
to this jcounty and commenced the study of medi- 
cine with Dr. Mills, in Champaign. He entered 
upon a course of lectures at the University of 
Michigan, after which he returned to his native 
.State and attended lectures in the University of 
Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, from which he gradu- 
ated on the I'.nh of March. 1H69. After receiving 
his diplouia he returned to the West and commenced 
practice in Champaign, lie belongs to the County. 
State and Central Illinois Medical Societies, and was 
one of the Directors of the public library, being 
Secretary of the Board until in 1876, when it was 
turned over to the city. After that he was still 
retained as a Director. He was elected City Clerk 
of Champaign in 1 S.si . serving four years, and was" 
Supervisor of the township during 1884—86. Po- 
litically he is an earnest sup|(orter of the Repub- 
lican party. Socially he belongs to the M.asons, the 

I I. O. O. F., the K. of P. and the G. A. R., in the lat- 
ter of which he is Commander. He became a mem- 
ber of the State .Militia in 1877, and the following 

j year was promoted to Assistant Surgeon of the 
regiment. In 1871 the Doctor was appointed Pen 

I sion Kxaininer for the district, which he held until 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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1885, when he was dropped to be iignin appointed 
in 188G. lie is now Secretary of the B(.ard. 

Dr. Kratz was married in 1S84, to Mrs. Annie 
Beidlci', of Champaign, and the daughter of Ben- 
jamin C. Bi-adley, of Veisailles, Ky. Of their union- 
there has been born one son, Alonzo V. Besides 
the piejis.ant residence on West Chirk street. Dr. K. 
is the owner of vahiable town lots, and lias dis- 
tinguisliod himself as much in a business capacity 
as in his profession. 

--^ #-#" ^^ 



o 



OBERT DAVIS became a resident of Ma- 
|t^^ hornet Township in the spring of 1871, set- 
iii \Vi tling upon section 13, where he has since 
^pllived. His homestead consists of 332 acres 
of fine farming land, all improved, and ui)on which 
ho has erected a convenient and substantial dwelling 
and all other requisite farm buildings, a viejv of 
%hich is shown on another page. He has been 
prosperous in his agricultural operations and is con- 
sidered one of the representative men of the farm- 
ing and business community. 

Our subject is the son of James and .Mary (Mc- 
Cnllum) Davis (see sketch of James Davis). He 
was born in Iowa City, Iowa, Oct. 17, 1842, and 
after pursuing his primary studies in the common 
schools completed them in the High School at Dan- 
ville. SiiK-e fourteen yeai's of age he has liveil on 
a farm, and remained with his parents until he was 
twenty-two. He first started in business for iiim- 
self in Hensley Township, wiicrc he carried on 
fai-niing four 3"ears, and tiien |iurcliMsed a part of 
his present homestead, lie was marriecl in Ma- 
homet Township, Oct. 19, 18(!4, to Miss Elvira B. 
Scott, a native of this township, .-inii llu' daiiglitcr 
of Judge v. L. Scott, who died in Malutniet Town- 
ship, Nov. 13, 1878. The mother of .Mrs. Davis 
before her marriage was Miss Julia A. llerriott, 
and she departed this life at her home in Maiioniet 
Township. Jan. 10, 1882. Mr. and Mis. Davis be- 
came the [jarents of five children, namely, ^Vi|p3•, 
Thomas, .lulia B., Mary M. and Charles. Wiley 
and Julia B. .'ue the only surviving children. The 
others died in inf.-incy. The wife and iiiotlier de- 
parted this life Jan. 18, 1S7<I. 



r 



Mr. Davis was married to his present wife, who 
was formerly. Miss Sarah G. Little, in Urban.a, Sept. 
14, 1.S7G. This lad}' is the daughter of Leavitt C. 
anil Lucy (Webster) Little, natives of New Hamp- 
shire. After marriage her parents located in Mc- 
Keau County, Pa., where they spent the remainder 
i>{ their days. Mr. Little was eng.aged in fanning 
and surveying. Mrs. Lucy J. Little w.as first mar- 
ried to Philip Web.ster, by whom she had two chil- 
dren' — Charles 1). and Philip L. The four children 
of the parental household were Ellen. John S., 
Susan and Sarah (i. Mrs. 1). was born in McKeaii 
Cdiinty, Pa., Sept. 22, 1843, and by her marriage 
with our subject became the mother of three chil- 
dren — Fannie D., Earnest L. and Jay R. 

Mr. Davis, politically, is a reliable Rei)ublican, 
and a man greatly esteemed among his fellow- 
townsmen, wIkj Imve intrusted him with the various 
minor ollices of the township. He is a member of 
the Masonic fraternity, Mahomet Lodge No. 220, 
and with his wife is prominently connected with the 
Presbyterian Church. 



AMES K. ICE, druggist attiifford, possesses 
the following interesting history: The first 
I representative of the family in this country 
was the great-great-grandfather of our sub- 
ject, Frederick Ice, who emigrated from Prussia, 
and settled in Eastern Virginia long before the 
Revolutionary War. He lived to the good old age 
of oiu^ hundred and tvventy-fonr years, and died in 
Marion County, W. \a. Among his sons was 
Adam, the great-grandftither of our subject, who 
was born in Marion Comity, W. Va., s|)ent his en- 
tire lile in his native .State, and died in IS.'ill. when 
ninety-eight years of .age. He ni;iiried Miss Bay- 
les, al-so a native of the Old Dominion, and they 
became the parents of five children, viz., Polly, 
Rolla, Elizabeth, -Margaret and William B. The 
<rreat-<rrandniother died in 18.il, aijed ninetv-three. 
Their son Hollo, who was born in .Marion County, 
W. \'a., in 17'J(;, was the grandfatlur of our sub- 
ject. He al.so spent his entire life in his native 
State, engaged in farniiiig and stock-raising, and 
after a cr(Mlital)le record as a citizen ami liusiness 



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man, rested from his labors in ISTO. He married 
Miss liachel Hayes, a native of his own county, 
who was born in 17!I8 and died in 1878. Their 
family' of seven cliildren grew to man and woman- 
hood, and were named respectively Oliver P.. 
Fielding R.. Henry M.. Klizabeth, Adam R.. Rolla 
K. and Phebe. The latter two were twins. Of 
these children, the eldest, Oliver P.. was the father 
of our subject. 

Oliver P. Ice was also born in Marion County', 
W. Va., his birth Uiking place May 15, 1821. His 
3-ounger days were passed under the home roof, 
and when nineteen jears old he was married to 
Miss .Sarah Dent, in January-, 1840, and they set- 
tled on a farm of oOO acres given liim bj' his father, 
and hjcated in his native county. After occupying 
this several j'ears they crossed the Mississippi into 
Iowa, but after a year returned to the Old Domin- 
ion and once more established themselves near the 
old homestead, where they leniained twelve j'ears. 
In the spring of 18G0 Oliver P. Ice came with his 
family to this county, and after spending one year 
at Urbana purchased eighty acres of land in Ur- 
bana Township, which he afterward doubled, and 
occupied until the spring of 1880. He then sold 
out and moved to Texas, where he lives at pi'esent 
and is extensively engaged in stock-raising. 

The mother of our subject was born Oct. 9, 1821, 
and departed this life at the home of her husband 
in Marion County, W. Va., Aug. 18, 18jl. Her 
remains were laid to rest in the family burying- 
ground on the old homestead in that county. The 
parental family included six children, namely', Ze- 
rilda, George R., James, of our sketch, Bathsheba, 
Charlotte and .Sarah E. The maternal grandfather 
of our subject w.as Dudle}' K. Dent, who was born 
near Morgantowu. W. \'a., and passed his days 
mostly in that neighborhood. He served as a sol- 
dier in the War of 1812, took part in the engage- 
ment at Hampton Roads, and was in the en- 
gagement with the British at North Point, near 
Baltimore. He met his death by drowning in the 
Kanawha River. W. A'a., in 1844. The maiden name 
of his wife was Mahala Berkshire, who was born 
near Morgantown, Va.,and died in 1884. Tliej' were 
the |>arents c)f twelve children — (icorge W ., Maria, 
Al|>hens Iv. .lames \'., Sarah Ann, Cornelius B.,Ze- 



rilda D.. Anara, Marmaduke, Margaret, Dudley E. 
and Richard M. Three of their boys, .lames, Alpheus 
and Richard, served in the Confederate army and 
were killed during the Rebellion. Marmaduke and 
Dudley E. fought in the Union arm\- and both 
came home disabled for life. Onr subject's great- 
grandfather Dent, a native vf Easton, ^'a.. served 
all through the Revolutionary War as Captain. 
After the independence of the Colonists had been 
established he settleil near Morgantown, together 
with quite a number of his old companj', and died 
there in the midst of his friends. 

.lames K. Ice, like all of his family from his 
great-grandfather down, was born in West A'irginia, 
his first introduction to life being on the 8th of 
April. 1844. He was deprived of the affectionate 
care of his mother when a lad seven \-ears of age. 
and was the third of six children born to his par- 
ents. Only two now remain of the family, himself 
and his sister Zerilda. In due time his father was 
married the second time, and .lames K. remained 
in his native State until sixteen j'ears old, then, in 
companj- with his father and stepmother, came by 
steamboat to Cincinnati and thence by rail to Ur- 
bana, 111., landing in this county in the spring of 
1800. He continued under the parental roof four 
years thereafter, and when twentj- years of age was 
united in marn.ige with Miss Xancy J. Butcher, 
Sept. 20, 1863. His wife is the daughter of Will- 
iam J. and Marinda (Ullom) Butcher, who are now 
deceased. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Ice located on 
a tract of land in Urbana Township, and thence 
removed to a farm in Marshall County, which our 
subject operated some time for his uncle, Enoch 
Dent. Afterward he rented land in another part 
of Marshall County until the spring of 18G.), when 
he went into Putnam County, 111., and pursued 
farming there, coming thence to Chami)aign in 
1870. His first location here was in Compromise 
Township, where he operated on eighty acres for 
two years, and then purchased 160 acres on section 
36. After residing there a few years he purchased 
the farm of his father in Compromise Township, 
which he occupied until the spring of 1882. This 
he afterward sold and purchased 1(!4 acres of good 
land in X'frmilinn County, where he lived live 



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yuais. He then (k'tciiuiiKHl Ik cliange his location 
and occ-iipation, and ac-c-di'dingly rented liis farm, 
and [Hueliasiug' tl>e stock and fixtures of .lames M. 
Morse, at (Tiffcird, removed iuthei- and euihaiked 
ill the ding trade. lie lias made a good beginning 
and his friends predict his entire success. He keeps 
a well-selected stock of goods, and his courteous 
maimer to his customers is securing for him the 
patronage of the l)est people in the northeastern 
part of the county. 

Mr. Ice has always taken an intelligent interest 
in matters of local importance, and at the polls 
casts his vote and infiuence in favor of the Demo- 
cratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Ice have l)cc<)me the 
parents of ten children — Hortense, David W., Will- 
iam H. Meldora, Eugenie (deceased), Marinda, 
Oliver S., Laura, Jvellie and Constance. 

;OlIN WKEKS DODGE, one of the oldest 
and most highly respected citizens of Ran- 
toul, came to this vicinity in the spring of 
i^/ I'SoO, and purchased 1,000 acres (jf wild 
[nairie land, which he began to improve, and upon 
which lie spent some -?5,000 in fitting the soil for 
■the raising of winter wheat. This, however, proved 
an unfortunate investment, and together with his 
ill-health, induced him to aljandon fanning and 
take up his residence in Kaiitoul, where he estab- 
lished a drug-store, which he carried on successfully 
for about eight or nine years. Subsequently he 
opened a land-ollice, and during a business of four 
years' standing had operated in 50,000 acres, the 
commissions from which yielded him (pntc a little' 
fortune. In 1873 he retireil from active business, 
and is now enjoying the fruits of his labors, sur- 
rounded by all the comforts and many of the lu.\- 
uries of life. In addition to his town property he 
owns a good farm not far from the limits, embnic- 
iiig 235 acres of valuable land, which he rents for a 
stated sum annually. 

Mr. Dodge for many years has been prominent 
in the affairs of Rantoul Township, representing it 
as Supervisor on the County Board, and for a 
period of seven years was Assessor,' at the time 
when the one township comprised an are;i equal to 
four. Under his excellent management the expense 



of this amounted to but *:13.50. Subsequently, 
after the organization of Rantoul Township proper, 
its other territory being laid off into Ludlow, 
llarwood and Rantoul, he assisted in its organ- 
ization, took an active part in the erection of the 
first and second school buildings, and was Director 
for many years. He served as Justice of the Peace 
seven years. He cast his first presidential vote for 
Jack.son. 

The birth of our subject took place near Whites- 
town, Oneida Co., N. Y., on the ilst of November, 
1808. His father, John Dodge, a native of New 
Hampshire, was born July 7, 177(J, three days after 
the declaration of American indepeiulence, and 
died of old .age at his home in Twinsburg, Ohio, in 
his seventv-ninih ^ear. In early manhood he mar- 
ried Miss Hannah Weeks, a native of Coinfret, 
Conn., their wedding taking place in Oneida 
County, N. W, in 1800. The Weeks family was 
noted for its intellect and learning, the male mem- 
bers following professions generally. The family 
originated in England, and were among the earliest 
settlers of New England. The maternal grandpar- 
ents of our subject removed from Connecticut to 
New York while young people, and soon after their 
marriage. Grandfather Dodge served in the Rev- 
olutionary War, and was killed at the l)attle of 
Bunker Hill. He had been married but a short 
time before his enlistment, and his wife w^as married 
four times afterward, becoming the mother of sev- 
enteen children. 

The family of John Dodge, Sr.. and his wife in- 
cluded ten children, of whom all lived to mature 
years, and five are still surviving. The youngest 
is seventy-two years old. The mother died when 
forty-two years of age. The subject of this biog- 
raphy removed with his parents from his native 
State to Portage County, Ohio, when a boy of ten 
years, where he completed a good, common-school 
education, attending three months after he was 
twenty years old. I'lider the careful training of 
his father he also became a practical farmer. He 
remained under the home roof until twenty years 
old before he ventured to begin the establisliineiit 
of a home for himself, but in the nieaniiiiie had 
taken good care of ids earnings, and was now reaily 
to engage in farming for himself. Among his fem- 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



inine acquaintances was Miss Susan Bissell, a lady 
of fine al)ilities and excellent education, who had 
for several years been engaged in leaciiing, and iier 
he chose for his life companior, tiieir wedding talv- 
ing place at the home of the bride's [jarents Aug. 
21, 1834. They began life together on a farm, 
and fifteen years hiter Mr. Dodge had ac(iuired 
sullicient means to engage in merchandising, which 
he believed would suit him better than the further 
pursuance of farm life. In passing it may be 
proper to note the fact that a large portion of his 
capital was accumulated Ij}' the labor of his hands, 
much of the time at fifty cents per day. Mr. 
Dodge opened hi.s first store in the little town of 
Twinsburg on the Western Reserve in Ohio, whicli 

• he operated successfully for a period t)f seven 
years, after which he decided to try his fortunes in 
the Prairie State. 

Of the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Dodge three 
died in infancy; Orris B. is engaged in the manu- 
facture of agricultural implements at Dixon, in 
which lie has amassed a moderate fortune; Susan J. 
is the wife of M. J. Beard, of Rantoul; Mar3' M. is 
the wife of A. P. Neal, a druggist of the latter- 
named i»lace. Mr. and Mrs. Do<lge were connected 
with the Congregational Church, of which Mr. 
Dodge has fille<1 the ofHce of Deacon for several 
years. 

Mr.s. Susan (Bissell) Dodge, after an illness of 
several years, closed her eyes upon the scenes of 
eartii Jlny 11, 1873. She was a lady of most ad- 
mirable (jualities, a devout member of the Congre- 
gational Church, and the center of a large circle of 

• friends, whose sorrow at hei' death was evinced in 
many ways, and especially by the large attendance 
at her funeral. In her home life and with her 
fainily she was the same kind friend and counselor^ 
setting an example worthy of imitation by her chil- 
dren, and unlforndy proving the sympathizer of 
hci' husband in his difliculties and rejoicing in his 
prosperity. 



^^r^^KOKGE F. HKAKDSLKV, who is wc 
11 (=7 known in the business cdMnuunily of Cliai 
'^^Jj |«ign, deals in real estate, bonds and mor 



,-cll 
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^es, and is (wie of the important factors of the 



solid interests of this section. He is a native of 
the wealthy and populous State of Ohio, his birth 
having taken place in that State on the 2(3th of 
.May, 1827. His parents were .John and Mary 
(Fitch) Beardsley, natives respectively of .Stratford 
and New Haven, Conn, llis father was boin Sept. 
2(i, 17i)2, and iiis grandfather, John Beardsley, Sr., 
a native of the same town as iiis son, was born Feb. 
IG, 17.57. The first representative of the family in 
this country emigrated from England in IG^'.S, fif- 
teen years after the landing of the Pilgrims. It 
is believed their native i)lace was Stratford-on- 
Avon, near the home of .Shakespeare. The grand- 
father of our subject served as a soldier in the 
Revolutionai'v War six years, and lost his hearing 
at the battle of Stony Point by the bursting of a 
cannon near him. lie died at Stratford, April 2, 
1802, having been the father of five children, 
nearly all of whom lived to an advanced age. 
John Beardsley, Jr., the father of our subject, 
\ during his early life learned the trade of cabin6t- 
' maker at which he served an ai)prenticeship of 
seven years, and which he pursued until his removal 
to Ohio. He emigrated from his native State to 
Ohio in the pioneer days, settling in Knox County, 
Milford Townshi[), of which he was one of the or- 
ganizers, where he outlived all of his Inother set- 
tlers. His life was long and full of interesting in- 
cidents. After leaving his native State he first 
went to South Carolina, where he spent one winter 
and afterward made three trips to Ohio, making the 
first and second journe3's on foot. He first entenul 
IGO acres of Government land, which subsequently 
became the principal part of his farm, and upon 
which he resiiled for sixty-four year.s. He was 
married on the :)th of Sei)teinber, 1822, in New 
Haven, Conn., to Miss Mary Fitch, rpun the third 
trip to Ohio he was accoin|)anied b^' his bride, and 
they made the journey with one horse, which hauled 
their entire outfit. ITpon one occasion when on 
the edge of a precipice the animal suddenly took a 
notion to go backward. Tiic occui)ants of the 
wag(jn had just time to spring to the ground when 
horse and vehicle rolled over to the bottom. 
Neither, howevt'r, were seriously damaged, and by 
the a.ssistance of a company of mountaineers, who 
quickly gathered at the scene, they were soon hauled 



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lip to the road and the journey resumed. John 
Bcardsle}" became a man of note in his ailoptud 
State and iield several local otfices of responsibility, 
the duties of which he discharg:e<l with conscien- 
tious fidelity. Originally he was a Whig- in politics, 
an ardent admirer of Henry Cla>% and with other 
anti-slavery members of his party naturally ^rnvi- ; 
tated into the Republican ranks when the old party 
was abandoned. He became connected with the 
Congregational Church in his youth, and was often 
an interested listener to the remarkable discourses 
of Dr. Nathaniel W. Taylor, Lyman Beecher and 
Lorenzo Dow. Mr. Beardsley himself was a lay 
speaker of rare sweetness and p(jwer. After a long ! 
and worthy life, distinguished by temperance and j 
kindliness of heart, he closed his e3'es to earthly j 
scenes after having made a good record, and with 
the personal resi)ect and esteem of all who knew 
him. His death occurred Feb. 24, 1887. 

The record of the children of John and Mary 
(Fitch) Beardsley is as follows: Charles, a resident 
of Burlington, Iowa, is Fourth Auditor of the 
United States, having served eight years, receiving 
his first appointment under the Hayes administra- 
tion; Henry is practicing law at Clarks, Merrick 
Co., Neb.; Mary, Mrs. Craven, lives in Milverton, 
Ohio: two children of the family died some years 
ago — Flizabeth, at the age of forty-eight, and Me- 
lissa, at thiity. 

George F. Beardsle3' was reared U) farming \)uv- 
suits, received his education in the i)ioneer schools 
of the Buckeye State, and upon reaching manhood 
commenced farming on his own account, which he 
carried on in Ohio until 1807. He then removed 
to this State, and locating in the city of Cham|)aign, 
established his present business. He enlisted, in 
18G4, in the National Guards, doing military serv- 
ice around Petersburg and in the meantime engag- 
ing in several skirmishes with the enemy. .Vfter 
the close of the war he located in Champaign, and 
since that time has been successfully engaged in real 
estate and loans. 

Mr. Beardsley inherited in a large degree the 
resolution ami energy of his honored father, and 
served as Justice of the Peace in Knox County, 
Ohio, for a number of years, in the nicanlime also 
.serving as Postmaster under President Buchanan. 



Since coming to this locality he has identified him- 
self with all ij,s interests, both l)usiness and educa- 
tional, serving as member of the City Council for 
eight years and being a mcml)er of the Board of 
Kducalion since 187;). For the past eighteen j-ears 
he has been a Deacon of the Congregational Cluirch. 
He was first Presi<lent of the Chan]i)aign Sugar and 
Glucose Com[)any, is a Director and stockimlder 
in the Champaign National Bank, President of the 
Champaign Tile Factor3-, has a half interest in the 
Laruard it Beardsley Block and is otherwise con- 
nected with the various enterprises i)f the city. 

The marriage of George F. Beardsley' and Miss 
Martha Miiiian was celebrated in Knox Comit}', 
on the lOth of August, 1854. Jlrs. B. is the 
daughter of John and Martha Mahun, natives of 
New York State. Of her marriage with our subject 
there have been four children, of whom three are 
living: Henry M. married Miss Marietta Davis, 
and lives in Kansas City; they have two children — 
Ella and George. This son is practicing law in 
Kansas City. Anna is at home with her parents; 
John is pursuing his studies in the Soi)homore class 
of the Illinois State University. The family resi- 
dence is located on University avenue. Mv. and 
Mrs. B. are members of the Congregational Church, 
and are held in the highest respect wherever known. 
Politically oui- subject casts his vote in supi)ort of 
Republican principles. 



Tl^DWAKl) S. OBEN'CHAIN, who is well 
fe] known in Comprcjmise Township as a thrifty 
/IL^' and [)ros[)erous farmer, owns a good home- 
stead on section 20, embracing 240 acres of land, 
finel}' improveil. with a gooil residence and other 
ample farm buildings, of which he took i)ossessioii 
in 1872. lie is of Southern l)irth and |)arentage, 
and first opened his eyes to the light in Botetourt 
County, Va., Oct 17, 1832. His i)arents, John 
and Sarah (Stair) Obenchain, were also natives of 
the Old Dominion, where the^' lived until seven 
years after the birth of their son Edward. In 18;!'.i 
the family removed to Ti|)p('cauoe County, Ind., 
where! the father I'dllowcd r.-uniing until 18(10. 
Thence lie removed into I he city of La Fayette, 
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where his death occurred in the fall of 1863, when 
he was seventj'-five years ohl. 

Joiin Obenchain was twice married, his first wife 
<l3'ing in 184-5, and leavinj^ fourteen children, all 
of whom grew to man anil womanhood. His sec- 
ond wife, before her marriage to Mr. O., was Mrs. 
Sarah (Timberlake) Johnson. She survived her 
husband about one year. Of this union there were 
no children. The father of our subject was a man 
of much ability, possessing decided views upon 
m.itters of general interest. He was an active 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
all his life a teetotaler, being a member of the first 
temperance society in the United States, the NVash- 
ingtonian. 

The subject of our sketch wis the eleventh child 
born to his parents. The family presented a re- 
markably fine picture of health and strength, each 
of the boys attaining a height of over six feet. 
Edward S. was seven years old when the family re- 
moved U) Ohio, vvhere his primary studies were 
conducted in a log cabin school-house, and where 
he tojk advantage of every opportunity ti> acquire 
useful information. He was fond of his books and 
then, as now, made the most of his t)pporLunities. 
He remained under the parental roof until twenty- 
two 3-cars of age, and was then married, Aug. 1 0, 
18.54, to .Miss -Mary, the daughter of Daniel and 
Elizabeth (Anderson) Miller. Mrs. O. was born 
in Indiana, Aug. 18, 1835. 

Two years after their marriage the young people 
niigrate<l to Illinois, and located first in .Macon 
County, removing thence the following spring to 
Piatt Count}', where jNIr. (). followed farming until 
18<)2. He then returned to Maeon C'ount\-, and in 
1872 removed to Chaiiipaigii County, locating 
upon his present farm. It was then but a tract of 
uiiim|)r<jved land. With the energy and industry 
which have formed the basis of his success in life 
lie set about the iin|)rovement of his purchase, and 
now has it all enclosed, laid off in convenient fields 
for pasturage and tlic raising of grain and stock. 
During the warm season he opei'ates a steam thresh- 
ing-ni;icl)ine, which he purchased in 1884. 

or liic twelve children born to .Mi', and Mrs. 
Obcncliain five were taken from ihi; home circle in 
infancy. Of the survivors the recortl is as follows: 



Abraham L. married AUie .Tohnson, and is teaching 
school at Burr Oak in Ford County; Ma M. is the 
wife of Finley Fowler, of Summit, Cook Count}-; 
Effle J., Charles A., .Maude I.. .John A. and Hattie 
E. are at home with their parents. 

Mr. O. upon first becoming a voter identified 
himself with the liepublican party, liut is now inde- 
pendent, aiming to support the men whom he consid- 
ers best fitted for the positions they desire to fill. He 
has .served as Road Commissicmer in his township for 
many years, and as a member of the School Hoard. 
He has no desire for official preferment, having 
sufficient business of his own to engross his whole 
time and attention. In addition t(j iiis farming in- 
terests he operates in grain at Penfleld as junior 
member of the firm of Bear it OI)enchain. So- 
cially he belongs to the I. O. O. F. at Gifford. 



/^^ HARi.,ES (i LOVER, engaged as a baker and 
I'lf^^ confectioner in Champaign, is a native of 
^^^ Dijver, England, where he was born in 
1830. He is the son of .Iiplni and Susannah 
(George) Glover, natives of the same country, 
where the^y spent their entire lives, and reared a 
family of five children. Of these four are now liv- 
ing, .lohn (i lover was employed as a mail coach- 
man frtmi Dover to London. 

The subject of this history, the only one of the 
family who came to the United States, arrived here 
in l.So3, first locating in New York City. He had 
served his apprenticeship at his present business iu 
England, at which he was enn)loyed in New York 
City for three years after landing. From there he 
came to Chicago and thence to Champaign, where 
he w.as first employed as a cook at the Xalioi al 
House, and afterward in the same capacity at the 
Doane House. He then started a bakery on Neal 
street, which he conducted for si.\ months, when he 
sold out, and for the following nine years was 
employed in expressing and draying. In 18('i3he 
left his team to serve in defense of his adopted 
country, and enlisted in the l.'i.jth Illinois Infantry, 
serving si.\ months. .A.fter retiring from the ainiy 
he resumed the business which he had ab.andoned 
for the life of a soldier, and which he .sold out l.aicr. ^ ' 



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Afterward ftfr. (Clover was connected with the Illi- 
nois Central Hailroad until 1H72. In the meantime 
he returned tt) his native eountryZand spent some 
lime in the city of London, being absent four 
months. 

In 1872 Mr. (Uover |)urchased an interest in his 
present business which was established by Hamlin 
it Patterson. It was operated under the firm'naine 
of Patterson & Glover for two years, when our 
subject purchased the interest of his partner, con- 
ducting the l>usiness some years, when he sold out 
and purchased the bakery of George K. Ruger, 
which he removed to his old stand, and in which 
he continued until 1881. Resides his thriving tr.-ide 
and stock in town, he owns a snug farm of forty 
acres just outside the city limits. 

Our subject was united in marriage with Miss 
Martha Marshall, a native of Ireland. Sept. il, 1856- 
They have no children of their own, but have sup- 
plied the place of father and mother to an adopted 
son, Charles H. 'I'hey are members in good stand- 
ing of the Congregational Church, and politically 
Mr. G. is an ardent Republican. He is a self-made 
man in every respect, and his present possessions 
have been accumulated by his own industry and 
economy. His establishment gives einplo\'ment to 
four men, and is conducted upon thorough busi- 
ness principles. 



if^L ^'**^*^^''^' -'^- ^^-^ Superinto.idi'iit of West 
I \\\ Side public schools, at Champaign, III., was 
Jl I* born near Pittsbnrgii, Pa., May 27, 1844. 
^ He prepared for college in the public and 

private schools of Pittsburgh, and entered Fr.inklin 
College, New Athens, Ohio, in 18.')9, graduating 
therefrom in 186.3, receiving the degree of A. I'.. 
Afterward the degree of A. M. was confiM icd upon 
him by his Alma Mater. 

Mr. Mo(jre entered the Western Tiieological 
Seminary after graduating, and pui'sued a litei-ary 
course for two years, at which time he married and 
began teaching in the graded schools. He has 
taught continnonsly since at Uniontown, I'.i., 
Dwight, Charleston, and Polo, III., one year at the 
latter place, and has been at Champaign since 1880. 




He is a gentleman and a rii)e schol.ir, and as an 
educator stands in the first rank. He li;is been 
married tvvice. 

Mr. Moore's ancestors c:inic to this country dur- 
ing the religious i)ersecutioiis in England. His 
great-grandfather was a soldier in the Revolution- 
ary War. He is of Scotch-Irish descent, ami has 
the characteristics of both races. He is in the 
prime of life, and his future career is very prom- 
ising. 



R. WILLIAM B. SliVIS, of Irbana, is 
widely and favorably known tluH)ughout 
this e(juuty as one of the leading men of the 
medical profession. He began |)ractice in 
this county in the early part of 1870, at St. .loseph, 
where he lemained until is.s.i, und then took up 
his residence in I'rbana, which h.as since been his 
lumie, and whose people have learned to respect 
him for his natural talents and the tideiily with 
which he has attended u[iou those requiiing the 
exercise of his professional judgnuMit .-uid skill. 

Dr. Sims is a native of Blount Couiily. K. Tenu., 
and was born April 14, 1830. His parents were 
William (i. and Mary E. (Cusick) .Sims, who were 
engaged in farming pursuits, and of whose marriage 
there were born twelve children. Of these only 
seven are now living — Joseph, .Martha .L, Cather- 
ine, Elizabeth, William 1!., David M. and .Mary H. 
In 1840 the parents of our subject renn)ved with 
tiieir family to Edgar County, III., l)eing among the 
earliest settlers of that region. The elder .Sims 
purchased a tract of timber land in the Wabash 
N'.alley, and built a log cabin 18x20 feet, which 
consisted of one room only, witliu lirci)lacc running 
across one end, and with one window on each side 
of it. Tills log cabin remained the residence of 
the family for .i number of years, and w.os then 
replaced ijy a more modern structure, built of 
hewed logs and weatherboardeil. The f.ather of iniv 
subject cleared the lieavy tiinlier from eighty acres, 
and p.assed the remainder of his lite in the |)it)neer 
homo which he had thus established. Hi^ death 
occurred in 1807, twenty-two years after that of 
his wife, who died in l.s4.'i. 

The first representatives of the .Sims' lannly in 



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this country emigrated from Ireland at an early 
day, settling In Kast Tennessee. Among tiiese was 
James, the grandfather of our subject, who serverl 
as a solder in the Revolutionary War, and lived to 
the age of one hundred and ten years, his liair then 
being onl}* slightly gi'ay. That of his son, AVill- 
iani (t., tiie father of our suliject, was nearly as 
dark at the time of his death as it was when he was 
in his |iiime. The life of the latter was particularly 
active, and he was distinguished as a man of more 
than ordinary ability and enterprise. For u period 
of twenty-four years, while living in Tennessee, he 
drove a six-horse team to and from Baltimore and 
New Orleans to Knoxville, Tenn., managing the six 
animals with one line, riding the left wheel horse. 
After coming to Illinois he ke()t a number vf hogs 
antl cattle, which ran in the woods, the former 
f(!eding on acorns and 'beech-nuts, by which they 
were suHicicntly fattened for taljle use. In case iia^- 
gave out during the s|>ring season, when the bass- 
wood trees began to bud, a tree was cut dowii for 
the cattle to hrouse upon. 

Our subject passed his early childhoi»l amid 
these primitive scenes, in the meantime attending 
the snbscri[)tion schools from the time he was four 
years old. When thirteen years of age young Sims 
left the farm to learn the trade of a shoemaker, 
which he followed fifteen 3'ears. I'pon the out- 
break of the late war he proffered his services as 
a Union soldier, enlisting in the 4th Illinois Cav- 
alry, and secured the commission as Corporal, 
serving until 1804. He took part in the battle of 
Kt. Donelson, and was afterward detailed for de- 
tached service in the t^uartermaster's department 
until within the last nine months, when he held tlic 
position of Chief Saddler for his regiment. In 
1804 he was transferred to the hospital service as 
Ward Master, having charge of three hospitals at 
Natchez, Miss., which responsible position he held 
until the expiration of his term of enlistment. 

Our subject commenced the study of medicine in 
McLean Count}', 111., in 1806, and in the winter of 
1809-70 .attended a course uf lectures at Rush 
Medical College, Chicago. He began the practice 
of his jjrofession at St. Joseph, this count}-, in the 
early part of 1870, whei'e he built up an extensive 
and lucrative business. Afterward he attended the 
4 ' 



Louisville Medical College, whence he graduated in 
I !S78. Five years later he removed to Urbana, and 
since 1883 has been a resident and practitioner of 
this cit}-. In the meantime he was the pharmacist 
for E. M. & W. M. Xolton, of Urbana. until the 1st 
of January. 1877. Me also carried on a drhg-store 
at St. Joseph from 187.'» to 1877, in wlijcli latter 
year he sold out. 

The marriivge of Dr. Sims took place in 18,j.'), the 
laily of his choice being .AIlss .Sarah J., daughter of 
Josei)h Medle}', of N'igo, Ind. Of this union there 
have Ijcen born eight children, of whom the record 
is as follows: .Samuel N. is a practicing physician 
of .St. Joseph, this county; J»sc|)li .M., a resident of 
Veedersburg, Ind, is agent for the I., B. & W., 
C, B. ife W., and St. Louis Narrow Gauge Railroad ; 
William F., of Ma3-view, this county, is engaged in 
blacksmilhing; David M., an engineer, resides in 
Brazil, Ind.; (ieorge K. is farming in Cimarjon, 
Kan.; Charles B., residing in Urbana, is a telegraph 
operator for the I., B. & W. R. R. ; .Sadie and Orin 
B. are at home with their parents. The attractive 
family residence is pleasantly located on East 
Green street, and the oHice of the Doctor is in 
Tearman's Block, on Main street. Our subject is 
Republican in politics, and lielongs to the Cham- 
paign Count}- antl Illinois Central Medical Socie- 
ties. 



^KKLMIAII N. REYNOLDS, uf the lirm of 
Condit & Reynolds, dealers in farm im- 
plements and furniture, is, with his partner 
/ Conducting a lively trade at Rantoul, and is 
considered one of the important factors in the busi- 
ness community. He passed his early years among 
the hills of (iuernsey Cohnty, Ohio, near the little 
town of Cambridge, where his birth took place 
Nov. lo, 1848. His parents, Jeremiah and Julia 
(Rollins) Reynolds, were natives respectively of 
I'ennsylvania and Ohio, the Keystone State also 
producing his grandfather, John Reynolds, who was 
of German descent. 

The father of our subject during early manhood 
removed from I'ennsylvania to Ohio, being among 
the pioneer settlers of that region, where he re- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



825 






raained the balance of his life, resting- liiiiiUy from 
his labors in 18H4. The wife iiiid mother is still 
living. Tlieir offspriiig- o(insi.ste(l of ten eiiililri'ii, 
eight sons and two duughtors, .'ill, witii one excep- 
tion, still living. Jeremiah N., of our skcteli, wlio 
was the sixlii child, remained on the farm with his 
brothers and sisters until in 1870, when he wan 
twenty-two j^ears of age. Then, desirous of seek- 
ing his fortunes elsewhere, he came to this county 
and located on a farm in Kantoul Township, whence 
he removed, in 1884, to Rantoul, an<l established a 
meat market. This he abandoned a year later to 
engage in his present business. The firm carries a 
full lino of farm implements, including binders and 
mowers, besides several varieties of road vehicles. 
Their straightforward methods of doing business 
have commended them to the public generally and 
the}- are building up a solid and steadily increasing- 
patronage. 

After becoming satisfied that he could ni:iintain 
a family in a manner becoming his station in life, 
Mr. Reynolds was married, in 1877, to Miss .Udiet 
Th.ayer, of Rantoul, and they established them- 
selves in a snug little home in the northeastern part 
of the city. Mrs. R. is a native of New York State, 
and came with her parents to this conntj', where the 
latter still reside. The only child born to our sub- 
ject and wife, a daughter, died in infancy. 

Resides his interest in the business to which he 
gives his close attention, Mr. Rej'nolds is the owner 
of a good farm outside of the town limits, which 
embr.aces eighty acres under a good stafe of culti- 
vation and which is operated by his brother. He 
is a general favorite among his fellow-townsmen 
and a worthy member of the K. of P. I>oth lie 
,ind his wife are members in good standing of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, at Rantoul. 

^^EORGE II. SWAIM, one of the prosperous 
l|| ^—1 farmers of St. Joseph Township, owns a fine 
'^^5) estate embr.acing 120 acres of valuable land 
located on section 29. He was born in Parke 
County, Ind., near Rockville, March 2;J. 1828. His 
grandfather was Mich.ael Swaim, a native of North 
Carolina, who with his wife, left his native State 



for the Western frontier in 1 819, and was among 
the early settlers of Indiana. Their family con- 
sisted of niiK' cliildieii, ;ill of whom grew to ma- 
turity. 

The fntlier of our subject, Jehu K. Swaiin, was 
born in North Carolina in 180.'!, and removed with 
his parents to Indiana, where he married Mrs. Nancy 
(Joluison) White. She vvas a native of Tennessee, 
who had removed to Indiana with her jiarents when 
a young girl. After his marriage IMr. .Swaim set- 
tled in Parke County. Ind., where he became owner 
of an extensive tract of land contaiuiug OOO acres. 
He carried on a successful farming business and 
was one of the principal stock-growers in that sec- 
tion of country. When George H., the subject of 
this sketch, was about fourteen yeai-s of age, the 
home circle was broken by the death of his beloved 
mother. She left a family of eight children, three 
boys and iive girls, seven of whom are now living. 
She also had two children by her former husband. 
Mr. White. 

George H. Swaiin, the third child of his parents, 
passed his bojdiood and youth on his father's farm, 
remaining there until his marri.age with ]\Iiss Eliza- 
beth C. Jones, in 18;').'). Mrs. S. was the daughter 
of Joseph and Mary Jones, and was born in Foun- 
tain County, Ind., Aug. :^0, 1834. When ten years 
of age she removed with her parents to \'ermilion 
County, III., where she was educated and grew to 
womanhood. After his marri.age Mr. Swaim en- 
gaged in farming in Parke County, Ind., until the 
antumn of 18{)fi, when he removed to Champaign 
County, 111., with his family, locating upon his 
present farm. The residence and other buildings 
were erected by Mr. Swaim, and are all excellent 
and well appointed, admirably adapted to fanning 
and stock-raising, in which Mr. S. has been success- 
fully engaged. He has always interested himself 
in tlic welfare of his community and has served 
nine }• ears as School Director. 

On the 24th of February, 188G, their ha|>|)y 
home was darkened by the shadow of death. The 
Master had called the beloved wife and mother to 
another home, where, when all are gathered in, 
there shall be no more parting. Mrs. Swaim had 
been for thirty years a devoted Christian, and 
passed toiler reward triumphing in the faith of 



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Ji'>iir- flirisl. Slic wns the niutUer of the f()ll(jvviiig- 
children: Afldie 'i'.. the wife "f .1. C. W:itson. a 
resident of Clianipaiun ; Amelia J., resirlino; at 
home; Willier .1., Mar\' A., Soplironia E., Sarah A.; 
IMinnie, who died in infanc}'; I^enie F. and Alta. 
Mr. Swaini and iii* wife wcmc l)oth niemliers of the 
Baptist Church, of Mnncie, 111., but tlie family had 
been in the habit of attending the I'nite'l Brethren 
C'hnrcli, there being no Baptist Chureh near their 
home. 



eOL. S. T. BUSEY, banker, and Mayor of 
Ih-bana, is a native of Greencastle, Ind., 
where he was Ixjrn Nov. Ifi, l.s3o. He is 
the son of Matthew W. and Elizabeth (Bush) 
Busey, both- natives of Shelby County, Ky. The 
father of our subject removed to Indiana in 1812, 
being among the early pioneers of that region, and 
from there came to this State with his family in 
April, 1836. A few months previously he had pur- 
chased the land on a part of which now stands the 
elegant residence of his son, tiie subject of this 
sketch. The primitive dwelling was in existence 
until a few yeais ago, when it gave wa}' to the 
modern improvements. 

Soon after his arrival here Matthew W. Busey be- 
came prominent in local affairs. While in Indiana 
he had been commissioned Colonel of the State 
Militia and in a few years after his arrival here was 
appointed to a similar position in the State Militia 
of Illinois. On "general muster" day he was con- 
spicuous by his military bearing and glittering uni- 
form. Besides occujjj'ing various minor positions 
in Champaign County he became Associate Judge, 
and in 1840 was elected to represent his district 
in the Legislature, and was his own successor, serv- 
ing two terms, during the latter of which occurred 
the Mormon War. Col. Busey was heartily in 
sym])alhy with (lov. Ford in his efforts to eliminate 
tlial infamy from the State, and voted for each 
measure having that object in view. He was active 
in the establishment of railroads, and mainly instru- 
mental in securing the county seat at llrbana. In 
tlie meantime he gave all necessary attention to his 
farms and lands, and attained quite a reputation as 
a breeder of line stock. He de|jarted this life Dec. 



18, 18.i2, having enjoye<l the esteem and confidence 
of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. In 
religion he abided V)y the precepts of the CJolden 
Rule, and |)olitically was an ardent .lacksonian 
Democrat. 

The land which C<)1. Matthew Busey had secured 
during his early settlement here aggregated 1,000 
acres, u|)oii which is at present located a large part 
of the city of Champaign, and also the State Uni- 
versity. The mother of our subject survived her 
husband twenty-eight years, and died in 1880, at 
the home of her son, Col. S. T. Busey, after hav- 
ing arrived at the advanced age of seventy-nine 
years. The eight children who comprised the par- 
ental household are all living, as follows : Simeon 
II., .John S. ;Marv C.. wife of John C. Kirkpalrick; 
Louisa J., widow of \\'. H. Romine; Col. Samuel 
T.; Sarah, wife of Judge J. W. Sim ; Elizabeth, Mrs. 
Allen McClain, and Matthew 1). At the time of 
the mother's death they all were located within 
sight of tlie old homestead. John .S. now resides 
in Jledicine Lodge, Kan. 

The father of our subject was a gentleman of 
fine pers(ma) appearance, standing six feet, two and 
one-half inches in his stocking feet. His father, 
Samuel, removed from North Carolina to Kentucky 
in company with Daniel Boone, of whom he was an 
own cousin. It is >upposed that Samuel Busey was 
born in ^■il■ginia. He, too, was of uiuisual stature, 
being six feet, seven and one-half inches. The 
family descended from Scotch ancestry, and tradi- 
tion has it that Paul Busey, the Scotch giant, was 
one of their ancestors. They not only inherited 
magnificent physical constitutions but those quali- 
ties of character for which the Scottish nation has 
been especiallj' noted. They were carefully' trained 
to principles of honor and honest^', which were cal- 
culated to preserve in each generation the qualities 
which have constituted them honest men and good 
citizens. 

The subject of this history was reared to farming 
pursuits, in the meantime receiving a common- 
school and seminary education. He remained under 
the home roof until twenty-two j-ears of age. then 
started out for himself by engaging in mercan- 
tile business at Urbana, which he continued for five 
years. He sold out in 1862 to enter the .service 



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827 



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of his country, and assist in the preservation of the 
Union. At iiis own expense he raised a coni|)any of 
100 men at I'rhana, of whic-ii lie was elootod Cap- 
tain, and which was merged into the TOth Illiiii)is 
Infancy. At the organization of the regiment lie 
I'eeeivcd the commission of Lieutenant Colonel and 
in May folh^wing was promoteil Colonel. He 
served three years in the army, and at the battle of 
Ft. Blakesley, in Alabama, was wounded in tlu' right 
ej'c by the bursting of a shell, from the effects 
of which he was blind for fifteen years. At the 
siege of Vicksburg he held the extreme left, his 
line being the most advanced and nearest the rebel 
camp. He was the first Union officer to enter the 
city of Jackson during its siege, and after its 
evacuation received the thanks of its inhabitants 
for suppressing the destruction by fire, which had 
been started in the city. When one of his men was 
captured, through his active efforts he was liberated 
inside of a week. For his courage and uniform 
kindness in the treatment of his subordinates, he 
was a general favorite both with them and his su- 
perior officers, and made for himself a military 
record which he maj' justlj' view with pride. 

At the close of the war Col. Busey returned to 
Urbana, and engaged in farming pursuits until the 
fall of 1867, when, in company with his brother 8. 
II., he organized Busey Bros.' Bank. Sub.sequentl3' 
he purchased the interest of his brother and as- 
.sociated with him his nephew, M. W. Busey, and 
the institution is now known as Busey's Bank. He 
erected the present l)ank building in 1872. In the 
meantime, however, he conducted his farming in- 
terests until 1S8C, and then turned them over to 
the charge of tenants. His landed possessions in- 
clude !),000 acres, 1,000 of which are in Illinois. 

Col. Busej' was united in marriage with .Miss 
Mary K. Bowen,on the 2.5th of December, 1.S77, at 
Delphi, Ind. Mrs. B. is the daughter of Abner 
Bowen, a prominent citizen of Carroll County, Ind. 
Of her m.arriage with our subject there have been 
born throe children — Marietta, Bertha '1'. and 
Charles B. Col. Buse}' is Democratic in politics, 
and a member in g.iod standing of the Masonic 
frateinity ;uid the (i. A. U. 1I(^ is one of the vv\t- 
resontative men of Champaign County, and has 
been foremost in encouraging ever^' enterprise cal- ! 



cnl.ated to advance its welfare and prosperity. He 
was elected .Maynr of I'rbana in lS7It, which posi- 
tion he has licld since that time. As a business man. 
a citizen, and socially, he is widely and favorably 
known, and enjoys in a marked degree the respect 
and conlidence of his fellnw-citizens. 



-^^% 




^ ANIEL CrSHMAN. The subject of this 
history, who since 1870 has been a highly 
respected resident of Cham[)aign Town- 
ship, emigrated from the Green Mountain 
State when a young man, after his marriage. He 
was born in Windham Countj', Jan. 3, 18.32, and 
was the son of Silas Cushman, also a native of 
Windham County, ^'t. His grandfather, Barnabas 
Cushman, was born in Hardwiek, Mass., and fol- 
lowed the sea in the merchant service during the 
early years of his life. He afterward located in 
Windham County, Vt., where he cleared a farm 
from the wilderness, and spent the remainder of 
his dnya. There Silas Cushman, the father of our 
subject, was reared to farming pursuits. He in- 
herited a part of his father's homestead, pnreha.sed 
the_ interest of the other heirs, and took ui) his 
abode there until his death. The mother of our 
subject before her marriage was Miss Cordelia Il.as- 
kins, also a native of \'erniont. and bj' her mar- 
riage with ' Silas Cushman became the luother of 
five children, of u-lioni our subject was the third 
son. 

Daniel Cushman was reared under the home 
roof, and assisted his father in clearing the timber 
land and tilling the soil, remaining in his native 
county until twenty years of age. In the mean- 
time he had also emi)loved himself working by the 
day, in ha^" time, receiving fifty-eight cents for a 
day's work. As he grew older he commanded bet- 
ter wages, and when twenty years of age received 
JJIOO for six months' work, which was considered a 
gre;it (irice at th:it time, lie hail been traine<l to 
habits of economy, and saved what he could of his 
(earnings, so that soon after his marriage he was en- 
abh'd ti« piii'eJKise ;i sm.all farm near Wilmington, 
\'t., which he occupied until 1 S70. In the spiing 
of that year he sold out, and coming to Illinois 
— •►- 






I 



82S 



^- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



purchased the farm which he now owns and occu- 
pies. This is a Hue body uf land, situated within 
half a mile of the city of Cli.-iuipaign. Aside from 
general farming he is engaged in the breeding of 
Norman and Pereheron horses, iShort-horn cattle 
and Poland-China hogs. The farm in all its ap- 
pointments is one of the most attractive spots in 
the township, everj'thing about the premises being 
kept in good rei)air. Mr. Cushmau has evinced his 
enterprise in every direction, and has contributed 
largely toward the development and progress of 
Champaign Towusiiip. 

Tiie nuirriago of our subject witii Miss Cynthia 
Adams t0(jl< pl.ace in \Vilmiugtou, \'t., on tlie .'3(1 
of November, 1853. ]\Irs. C. was born in tiiat 
city Nov. .8, 183.5, and was the daughter of Ira 
and Betsey (Livermore) Adams. Of this union 
there were born two children — (Albert L. and Flor- 
ence M. Mrs. Cynthia Cushm.ui departed this life 
in Wilmington, V't., Sept. 22, 18G0. The second 
wife of our subject, to whom he was married on the 
Cth of March, 18G2, was Miss Martha, A., daughter 
of Jason L). Burton, of A'ermont, and granddaugh- 
ter of Isaac Burton, who was one of the early pio- 
neers of Bennington County, that State. She was 
born in .Manchester, Dec. 10, 1840. Her father was 
.■I farmer by occupation, and a man i>romineut in 
the affairs of his county, serving for a number of 
years as Deputy Sheriff. He spent his entire life 
in his native county, and died there in alxuit 18(i4-. 
He niarrried in earlj- life ]\Iiss Martha Boyntou, 
who was a native of \'ermont. 

Mr. and Mrs. Cushmau became the parents of 
one child, a daugiiter, Elsie L., who was born -Inl}' 
21), 187.3, and died May 1. ISS,"). (_)ur subject and 
his wife are ineTnbers in good .standing of the 
Baptist Cluuch, and Mr. C., politically, is a strong 
Republican. 

ANIEL MYEIiS, deceased. The hi.story 
of our country, whose early settlement, 
because comparatively recent, has been 
brought down very closel}' to us, we fond- 
ly imagine has produci'il more aM<l liotter exam- 
ples of substantial wcjrlh and genuine nobility than 
any oilier under the sun. .M.aiiy of the early emi- 
grants to the l;iiid of freedom settled lil'st ill Peini- 




•►-■h-^- 



sylvania, and from that grand old State have sprung 
some of the most admirable characters which it is 
the delight of the historian to [lortray. Among 
these may be truly classed, as an example of true 
manhood, the gentleman whose name stands at the 
head of this sketch. 

Daniel INIyers was born near Mercersburg, Frank- 
lin Co., Pa., on the ,')tli of December, 1839. His 
father, John F. Myers, a farmer by occcupation, 
and also a product of the Keystone State, was a 
resident of FrauUliu County until 18G5, when he 
resolved to change his location, and proceeding 
northwestward came into the Prairie State. He 
settled in Fulton County, and in lime became the 
possessor of two farms, which he carried on suc- 
cessfully until a few years before his death, which 
took place in Bushnell, III., April 1, 1886. The 
mother of our subject, who before her marriage 
was Miss Mary Miller, was born and spent her en- 
tire life in Pennsylvania, having died in Franklin 
County before the removal of the family to Illi- 
nois. 

Our subject grew to inanhoi)d iu his native 
county, and received tiie cominon-school advantages 
of those da^'s, remaining uith his parents until he 
had formed domestic r.ies of his own. He then 
rented a tract of land near tiio homestead, which 
the young couple occupied until coming to this 
State with his father. Here Mr. Myers located in 
Peoria County, and operated on rented land two 
years afterward. Tlieucc he removed to his father's 
farm iu Fulton County, which lie occupied until 
1870, and then became a resident of Ranlonl 
Township, purchasing the farm wliieli his family 
now occupies. He survived tliirteen years after 
this removal, and became the center of a large cir- 
cle of warm friends, whose deepest respect he had 
gained by his upright course as a man, and his 
valuable (pialities as an enterprising, industrious 
and intelligent member of the community. His 
death occurred Dee. 18, I8,S3, in the midst of his 
sorrowing family, and regretted by aH who knew 
him. His name is lield iu kindly reineinl)r;ince as 
one who has left a good record of an honorable and 
worthy life, the best heritage which a man can be- 
quciith to his children. 

The marriage of Daniel Myers and Miss Hannah 



i 



a 



<^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-•►■ 
831 



.t 



f 



Divelbiss took place in Mercersburg, Pa., Feb. 23, 
1860. Mrs. M., like her husband, was also a native 
of Franklin County-, and the daiiglitcr of Leonard 
and Catherine (Talnian) Di .elbiss, natives respect- 
ively of Franklin and Adams Counties, Pa. Tlie 
maternal grandfather, Jacob D., was a native of 
Fulton County, Pa. There also he vas married, 
and reared a fine family of sons and daughters, 
most of whom located on farms in that vicinity, 
where he spent his entire life. Leonard, the father 
of Mrs. M., also died in Pennsylvania. Her mother 
was the daughter of John Talmau, a native of 
Adams County, Pa., and the representative of a 
well-known and highly respected family in that 
region. 

Of tiie marriage of Jlr. and Mrs. Mj-ers there 
were born five children — Libby S., Delevan M., 
William H., Ilattie JL and Edna O. Mr. and Mrs. 
Mj'ers united with tiie Methoilist Episcopal Church 
in about 1872. Mr. M. was active in religious 
matters during his lifetime, and the faithful wife, 
who survives him, still adheres to her early faith. 
The homestead comprises IGO acres of land on sec- 
tion 5, which has been wisely and judiciously cul- 
tivated, producing some of the best crops of this 
section, and is supplied with a good residence and 
other necessary farm buildings. The place presents 
a picture of neatnesss and taste, which is looked 
upon with admiration by all who pass by it, and is 
reeo£'nized as the lionie of intelligence and thrift. 



J-^ACOB A. BELLINGER. The subject of 
I the following sketch, whose portrait is given 
i in this connection, was born in the Mohawk 
' A'alley, near Little Falls, Herkimer Co., N. 
Y., Feb. 17, 1838. He is the son of Andrew and 
Catherine (House) Bellinger, who were both born 
near the birthjjlace of their son and were of Ger- 
man ancestry. After marriage the}' settled in their 
native countj', where they lived for a number of 
years, and thence removed to a f.arni in Oswego 
County. From there they went to Fayetteville, 
near Seneca, and in the spring of 18.5.5 came West- 
ward to Illinois and ,settle<l in Ncwcomb Township, 
this count}', where the father tiled in the fall of 



that year. The mother's demise occurred in Hens- 

lej- Township, in the hitter [lart of March, 1870. 

The |)arental houseliold of our subject included 
twelve ciiildren, six boys and six girls, of whom 
seven still survive. .lacob A. was the j-oungest 
son and the tenth child of the family. His educa- 
tion was (piite limited, not being able to attend 
school on account of dl-health. He came to Illi- 
nois witli his parents in ls').5, and since that time 
has been a resident of this county. He has followed 
farming all liis life, and during his residence of 
over thirty years in this locality hns full}' established 
himself in the confidence and esteem of all who 
know him. He was married in 1863, and for thir- 
teen years thereafter carried on farming in Ilenslej' 
Township. In December, 1877, he removed to 
Maliomet Township, locating on section 14, where 
he had |>urehased 231.1 acres, and which he has 
been industriously engaged in cultivating and im- 
proving since that time. He h.as also added to his 
original purchase so that lie now has .524 acres, 453 
of which are in a tillable condition. Upon this he 
h.as a substantial and convenient farm dwelling, a 
good barn and all other necessary buildings. Every- 
thing about the premises is in good shape and well 
cared for and displays on every hand the industry 
and forethought of its pnjprietor. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was married 
in Mahomet Township, Sept. 9, 1863, was formerly 
Miss Ellen J. Scott, a native of iMahoniet Town- 
ship, born Dec. 17, 1842. She is the daughter of 
Judge Fielding L. and Julia A. (llerriott) Scott, 
both natives of Kentucky. They emigrated from 
the Blue Grass region to Vermilion County, this 
State, and soon afterwai'd came to Champaign 
County, locating on section I I, Mahomet Town- 
ship, where Mr. B. now lives. The father died at 
his home Nov. 13, 1878, and the mother in Ma- 
homet Village, Jan. 16, 18«2. Their ten children 
comi)rise six sons and four daughters, of whom 
Mrs. B., of our sketch, was the eighth in order of 
birth. She remained under the parental roof until 
her marriage, receiving careful home training and 
a fair education. Mr. and Mrs. Bellinger are the 
parents of two daugliters^Norah K. and Rosa L. 

Our subject while living in Hensley Township 

served- as Supervisor one year. He has also occu- 

■» 



I 



t 



1 



83-2 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



pied the minor offices within the gift of the people 
of Mahomet Township. He is llepiii)lican in poli- 
ties, and with his wife aiid daujjhters, is a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Chiireh. He takes a 
genuine interest in edncational and religious mat- 
ters and is the stanch supporter of ever}' measure 
calculated to beuetit his township and community. 



^ ^-^^B- 



yfclLLIAM TAYLOR BROWN was born in 
' Union County, Ind., on the 2d of January, 
1K47, and was the second in a familj- of 
five children belonging to Isaac and Margaret 
(Coffin) Brown. His father was the son of Will- 
iam and Sarah Brown, of Indiana, and his mother, 
the daughter of Elijah Coffin, of Ohio. 

The father of our subject remained on his farm 
in Indiana unlil aljout 185!), when William was a 
lad of twelve years. He then gathered together 
his family and household goods, and crossing over 
the line into the Prairie State, located in Ford 
Count}'; where he afterward purchased a farm of 
IGO acres northeast of Paxton. Tliis was [lartiall}' 
improved, and lie occupied it until about 1868, 
when lie sold out and i)urchased 1(J0 acres on sec- 
tion 29, in Ilarwood Township, this county. Here 
he remaineil until 1.S72, and again selling out took 
up his abode in N'ermilion County, where he fol- 
lowed butchering for a time, and then resumed 
farming in Kantonl Townshi|). wheie he now re- 
sides. 

The subject of this sketch remained under the 
parental roof until he was twenty-eigiit years old, 
farming in partnership with his father. Tiiis not 
proving very remunerative, he concluded to en- 
gage in agriculture alone, and for this purpose 
rented a tract (jf land in Ilarwood Townshi)). He 
also purchased an interest in tiie estate of his wife's 
mother, which lies undivided in the widow's hands 
during her lifetime, but which she does not occupy 
at present. Our subject was united in marriage 
with Miss haura Stewai't, of llarwoo<l, their wed- 
ding occurring at her home Feb. 18, 1877. Mrs. 
Brown is the daughter of Charles and Mary (Shank) 
Stewart, of Ohio, who removed to Illinois before 



the birth of their daughter, which occurred in Ed- 
gar County in 1 8.58. Ciiarles Stewart was called 
from earth when most needed by his family of lit- 
tle ones, iiut the mother with commendable fore, 
sight, managed well and kept her children together. 
IMr. Stewart was a man of high character and stcr- 
Hng integrity, and was recognized as a valued and 
useful citizen who could be ill}' spared from a com- 
munity. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Brown 
is a daughter, Mary Maude, born Sept. 9, 1881. 

Our subject has steadily declined to become an 
office-holder, but frequently serves his township in 
the position of School Director, and in other local 
offices which require a ni:in of wise judgment and 
irreproachal)le honesty. In politics he is Repub- 
lican, and has frequently been a delegate to the 
various conventions in his county. Mrs. Brow.n 
united with the Methodist Episcoi)al Church in 
188(), and is in all respects a lady eminently fitted 
to be the wife and companion of such a man as her 
husband. 



^^ 



i 



■^j OSEPH H. STAYTON, a native of this coun- 
ty, and the second son of David B. and 
Sarah Stayton, was born on the farm of his 
father in St. Josei)li Township. Jan. 7. 185G. 
David Stayton was one of the pioneers of Cham- 
paign County, to whieli he came from his native 
State of Kentucky in about 18.T0 with his father, a 
sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. 
Joseph H. Stayton attended the district school in 
his boyhood, and at an early age commenced as- 
sisting his parents around the homestead, upon 
which he remained until after reaching his majority. 
One of the most important events of his life was 
his marriage with Miss Laura A., eldest daughter 
of John and Catherine Birdzell, which took place 
in the si)ring of 1 87G. 

After marriage, the young people continued on 
the farm of Mr. Stayton, the elder, until Joseph II. 
purch.ased his present liomestead on section IC, .'it. 
Joseph Township. Tiiis comprises seventy-eight 
acres of finely cultivated laud, with a neat and sub- 
stantial resifVenee, a good b;irn, and other necessary 
out-buildings. The land is princi[)ally devoted to 
the raising of corn and wheat, to which it seems 



* 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-1 



833 



t 



admirably adapted. The stock is of good grades 
and well cared for, and besides his land, the prop- 
erty of our subject includes a fine assortment of 
valuable farm machinery. 

The four children of Joseph II. and Jlrs. Laura 
A. .Stay ton were named respectively .John D., 
James \V., Beatrice E. and Gracie May. They 
form a bright quartette of whom the parents maj' 
well be proud. Mr. Stayton is still a young man, 
of whom much is expected in the future. He was 
elected Commissioner of Highways in the spring of 
1.SS4. and in this as well as other responsible posi- 
tions, has proved himself eminently worthy' of the 
confidence reposed in him by his fellow-citizens. 




NDREA\' J. I'KICKET. who first opened 
his eyes in the Buckeye State, .Ian. 8, 1823, 
passed his earl}' years amony- the hills of 
Brown County, upon the farm of his par- 
ents, James and Almira Pricket, who were also na- 
tives of Ohio. They remained there ten years 
after the birth of our subject, tiien migrated to this 
State and lived for a number of years in Vermilion 
County, when the plans of the family were mate- 
rially changed by the death of the father, which 
took place in 1835. The bereaved wife was thus 
left with two children, and afterward made her 
home in Vermilion and Champaign Counties, sur- 
viving until seventy-one years of age, and died at 
the home of her daughter iu Livingston County, 111. 
Andrew J., of our sketch, grew tt» manhood in 
Vermilion County, and tlien began to Uiy his plans 
for the future, first taking unto himself a wife and 
helpmeet, namely, Miss Charlotte Webb, who was a 
native of Ohio, but at the time of their marriage a 
resident of Danville. Mr. I'rieket and his bride 
located first on a fai'm in Vermilion C(.)unty, wliere 
they remained uulii Uie spring of 18G4, and then 
came to this county. Our subject selected a tract 
of land lying on section 32, in St. Joscpli Town- 
ship, which consisted of eighty acres and which he 
has now brought to a fine state of cultivation. 
The labor of twentj' years has certainly not been 
in vain, 'and the change which he has effected from 

<■ : — 



the first condition of his property indicates how 
well iiis time has been employed, and should cer- 
tainly be considered by him a rich reward for his 
industry. 

Mr. Pricket has a fine family of four children: 
John M., Andrew; Emma, the wife of Frank 
Thompson, and Scott, who is at home with his par- 
ents. Mr. Pricket, since exercising the rights of 
an American citizen, has uniforndy voted with the 
Democratic part}', and is a man whose opinions are 
generally respected. 

^-s- otd-^X®-"** *-'^ 

"^OHN W. SOMERS, o.ishier of the Exchange 
Bank of St. Joseph, is still comparatively a 
young man and a native of this county, hav- 
(^^^ ing been born in the township which bears 
his name, Oct. 5, 1852. He is the eldest sou of 
Waitman and Mary (Young) Spmers, the father a 
nati'Ve of North Carolina and born iu 1 82 1 . The 
latter came to this county with his parents iu the 
pioneer days, aiid with them was among the first 
settlers of Somor Township. Here he grew to man- 
hood, and was then employed for a number of 
years as Deputj' Countj- Snrvej'or. He married 
Miss Mary Young, and settled down on a farm on 
section 22. where he lived and labored until his 
death, which took place in the spring of 18G6. 
The mother still survives, making her home with 
her children in Somer Township. The parental 
household consisted of six sons and three daugh- 
ters, five still living. 

The subject of this narratit)n was the seconil child 
of his parents, and passed his boyhood and youth 
after the manner of most farmers' sons, on the home- 
stead in his native township. He received the or- 
dinjiry district school advantages, and remained 
under the home roof until he iiad developed into 
manhood. Upon starting out in life for himself, 
he repaired to Urbana, wiierc lie was employed as a 
clerk 1)}' Dr. .1. T. Miller, who was engaged in the 
grain trade, and with whom he remained four years. 
Thence he removed to St. Jose|)li, becoming the 
clerk and book-keeper of John A. Me3'ers, also a 
grain-dealer, with whom he remained twelve months. 
Soon afterward, in company with \ . B. Swcaringer 



4 



u. 



854 



■•► 



I 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



and John J. Woorlin, he engaged in the grain, him- 
l)er and coal ti-ade, tlie tiiin Ueing Swearinger, 
\\'^oodin & Co., and tiiey continut'd togetlier nntil 
1884. The}' tlien dissolved by mutual consent, 
and a few months hiter Mr. Soniers accepted his 
present position. 

Tlie Exchange Bank of St. Joseph was organized 
by S. T. and M. W. Busey, of llrl)ana, and lias be- 
come ahnost indispensable to the citizens of this 
section of the county. 



I 




RANCIS ELMORE PINKERTON, editor 
and proprietor of the Rantoul weeivl}' Presg, 
was born in Tremont, Schuylkill Co., Pa., 
Dec. 20, 1852. His grandfather, Oeorge Pinker- 
ton, a carpenter by trade, was a gentleman of ex- 
cellent education, and varied his mechanical labors 
frequent!}' by teaching school, which he followed 
most!}' during the winter seasons. He die«1 in 
1873, at the ripe old age of seventy -five years. 
His son, who was afterward familiarly known as 
Col. Cyrus Levi Pinkerton, was reared in Tremont, 
wliere after reaching years of manhood he followed 
in tile footsteps of his father as a teacher, but in- 
stead of taking up manual labor, inclined to the 
stndj' of law, in tlie jiractice of which he became 
proficient, and which he followed for a period of 
twenty-five years. 

The father of our subject possessed a keen eye 
to business, and liegan speculating by the purchase 
of Black Creek lands in his native county, which 
he disposed of at a good price, ;i.t tlie same time 
also engaging in the lumber tr.ade and dealing in 
general merchandise. Unfortunately, however, he 
lost all f)f his property, and in his last j'ears was 
not permitted to enjoy the fruit of his labors. 
Politically, he was a stanch Hepiiblican ;ind occu- 
pied a seat in the State Legislature for a period of 
two years. Dnriiig the war he was appointed a 
Colonel in the State Militia by (lov. Curtin. He 
married, in early manhood, Miss Fanny All Singer, 
who was a native of llnlifax, Dauphin Co., Pa 
Both parents finally came West, .-uid dicil in Kan- 
toiil, this county. 

Mr. I'Inki'ilon of tliisskdch, at tended the schools 



of his native town both day and evening, and re- 
mained a resident there until he was eighteen j-ears 
of age. When sixteen years old he entered the 
ftfflce of the Tremont X'eirs to learn the " art pre- 
servative," and three 3'ears later finished his trade 
at Plymouth, Pa. A year later he established a 
paper called the Nicholson Examiner, witli which 
he remained connected until the summer of 1874, 
then coming West he became editor of the Rantoul 
Journal for two and one-half years. He afterward 
purchased this paper, which he consolidated with 
the Rantoul News and named the lianUmlian, car- 
rying it on in partnership with H. E. Bullock for 
two years. He then puicliased the interest of his 
partner, and changed the name of the paper to its 
present style. The office outfit is creditable to the 
intelligence of its proprietor and includes a cj'lin- 
der power press, with the other appointments of a 
first-class job printing establishment. The Press 
is independent in politics, and has a large local cir- 
culation. 

Mr. Pinkerton casts his vote with the Republican 
party, and his paper has much to do in sha|)iiig the 
politics of this section. He is recognized among 
his associates as a man of ability' and good judg- 
ment, having served as a member of the County 
Central Committee. He also belongs to the Illinois 
State Press Association, and being a practical 
printer is identified with the Joliet Typographical 
Union. He was inarried, in tJctober, issi , to Miss 
MoUie Bois, who was born in Rantoul, and is the 
daughter of .1. J. and Lucy Bois, of whom a sketch 
will be found elsewhere in this work. The little 
family includes two children — Charles and Francis. 



^ELIX 0. SEYMOl^R, of Scott Township, is 

j favorably known as one of its intelligent 
farmers and sulistantial citizens. He is a 
native of Ilaiiipshire County, now W. \'a., and was 
born Dec. 1, 1824. His parents, Garrett and Sarah 
(McNeil) Seymour, were natives of West A'irginia, 
in which State they rcmaiiuMJ after their marriage, 
and where the mother died early in life, (iai'rett 
Seymour afterward remove<l to Indiana, where he 
remained a resident of Tipiieeanoe County for 



i 



I 

a 



f- 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



835 



about nine years. Tlienee he removed to Ross 
Cuimty, Ohio, where liis death took ])laee in 1848. 
The seven eliildren of the iiousehoid inehided four 
sons and three daughteis, of whom our suliject was 
the j'oungest. 

Felix (i. Seymour was al)uut ten years of age 
when the family removed to Iiftliana, and remained 
in Tippeeanoe County for eight years following. 
He tlijen returned to the vicinity of iiis old home in 
\'irgiuia, and tor two years lived with an uncle in 
H.-ird}' County. From there he proceeded to Ross 
County, Ohio, where lie engaged in driving cattle 
and farm work, and where he continued to live 
until 18G3. lu the fall of tiiat year he started for 
the West with his wife and five children, and com- 
ing into Chami)aigu County located in .Scott 
Township. In company with his uncle, R. R. Sey- 
mour, who is now deceased, lie purchased about 
1,000 acres of land, 1)00 uf which lie yet owns. The 
greater part of this was improved and under a 
good state of cultivation. Our subject erected a 
comfortable farm dwelling, and has all necessary 
out-buildings for the shelter of stock, the storage of 
grain, and the carrying on of agriculture after the 
most modern and im[)roved incthods. He has been 
uniformly successful in his undertakings since com- 
ing to Illinois, and is one of the representative 
men of an enterprising and prosperous community. 
The marriage of Feli.x G. Seymour and Miss 
Catherine .1. Parker took place in Ross County, 
Ohio, Feb. 24, 1852. Mrs. S. was a native of that 
county, born Dec. 2G, 1832, and the daughter of 
Richard and Nancy (Dill) Parker, natives respect- 
ively of West Virginia and Ohio. They settled in 
Ross County after their marriage, where they spent 
the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Sey- 
mour became the parents of six children, namely, 
Sarah ,1., Parkei', Margaret E., Catherine, \'irginia 
and Nancy T. Sarah became the wife of Benjamin 
White, an<l is a resident of Seymour, 111. ; Parker 
married Miss Amanda Slider, and is farming in 
Scott Township, this count}'; Catherine died (Jet. 
30, 1874, when fourteen years old; Virginia died 
May 10, 18(!4, .aged eighteen months; Nancy P. 
resides at home with iier father. Mrs. Catherine J. 
.Seymour departed this life at iier home in Scott 
Township, Nov. '.), 18(;7. She was a lady highly 



respected in the community, and a member in 
good standing of the Methodist Church. 

Mr. Seymour since coming to this county has 
been prominent in local affairs, holding the olflees 
of Supervisor, School Treasurer and Director for 
mnii}' years. He is also connected with tiic Meth- 
odist Church, to the support of which he has con- 
tributed liberally and cheerfully. In earlier years, 
[lolilically, he was a stanch adherent of the old 
Whig party, but upon its abandonment gave his 
support to Democratic principles. He has all his 
life been engaged in farming, and of late years has 
given much attention to the breeding of fine stock. 




BKL R. SEYMOUR, the proprietor of 240 
acres of valuable prairie land and fort}' 
*i acres of timber on section 17, Scott Town- 
^ ship, is a fine representative of the pros- 

perous element of this county, who by his own 
industry and enterprise has built up a fine home- 
stead and secured a competency for his later years. 
He is a native of Hampshire County, Va., born 
Dec. 2, 1815, and the son of (Jarrett and Sally 
(McNeil) Seymour. His parents were both natives 
of Hardy County, now W. Va., where they were 
married and first located. Afterward they removed 
to Hampshire County, where the mother died in 
about 1825. The father afterward removed to 
Tippecanoe County, Iml., where he lived about ten 
years and then became a i-esident of Ross County, 
Ohio, where he died in 184H. The six children of 
the [larental household included four sons and two 
daughters, of whom our subject was Llie third child. 
Abel Seymour removed with his father to Tip- 
l)ecanoe County, Ind.. and in 1831) to Ross County, 
Oiiio.- In the latter place he was engaged in iicrd- 
iiig and driving cattle until 1848. He then re- 
moved to Fayette County, (Jhio, and from there in 
185G, to Urbana, where he lived two years, then 
returned to Fayette County, of which he remained 
a resident until 1S(J2. That year hi' came U> llli- 
nois, purchased a farm in Cumberland County, and 
lived there until tiie fall of l.sCiC. He afterward 
rciiLed land in I'iatt County until ISCii), when he 



r- 



i 



I 



83G 



■•► 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



-I^H^ 



came to this county and located in Scott Town- 
siiip, of which lie has since been a resident. 

The man-iage of Abel R. Seymour and Miss Jean 
Dill was celebrated at the home of the bride's par- 
ents in Ross County. Oh'u>, May 13, 1840. Mrs. S. 
is the daughter of Robert and Ann (Gregory) Dill, 
who were both natives of Pennsylvania. They lo- 
cated in Ross County, Ohio, soon after their mar- 
riage, became the parents of ten children, who 
lived to mature 3'ears, and there spent the remain- 
der of their lives. Of the seven sons and three 
daughters born to Mr. and Mrs. Dill, the wife of 
our subject was the fifth child. Mrs. Sej'mour was 
born in Ross County, Ohio, Nov. 22, 1812. Of 
her union with uur subject there have been born 
eiglit cliiidren, of whom the record is as follows : 
William D. married Miss Kate E. Ruffner, and is 
farming in Scott Township; Annie became the wife 
of Joseph II. Bradle}', and died in Hillsboro, Ohio; 
Abel married Miss Sciota A. Renick, and resides 
in Seymour, HI.; Sallv J. married Abel S. Scott, a 
farmer of Scott Township; Robert (i. married Miss 
Rhoda Bartlott, and is a resident of Denver, Col. ; 
Richard F. is at home with his parents ; Joini J; 
married Mi.ss Corinne Howell, a cousin of the au- 
tor, \V. D. Howell, and resides in (^uincy, Cal. ; 
Absalom J. is in Nevada. 

Abel Seymour, Jr., during the late war enlisted 
as a Union soldier in the (JOth Oiiio Infantry, and 
served in the army for fourtL'rn months. He was 
captured at Harper's Kerry in September, 18G2, 
but soon afterward i)aroled and went with his regi- 
ment to Chicago, where they were discharged. The 
year following he re-enlisted in the 1st Oiiio Cav- 
alry, and served until the close of the war. In 
18.'j4 our subject, in company with three other 
gentlemen, took a trij) to Kngland and Scotland 
in the interest of the Clinton and Fa^-ette Counties 
Importing Compan}'. for the purpose of purchasing 
Short-horn cattle. He w.as gone about two months, 
the jolirney proving a source of both pleasure and 
profit. 

Mr. S. has been rpiite prominently connected with 
townsiii|) affairs, lu)ldiHg llie minor olllces, and po- 
litically is a Democrat. Mrs. Se3'mour is a mem- 
ber of the Swedenborglan Clinrch. In 1S(;| she 
was chosen President of the Lailies' Aid Society' at 



Washington Court House, in Ohio, and shorth' 
after the battle of Pittsburg Landing was sent to 
Camp Dennison in charge (»f supplies. She is a 
lady of great benevolence anil kindness, and gave 
mucli of her time during the war in preparing nec- 
essaries for the wounded soldiers, large consign- 
ments of which were frequently sent from the 
North to the various hospitals where the soldiers 
were suffering from illness or wounds. 



0h.- 



■vilOHN McCABE, of Harwood Township, was 
boin in Countj* Monaghan, Ireland, June 24, 
1 828, and was the thircl child of James and 
Bridget (Trainor) IMcCabe, natives of the 
same county and who spent their entire lives there. 
Our subject spent his childliood and youth amid 
tiie rural scenes of his native county. By the time 
he was twenty one years of age he had saved a 
little money wiiicli he intended to expend in seek- 
ing a country whose advantages were eminentl}' 
greater than those of his own land. At the outset 
he met with a dire misfortune l)y falling into the 
hands of shari)ers, who robbed him and left him 
stranded among strangers and without means in the 
cit}' of Dumfries, Scotland. Being too proud to 
return home he joined the British Nav^' and fol- 
lowed tiie life of a sailor for over six years. Hali- 
fax ;ind the West Indies were the principal rendez- 
vous, and his ship, belonging to the Admiralty, 
was privileged to cruise along the North American 
coast, Young McCabe became intimately ac- 
quainted with the nature of the fishery troubles l)e- 
tween Great Britain and the United States, and 
distinctly remembers tlie incidents connected with 
the capture of the "Cardinal Knight" by the En- 
glish cruiser, and the division of the s|)oils, in wliich 
he received four shillings and sixpence for his share. 
Commodore Perry's lleet soon afterward put in an 
appearance which resulted in the adjustment of 
difflculties, after uliich hostilities ceased. 

Mr. MeCabe relates many interesting incidents 
of his ex[)erience in the naval service. After a 
time sjient in the w.-ileis of the West Indies they 
left, an<l touclieil |;in<l but little for several months 
thereafter, ami in February, 18.');$, encountered one 



n 



I- 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



«37 



of the severest gales ever known on the Oulf of 
St. Lawrence. The life boats, which vn'w lashed 
to the rigging fortj- feet ahove the deck, were car- 
ried away by the spray from the heavy sea vvhich 
followed. After almost siiperhnman exertions by 
the soldiers and sailors the ship was finally brought 
into harbor safely, and continued operating along 
the coast of the Atlantic until the outbreak of the 
Crimean War. All the vessels of the English navj' 
were then called into requisition to take sides against 
the Czar in his conflict with the Ottoman Emi)ire. 
Here and on the way to the Baltic our subject en- 
countered many thrilling scenes. He spent a sea- 
son there, doing much service, when he came to 
America. 

Mr. McCabe landed in >«ew York City on the 
22d of December, 1854, and soon afterward went 
over into I'ennsjdvania and began work on a farm 
near the Delaware Breakwater. We soon find him 
running as a steamboatman on the Monongahela 
River. Afterward he turned his steps westward, 
but returned to Pittsburgh, where he worked in a 
brickyard first, and then started out on a peddling - 
tour. Upon one of his e.Kcnrsions he visited Mas- 
sillon, Ohio, where his feet were so severely frozen 
that he suffered a loss of three of hio toes. The 
following spring he returned to his old run on the 
Luzerne from Pittsburgh to Brownsville, and while 
on .the river the engine of the boat exploded and^ 
he was naturally '• laid off." In the fall of i!So7 
he started down the Ohio to Louisville, ar.d from 
there to Memphis, after which he went up the 
White River to Napoleon, Ark., in the meantime 
buying and selling merchandise as before. At this 
last place while unloading an iron boiler he was 
severely injured in Uie back. Upon recovering 
from this he proceeded to St. Louis, and soon after- 
ward came to Illinois and engaged as a farm laborer. 
He soon rented a tract of land and began fanning 
for himself. 

On the .'(111 of August, LS.V.I, our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss .\nn .Spencer, of Mt. 
Hope Township, McLean Country. Mrs. McCabe 
was the sixth of a family of eight children born to 
Richard .'uiil liridget (Cavanaugh) S[)encer, natives 
of Ireland, who emigratc;d ti( America at an earl}' 
day, an<l coming to this Stale located first at JIc- 



Leau Station. Mr. and Mrs. McCabe went South, 
where he followed ditching until the breaking out 
of the war. This project, however, fell through, and 
Mr. McCabe finally decided to return to McLean 
County, and was only $5 richer than when he set 
out. The following year he and his wife engaged 
to work for a farmer, his salary to be $14 per month 
and hers to be $6. They were thus engaged eleven 
months, saving every penny they could, and at the 
expiration of this time rented a tract of land, and 
began farming for themselves. They followed ag- 
riculture two years near McLean Station, and thence 
removed to a farm in l^ogan County which they 
.occupied four years. While in the latter place two 
children were born — ^James R. and John F. 

The first entrance of our subject into Champaign 
County took place in the spring of llSG'J, when he 
purchased 160 acres of land in Harwood Township, 
where he soon erected a house. He increased his 
landed interests after the second year by the pur- 
chase of 120 acres. Mr. McCabe met with a severe 
accident in the spring of 1885, being kicked by a 
horse and one leg broken.. He lay upon the ground 
helpless from nine o'clock in the morning until five 
in the evening before he was found and taken home, 
enduring suffering that can better be imagined th.-m 
described. From the shock to his system he has 
notj'et fully recovered, and it was only by the most 
judicious care that his life was saved. 



.-.'i-.2.-(s^-~ 



-^^WTjTU. 



\M f/ >> • "l^lti ■'^^^ i' ="• ""ti^'^' '" me soumwes 
\rJ/j ern pari of this county, was born April 
^^ 184:i, and is the son of .lohn C. Obryaut, 



W. OBRYANT, a nativeof the soulliwesl- 

15, 
of 
N'irginia, who first drew breath in the rural districts 
of old \'iri;inia in 1«1 1. His grandfather, Holcomb 
Obryant, was of L'ish descent, and the first rep- 
resentatives of the family in this country located in 
N'irginia and became the [(rogcnilors of a nu- 
merous family. The mother of our subject was 
Eliza Drullinger. a native of Ohio. Of her marri.-igc 
wilii .loliu ('. Obiy.'iiit there were born two sons 
and eight daughters, seven of whom lived to 
mature years, married and settled in homes of 



i 



* 



t. 



838 



■•► 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i- 



their own. The mother is still surviving, making her 
home with her children, and enj(jj'ing remarkablj- 
good health for a lady sevent^'-two j'ears of .ige. 

The siihject of this history spent a part of his 
early life in Vermilion County, hut attained his 
majorit}' in this county. During the progress of the 
late war he enlisted in Co. K, 125th 111. ^'ol. Inf., 
and followed the fortunes of a soldier until the close, 
taking pait in many of its important battles, name- 
ly, Perrj'ville, Ky., Chickamauga and Mission 
Ridge, besides meeting the enemy in various skir- 
mishes and experiencing many hairbreadth escapes. 
He wound up his military career by joining the 
army of (Jen. Sherman in its march from Atlanta 
to the sea, going through the Carolinas and being 
at the battle of Beutonville, whence they moved on 
to Richmond and from there to Washingt(jn to the 
final grand review, after the surrender of Lee's 
army. Ilei'e Mr. Obr^-ant, with those of his com- 
rades who remained alive after their terrible ex- 
periences, was honorably discharged and subse- 
quently paid off at Chicago. 

Our subject, after once more becoming a civilian, 
leturned to ^'ermllion County, where he remained 
until the spring of 186G. He then made his way to 
St. Joseph Township, where he began farming, hav- 
ing in view the establishment of domestic ties and 
a home of his own. The lady destined to become 
the sharer of his fortunes was Miss Mary Ludwick, 
to wiiom he vvas married l-'cb. 17, I8G9, in St. Jo- 
seph Township. Mrs. Obryaiit is a native of Indi- 
ana, born near La Fayette, and the daughter of 
John and Eveline Ludwick, natives of M.aryland 
and Virginia, respectively. After marriage the 
young people settled near what is now Mayview, 
where Mr. Obryant rented a tract of land for a 
term of five years. He continued there prosper- 
ouslj', and when his lease had expired purchased 
ninety acres of land near the farm of Isaac Leas, 
which is now known as the Leas Farm. Our sub- 
ject occupied this ten years, then sold out and tt)ok 
possessi(jn of his iiomestead. Here he has operated 
after the theory of Horace (Greeley, that a small 
amount of land well cultivated is more profitable 
than a larger area partially neglected. He has l)Ut 
eighty acres, but li.-is brougiit it to a fine and fertile 
c()n<liti<>n, built a good resideutx- and barn, and has 

4 » 



excellent grades of Short-horn cattle, together with 
hogs and horses of no mean degree. 

The household of ^Ir. and Mrs. Obryant now in- 
cludes three bright children — Frank E., Anna May 
and W. Roy. The parents are members in good 
standing of the Jlethodist E|)iscopal Church, .at St. 
Joseph, in which Mr. Obryant has officiated as 
Steward and Trustee for a number of years, and 
has been contiiuiously identified with the Sunday- 
school, in wiiich he has alw.ays maintained an active 
and kindly interest. 



<fp5j /All 
llL^, pie 



^ZRA DICKERSON, one of the most exten- 
ive farmers of Champaign County, occu- 
pies 640 acres in Compromise Township, on 
section 19, of which he took possession in 18G7. 
He came here with a determination to establish a 
permanent home and become identified with the 
best citizens of this county. With comparatively 
little effort he has been assigned to his rightful po- 
sition as a representative business man and mem- 
ber of the community, enjoying in a marked 
degree the esteem and confidence of his fellow- 
citizens. As a farmer he has been unusually suc- 
cessful, and in the township has identified himself 
with its most important interests. He commenced 
life as a carpenter at ^IQ per month, and was after- 
ward variously employed until he had saved ^300 
in money, with which he purchased a sawmill and 
established himself in the lumber trade, from the 
proceeds of which business he purchased the farm 
that formed the basis of his fine property. 

Mr. Dickerson is a native of Franklin County, 
Ind., born July 13, 1834. His jiarents, John and 
Elizabeth (Carroll) Dickerson, natives of Ohio, 
after marriage removed to Indiana, and located 
among the early pioneers of Franklin C'ount3'. The 
father of our subject was a cooper b^' tr.ade, which 
business he followed until 1853, when he removed 
to Hendricks County, Ind., and engiiged in farm- 
ing until retiring from the .active labors of life. 
His death occurred in that couyty in 1872, when 
seventy-two years old. Mrs. Dickerson still sur- 
vives an<l is iH)w a resident of Sheldon, 111. The 
parental hou.sehold included four children, who are 



■*» ^ B <• 



t 



_t 



■^•- 



CIIAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



841 



located as follows: Clarinda, the wife of Daniel 
Cl:'.ik, resides in Hendricks County, Ind.; .lane | 
inaiiied William Brundidyje, a resident of Kansas; j 
Elizahutli, JMrs. Frank Hereford, lives in Linct)ln, 
111. 

Our subject was the second child and the only son 
of his father's family. He learncil the trade of a 
carpenter in his youtli, which he followed in Frank- 
Ihi and Hendricks Cnunties, Ind., until he engaged 
in the lumber trade. After coming to tliis count}' 
he purchased 640 acres of unbroken prairie, includ- 
ing section 10, which he has transformed into a 
beautiful and desirable homestead. He was one of 
the seven men chieHj' interested in building the 
Havana, Rautoul iV Eastern Kailroad, his associates 
in this enterprise being B. J. Gifford, (I. D. Pen- 
field, John renfield, Milo Dewey, Robert Fisher 
and H. E. Bullock. The}' afterward .associated 
with them Lewis Stewart, of Piano, 111. Mr. Dick- 
crson superintended the laying of thirty-five miles 
of track, as well as the building of several bridges. 
After the completion of the road he officiated as 
conductor, having charge of a train four j'ears. 
During the construction of the road he contracted 
for a large number of ties and much other material, 
and was one of the most importatit factors iu the 
whole enterprise. Upon severing his connection 
with the railroad, and after an absence of six years, 
he returned to his farm and has since devoted 
his time and attention to its improvement. The 
land is drained with 1,300 rods of tile, .and 
the residence, which was erected in 1883-84, is a 
commodious structure, two stories in height, being 
finely finished, and .altogether is one of the best farm 
dwellings in that part of the county. In 1884, for 
the purpose of draining his own land, he established 
a tile manufactory, and the business proving profit- 
able he has continued it, making extensive ship- 
ments to various parts of this and other counties. 
His fields, which are conveniently laid out and 
neatly fenced, are finely adapted both for pasturage 
and grain-raising, being chiefi}' dev(jte(l to the latter. 
The full page view of his farm, which we present 
ill this connection, gives one an excellent idea of 
its extent and the splendid family residence, its 
surroundings, iiis factory and other buildings. 

The lady who has presided with great dignity 



and amiability over the household of our subject 

for a period of twenty-four years, was formerly 
Miss Elizabeth Wiley, a native of Hendricks Coun- 
ty', lud., and tiie daughter of Alfred and Susan 
Wiley, natives of Guilford County, N. C. They 
took up their abode in Hendricks County, lud., in 
1834, during the pioneer days. The childieii now 
living of Ezra and Mrs. Dickerson, are two daugh- 
ters, Florence and Eflie. A little son, Charlie, died 
when two years of age. Florence, in August, ISSl, 
became the wife of David Stephens; she is now the 
wife <)f Walter M. Dickey, a resident of Chicago, 
and dealer in line trotting horses; she has a son by 
her first luishaiid. Our subject imlitically alliliatcs 
with the Democratic party, and is regarded .as one 
of the most substantial men of his townshii). 



^4^^H 



\] 



i B. SMITH, of the linn of ,1. 15. Smith .t Co., 
dealers in boots and shoes at No. .51) Neal 
. street, Cliainpaign, located here iu the fall of 
'^^/ 1S;")4. He is |>osse.ssessed of those principles 
and traits of character which have constituted him 
an iioncst man and a good citizen, the encour.agcr 
of inoralit}' aiul education, and which have made 
him universally esteemed by all who know him. 

Our subject is a native of Kentucky, born Aug. 
7, 1832, and is the son of Jacob and Eliza (Porter) 
Smith, natives of Philadelphia. Jacob Smith was an 
extensive furniture manufacturer in that city, and 
also in Kentucky, and left the latter State for Illi- 
nois in October, 1851. He settled in McLean 
County and lived a retired life in the city of 
Bloomiiigton until his decease in 1875, at an ad- 
vanced age. The mother died the following year, 
aged eighty-four, being one j'ear younger than her 
husband. Both parents were members of the Pres- 
byterian Church. Of their seven children five arc 
still living, namely, Thomas M., of Missouri; R. P.; 
Mrs. Cochran, of Bloomingtou, 111.; Mrs. Noel, of 
Missouri, and J. B., our subject. Jacob Smith, 8r., 
during the early part of his life was a stanch ad- 
herent of the ohl Whig ();irty, and after itsabanilon- 
ment alliliated with the Rc[)ublicaus, casting one 



i 



I 






842 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






l)resi<1entitil vote for Abraham Lincoln, who was a 
(listnnt relative and who afterward visited him at 
his home in Bloom ingtim. 

The suiijeet of this lilography attended school in 
Ills native State until fifteen years of age, complet- 
ing iiis studies at Danville College. He then en- 
gaged as clerk in a store at Richmond, and was thus 
occupied until the family removed to Jllinois. In 
the spring of 1854 he engaged in mercantile luisi- 
uess at Urbana, remaining only a brief time, how- 
ever, as in the fall of that same year he put up a 
store on Main street in Champaign, in which he 
continued business in connection with that at Ur- 
bana. His |)artner, J. W. Hill, man.aged the Cham- 
paign branch. In l.S.'i!) Mr. Smith soitl out and 
returned to Bloomington, engaging in tlie same 
business until 1861, and until after the opening 
of the late war. He then started out as a sutler of 
the 8th Missouri Regiment, but his healtii failin"- 
in the course of a few months he returned once 
more to Bloomington. 

In the spring of 1862 Mr. Smith went to Chicago, 
and engaging in the fancy and dry-goods trade, 
remained there until the great fire in October, 1871. 
After this disaster lie again returned to Blooming- 
ton, and in company witii his brother, Kol)ert T., 
o|)ened a wliolesale and retail boot anil shoe busi- 
ness, which they conducted one year, and then our 
subject returned to Chicago and became connected 
with the firm of Ivldy, Harvey & Co., wholesale 
dealers in boots and slioes and hats and caps. He 
remained with the firm until their failure in 1882. 
He ai'terward engaged again with his brother in the 
boot and shoe business in Bloomington, where they 
remained until February, 1887, when Mr. Smith 
removed to Cham|)aign and established his present 
business. 

Our subject was married, in 18;').'), to Miss Mary 
J. Ilowse, a, native of Ohio, and the daughter of 
David Howse, who settled in Cliampaign County 
in 1854. The father of Mrs. S. was also engaged 
in the lM_>ot .-md shoe business while in Ohio, but 
after coming to Illinois followed farming anU car- 
ried on a nursery. He departed this life in Cham- 
paign in 1882. The family of Mr. Ilowse included 
six children, ujunely, Mrs. Smith; .Mrs. Mulligan, 
of Dakota; Mrs. Hill; Diivid B., Bell and Kossuth. 
-^« « 




The latter four reside in Champaign Cotinty. Mrs. 
Howse died in Champaign in 1856. 

iMr. Smith is independent in polities, a member 
of the Masonic fraternit\-, an<l with his excellent 
wife is a member in good standing of the Presby- 
terian Cluircii. 



LIAS RUS.SKLL first drew breath among the 
hills of Delaware County, Ohio, to which 
IjL^ State his father had removed from his n;i- 
tive State of Virginia with his parents wIumv ;i boy. 
The grandfather of our sultject, .lohn Ru.ssell by 
name, was born in tiie Old Dominion, being the off- 
spring of a family who traced their ancestry from 
England, and whose first representatives in this 
country located in \'irginia in the Colonial days. 
They were agriculturists, and became noted for 
their thrift and [jrosperity. 

.lohn Russell married eai'ly in life and became 
the father of a fine fanillj' of sons and daughters. 
Among these was Joseph A., who was Ixirn in \'ir- 
ginia, and when a boy removed with his parents to 
Ohio, where he grew to manhood, married Miss 
.Jemima C. Kckhart, and became the father of Elias, 
of our sketch. 

The Kckhart family was originall3' fi'om Oer- 
many, and its later re|)resentatives became |)romi- 
nent in the early settlement of Ohio. .Josei>li Rus- 
sell after his marriage located with his young wife 
in Fairfield County, when- he opened up a farm 
and remained until his de.-ith, which occurred in 
the winter of 1881, after he had arrived at tin ad- 
vanced age. The wife and mother still survives, 
making her home near Lithopolis. The parental 
household included two sons and four daughters, 
uf whom the record is as follows: Daniel, the eldest, 
married and settled in Shelby- County, III.; Eliza- 
beth is the wife uf Daniel Stumpf, of the same 
county; Maria married William Stum|)f; Elias, of 
our sketch, was the fourth child; Mary liecame the 
wife of Wilkinson Clark, of Fairfiohl County, Ohio, 
and S.arah married Calvin Fo(jr. 

Our subject spent his early years in Fairlii'ld 
Comity, Ohio, passing his winters in attendance at 
the district schools, and assisting in the laboiw of 






•►-•-<• 



f 



•►-■K-* 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, 



S43 ii 



the farm until his marriage. This event took place 
when 1)0 "as in ills twoiily-tliird year, in September, 
1S(!0, his cJKisen bride beini;' Miss Nancy M..(langli- 
ter of Thomas and KIHe (Drake) Whitzei, of Fair- 
field County. Ohio. In tlie fall of 1. Sill Mr. nnd 
Mi'S. Rnssell eanie into Shelby CV)nntj-, 111., wlicre 
the}' took n|i tlieir residence for a year. Thej' were 
not quite satisfied with tliat locality and migrated 
into Champaign County, locating first in .Stanton 
Township, Ileie onr subject engaged in farming 
and stock-raising and cultivated annually a large 
area of corn and wheat. Finally, in 1881, lie se- 
cured possession of eight3' acres of land on section 
10, ill St. Joseph Township, wlieie he permanently 
located and which has since been his home. He has 
been willing to lalior for the good things of life, 
and his industrj- has been amply rewarded. Him- 
self and family are enjoying all the comforts which 
Could l)c reasonably wished for, and possess in a 
marked degree the esteem and respect of their 
neighbors. 

Mr. and Mrs. Russell haveliecome the parents of 
two children only — Frank .S., and an infant who 
died unnamed. Mr. U. since coining to this town- 
ship has served as .School Trustee and Treasurer. 
Commissioner of Highways, and in other positions 
where he has been of decided assistance in local 
matters. He is esteemed as a man of excellent 
jiidgiiient, and his lionest_y has never licen (jues- 
tioned. Since becoming a voter he has upheld the 
principles of the licpublican party. 



E 



} 



^i^^DGAR W. I'UTNAM, juni.u- incMil)er of 
the well-known firm of Putnam liros., carry- 
ing on an extensive trade in agricultural im- 
plements and general merchandise at Penficld, was 
born in East Douglas, Worcester Co., Mass., June 
3, 1857. and 'vas eight years of age when the fam- 
ily migrated to Illinois. His primary education. | Smith. The mother died when lie 
was conducted in the common .schools, afterward 
being continued in the High School at Champaign 
ui)on coming to this county. He has inherited the 
business talents of his father, .and pos.se.sses the 
sound sense required by the practical financier. He 
remained a memlier of the parental household until 



1882, then, came to Penfleld and .associated iiim- 
self in partnership with Thomas J. Campbell, witii 
whom he operated under the style of Campbell & 
Putn.am until 1S84. Then by the withdrawal of 
Mr. Campbell the tiriu became Putnam IJros. 

On the lOth of Octolier, 187.'). Mr. Putnam was 
united in marriage with the lady of his choice. Miss 
Mary M. McLeod. who was born in \ ciinilion 
County, this State, in IS;")?. The father of Mrs. 
Putnam served as a I'liion soldier in the late war, 
and yielded up his life on the baltlc-ticld. in Mis- 
souri. The mother is yet living. The only child 
of Mr. and Mrs. P. is a son — Lewis Watkins. Mr. 
Piitnain, politically, supports the pi-inciples of the 
Democratic party, and otliciatcs in Penficld as 
Notary Public. Sot:ially he is a member of Oene- 
vieve Lodge No. KIO. K. of P. 

-^» ^fe-4^— — -^ 



JONATHAN SMITH. The Knglisli born resi- 
dent of Ayers Township form no uninipor- 
tant class of its [)0]nilation. Kumbcrs of 
/ them came here twenty 3'ears ago or more 
and by their sturdy industry and sul)slanti.il char- 
acter have assisted in buililiug u|i the comniunity 
both in a moral and an agricultural i)oiiit of view, 
and have been among the most reliable citizens and 
business men. Of tiiis class Mr. Smith of our 
sketch is no unworthy representative. lie took 
possession of his present farm on section 17 in I 88S, 
since whi(^h time he has labored iiidusti-iou^^ly to 
improve the quality of the soil, and while success- 
fully prosecuting his chosen calling as an'agrieult- 
urist, has by his honesty and frugality established 
himself in the resjieet of the entire community. 

'I'he boyhood and youth of our. subject were 
spent in Yorkshire, Kngland. where he lirst opened 
his eyes to the light on the 20th of Novcmlier, 
1817. His parents were Francis and TNIary (Hugill) 

was but five 
years old. He lived at home unt'l twenty-one 
years of .ago, and then sailed with his young wife 
from Liverpool to the United States. The father 
is still living in Kngland. 

After lamling in New York City .lonathan Sniitli 
at once proceeded westward to Morgan County, 

■» 



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\n 844 



! 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



this State, where he worketl by the week at his 
tradu i>f Ijlaclvsuiithiiiy. which he had learne(l of 
his father in the ohl coiiiitry. He fulluwed tliis for 
twelve 3'ears thereafter and obtained an enviable 
reputation as a skillful and reliable workman. 

The wife of our subject was, in her girlhood, 
Miss Anna M. Tiinstill. She is a native of the 
same county in England as her husband, is the 
daughter of John and Sarah (Bond) Tunstill, and 
was born in Januarj', 1845. Her parents are still 
living, remaining in their native country. Tlie six 
children of Mr. and Mrs. Smith were named re- 
spectively, Rose Ann, John F., Jonathan H., Will- 
iam II., Mary E. and David (1. They form a bright 
and intelligent group of which the parents may 
well be proud. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members 
in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
at Broadlands. Mr. S., after becoming an Ameri- 
can citizen, identilied himself with the Republican 
party. Socially he is a member of Homer Lodge 
No. 2r)2, I. (). (). F. 



-^i^ 



'M(^ 



'S'^i IJ5ERT (J. I'ORTKUFIKLI) is the young- 
est son of Samuel and Nanc}' (Davis) I'or- 




terlield, and a native of Armstrong Coun- 
1^;^ ty, Pa., where his birth took place on the 

ftii of Se|)tember, 1848. He was reared on a farm 
in the Keystone State, receiving a common-school 
education, and in 18(io eniigi'ated with his parents 
to Illinois, since which time he has been a resident 
of this county. In the spring of 1867, although 
but eighteen years of age, he rented a tract of 
land in Raymond Township and engaged in farm- 
ing on his own account. Three years later he pur- 
chased forty acres of unim[iroved land on section 
'.(, which is included in his present homestead. The 
whole now comprises 120 acres, which he has care- 
fully cultivated and improved, and where, in 1883, 
he erected a line barn thirty-four feet square, and 
furnished with all the necessary conveniences re- 
quired by the modern and progressive farmer. lie 
is now building a residence, which when completed 
will [irobably be one of the linesl in this county. 

4 * 



\ A lithographic view of it is presented on another 
p.age. 

The family of our subject consists of his wife 
ant) four sons — William W., Samuel 11., Jlarcus J. 
and Arthur T. His marriage took place on the 

; •!2d of February, 1872. Mrs. Porterfield, formerly 
Miss liliza J. Tucker, was born in Clermont Coun- 
ty, Ohio, April 2.), 184(j. Her parents were Nels<ni 
and Sarah (daskin) Tucker, both now deceased. 

I She received a good education, an<l for some time 
before her marriage was a |)opular teacher in the 

I schools of Champaign County. Slic is ;i valued 
member of the Methodist K|iiscopal Church, and a 
lady i)Ossessing many excellent qualities of mind 

i and heart. Our subject, politically, alliliales with 
the Republican partj', and has served one term as 
Township Assessor. 

OSEPII T. KELLEY, who has distinguished 
himself as one of the most valuable residents 
of Ilarwood Township, was born iri Rock- 
ingham Count}', \'a., Jla}- 14, 1809. He w.as 
the youngest of fourteen children, the offspring of 
Abram and Sarah (Burgess) Kelley, the former of 
Irish birth and the latter sui)posed to have been 
born in Germany. On account of the Irish Re- 
bellion, Abram Kelley became an exile from his na- 
tive land before the outbreak of the Revolutionary 
War. Two of his brothers escaped with him, and 
upon reaching this countrj', Abram eidisted upon 
the side of the Colonists, serving at first for one 
year and afterward becoming the substitute for his 
two brothers, both of whom had been drafted, and 
in this cap.acity serving two years. After the in- 
dependence of the Colonists, he located for a time 
in \'irginia, and in 1810 removed to Ohio, his wife 
dying the same year. He served his adopted coun- 
! try again during the War of 1812. During this 
time his family lived in Rockaw.ay County, Ohio. 
At the age of fifteen years our subject for live 
years became a member of the family of Joseph 
\'ance, who owned a farm in Champaign County, 
Ohio, and was a mendjer of Congress. He had en- 
joyed the confidence of his employer and had also ♦ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



84r. 



t 



ingratiated himself into the affections of his em- 
ployer's ^niece, Miss Sarah, eldest daughter of John 
AV. and Margaret (Lemon) A'ancc of A'irginia. 
The}' were married Nov. il, liS;i(>, and at once set 
out to seek their fortunes in tlie farther West. 
They proceeded on horseback and readied Danville, 
this State, where were located the salt wurks belong- 
ing to the father of Mrs. Kellcy. His wife having 
died he was without a house'kee|ier, and arrange- 
ments were made for Mr. Kelley anil liis wife to be- 
come inmates of his home, when they arrived there 
March 20, 1S31. Three years later Mr. ^■ance 
went West to fight the Indians, Mr. Kellej' remain- 
ing at home, taking general supervision of the salt 
works. The war with Mexico, in 1H40. again stirred 
his patriotism, but the ranks being full he could 
not enlist. Conclnding he might as well use the 
plowshare as the sword, he purchased 300 acres of 
prairie land in A'ance Townsiiip, \'ermilion County, 
111., and entered upon the work of improving it. 
About four 3'ears later he sold out, and removed to 
St. Joseph, this ctiunty, and rented a farm. Shortly 
afterward the owner of tiiis died and Mr. Ivellej' 
pnrchased the land and occupied it until l.sGG. In 
January of that year his wife died, and for the 
time he gave up farming, rented his laud, and in 
18()7 sold out to his son John A\'. 

Of the nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Kelle_y onlj- four survive, namel}-, John W., 
James, Margaret and J. Duncan. The deceased 
are David \'., Mary J., AV'illiam, Martha and Sarah. 
John W., in 1875, sold the farm and removed to 
Denver, Col., where he is in the employ of the Cen- 
tral Pacific Railroad Company; he married Miss 
Caroline Lisha, of Homer, this State. James is en- 
gaged in the grocery trade and also a dealer in live 
stock at Boulder, Col. His first wife was Miss 
Carrie Knox, who died in 187G. lie then married 
Alice, daughter of Judge Slaughter, of Colorado. 
Margaret is tlie wife of Joseph II. Shreve, a grain 
dealer of Indianapolis, Ind. Duncan married Miss 
Jennie Camp, of this county, and is employed as a 
book-keeper in the Assessor's oflice in Denver, Col. 

Mr. Kelley was again married, Dec. 24, 1868, to 
Mrs. Patience (Neal) Hullock, daughter of Kdmund 
and .Sarali (Davis) Neal, and widow of Morgan L. 
Bullock. Her parents were natives of Maine, but 



soon after their marriage removed to Greene Coun- 
ty, Ohio, anil located on a farm. While living 
then'. Patience was born to them, Jan. 17, 181G. 
Mr. Bullock, her forniei' husband, was a native of 
Dutchess Count}', X. V. He was a well educated 
man and taught school considerabl}' in his younger 
years. He was a [jractical carpenter and builder, 
but linally turnecl his attention to farming. After 
fanning at different places, the}' moved u|)on the 
homestead of her parents to care for them in their 
declining years. Nine years later the niotiier died, 
and the father in 18G7. They then came to Ilar- 
wood Towushi|), and Mr. B. purchased eighty acres 
of land on section 33, and moved his family into 
a small house which stood upon it. Soon afterward 
on one long-to-be-remembered morning they were 
appalled by the discovery of (lames in the i)rairie 
grass around them and were obliged to take the 
best means for escaping with their lives. The fire 
swept everything before it until reaching the hay 
field where Mr. Bullock and his sons and hired help 
were at work. They soon found their efforts fu- 
tile in endeavoring to save the hay and started to- 
wai'd the house, in the direction of which the wind 
was already blowing. By the time they reached it 
the fire had already communicated with the barn, 
and they barely saved the horses by leading them 
out with the harness on. This acconiiilished, the 
house was discovered to be on fire, and the only 
thing which they could remove before it was con- 
sumed was a chest of tools and the money con- 
cealed in it. The men lost their hats and coats and 
the women all their wearing apparel exeejit that 
they had on. They then attached the horses to the 
wagon which they had succeeded in saving, and 
took up their abode in a hotel until they could put 
up a small house. The fire occurred Oct. 10, 18G0, 
and they took possession of the new house in De- 
cember following. 

In December, 18G5, the husliand and father was 
called from earth. His widow remained upon the 
farm until her marriage with our subject. During 
the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Kelley at St. Joseph, 
Mr. Kelley kept hotel from 1849 to 1«G4, and 
often entertained Abraham Lincoln and David Da- 
vis, who were holding District Court through this 
section of the State and when going that way al- 



i 



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t 



846 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ways stopped at the "Kelley Mouse." Mr. Kelle}' 
still preserves the old arm chair in uliicli Mr. Lin- 
coln u.sed to sit and tell stories while Mr. Davis 
would lie on the Hoor and enjoj' theiu. This chair 
is an (ild-fashionod ime with wide rockers and a 
bntfajii cushion, and was the ('S|)ecial favorite of the 
lamented President. 

Mr. Kelle}' was the first Postmaster at St. Joseph, 
which position he held for a |ieriod of ten years. 
In p ilitics he is a Kcpnljlican. He is a hale and 
liearty old man, well preserved and active .as many 
men twenty years his junior. He is respected l^y the 
entire comnuinity, and is one of the most familiar 
figures to he seen about the house and garden, 
where he spends tiie greater part tjf the time, de- 
ligiiting' in viewing the growth and matuiing of 
vegetation. Mrs Kelley is a member of the Baptist 
Church. 

if{;-^^ ENRY REESE, a highly respected member 

of the farming comnuinity of St. Joseph 

y T(jwnship, has successfully operated on a 

11^ valuable body of land on section 10 since the 
spring of 18o7. He is a fine illustration of the self- 
made man. who from a modest beginning has 
worked his own way up in the world to agood jiosi- 
tion socially and financially among his fellow-citi- 
zens, .and by his straightforward and upright life 
has secured their kindly regard and confidence. 

The first recollections of our subject are of his 
father's farm in Washington County, Pa., where he 
))layed when a boy, and where he first opened his 
eyes to the light, July U), 1,S2!). He comes of ex- 
cellent Welsh ancestry, which was first represented 
in this country in the Colonial days, and whose de- 
scendants, sellling in Pennsylvania, rc^ared families 
of sons and daughters who formed a large ])ropor- 
tioii of the farniing element of that region. Thomas 
Reese, the grandfather of our subject, was born in 
Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood and mar- 
ried .Miss .\nna, daughter of William and Rebecca 
Sunderland, of English descent. After marriage 
they located ijermanently in Washington County, 
where they built up a good record as jjarents, 
friends .and citizens. They reared their childien 
to habits of industiy, and passed to their final rest 




near the place- where they first johied hands to- 
gether for the journey of life. They never became 
wealthy, but were able to |)rovidc comfortably for 
their ten children until they were old enough to go 
out hito the world and take care of themselves. 
These all lived to mature years, were married, and 
nine of them still survive. 

The subject of this narration was the second 
son and child of his parents, and passed his boy- 
hood and youth on the homestead in the Ke3'stone 
State after the manner of most farmers' sons of 
that period. As soon as old enough his services were 
utilized on the farm, while a brief period each win- 
ter was spent in the district schools. Later he be- 
gan earning a little e.\tra money by working for 
the neighbors in his vicinity, and finally drifted 
into the Prairie State and Champaign County. He 
was first employed in herding sheep for Silas Clark, 
with whom he remained three years, after which he 
began renting land, which he continued until pur- 
chasing his piiesent farm. This now includes 185 
acres of finely improved land, l.ying near the town 
of St. Joseph, convenient for both market and 
trade. Mr. Reese spent several 3-ears in tilling the 
soil, building fences and adding other necessary 
improvements, and then turned his attention prin- 
cipall}' t(j the raising of high-grade cattle, in which 
he has been eminently successful, being able to ex- 
hibit some of the finest animals in Central Illinois. 

IMr. Reese married, in the spring of 1. Sol), Miss 
Catherine, daughter of Moses Argo, Esq., who was 
one of the earliest pioneers of this county, and first 
established himself upon a tract of land, in Cham- 
paign County, where among other children this 
daughter was born, reared and educated. Of this 
marriage there were born six children. The eldest, 
.Samantha, became the wife of Alfred Cole; the 
others are William F., Addie, Jennie, Lyman and 
Oran 15. 

Mrs. Reese de|)arted this life at the home of her 
husband, Feb. 15, 1880. Mr. Reese vviis a second 
time married, at Urbana, April 10, 1884, to JHss 
Emma, the daughter of Levi and Leaiuia (Haj'- 
inons) Feaster. Of this union there were horn two 
children — Pearl, and one who died in iiif;incy un- 
named. 

Mr. and .Mrs. Reese are members of tlu' Christian ' ' 



••►-■-♦ 



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CIlARfPAIGN COUNTY. 



847 



t 



Cluireli at St. Joseph, to the support of whicli the}' 
have always contributed lilierall_v, and in which onr 
subject lias served ;us Trustee for several _years. 
The}' enjoy the friendship and respect of a large 
circle of friends and ac(iuaiutances, and their iionie 
forms a pleasant resoit for the best pet)ple of St. 
Joseph Township, who have learned to esteem the 
worthy [)roprietoi' and his wife for their excellent 
qualities as neighbors, friends and citizens. 



^^ OURTLAND UROWN, who was present at 
jl f ^1, the organization of Marwood Township, was 
^^^ elected its first Clerk and served acceptably 
for four j'cars from 1870. In the meantime, and 
for twelve j'ears thereafter, he was employed as a 
teacher in this locality. After an intei'val of seven 
}'ears he is now holding the office of Township 
Clerk again, and in other respects is prominent 
among the local affairs of his community. He is a 
gentleman of more than ordinary intelligence, 
keeping himself well posted upon current events, is 
a stanch Republican politicall}', and an ardent ad- 
mirer of the late John A. Logan, in honor of whom 
his youngest son is named. He is thoroughly alive 
to all the i)olitical movements of the (hiy, but takes 
greater pleasure in his favorite occupation, that of 
farming and stock-raising, in which he displays a 
good degree of skill. He has been well educated 
and at one time fitted himself for a telegraph oper- 
.ator, but abandoned the idea on account of the 
confinement fnvolved in following tliat calling. 

The real estate of .Mr. Brown consists of a good 
farm <jf eighty acres on section '20, where he has 
|)ut up good buildings and fences, and mal<es a spe- 
cialty of Iireeding Percheron horses and I'oland- 
Ciiina hogs. While giving due attention tn iiis 
personal concerns he hasalw.ays been ready tn con- 
tribute of his time and means for the upbnililiug of 
worthy enterprises and the establishnient of schools 
and churches. He has been President of the Town- 
ship Sund.ay-School oi'ganizalion since its inception, 
and Superintendent nearly every year since he was 
married. 

Our subject is a native of Union County. Ind., 
where lie was born Xov. 2.S, IS 12, and is the eldest 



child of Isaac J. and Margaret K. (Coffin) Brown. 

His father was a native f)f Virginia, and the son of 
William and Sarah (Brown) Brown, also natives of 
the Old Dominion and engaged in farming [)ursH its. 
William Brown was an 4incle of Gen. Burnside, 
whose mother was Mr. Brown's sister. Isa.ac 
Brown, in 1 s,")(), removed from Indiana to Ford 
County, this State, where he jjurch.ased land and 
followed farming ten years. Thence he came to 
this county and purchased eighty acres of land on 
section 29, Harwood Township. He was not con- 
tented with farm life alone but took up butchering, 
and was at various times engaged as a stock buyer, 
whicli latter occupation involved frequent removals 
from one place to another. At present he resides 
in Rantoul Township, where he follows farming 
alone. 

Courtland Brown remained :i member of his 
father's household until reaching manhood, and 
Oct. 16. 1870, was united in marriage with IMiss 
Rebecca Payton. She is the daughter of John H. 
! and Tempei'ance Payton, a sketch of whom api)ears 
elsewhere in this volume. Their first home was 
located on section 29, in Harwood Township, 
where our subject owned sixty acres of land, which 
the}' occupied thirteen years, bringing it to a high 
state of cultivation. He then sold out and pur- 
chased eighty acres on section 20, where he h.as 
since remained. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Brown 
were Cora May, who is now deceased ; Carl Franklin, 
also deceased ; Charles Vernam and John William, 
his twin brother, are both deceased ; the youngest 
is Lloyd Logan. 



I: 



^ ^-^ <-• 

■vwlOHN S. McKLWKK. The fath.M- of this 
I gentleman, Carson .1. .McKlwee by name, 
_^ became a resident of this county in the 
(^/' spring of 1S;")(;, to which ho liad removed 
with his family from near Covington, the coinitv 
se.at of Fountain County, Ind. .Among the mem- 
bers of the household was John S., of our sketch, 
who was boiii in the above nientiimed locality Sept. 
11, 18 18. His mother was foi'merly Miss Kliza 
.1. Knchanan, of IN'unsylvania, and removeil with 
hi r husband to Iiuliaiia (luring the pioneer days. 



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\^ 848 



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•^^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



She died in Champaign Connt^'. The father re- 
mained in this county until the spring of 1876 and 
tlien crossed tlie Mississippi and took up his resi- 
dence in Kansas, where he still lives. The chil- 
dren of the household included four sons and six 
daughters, of whom only three survive, one brother 
and two sisters, namely, John S., \j. C. and Elmira A. 
The subject of this sketch was eight 3'ears of age 
when his parents became residents of this county. 
He attended school and grew to manhood in St. 
Joseph Township, choosing from among its maidens 
for his wife, Jliss Sarah E. Stayton, to whom he was 
married in the spring of 1871. Mrs. McE. is the 
daughter of David B. and Sarah (Bartley) Stayton, 
and by her union with our subject l)ecame the 
mother of three children, one of whom died in in- 
fancy; those living are Sarah J. and David C. After 
marriage Mr. McElwee located upon a farm in St. 
Joseph Township, where he has since remained en- 
gaged in the peaceful puisuits of agriculture, and 
fulfilling all the obligations of an honest man and a 
good citizen. 

"^/ACOB M. OCHELTREE, Station Agent at 
Homer, oi)erating in the interest of the Wa- 
bash Road, is a native of Marshall Countj', 
Ind., where he first opened his e^'es to the 
light Dec. 20, 1.S4(!. He is the son of John R. and 
Rebecca A. (Martni) Ocheltree, the former a native 
of the Old Dominion and the latter of Ohio. The 
father of our subject, who was born March •22, 
1. SI 7, began farn]ing early in life in Virginia, but 
in lisGO eame to the West and locating in this 
county engaged in the lumber business at Hoiner. 
In 1.S77 he sold out and embarked in the furniture 
trade. His parents removed from A'irginia to Ohio 
when he was quite young and from there to Mar- 
shall County, Ind., in 1S45. 

John Ocheltree first established himself on a tim- 
ber tract in the latter State, whence he removed, in 
IKiVi, to Illinois, locating first in \'ermilion County*. 
Tiiere he purchased 100 acres of land and followed 
farming until coming into this State. He was mar- 
ried in Marsh.'dl County', Ind., in 18 12, to the 
mother of our subject, who was born in Scioto 



County, Ohio, July 14, 1823. She also is living, 
and both are members in good standing of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, of which the father 
is Trustee. Politically' he atliliates with the Re|)ub- 
lican party. The parental family included nine 
children: John A. married Miss Rose E.Coffee; 
Rhoda .1. died in 18(;4, when twenty years of age; 
Jacob M., of our sketch, was the third child; Hor- 
tense A. married Mr. J. R. Shaffer, and is now de- 
ce.ased ; Martha E. is the wife of S. W. Thompson; 
Gilson vS. married Miss Lucy Warner, who is now 
deceased; (Jilbert B. married Miss Ida Driseol ; 
Mary J. is deceased; Benjamin N., the youngest 
son, is now about twenty-one years of age. 

Our subject pursued his early studies in the com- 
mon schools, first in his native county and after- 
ward at Homer, of which his parents became resi- 
dents in 1852. After leaving school he was vari- 
ously employed until the Gth of October, 1870, 
when there transpired one of the most important 
events of his life, namely, his marriage with Miss 
Phebe O. (iilliland, which took place at the home 
of the bride's mother in Van Wert County, Ohio. 
Mrs. Ocheltree was born in the latter-named county, 
March 25, 1850, and is the daughter of Gordon 
and Margaret Gilliland, who located after their 
marri.age in ^'an A\'ert C'<nintj', among the pioneer 
settlers of that region. Her father, who was born 
in 1800, followed farming there all his life, and died 
in 18G4, upon the comfortable homestead which he 
had established. The mother, who was born Dec. 
3, 1811, still survives and makes her home there, 
being now nearh' seventy-six years of age. Both 
parents were worthy' members of the Presbyterian 
Church. Their nine children were named respect- 
tively, Almira, Ann Eli/.a, Amanda, Susan, Joseph- 
ine, Harriet, Thaddeus S., Oscar (deceased), and 
Phebe, the wife of our subject. The four children 
who came to tiie household of our subject and his 
wife were born as follows: Mabel G., Aug. 15, 
1871; Clifford E., Jan. 20, 1874; Jessie A., Nov. 
21, 1875, and Gordon R.. March 0, 1879. The lat- 
ter only lived a little over a month, dying on the 
17th of April following. 

Mr. Ocheltree is numbered among the represent- 
ative citizens of the town, having held the oflico 
of School Treasurer twelve years in succession, and 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



851 " 



being honored with t>thcr important trnsts by his 
fellow-townsmen. Both he and iiis wife are active 
members of the Methodist Kpiscopal C'iiiircli, in 
wiiicli Mr. O. lias been a Snnday-sclmol Snperin- 
tendent for several years and is now a teacliiT. 
Politicall}- lie is a true blue Ropiililican. lie has 
occupied his present i>usition as Station Agent for 
a period of twent}' j'ears, at the same time attend- 
ing to the express 1)usinoss and operating the tele- 
graph. His course has been that of an industrious 
and useful citizen, and lie has received his reward in 
the esteem and resjiect of the whf>le community. 



<| IfelLLIAM P. PUTNAM. The history of 
\/jJ// this gentleman, wlidse portrait is presented 

\^^ on th(! opposite page, is that of a man who 
was pleasant in his family, respecte<l I)}' his coiii- 
raunitj', and esteemed most highly ly those who 
knew him best. He was born in Hartford, Conn.. 
INIarch 10, 1 82 S, and was a descendant of the fa- 
mous Israel Putnam of Revolutionai\y fame. His 
parents, Silas and Sarah (Liidden) Piitiiam, were 
natives res|)ectively of Connecticut and Maine. 
Their mairiage took place in the latter State, 
whence they removed shortl}' afterward to Cuii- 
necticat, and from there, .seven or eiglit years later, 
to Sutton, Mass., where the father spent the bal- 
ance of his life, which terminated in 18(!(!. The 
mother is still living and a resident of White 
County, Ind. The eight children of the jiarental 
household were Sj-ra, Annette, William P., Walter 
T., Rosetta A. who died in infancy, Ada .1., Lydia 
R. and Sarah K. 

Mr. I'ntnain in early life learned the trade of a 
millwright, following the same until about 18.t9. 
The next important event in his life was his mar- 
riage with Miss Minerva Harris, which took place 
April 14, l«oO. Mrs. Putnam is a native of New 
York State, and was born in Wayne County, Nov. 
24, 1H22. Her parents, Solomon and Klmira (Har- 
ris) Harris, were natives of Rhode Island. .Solo- 
mon Harris was bOl'ii March IH, 1787, and during 
his boyhood became a resident of the Eniiiire State, 
in which he passed the remainder of his life. He 
w.'is bred to farming i)ursuits, which he followed 

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with success, and became a man of influence in 
Wayne County, assisting especially' in liuilding up 
liis townsliip, where, in due time, he established a 
|)eriiiaiieiit lioniestcid, and where his death occurred 
Oct. 11, 1828, while he was yet in tin- prime of 
life. His wife, Klinira, the mother of Mrs. Put- 
nam, who was born A[>ril 24, 17r»;3, survived her 
husliaiid less fh.'iii a year, passing over the river on 
the 27th of August, 18211. Tliej' were married 
M.ay il, 18i;5, and became the parents of live chil- 
dren, whom tlicy nanicd respectively, Daniel, 
Nancy, Susan, .Minerva and Lorinda. The young- 
est child and daughter died when about twenty-live 
years of age. The (others were scattered through 
different States in the Union. Mrs. Putnam spent 
her childhood and youth at the home of her Aunt 
Lapliani. and becaine an expert in housewifely 
duties, receiving careful training and the best 
school advantages of that hjcality in those da^'s. 
She was naturally Ijrighl, and liccanie well fitted 
for the duties of the future, and to be the wife of 
such a man as William P. Putnam. 

Mr. and Mrs. Putnam after their marriage, re- 
sided for a time in Providence, R. 1., and in 1804 
removed to Illinois, settling in what is now Ogden 
Township, Champaign County, where Mr. Putnam 
purchased a half section of raw prairie land, wliicli 
lie improved and to which he afterward added KiO 
acres, lie did not live, however, to carry out his 
plans in reference to a home in the Prairie State, 
his death occurring si.x years later, in February, 
1870, when he was in the prime of life and the 
midst of his usefulness. He had wisely iini)roved 
his time, however, while life and strength were 
given, and besides enclosing his land with substan- 
tial fences, had put up a good set of frame build- 
ings. The dwelling with its appurtenances stood 
on a rise of ground, and could be seen from a long 
distance, [H'esenting witii its surroundings the ap- 
pearance of an embryo village. Mr. Putnam had 
also gained quite a reputation as a stock breeder 
and dealer, to which he was turning his attention 
and had been very successful. The year preceding 
his death he drew plans for a commodious barn, 
which he intended furnishing with all modern con- 
veniences. After his decease .Mrs. Putnam exerted 
herself to carry out the intentions *of her Inisband, 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



erecting the hnin which he had in contemplation, 
and the beautiful and coniiiiodious dwelling. Upon 
this there have been exix-nded thousands of dollars, 
and it is in all respects a model residence, includ- 
ing the latest conveniences within, and the best 
skill of the architect in its finishing, both within 
and without. It stands in the midst of ample 
grounds, and challenges comparison witli any 
structure of tlie kind in Champaign County. The 
out-buildings are ami)ly adapted to the storing of 
grain and the shelter of stock, and the farm imple- 
ments and machinery are of tlie best description, 
and of a character compatible with the carrying on 
of an extensive countr}' estate. The land belong- 
ing to this stretches away over an area of 4.S() acres, 
and stands as a silent monument built up by the 
hand of thrift and industry. It is also being per- 
petuated 1)3' a lady who possesses more than ordin- 
arj' ability. JIis. Putnam administered on the es- 
tate, settling ui) the business to the entire satisfac- 
tion of the family, and was highly complimented 
by the Court for the promptness and good judg- 
ment which distinguished her as executrix. 

William Putnam was a stanch su|>porter of the 
Democratic parly, and although at all times recog- 
nized as a leader whose opinions, given with delib- 
eration and forethought, were accordingly of value, 
he never sought ottice. preferring to give his entire 
attention to his private affairs. lie was remark- 
ably temperate in liis habits, having no use for in- 
toxicating liquors or tobacco, and was consequently 
always in possession of his naturally clear head 
.and determined disposition. He seldom failed in 
whatever he c;irncstly set about, pursuing it reso- 
lutely ancl with indomitable industry, his most pe- 
culiar characteristic, and generally his efforts were 
crowned with success. 

Our subject and liis estimable lady lived together 
harmoniously for a jieriod of twenty years. Their 
wedded life was blest by the advent of live chil- 
dren, whose births occurred as follows: George W., 
May ;5. 1S52; Henry P., May 2, 1.S.54; Kdgar W., 
June 3. l.Hi)7; Nettie, Oct. 29, 18o'J; Fred S., .Sept. 
.5, 18ti2. They constitute a tine family group, are 
all living and married. They have largely inher- 
ited the intelligence of their gifted parents, and 
their periodical visits to the homestead constitute 



a bright episode in the life of their wid<jwed 
mother. J. ike her, the}' are living worthily, .and 
enjoy the esteem ami confidence of Imsts of friends. 



\f?OHN T. FREEMAN. The pioneer f.armers 
are slowly but surely passing away, and their 
sons are looked upon to sui)i)ly their places. 
(^^/i Among the latter is the subject of this his- 
tory, whose father, a native of the Buckeye State, 
came to this .State in 1830, and in early life learned 
to hold the plow, to plant, sow, and to gather in 
the harvest. Our subject is a native of this .State, 
and has made his mark as a citizen of wortli in the 
community, and as an enterprising farmer. In the 
spring of 1880, when looking around at the land in 
Homer Township, he selected a tract of 180 acres 
OTi section 21), and at once began to make improve- 
ments. The former dwelling in due time was re- 
[ilace<l by a beautiful residence, and under his wise 
maiiiimlation the land which had been indifferent 
has now been brought to a high state of cultiva- 
tion. In due time there were brought to it a 
number of specimens of fine stock, which number 
has been increased, and the quality thereof im- 
proved to such an extent that -Mr. Freeman is 
.accredited with being one of the most skillful stock- 
growers of this vicinity. 

The birth of .lohn T. Freeman took pl.ace in 
Champaign County on his father's farm in Ogden 
Township, July 2.5, 1854. He is the son of Thomas 
.and Nancy (Redman) Freeman, and both parents 
were born in 182('). They are still living, and re- 
side in Ogden Township. Our subject, .as will be 
seen, is still a young man. He remained with his 
parents until after reaching his m.ajorit^', and after 
returning from his trip to the farther West, before 
locating on his present farm secured a (lartner and 
helpmeet. This lady was Miss Jennie 15. Silkey, a 
native of New Gomerstown, Ohio, and born Aug. 
14, 18.58. Her parents, John P. and Mary (Mc- 
Mnn) Silkey, were natives respectively of New Jer- 
sey and Pennsylvania. Her f.ather, who was born' 
in 1S25, is still living, and a resident of Frbana. 
He wiis a tanner by trade, but is now retii'cd from 
active labor. The wife and mother, who was born 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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ill 1829, departed this life at lior liome in Sidney, 
in 1875. The si.\ children of the piueiital lumse- 
liold were Thomas E., Josepli 1?.. Freiiiont. .Iciinie 
B., Charles jNI. and Annie. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ficonian located upon the farm 
which tlu'_v now occnpy soon after their marriage. 
They have one child, a son, Uoy C. Their home 
is a pleasant resort ft>r nnndiers of friends, and they 
are surrounded by the comft)rts of life. Mr. F. in 
his farminj^' and business transactions displays good 
judgment and enterprise, and is contributing his full 
quota to the .agricultural interests of this section. 
His political sj'nipatliies are with the Hei)ublican 
party, and he takes a genuine interest in all matters 
relating to the welfare of his county. He identi- 
fied himself with the Masonic fraternity in 1886, 
and is now a memln'r of Ogden Lodge No 754, and 
Homer Chapter, nt Homer, 111. 

The (larental f;unily of our subject included six 
children, recorded as follows : Mary M. is the wife 
of Is.aac Hixenl)augh; Edniond R. married Miss 
Lillie Mathews; .lohn T., of our sketch, was the 
third child; James J. married Miss Flora E. Yount; 
William H. and .Martha yielded up their lives in 
childhood, and were laid to rest b3- their sorrowing 
parents in the ipiiet countiy burying-ground. 

JONATHAN N. HOWSER, who for many 
years has been prominent in the agricultural 
affairs of St. Joseph Township, is a native 
of the wealthy and populous State of Ohio, 
his birth taking place near Felicity, Clermont 
County, Oct. 10, 1821. The Howser family orig- 
inated in Germany, from wliieh they emigrated in 
the Colonial days, the first representatives in this 
country settling, it is believed, in Maryland, near 
the sea coast. 

Abraham Howser, the grandfather of our subject, 
was born across the water, -and emigrating from his 
native Germany, located in Hagerstown, Md., 
whence he removed to Kentucky. He was mar- 
ried and reared a family, and died while on a visit 
to Ohio after arriving at a good old age. His son, 
Christopher, the father of our subject, was born in 
Kentucky, and grew to mJinhood in the IJlue Grass 



regions, but subsequently removed to Ohio, where 

he married Miss Elizal)cth Hoover, of Clermont 
County-, where they settled on a f.-irm and lived in 
a modest way, laboring industiiously to establish a 
home, and provide as well as they could for their 
children. The efforts of Ciiristoiiher Howser met 
with remarkable success, considering the fact that 
lie was thrown upon his own resources at tiie be- 
ginning, and before his death he had become the 
owner of 1,000. acres of land. He had also en- 
g.aged extensively' iu stock-raising. One of tiie at- 
tractive features of the homestead was a large fruit 
orchard, containing (ifty choice varieties vf fruits 
which tionrish so well in the soil of the Buckeye 
State. 

Christoiiher Howser and his wife became the par<- 
ents of seven sons and tiiree daughters, all of whom 
lived to mature years, and seven married and 
I'eared families. Jonathan N. of our sketch, was 
the eldest of the family. He received the advan- 
tages of a common-school education, and after the 
fashion of the youth of those days, began early in 
life to lay his plans for the future. One of the im- 
portant steps in this direction w.as his marriage, 
which occurred in the spring of 184.'5, to Miss Mar- 
garet J. Dillman, who was a native of Brown Coun- 
ty, Ohio. They became the parents of six children, 
five of whom were born in the Buekej'e .State. In 
the fall of 1856, Mr. Howser with his family, turned J 
his steps westward, and located in this county. 
He remained here, however, but a 3'ear this time 
when he went back to Ohio, where he staid until the 
fall of 1800. He then returned to Illinois and lo- 
cated upon his present farm on section 31, in St. 
Joseph Township, where he has since remained in- 
dustriously' tilling the soil and meeting with a rich 
reward for his labors. From 240 acres of wild 
prairie, he has improved a fine homestead, and pro- 
vided liberally for his children, the most of whom 
are settled coinfort.ably iu homes of their own. 
During the years of his first labors in this county, 
Mr. Howser turned his attention Largely to the 
raising of hogs, in which he met with rare success, 
but later has taken to the feeding of cattle. Large 
numbers of vvhich he fattens and ships each winter. 

The children born to our subject and his wife 
were, Eliza C. now the wife of John II. Hudson; 



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CHAMPAIGN COt^NTY. 




LcdiiidnsH., KobertC. ; Martlia J., tlie wife of J. D. 
Lauglilin', and Christoplier Lincoln; a little daugh- 
ter named Caroline died -in infancy. Mr. Ilowser 
has been quite proniinentlj' identified with lf)Cal 
affairs, serving as Commissioner of IIighwii3's three 
years, and for some time was School Director in 
his district. He was a Whig during the existence 
of the old party, but after its abandounient, lieart- 
ii)^ endorsed the principles of the Repulilicans. with 
which he still continues. Both Mr. and .Mrs. Ilow- 
ser are members of the Olive Christian Church, in 
which our subject li.as served as Deacon, and lieen 
prominent among the counsels of his brethren since 
becoming identified with them. 

,,X BNER K. LEA.S, one of the peaceful and 
"''^^Jl law-abiding citizens of .St. Joseph Town- 
ship. i)ur;aiii)g tlie even tenoi' of his way 
on a good farm on section I), drew bis first 
breath' near the city of Covington, Fountain Co., 
Ind., Oct. 6, 183.^. In looking back over his fam- 
ily history we find liiat liis gnindfather, Daniel 
Leas, was a native of I'euiisylvania, and emigrale<l 
to Ohio with his family when his son (ieorge, the 
fatiier uf our subjec^t, was a bo}'. The first repre- 
sentatives of the family in the United States came 
over from Cermauy and located in the Keystone 
State during its early settlement. His grandfather, 
Daniel, was the first of whom we have any clear 
account. He grew to manhood among the Allc- 
ghanies, and became the father of six sons and two 
daughters, all of whom became men and women. 
George, the eldest, nas married in Ohio, ;ind thence 
removed to Indiana. His "wife, Lydia. was the 
daughter of Al>ner Crane, whose family removed 
froHi New York to Ohio in the pioneer days. They 
traced their ancestry back to Knglan<l. (ieorgc Leas 
was a potter by trade, which business he folk>wed 
in Fountain County, Inil., successfully for some 
time, and subsecptently took up agricultural pur- 
suits until retiring from active labor. He w.a.s born 
in about 1801. and lived to be seventy-six years of 
age. His aged i)artnei' still survives, now nearly 
eighty years old, making her home in the place 
where they lived togethei- .so many j-ears. Of her 



ten children, eight grew to mature yp^rs and four 
are still living. 

' The subject of this sketch, the fifth child of his 
parents, grew to manhood in his native county, and 
received the advantages of a common-school edu- 
cation. After reaching his majority he left the 
parental roof, and coming into this county located 
on 1 CO acres of land, entered by his father on sec- 
tion 9. in St. Joseph Township. He kept bachelor's 
hall several 3"ears,anil in addition to the cultivation 
of his land liegan raising hogs and cattle, the pro- 
ceeds of which yielded him generous returns, and 
from which he in fact made the most of his money. 
When a little over twenty -eight years of age, March 
13. 1867, he was married, choosing for his wife 
Miss Lydia K., third daughter of Isr.ael and Hannah 
Patt(Mi. who came from Tennessee and located in 
Vermilion County during its earlj' settlement. Our 
subject and his young wife went to housekeeping in 
a structure which he had previously built, but 
which, in 1870, was replaced by a fine, two-story 
residence. This is erected after tiie modern st^'le 
of architecture, and is lieautifull}' located on a rise 
of ground commanding a fine view of the surround- 
ing country. The barn and other outliuildings are 
in keeping with the residence, providing all con- 
veniences for the shelter of stock and the storing 
of grain. In the rear is an orchard of choii'C apple 
trees, and the grounds around the dwelling are em- 
bellished b^- sh.adc trees, and those which bear the 
finer fruits, such as cherries, peaches, etc. 

Air. Leas has invested his surplus capital in mori' 
land, and besides the home farm owns 280 aci'cs on 
section .?, all under the plow, neatly fencetl. and 
}'ielding in abui;dar,ce the choicest products of the 
I'rairie .State. 

Of the union of our subject and his wife there 
were born five children, only two now living — 
Charles F. and Myrtle M. The wife and mother 
died at her home in January, 188.). The second 
marriage of Mr. Leas took place Jan. 13, 1887. the 
l.ady being Miss Lettie Stevens, who was a native 
of Ohio, born in Clermont County, and became a 
resident of this locality in 18G5. She was the 
daughter of James A. and .Millie Stevens, natives 
of \'ermont and Ohio respectively. 

Mr. Leius has been prominent in the affairs of his 



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CIIAMrAlGN COUNTY. 



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U»\viislii|) since eoniiiig here, and was ainonj^ the 

lii>t wlio assisted in org-.iiiiziug a drainage system 
for the State, (hiring which time he officiated as 
Commissioner of St. Joseph Townshi|). lie has 
lieen interested in ti\e mcirnl and educational wel- 
fare of his cominuiiity, and assisted in organizing 
the CliVistian Church at I'rairie Hope, of whicli he 
is one of the Deacons, and has taken grc;it interest 
in the advancement of the Saliliath-school. 

'^I^.ENJAMIN E. COFFEEN, of Homer Town- 
ii'<^< ship, is tiie son of one of the pioneers of 
this county, who opened the first store of 
general merchandise in this section. This 
was Michael D. Coft'een, well and favorably known 
among the earlier residents of Champaign County. 
He was born in the Empire State Aug. 17, 18i;3, 
and died in this county Oct. 14, 1882. He fol- 
lowed merchandising the greater part of his life. 
His earlier years were spent on his father's farm in 
Chantauqna Coanty, N. Y., and when fourteen 
years of age he was employed in the manufactur- 
ing of fanuing-mills until eighteen, and then en- 
tered the stiu'c of .lames (Trowendyke at Eugene, 
in Verinillitm County, Ind., where he remained- un- 
til reaching his majority. 

Mr. Gro Wendy ke and Mr. Coffeen entered into 
[)artnership in general merciiandisiug in 1S!4, in 
what is known as Old Homer, .Mr. Cott'eeu con- 
ducting the lousiness. He remained the partner of 
Mr. (irowendyke n|) to 18;)4, wlien he formed a parl- 
nersiiip with Saniuel Groweudyke, wliich lie con- 
tinned until I.SGO. In the meantime he had made 
the most of his opportunities, and being possessed 
of more than ordinary .ability was entrusted with 
many of the local ollices, (inally l)eing elected Pro- 
bate Judge. His business was managed with ex- 
cellent judgincnl and foresight and he .accumulaled 
a fair com|)etency. He was one of tiie pi-inci|)al 
organizers of Homer T(jwnship, and located the 
site of the village, a mile from the old town. In 
early life he voted with the Whig p.irty. and al'ler- 
ward identllied liinisclf with the Ivcpnblicans. He 
was a great admirer of the piinci|)lcs of thr Ma- 



sonic fraternity, being a member in good stiiuding; 
of this and also of the I. O. (). K. 

The mother of our subject was formerly Miss 
Mary Elliott, daughter- of Asa Elliott, and born in 
1X17. She became the wife of Michael I). Coffeen 
in 183(i. and departed this life twelve years later, 
in 1H48. Of this marriage there were born six chil- 
dren, viz., Michael, Caroline, Eineline, Benjamin, 
Mary and Asa. Mr. Coffeen for his second wife 
married Miss Helen M. Lyons, in 18.52. Tiiis lady 
was a native of Ohio, and came to Illinois with her 
parents when quite young. Of her union witli 
.Mi(h:ii4 1). Coffeen there were born eight children, 
Willi.aui, Ellen, Ida, Dollie, Lace3', Frank, Nettie 
and .Michael. The latter died in infancy. 

Mr. Coffeen of this sketch passed his early years 
occupied in farm pursuits, and remained a member 
of his father's household until his marriage. The 
maiden of his choice was 3Iiss Harriet .Sniythe, who 
was born Dec. HI, 1.849, in Greeneastle, Ind., and 
became the wife of our subject March 10, 1870. 
Her parents, Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Sill) Smythe, 
were natives respectively of Georgia and Kentucky-, 
the father born in 1804, and the mother in 1807. 
At an early da}' they removed to Greeneastle, Ind., 
where the}' spent the remainder of their lives, -the 
mother passing away in 18.J8, .and the father two 
years later, in 18G0. Ebenezer Smj'the was a Dong- 
las Democrat in politics, and an old-school Presb}'- 
terian in religion. He was a man of decided views 
and fearless in the exjjressiou (jf them. The mother 
belonged to the Missionary Baptist Church. The 
nine children born .to th's household all lived to 
mature years. They were named respectively, 
Statira Clay, George \'., Ebenezer W., L'ly.sses T., 
Gonsalvo C, Bettie, Mary, Koxa and Harriet. Mr. 
and Mrs. Coffeen have no children. 

The homestead of our subject comprises twenty 
acres of choice land, upon the pleasantest jjart of 
which stands a tine dwelling in the midst of choice 
shade trees and shrubbery, with a good barn and 
adjacent out-buildings; he also owns sixty-live acres 
near Sidney, 111. The farm stock and ni;u-hinery 
are well cared for, and everything aooiit the picni- 
ises is ke|)l in good shape, giving to the honu'sLcad 
a general air of neatness and coinforl. Mr. ('. has 
.•ihvav> taken an intelligent intciot in local all'air.s, 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



, and has held theoffice of Assessor for the last five 
years. He is a member^of j.hc_Masonic fraternity. 
Homer Lodge No. 94, and Republican in politics. 
Mrs. C, a lady of great intelligence, having her own 
views iiponniatters andthings in general, does not 
agree with her Jiiisband i)()litically, being a decided 
Democrat. She became a uiendjer of the Christian 
Chuich in 1869, with which she has since been con- 
nected. 



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=£5- 




ANFORD REYNOLDS, a farmer of Har- 
wood Township, was born Dec. 27, 1833, 
in Bedford, Westchester Co., N. Y. He 
\)^ was the sixth child in a family of seven, 
born to Enoch and Maria (Reynolds) Reynolds, 
both of the same name bnt not related to each 
otiier before marri.age. The paients of Enoch 
Reynolds were James and Abigail (Knapp) Rey- 
nolds, natives of Connecticnt. 'J'hey were married 
Oct. 18, 1786. Abigail was born Oct. 10, 1765, 
and died Nov. 3, 1831. The names of their chil- 
nren wure.] Stephen, Ezekicl, James, Josiah. Sihis, 
Nezer, Enoch, Abigail, Reuben, ^Rachel, lllanford, 
Lockwood, Joseph, Sarah and Amanda, all of whom 
live' in Sontii Salem, N. Y. Enoch Reynolds, one 
of these children, was the father of our subject. 
James Reynolds enlisted in the Revolutionary War, 
near its close, and_served lor nine months. Maria 
was the_daugliter of Nathaniel^ Reynolds and Mrs. 
Hannah (Todd) Cooly, natives of Connecticut. 
Nathaniel Reynolds was a Lientenant in the -Revo- 
lutionary A\'ar, serving most of the time until its 
close. He was captured by the British, and_^lield 
prisoner for thiee 3ears, during which time he 
worked at the tailor's trade, and received excellent 
wages for his services. He drew a pensit>n until 
the time of his. death. His children «ere Nezer, 
Enos, Timothy, Deborah and Nathaniel, all born 
in Greenwich, Conn. Enoch Reynolds lived on one 
farm in Westchester^ County, N. Y., for half a 
century. He reared and educated his family and 
made his home in that place until his death. 

Ilauford Reynolds undertook to learn the trade 
of a carpenter when .aliout s(!venteen years of age, 
bul on account of ill-ln;altli was obliged to relin- 



quish it during his first year. He then attended 

the Union Academy (New York). wlier(; he ap|)Iicd 
himself diligently to his studies for two years, after 
which he taught school for two winters. .Seeking 
a wider field for ad\ancement in life, he went to 
New York City, and engaged as a clerk in the 
Knickerbocker Association, where he remained al- 
most a year. He next look a position in a whole- 
sale paint-stort. This proved so hurtful to his 
health that he was obliged to give it up at once. 
' He then invested in a chain and compass, and came 
West as a survejor. His first work was done at 
(ieneseo. Henry Co., III., where he was a|)pointed 
Deputy Countj- Surveyor. His health improved, 
and he held this position for two j'ears, when he 
again made a change, and was engaged in the 
nursery business in Missouri ami Illinois for the 
next two years. He then eng.aged in fanning with 
a brother residing in Knox County, with whom 
he remained one year. March 28, 1862, he mar- 
ried Miss Susan A. Roberts, the eldest child of 
Jesse D. and Louise (Kirk) Roberts, natives of In- 
diana, where Mrs. Reynolds was born Feb. 11, 1843. 

Our subject, after marriage, bought eighty iicres 
of wild land in the northern part of Knox Count^^ 
III., and spent five years improving and cultivat- 
ing it, when he sold out and came to this county, 
and bought all of section 14, Ilarwood Township, 
where he now lives. He has Iniilt a pleasant home, 
and his farm land is all under excellent cultivation. 

Mr. Reynolds was the leader in the organization 
of the township, and wrote and circulated the peti- 
tions, after which he presented thein for acceptance 
aiid approval. He was elected the first Supervisor 
of the township, and has once since held the same 
position. He w.as largely instrumental in forming 
the excellent system of the division of the town- 
ship into the school districts, and has served as 
School Trustee for fifteen years. He is public 
spirited, and has been identified with all the best 
progressive movements in the community. He is 
warmly interested in [lolitics, and is a standi sup- 
l)orter of the Republican party. Mr. Reynolds 
and his wife are members of the Christian Church. 
They have had a family of six children, one of 
whom is deceased, Morris M. The others are Amelia, 
Charles A., William II., Chester Garfield and John 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, 



857 



J. Aiiieliii is riiaiTied to ,J. W. II. Reinley, of 
Cliillicotlic, Oliio. Tlie othci's are living at home 
with tlu'ir paronts. Mr. Reynolds has paid some 
attention to stocI<-raising in tiie carrying on of his 
farm, and intends in the future to increase his busi- 
ness in that direction. Besides other stock he 
raises Norman horses and Poland-China iiogs. 

The following is thi' genealogical table of Mr. 
Reynolds' family: The maternal great-grandfather 
of Ilanford Reynolds was Nathanii^l Reynolds, the 
names of whose children were, .lared, Benjamin, 
Ferris, Kzra, Samantha and Sarah. Ilanford's ma- 
ternal grandfather, .also Nathaniel Reynolds, was 
born Feb. 22, 1754, !in 1 died Sept. 21, 1843. Me 
married Hannah (Todd) Cooley, Oct. 15, 1778. 
The names of their children were Deborah, Nathan- 
iel, Bydia, Abraham, Betsy, Sarah, Hannah, Enoch, 
.\lvah. George, Maria and Benjamin.- 



i 



BLEN M. SADORUS. As the representa- 
tive of a prominent familj', which came 

/// IM into this countj' in the pioneer ilays, the 
^ subject of this sketch deserves more than 

a passing notice. He was born March 13, 1821, in 
Rush Count}-, Ind., and is a son of Henry and 
Mary (Titus) Sadorns, natives of Pennsylvania 
His parents removed to Indiana soon after their 
marriage, and from there to this county in 1824, 
settling at Sadorus Grove, on the Okaw River. 

The subject of this biogra()hy spent his boyhood 
and j-outh tilling the soil, until about twenty' 3e.'us 
of age, when he started t>ul to do for himself, lie 
entered the employ of a boating com|)any on the 
Wabash River. His lirst trip was to the Crescent 
City, where he remained a couple of weeks and then 
went up the Red River to Shreveport. He worked 
there in a sawmill about si.\ months, and tiien en- 
tered the surveying corps in the State of Tex.as. 
He afterwiird returned to his home in Illinois, and 
in 1843, with an ox-team he staited to Iowa for 
the purpose of entering land ;ind farming, and after- 
ward was engaged in the building of Ft. I)es 
Moines, being one of the lh>t to iuangui'.'Uc this 
work. He remained in thai vicinity two _> ears, 

M» 



then returned to Illinois and took charge of his 
father's farm for the live years following. 

In the spring of 1840 Mr. .S. w.as married lo .Miss 
Blargaret Hamilton, the daughter of >Iohn and 
Eli/.abeth (Cook) Hamilton, natives of Indiana. 
In 1850 lie decided upon a change of location and 
took his family in a w.agon, proceeding to St. Bonis, 
from there to New Orleans and thence to Te.vas, 
and near San Antonio exchanged his horses for an 
o.«-team, and pushed on through Old Mexico, fight- 
ing tilt Indians along the way lo pi^event their 
ravages. Upon arriving near the mouth of the 
Gila River, Mr. S. and one of his men went forward 
to find Caiit. Brant who, they had been informed, 
had a force of men and a sm.all boat, which was 
used as a ferry in crossing the Colorado, llpon 
reaching the point they c(nild find neither the party 
nor the boat, and following the river a short dis- 
tance, came to an Indian camp. Tliere they found 
the boat and bargained for its use by paying in 
blankets and trinkets. After they hiid taken over 
one load the Indians took the boat away from them 
and compelled them to make rafts and swim their 
stock over. In this w.ay they got .across, but lo.-t a 
number of cattle and mules bj' di\)wniiig. When 
they reached the opposite bank they found the 
Captain and his men dead on the shore. This was 
their first intimation of the hostility of the Indians. 
Following this company' was the Oatman family' in 
a train from Illinois, who were attacked by these 
Indians. The father and mother with two or three 
children were killed, and Olive and Marv Oatman 
taken prisoners. Mary died soon afterward, but 
Olive remained in captivity for about I'tv^; years, 
and was then returned to the whites. One of her 
brothers was left for dead, but w.as afterward picked 
up and taken (tare of by some members of the train 
with whiili Mr. Sadorus was traveling. 

Our suliject and his conii>anions reacheil San 
Diego in the fall of 1847, and there alittle daughter 
was added to the family. As soon as the mother 
w.as able to travel, the family moved onward to the 
mines, where our subject took his pick and began 
.searching for the yellow ore and followed tlie occu- 
pation of a miner for two years, the proceeds \i( his 
labor being a snug little fortune. He went into 
Butte Count-y, C'al., and unfortunately invesliMl ;dl 



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858 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




his money in live stoclc, which lie afterward lost by 
high waters. The water rose to the eaves of tlieir 
liouse and the family were thaiilcfiil to escape 
witii tiieir lives. When Mr. S. .saw tljc tluod ap- 
proachinu- he rapidly eauli«>(l his wagiin-l)ox, and 
with it and tiie aid of iiis iiorses, transferred liis 
family to dry gronnd, where he left thein to return 
for the liousehoid goods. As they left the Island a 
grisly bear attacked them, and they were forced to 
tight it off with the [laddles of the boat. After 
much labor they effected the removal of their goods. 
Mr. Sadorus moved up the valley- of the Sacra- 
mento, where he once more enil)arke(l in stock- 
■ raising ti)getlier with fanning, and where he re- 
mained for a period of ten years. At the end of 
this time, during whicli he had been quite prosper- 
ous, the country was again rtc)oded and the second 
time he ex|)erienced great loss in the drowning of 
nearly all <jf his stock. The animals which escniied 
died for want of grass, during the drouth which 
followed. .Mr. Sadorus, now disgusted with life in 
that region, proceeded to Nevada, and settled in 
Humboldt County, where he lived until the fall of 
18G7. On the 22d of September, that year, his 
wife passed from the troubles of this life. Their 
live children, Mary Jane, Melissa Ann, Sarah Fran- 
ces, John H. and Charles W. are still living. Three 
of these were horn while the family resided on 
Rock Creek in California. While residents there a 
wholesale massacre of the wliite settlers was under- 
taken ijy the Indians who hatl lu't'ore been considered 
l)erfectly peaceful. The first intimation of danger 
was an attack on Tom Allen, who had gone up the 
creek after a Inokeii-dottn wagon and taken a little 
[)et Indian boy with him for comfjany Allen was 
killed, but the boy escaped and ran to the bottom 
of a hill, where Mis. Hecox lived. The little In- 
dian caught up her little boy and ran and was fol- 
lowed b}' Mrs. II. ami her baby. Another son 
and two grown daught('rs were up the creek hunt- 
ing berries, and they were all three killed. Mr. 
Sadorus and his family miracuhnisly escai)ed, and 
he with a posse of men ran down from the valle^', 
liiiiieil the dead and then followed on after the In- 
dians! They killed more than lifty of tliein, and 
materially ciipiilcd the tribe, so that tnit few more 
r murdei's occmicd. Mr. Hecox was awa\' from 



t 



home during the massacre of his family, and tbey 
were taken into the family of Mr. Sadorus, where 
they were prepared for burial by his family. The 
poor mother never recovered from the shock, but 
died a maniac some time afterward. 

Mr. Sadorus still lives in the far West, having 
his eldest son with him. He is a well preserved 
man for his age, and possesses the vim and energy 
of a man twenty years younger. He still owns the 
old homestead in this county, and IGO acres on sec- 
tion 13, in Sadorus Township. At this writing 
(June 18, 1887,) he is visiting his brothers, William 
and Henry in Sadorus, and expects to return to 
Illinois after a time, to remain permanently, and 
spend his remaining years aininig his old friends. 
Although never |)aying much attention to politics, 
whenever near the poles at election times, he has 
substantially indicated his sympath}' with the prin- 
ci|)les of the Democratic party. The thrilling ex- 
periences i)i his life Would make a volume if writ- 
ten in detail. 



'v/xA/ -"iaac/®-^* 



|- **.@f^l/^3T»v* * vAyvv 



lAMKS W. HriMRICHHOUSI-; is familiarly 
known throughout the southeastern portion 
of Chani))aign County as proprietor of Fair 
Land Farm, which lies two and one-half 
miles south of Homer, on section 2'.), and includes 
320 acres of some of the finest farming land in that 
locality. Mr. H., who was born in \'ermillion 
County, Ind., Aug. 28, 1844, took possession of 
this fine estate in 1882, first purchasing 240 acres 
to which he afterward added eighty acres, and now 
the i)lace is mainly devoted to the breeding and 
feeding of fine cattle, hogs and draft horses. The 
latter are mostly of the Belgian breed and in this 
department Mr. Humrichhouse has acquired an en- 
viable reputation. 

Our subject, James W., is the son of (ieorge 
and Lydia ((Jrace) Iluinrichhouse. His father was 
born on the Atlantic Ocean during the voyage of 
his |)arents from Germany to the United States, in 
I. SI 7. He is still living, making his home in Fdgar 
County, 111. The greater part t)f his life has been 
s[)ent as a farmer and blacksmith. The immediate 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



859 



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ancestors of the familj' are of pure German blooil. 
George Ilinnrichhoiise, after becoming an American 
citizen and obtaining the riglit of suffrage, cast his 
lot politically with the Democratic i)arty, and re- 
ligiously became a member of the Presbyterian 
Church. The wife and mother.^ formerly Miss 
Lydia (irace, *as bora in 1822, in Indiana, and 
still remains the companion of her husband. Tiieir 
family included eight children, recorded as follows: 
John \V., who married Miss Rachel Brokuvv; James 
W., of our sketch, is the second son and child ; 
Mary C became the wife of A. B. Cogshall; 
Amanda is now Mrs. C. Hopkins; George R. mar- 
ried Miss Edna Arnold; .Sarah J. is unmarried; 
Margaret A. is the wife of Samuel Acklin; Jasper 
(t. was the youngest born. The brothers and sis- 
ters of Mr. (4eorge Humrichhouse were named re- 
spectively, John, Jacob, Marj\ Elizabeth, Susan, 
Daniel, Eli, Charlotte and Caroline. 

The subject of this sketcli came to 1 Hindis in 
11SU4, during the progress of the late war. Directly 
afterward he enlisted in the l.")Oth Illinois Infantry 
as a private, and was afterward promoted Corporal. 
He did not see verj^ much active service but fnl- 
fiUed all the duties required of him, and at the 
close of the vvar received his honorable discluirge, 
being mustered out at Atlanta, Ga., in l.S(3G. He 
then returned to his home in Illinois and a year 
later went to Kan.sas, and, after a few months, he 
returned to Illinois and located in Warren County, 
where he met the lady who was destined to beco]ne 
the sharer of his home and fortunes. This w.as 
Miss Priscilla Grace, a native of .that county, where 
she was born March 2, l.S4;5. Their marriage took 
place on the 2Sth of March, I8G7. Mrs. 11. is Llie 
daughter of James II. and IClizabeth (Lyons) (J race, 
who were both natives of Indiana, .lames (Jrace 
w.as Ijorn in 1817, and is now a wealthy and prunii- 
neut farmer and stock-raiser of Warren Comity. 
His wife, Elizabeth, was born in Indiana in 1S21, 
and departed this life .at her Jiome in W.arren 
County in 1840. Mr. (Jrace was afterward ni;uiicil 
to Miss Agatha Lyons, wliu only lived a few years. 
He then married .Miss Amandn Overman. Of the 
first marriage there were bom three cliildreu — Solo- 
mon, Priscilla and .John W. The oldest son during 
' tlie late war received the commission of Second 




Lieutenant in the 14th Illinois Infantry, and died 
after Ijeing in the service one year. John W. mar- 
ried .Miss Lovina Luplier. Of the second niarri.age 
there were l)oru si.K children, three of whom died 
in cliildiiood — lessie, Mary and Elizabeth. Tlie 
third wife liecame the mother of two chiidicn — 
Olive B. and Erma. 

The children of .Mr. and Mrs. lInmrieiihou.se, 
four in number, wen- l»o'rn as follows: George E., 
Sept. 7, 18U8; William P., .Sept. ;'), 1870; Stella E., 
April T), 1874; DoUie (L, Feb. 4, 1878. Mr. H. is 
Deraocratie in [lolitics and a worthy member of the 
G. A. R., Post No. 2(;.j. He is highly respected by 
his fellow-citi/.cns, and is considered an iniixntant 
factor of the business and agricnltur.-d eominunity 
of his section. 

A lithographic view of his residence is shown on 
another pajfe in lliis Ai.ium. 



RANCIS M. IIO.SS, one of the sons'of an 
honored pioneer of St. Josei)h Township, 
first opened his eyes to the light in this 
county on the farm of his father, Eeb. 11), 1857. 
The latter. Christoplier Moss, a native of Brown 
County, Oliio, was liorn Sept. 1'.), 1822, and died in 
Champaign County, Mai-ch 10, 1872. He became 
a resident of this county in 1836, and married Miss 
.Serena Hayden, whose family had also removed 
from the Buckeye State at an early day. The 
grandfather of our subject, D:iniel Hoss by name, 
was of (ierman descent and parentage. The Hrst 
representatives of the family in tiiis country .settled 
hrst in St. Joseph Towusiiip, and were numbered 
among the most important members of the agri- 
cnltunil coiiiinunity. 

Christoplier and .Serena Hoss had a family of 
eight children, of whom the record is as toUows: 
.b>liii W. is a resident of K.ansas; Amanda J. be- 
came the wife of L. S. Drullinger, and Mary E. 
married H. P. Drullinger, of Nebraska; Francis 
.M., of onr sketch, was the fourth child; Daniel T. 
is farming in St. Joseph Township; Eliza is the 
wife of (Jeorge Ivnapp, of Aulnibon County, Iowa; 
Charles C. is a resident of St. .losepli ; llic youngest 
died in iufaney. 

Our subject was reared on the homeste;nl of his 



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860 



t 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



father and commenced his edncation in the district 
schools, afterward taking a course in llie public 
scliools at St. Josi'ph. He was orphaned by tlie 
death uf his parents when about fifteen j-ears of age. 
His father, liowever, had been prosperous, and left 
an estate includiu"' 440 acres of land, from which 
our subject received his portion upon attaining his 
majority. He was married, March K3, 1H79, to 
Miss Charlotte, the second daughter of A. J. and 
Ruth Bowers, of St. Joseph Township. The young 
people locateil on their present homestead on sec- 
tion 11, where they have since resided, and where 
our subject has brought about admirable improve- 
ments. Tlie farm embraces eighty acres, thor- 
oughly drained with tile, neatly fenced, and fur- 
nished with all other necessary improvements con- 
stituting the flrst-class modern homestead. With 
the exception of the house all the buildings were 
put up by our subject. His land has been chiefly 
devoted to general farming, although he has given 
considerable attenton to stock-raising. His house- 
hold includes four children — Lorin, Delia, Walter 
and IvLithie M. 

Mr. Hoss has maintained a proper interest in the 
welfare of his communit}', serving as School Di- 
rector and otherwise identifying himself with the 
interests of the people. He and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Christian Church of St. Jose])h, in 
which Mr. H. has been Deacon for some time. He 
is a stanch Republican, politically, casting his (irst 
presidential vote for .Tames A. Carheld. 




-.>._ ^#. ^ 

R. 1M< KINNKV, J\I. ])., a medical practi- 
tioner of (iifford, ii;is been a resident of 
this county since the sjiring of isTS, when 
he located in Ogden Township and con- 
tinued the practice of his profession which had 
been begun several years before. He has been an 
extensive reader and a close student, and is a credit 
to his profession in all respects. Dr. McKinney is 
a native of Shelby County, Ohio, his birth taking- 
place April 15, l.s;{7. His father died when he was 
about six months old, .•ind the mother with her two 
children I'emoved to Log;ui County, where she pur- 
chased a small tract of land and superintended the 

4* 



operations of the farm. In 1839 she married Israel 

Downing. 

Our sul)ject spent his younger days mostly on 
the farm and pursued his primary studies during 
the winter in the district schools. When fourteen 
years of age his mother and sle[)father moved to 
Delaware County, Ind.. and two years later young 
McKinney engaged in leaching, which he followed 
during the winter seasons while the farm received 
his attention in tlie summer. In the meantime he 
employed his leisure time in acquiring u.seful 
knowledge. In lt<5.") he entereil the university at 
Ilartsville. Ind., with the intention of still further 
perfecting himself as a teacher. .lust before be- 
coming of age, he was united in marriage with Miss 
Hannah, the daughter of. Jonatiian and Ruth (Stone- 
cipher) Thornburg, their wediling taking place at 
the home of tlie bride's parents on St. Valcntin(!'s 
Day, 1858. 

After this event our sul)ject continued to employ 
his time as before, in the meantime taking up the 
study of medicine until 1863. The Civil War be- 
ing then in progress he enlisted in Co. G, 9th Ind. 
Vol. Cav., and served until the close, most of the 
time as Hospital Steward. After retii'ing from the 
army he entered the Medical College at Cincinnati, 
Ohio, where he spent a year, and began the practice 
of his chosen profession. He afterward took up his 
residence at LJarbara Mills, and in the fall of 1872 
attended a course of lectures in Miami Medical 
College. His residence in this county dates from 
the spring of 186S, when he located in Ogden 
Township and continued his practice up to and 
during the winter of 1.S77. With the intention of 
keeping pace with the i)rogress of his lirethren in 
the profession, he again sui)i)leinented his knowl- 
edge by a course of lectures at Indianapolis, from 
vvhit^h he graduated in the spring of lcS7.s. Soon 
afterward he moved into the village of CJifford, 
with the interests of whose people he has since been 
identified. He now enjoys an extensive practice, 
together with the (•^)n(idence and esteem of his pat- 
rons. 

Dr. McKinney has been connected with the 
Champaign County Medical Society since its organ- 
ization and was at one time rresident; he also be- 
longs to the Illinois Medical Society, and socially 



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861 ^^ 



is a inemher of the I. O. O. F. The Doctor find 
Jlrs. McKiiuiey united with the Jletiuxlist Kpisco- 
pal Church atGifford in about 1880, and our sub- 
ject is numbered among the reliable voters of llie 
Republican party. t)f his marriage tliore were l)oru 
four ciiildren, viz., Thomas, Dora, .lames and Ira. 

Thomas Mclvinne^', Uie eldest son of our subject, 
was born in Delaware County, Ind., Nov. 29, 1859. 
He pursued his lirst studies in the district sciiools 
of Oiiden Township and later entered the Urbaiia 
High .School. He was a studious boy, ambitious to 
excel, and after graduating from High .School was 
l)repared for a course in the State University at 
Normal, 111. He afterward taught school and em- 
ployed his leisure time in the study of medicine 
under the instruction of his father. In 1880 lie 
entered Rush Medical College at Chicago, and 
graduating in 1883, returned hi)me ami became the 
partner of his father. His marriage with Jliss Lot- 
tie Hickey was celebrated on the 26th of Novem- 
ber, 1885, and they have one chiM, a daughter, Liia. 
He is a worthy nieml)er of the Masonic fraternity, 
belonging to Pera Lodge No. 574, and Ijecaine a 
Knight of Pvthias in 1887. 

The father of our subject, Thuni:is M(dviiiuey, 
was born in Shelby County, Ohio, in 1812. He 
spent liis entire life in his native county, being there 
reared and married, and there passed to his final 
rest, his death taking pl.ice while he was still a 
young man, in l.s;57. The motlier, lOlizaljetli (Rec- 
tor) McKinney, also a native of Shelb^' County, 
Ohio, was the daughter of Daniel and Nancy Rec- 
tor. Slie died in 1871, and was buried at Pilot in 
Vermilion County, this State. The sons of her first 
marriage were D. H., of our sketch, and .Ianu'> .M. 
Of her second marriage, liiere wore three children, 
namely, Daniel 1)., Samuel and .Jonathan. The 
father of the latter, Israel Downing, died in Dela- 
ware Count}', Ind., in 185(j. The grandfather of 
our subject, also Thomas McKinney, was a native 
o| Ireland, who ('migrated to the United States 
when a ^young man, and located in .Shelby County, 
Ohio, where he reared a family, all of whom became 
well-to-do citizens and v.ilued members of tiie coin- 
nuinity. 

The fathei- iif Mrs. .McKiuney, .loualhau TlKirn- 
burg, who was born in Tennessee, emigrated to 



Delaware County, Ind., during the early history of 
that section, and after bravely fullilling his mission 
as a pioneer, closed his e^'es u|)on the scenes of 
eartii on the luimestead on which he had labored 
<liligeutly many years to establish and provide his 
family with the comforts of life. His wife, Ruth, 
was also a native of Tennessee. They were mar- 
ried there and made the journey from that State to 
Indiana overland with teams. She is still living 
and a resident of New Burlington, Ind., having ar- 
rive<l at the advanced age of niiiet_v years. 



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IkJW RS. KLIZABKTH SWEAUINtiKN, widow 
of the late Thomas Swearingen, a well-re- 
membered citizen of this township, is now 
hostess of the Swearingen House of St. 
Joseph. This little hotel has been for several 
years successfully conducted by Mrs. Swearingen 
and her daughter Minnie, and under their excellent 
supervision has won an enviable reputation l'(jr the 
neatness and comfort of all its ai)pointments, and 
the hospitality of its hostess. 

Mrs. Swearingen was \)ovn In Kentucky near 
M.aysville, Ai)ril 1, 1.S27, ami when an infant re- 
moved with her |)arents to Champaign County. 
.She is the daughter of Hiram an I .lane (Swearin- 
gen) Umkiu. The Rankin family is well known 
among the pioneers of this count}-. They were the 
descendants of several old Kentucky families, who 
were among the early settlers of that State when 
it was a wilderness. Both of her parents died in 
St. .loseph Township. Mrs. Swearingen had the 
ailvantage only of the common schools in which to 
receive her education, but she possesses much na- 
tive business ca|)acity with a clear intellect and 
good judgment, all of wliicli have been developed 
and brought into play by circumstances. 

In 1846 she was m.-irried to Thomas Swe;iringeu, 
a resident of St. .loseph Touushii). He was like- 
wise a native of Kentucky, anil was bt)rn in 1820. 
When a mere lad he removed with his mother 
from their native State to Champaign County, 
where she swttled in what is now .St. .loseph, lud 
there reared her family. Thomas received :\ <-omi- 
mon-school education, and aftei' his marriage en- 



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862 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



il 



gaged in general fanning two miles southeast of the 
town of .St. Joseph, lie was industrious and en- 
terprising, and carried on a successful business un- 
til his death, wliicli occurred Aug. 31, IS72. His 
widow was left with four children, all of whom 
were girls, and (piite yo;;ug at the tiuiC of their 
father's death. Mrs. Swearingen bravely assumed 
the position of head of the family, educating her 
daughters and conducting the farm, where she re- 
mained initil the marriage of all her daughters ex- 
cept the youngest. Her children are as follows: 
Jennie, the wife of James Duree; .Melvina, the wife 
of Frank Hobbins; Callie, the wife of William Mor- 
rison, a resident of Ogden Township, and Minnie 
E., an accomplished young lady, the companion 
and assistant of her mother. 

In the winter of 1880 Mrs. Swearhigeii left the 
farm and removed to St. Joseph, whei'e she has 
since resided. In the following year she purchased 
what was then called the St. Joseph Hotel, and 
took possession in the autumn of 1883, thoroughly 
refitting the house and putting it "in good order. 
She has been successful in her enterpi'ise, clearing 
off the indebtedness in nuiking the purchase, and 
also receives a good inct)nK' from her farm, which 
she rents. 



ynj.IAM I'AKK, of l"rbana, wIk. is widely 
and f.-ivorablj' known throughout Cham- 
paign C <.)unty. has been a resident here for 
a jjcriod of over thirty-live years, and llrob^dll3• 
has done more than most men in building up and 
iniprt)ving one of the finest sections in the Prairie 
State. In earlier days he was an extensive land- 
owner, and is now the proprietor of -HIO acres inider 
a fine state of cullivation. He is singularly modest 
and retiring in disposition, and although many a 



to perform a good act as he had the opix>rtnnlty,« 
and to accomplish what he could in the com|)ara- 
tively short S[)ace of time allotted to a human life. 

The subject of this history was born in York 
County, P.a., Dee. ll», 1812. He is the son of 
Elihu and Klspy (Lamon) Park, natives of the 
same county as their son. The grandfather, Will- 
iam Park, Sr., was a native of Lancaster County. 
Pa., where he became an extensive farmer and 
miller, erecting, in 177G, a large building in which 
he carried on the milling business the greater part 
of his life. The great-great-great-grandmother of 
William Park, our subject, emigrated with her par- 
ents from England in company' with William Penn, 
and settled with hira in Philadelphia. The Parks 
are of Scotch ancestry, but the other side of the 
family descended from the Welsh and Irish. Elihu, 
the father of our subject, was born Aug. 8, 1.780, 
and, like his father before him, followed farming 
and milling all his life in the township where he was 
born. He lived toagoodold age, being over seveu- 
ty-five years, and died July 22, 18G2. The parental 
household included fourteen childien, of whom only 
two are now living. 

William Park, Jr., was the second child of his 
father's family and his brother, Joseph, now living 
at Urbana, the fourth. The pavents were both 
members of the Presbyterian Church, in whose 
doctrines they faithfully reared their offspring, and 
the father of our subject, being a wealthy and in- 
fluentual citizen, held many positions of trust and 
resi)onsibility. Our subject j.penl hisyounger days 
at school and -recalls the fact that his education 
was conducted under the instruction ot twenty-two 
teachers in succession, all being of Irish or .Scotch 
nationality. His school days eonimence<l when he 
was. seven years old, the temi)le of learning being- 
a log cabin, and his studies were carried on in 
seven of these successively. He attended school 
winters until nineteen years old and the balance of 



time proffered important otlices in the county, has i the year assisted his father on the farm and in the 



uniformly declined to be made conspicuous in this 
manner, although he has been one of the first in 
the esUiblishment of schools and the encouragement 
of every enterprise calculated to advance its wel- 
fare both morally and liuaucially. He has always 
lived with an aim and object in life, an<l that was 



mill, also learning the trades of carpenter and mill- 
wright. In 1832, after working on a farm live 
months, at ^7 per month, he left his native Slate 
with the large sum of $47.50 in his pocket. His 
first destination was .Miami County. Ohio, where he 
commenced his labors as a millwright and afti'r- 



I 



t 




i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



863 



ward operated a sawmill. He finally routed a mill 
in Greene County, that State, tlic coiistiuctidn of 
wliicli ho iia<l snporiiitoiulod, and upoiatcil Ihiis fonr 
years on shares, making ^.'i.ooo durinji that time. 
He afterward lost this and 4!5,()00 besides within the 
space of throe months, hj- huyinjj' wheat for wliioli ho 
paid >!l.40 |>or busliol, t;rin<ling it into flonr and 
hanling' it to Dayton, whoro lie was iin:itilo to get 
transportation :\l that season uf tlio year. Heing 
obliged to hold it the price went down and resnltod 
in this heavy loss. That was in is;i7. Mr. I'nrk 
recovered from this calamity as best ho could and 
wasted no time in tic wailing his misfortune. A 
few months afterward ho l)egan tho operation of a 
distillery which ho ran for two years and then sold 
out. In 1840 he rented another mill, and put up a 
sawmill and distillery, operating the three jointly 
for a period of throe years, and again lost heavily. 
Mr. Park after this disaster as before got up and 
went at it again. He formed a partnership with an 
old Quaker and thoj- operated in coini)any a grist 
and saw mill, making ^yOd in two years. Our sub- 
ject then resumed his former trade as a millwright 
and carpenter, and employed from fifteen to twenty- 
one men, summer and winter, for three years follow- 
ing. . At the expiration of this time he had all his 
debts paid .and §1,300 besides. In 184.S he built a 
woolen factory in the same county, which gave em- 
ployment to fifteen hands. This he run on shares 
for eighteen months and sunk $G,300. lie then 
concluded to leave the Buckeye State and came to 
I'rliana, this county, with $207. After he had set- 
tled down and decided upon his future course he 
had f 100 in his pocket. He first purchased a log 
house for which he paid $50 down, and liegan east- 
ing about for the erection of a steam sawmill. He 
talked the matter over with the people of this 
vicinity, who admired his courage and resolution, 
and loaned him §H00 for three years at six percent. 
He obtained )jil,8()() worth of machinery from Pow- 
ell, of C'inciiuiati, on trust, putting in a twenty-two- 
horse power engine, and thus, in 1849, established 
the tiist steam power in Champaign County. This 
mill he operated (or six years. lie l)ui!t his lirst 
gristmill at Urb.ana in 18.")2. to wliich ho ni:ido an 
addition four years later, lie also put np a machine- 
shop and foundry for .1. X. Wilson, who became 
4* 



engaged in tho manufacture of reapers and mowers. 
This proved too large an elephant on Mr. Wilson's 
hands, and ho solicited Mr. Park to take hold of it, 
from which the latter suffered a loss of ¥7,0(io on 
account of the destruction of the mill by fire. 

In 18.')7 a company of gentlemen visited Crbana, 
having in view the oroction of a woolen factory. 
Ml-. Park furnished them the luiilding and nnichin- 
ery, wliich afterward fell into his hands and he, in 
company with .Messrs. Clapp and Gear, operated the 
same successfully for three years. He then sold his 
interest in this and also his gristmill. In the mean- 
time, in 1854, Mr. Park had put up a sawmill on 
the Sangamon Uiver which, in company with J. T. 
Phillips, he operated for two years. During that 
time also A. T. Marshall erected a sawmill at Park- 
ville. Our subject became his security for the ma- 
chinery and as a natural consequence was obliged 
to take the mill for pay. This he rented foi- four 
years and then i)ut up a gristmill adjacent. Both 
mills were destroyed l)y fire in 1860. 

After this disaster, from which Mr. Park recov- 
ered as manfully as before, he went to Sidney, 
where he put up a grist and sawmill which together 
cost f 21 ,000. These he operated for eighteen nmiiths 
and then they also were destroyed by lire. He 
erected a sawmill immediately upon the same ground 
and when. completed, in the space of nine years fol- 
lowing, sawed -the timber from 700 acres of land. 
Each eighty acres made 1,250,000 feet of lumlior. 
Becoming encouraged by these results he put u|) a 
brick rtouring-mill at Sidney .at a cost of 4!25,()0(l 
and a warehouse for one-fifth of that sum. Ho 
retained po.ssession of the vvarehou.se five years and 
then sold it at its origiiuil cost. He still owns tlie 
Hoiiring-mill. These experiences in the life of Mr. 
Park are given ohierty to encourage young men by 
showing them that a man can rise from nothing, 
as he has done four tinu's, besides losing heavily by 
lire, and !ii35,000 of bad accounts, mostly security. 

In the meantime, .amidst the [)re.ss of business and 
the calamities and prosperity which suceeeded each 
other, ho found lime for the formation of marital 
and domestic ties, and in the summer of 1836 was 
united in m:r. riage with Miss Margaret Haynes, of 
(ireeno County, Ohio. Of the union there were 
born two chiklren: .lennie, Mrs. Jaques, of L'rbana, 



I 



t. 



-4^ 
8(;i 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY 



liMS lliifi' cliililiiii - W illiaiii, Minnie and luilu'i'l; 
Davjil \\. Park, wlm is lainiint; in Siilnc.v Townsliip, 
inai'i'ii'il Miss Maiv Manslicld, ami tiicy have imc 
child, William, iiaiiuvl afUT liis i;raiidf!itiior. In 
1^()3 Mr. I'nrk piiirlinsoil a oni'-iiair iiili'iost in tiio 
street railroad rnnninn frou) Urhaiia to ('liami)ai<>ii, 
at wliicli timf lie assumed its management and has 
sineo eontinned it. I'olitie.'dly he is a narm sup- 
poi'ter of the IJi'puliliean party, and socially helonjis 
to (lie M.'isonie fraternity. The heantifnl and eom- 
inodidiis family residence is situjilcd .-it the corner 
of lie.-icli and HIrch streets, I'rhana, where our suh- 
ject and his wife extend a jjenerous hospitality to 
the w.'irm friends and aequaintiinccs whom they 
have m;idc diirini;- their lonji' residence here. Mr. 
and .Mrs. 1'. religiously are connected with the 
I'niversalist Church. 



^.^^g-JC#u^^. 



t 



OSKI'll (iOlJDON. who spent his early years 
'•in a lionu> l)i>yond tlie sea" In County 
W'cxfoid, licl.'ind, emigrated to the United 
/ States with his parents w'lien ten years old. 
Tliey tiist settled near Aurora, 111., and he removed 
with them to this county. He is now the owner of one 
of the finest farms in C()inproniis<' Township, which 
he opened up from the uncultivated prairie. Mis 
first purchase consisted of eighty acres, tlie money 
to liu\ which he earned with his own hands as a 
farm l.aliorcr. To this he suhsequently Jidded, and 
is now in possession i>f .an uuincumhered property 
of 4011 aces. His farm is supplied with excellent 
huildiuijs and all the machinery reipiirecl hy the 
modern .•igrieulturisl. 

The liirlh of our snlijeet took place in County 
Wexfor.l, Ireland, .Inly .•(!, I ,S Kl. lie is the .son 
of .lohn and .Mary (\\'helan) (iordon, natives of 
the same county, the former horn in 181.'). He 
pursued farming in his native isle until I8,")7, and 
on the ;'ith of Kehruary set sail from l,i\i'rpool for 
the I'nited .St.Mtes, landing in New York City .iriei- 
a voyage tif .seven weeks and three days, lie at 
once proceeded westward to Aurora, this State, 
where he eommcnei'd working on :i farm hy the 
month, and w;is lluis employed for .ahout eleven 
yeais. In isc.s ju' purchased "JOO acres of wild 



prairie land in Com|)romisr Township, and with his 
family took posse.><slou of it the following sprflig. 
lie has lieeu greatly prospered in his f.arming oper- 
.ations and fortunate in Ills Investments, and has 
now an ai'ca of SOO acres of line I'ai'ming Land, with 
good liuildiiigs. The parents of our suhject were 
marrie<l in their native county in LSI.'), and there 
were horn ten children, vi/.., .loseph. Ileniard. 
Niehol.Ms, Charh's, Thomas, Anastasia, Anna ami 
Mary. Two infants died unnamed. The paternal 
granilf.athcr of our suhject, Joseph (Jordon, was 
aLso of Irish hirth and parentiige, and spent his en- 
tire life in his native Land. 

The suhject of this history, tlu' eldest of his 
father's family, was a hoy of ten yeais when his 
parents crossed the Atlantic. He remained under 
the home roof, receiving a limited education and 
a.ssisling his father until his marriage, which took 
place on the .'id of Kcbruary, 1874, with Miss Ellen 
.Mc(^uade. Mrs. (M>rdon is the daughter of Thomas 
and Catherine (Mylon) Mc(Juade, natives of Ire- 
land. The former was a native of Limerick Coun- 
ty, and emigrated to America in early life. The 
mother, who was formerl3' Mi.ss Catherine Mylon, 
was l)orn in King's County. Ireland, and came with 
her parents to the I'nited .States when a young 
woman twenty years of ago. Of her union with 
Thomr.s Mctjuade there were horn two children 
only, Kllen, the wife of our suhject, and a son, 
Thomas. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, 
eight in number, were as follows: Charles,''Thom,'vs, 
.loseph, Catherine, Mary E., Anna Iv. and two'in- 
fants who died unnamed. Our suhject and his wife 
are members of the I'enlield Catholic Church, and 
Mr, G. politically is a Democrat, 



I. J 




-J»!^M^^.fW^ 



lELIAM HKWKRniNK. The subject of 
this history ,''wlio is essentially a .self-made 
V^ y man, "commenced his struggle with the woild 
at the early age of ten years, when he set out to 
earn his own living. Thus thrown upon his own 
resources he soon atapiired that habit of self-de- 
pendence which has been the ^secret of his success 
in life. He soon learned that tlie surest prop to 
lean upon was his own strong hands and rest)lute ^' 



t 



I 



-4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



8fi.': 



will, and these he put in force to the hest of his 
ability until ho heonn to lenli/.c llic happv ri'snlts 
of his exL'itions. 

Our subject's birthplace was across the sea in 
Lincolnshire, England, and the date thereof March 
21, 18'2>s. His parents, William and Ann (Oarten) 
Ilewerdine, were natives of the same shire, where 
they were reared, married and spent their entire 
lives. Six of their children cmignited to the united 
States. Thomas, the eldest, lives in P^ast P.end 
Township, Champaign County: our subject was the 
second son; Robert is a resident of Hanloul Town- 
ship; .Tose])!!, of Condit Township; Chailotte mar- 
ried Fred Ackernian. who is farminy in Pantoul 
Township: (ieorjio resides in Condit Township. 

When \Villiam Hewcrdine started out to do for 
himself, for the first six months he received noth- 
ing l)nt his board. Afterward he was paid two .sov- 
ereigns for one 3ear's work. The second year, as 
his usefulness increased, his wages were raised, until 
n))on arriving at the age of twenty-three years. 
he was paid flO i^er year and his board. About 
this time he commenced working on the railroad 
in process of construction from London to York. 
The next year while still cm|)loyed there a sand 
bank caved in. and he came ver\' near lieing buried 
.alive, l)ut fortunatel}' escaped witji only a broken 
leg. After recovering the use of his limb he re- 
sumed work and continued until the road was com- 
pleted through Derb^'shire. 

Oui' subject remained a resident of Kngland until 
1850, and in the s|)ring of that _year set sail from 
Liverpool for the Unite<l States. After a tedious 
voj'age if seven weeks he landed in New York, 
with just money enough to pay his faic to Toronto, 
Canada, where he desired to go. After arriving 
there Ik; secured employment in a bricky.aid din'- 
ing the following summer, and in the fall c.-inie 
to the States and located in Tippecanoe County. 
Ind., where he worked on a farm for one year at 
!s!!l.3 per month. This was increased the following 
year to ■*<14,and the third year he received ^jsl.'i, be- 
ing employed by the .same man three years. The 
year following he worked for the man's brother. In 
IKCO he left Tippecanoe County, and coming to 
this State cinnmenced w'ork by the month in Condit 
' ' Township, this countj". One year later he rented 



t 



r 



land there which he cultivated three years with 

success, and was then enabled to pui'chase a tract 
of eighty acres of wild land, which is now included 
in his [ircscnt farm. He built a house as soon as 
practicable, and pr<iceeded with the improvement 
of his land, adding to it as time passed and his 
means justified. He is now the owner of "2 10 acres, 
.and has erected a substantial set of f.arni buildings. 
'I'he land is all enclosed with neat fencing, and 
3ields in abundance the best crops of the I'rairic 
State. 

The marriage of our subject with Mrs. Nancy .1. 
Hire, was celelu-ated on the l.^th of June, ISd.'i, at 
the home of the bride's parents in East Bend 
Township, Champaign County. Mrs. H. was born 
hear .leffersonville. Faysffe Co.. Ohio. Oct. 14, 
IS 1 1, and is the d.aughter of William .b'ffreis, of 
that same county. Of this union there were three 
children, two girls and a boy. Her |).aternal grand- 
father, Isaac .leffi'cis, was a native of ^'irginia, .aud 
emigrated to C)hio in the [jionecr days, being 
among the earliest settlers of Fayette County; 
he then moved to i\!issf)uri. where he died. There 
his son William and the other children were 
reared to become worthy citizens. After reaching 
manhood William removed to Illinois, in lS(iO. and 
located in East Bend Townsliip, Champaign (.'oun- 
ty, where his death tiiok place in November, ISSd."'. 
In early manhimd he had married Miss Ruth John- 
son, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and who.se 
f.ather, William Johnson, a native of Maryland, 
served as a soldier in the War of ISli. The f:illiei' 
of the latter is supposed to have been born in 1mi- 
gland ; he spent his Last days in Ohio, \\illiam 
Johnson fin.ally came to the West. He received a 
pension during the last years of his life, and died in 
East Bend Township, this county, when one hun- 
dred and four years of age. His daughter, the 
mother of Mrs. H., is still living with the latter. 

iMrs. Ilewerdine has been tjvice married. Her 
lir.st husband, Ama/.iali Hire, was burn in l'"ayette 
County. Ohio, and after the breaking out of the 
Rebellion became a soldier of the Union army, en- 
listing in the itoth Ohio Inf.antry, and died in the 
.service near Murfreesboi'o, Temi., in lS(i;i. (Jf this 
union there was born one <'hild, a son, William W., 
who is now married an<l fanning in Condit Towii- 



t. 



•<^ 



86 G 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 



ship. Our subject and liis wife are consistent 
memhers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. :niil 
held in high respect by nil who know them. 



^ny^.■^UliLCJi/(s■^^i 



»ge.gwraTrav. -w'l^ 



/^ IITLKR E. FTAMIETON, manager of the 
(if^^ huiilier business at Penfield, whieli is eon- 
^!^^ ducted liy liis brotiier, John ^^. Hamilton, is 
a native of Hampshire County', Mass., where his 
birth occurred April 22, is;')0. His parents, David 
and Abigail (Meacliani) Hamilton, were also natives 
of the Bay State. The father is now deceased ; the 
mother still survives, and is a resident of Rautonl. 
Our subject was reared on his father's farm, and re- 
ceived a common-scool education, continiling a resi- 
dent of his native county until reaching his major- 
it}'. He then became clerk in a store at Brooklyn, 
N. v., where he acquired a good knowledge of the 
mercantile business. In 185G he engaged as a 
traveling salesman for a wooden and willow ware 
house, being one of the first drummers in the 
United States, which class now numbers many 
thousands. He subsequently dealt in notions and 
later in druggists' sundries, remaining on the road 
almost continuously for a period of twenty years. 
His travels extended over the States of New York, 
Pennsylvania, and as far South as Charleston, S. C. 
In the meantime the residence of Mr. Hamilton 
was Brooklyn, and during the time he vyas in that 
city and the metropolis, New York, ground which 
had been laid off into lots advanced from ^oO to 
)|!l8,(t()(). Mr. H., alth.>ngh distinguished from his 
early youth as a person of forethought, omitted to 
avail himself of the opportunity to thus make a 
fortune He remained a resident of the Empire 
State until 187(!. then coming West located first in 
Itantonl among the pioneer settlei's, whence he aft- 
erward removccl tii I'cnlicld. where lie Ikis since- re- 
sided. 

During his residence in New York State Mr. 
Haniilt(.u met and married Miss Celia .1. Higgins, 
their wedding taking ))lace in June, 1S5H. Mrs. H. 
was born in Halifax, N. S., in 1S.'58, and is the 
daughter of Samuel and Sarah Higgins, who i-e- 
, moved from her native Province to Brooklyn when 
Celia was but two years okl. Of this marriage 



there were born three children, two now living — 
lYanklin I)., of Rantoul, ;ind Kilward L., at home 
with his [)arents. 

Mr. H;imilton cast his llrst presidential vote for 
Gen. \\intield Scott the Whig candidate, in 1852. 
Since the alianilonment of the old party he has 
voted independently. He was reared in the Bap- 
tist C'hnrch. of which his parents weie members in 
Brooklyn, and for twelve years was connected with 
Plymouth Church, piesided over by the late Henry 
Ward Beecher. In ln(i(l Mr. Ham'ilton became 
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
Brooklyn, N. Y., and has since given his earnest 
support to that denomination. 



%~*^*~^' 



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t 



\f/EKFERSON R. PLACE owns a fine farm of 
120 acres on section 3G, Sidney Township, 
nearly all of which is under good cultiva- 
tion. He vvas born in Delaware County, 
Ohio, Jan. 2, 1835, and is the son of Reuben and 
Jemima (Point) Place, the former a native of 
Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. They after- 
ward removed to Greene County, Ind., where they 
purchased a farm and passed the remainder of their 
lives. 

Jefferson U. Place was reared on the farni, and 
his education was necessarily limited to such as 
he could acquire from practical life, and the arl- 
v.'uitages of the old log cabin school-house of Ohio. 
In hs.OO he w.as married, in Indiana, to Miss Polly 
J. Carney. Her parents, both of whom are now 
dead, were natives of North Carolina. Jan. 1 •'), 
1872, Mrs. Place died, leaving no children. Our 
subject was again united in marriage, the lady of 
his choice being Miss Heiuielta Cash, the daughter 
of John and Celia ((iibsou) Cash, residents of Sid- 
ney Township. Of this union there are three chil- 
dren — William E., Mary E. and Chester. 

The parents of Mr. Place reared the following 
family: Caroline, Philip, Vanela, Nancy, Alexan- 
der, Martin, Jefferson R.. Amy. John L., Emma 
and ICmeline; the twi) latter were twins, one of 
whom died in infancy. The fainil}' of his present 
wife's parents comprised five children (.^ce sketch 
of John Cash). In the family of his first wife's 



i 



i 



t 



-4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



867 




t 



parents there were nine cliiUlrcn — 'Williani, Sally, 
Sherwoofl, Kimice ami Hannah (twins), Kochella, 
Polly A. (deceased). Absalom, and one wlio died in 
infancj'. 

Mr. Place is a man of good business ability, .uid 
is actively engaged in the supervision of his farm, 
which ho has bn^ught to a liigh state of cultivation. 
His home is pleasant and iiospitable, and all the ap- 
pointments of his place arc in excellent order. His 
wife is a member of tiie Methodist Church, in whicli 
she takes an active interest as far as her famil}' du- 
ties will permit. In politics Mr. Place is a Repuli- 
lican. 

R. L. K. LAMB, one of the popular young 
ill ph^'sicians of Tolono, has the largest and 
most lucrative practice in the southern 
part of this county. He is a native of 
Ohio County, Ind., born Oct. 15, 1849, and the 
son of Dr. James and .Sarah Ann (Carnine) Lamb. 
The mother departed this life at Tolono, 111., in 
December, 1«85. The father is still living, and a 
resident of Aurora, Ind., where he has pr.acticcd 
his profession since 18(5/). There were four chil- 
dren in the family, two still living, our subject, and 
his sister Caerella, the wife of Frederick Treon, M. 
D., who hohls a Government position, located at 
Crow Creek Agency, Ind. Ter. 

The subject of this history grew to manhood in 
his native State, pursuing his priniar3' studies in the 
common schools and afterward entering upon a lit- 
erary course in Hanover College. At an early age 
he commenced the study of medicine with his 
father as preceptor, and in 1871-72 attended the 
Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati. At the expir- 
.ation of this time, although but twcnty-twi) years 
of age he commenced the practice of medicine in 
his native town, where he continued successfully 
for a period of three ycai's. Wishing to gain a still 
better knowledge of his profession he took another 
term in the Ohio Medical College, where he gradu- 
ated in 1876. He next located at Rising Sun, Ind., 
where he remained three years, and in the spring of 
1879 came to Tolono, where he has since resided. 
He became the partner of Hyron Burns in 188(1, and 
in connection with his practice conducted a trade 



in drugs, groceries and jewelry. His professional 
associate is Dr. C. M. Craig, and they operate to- 
gether under tiie firm style of Lamb and Craig. 

Dr. Lamli was married, Dec. -27, 18«2, to Miss 
Catherine M. (Tral'.am, a native of Richland, Ind, 
and the daughter of Dr. A. K. (Jraham, of Rush 
County, Ind. Mrs. LamI) com|)lcted her education 
in the University' at Blooniinglon, Ind., and per- 
fected herself in music at Xenia, Ohio. She is a 
lady of fine aeeomplishments, and a favorite in the 
social circles of Tolono. They have one son, 
.Tames Graham, who \»'as born Dec. 23, 1883. Dr. 
Lamb is a stanch supporter of Republican jjrinei- 
ples, and takes an active interest in all matters per- 
taining to the intellectual and moral welfare of his 
community. He is the oldest physician in active 
practice at Tolono, and has built up a large patron- 
age in this section of the county. 

,OBERT IIEWERDINE, the proinietor of 
200 .acres of finely cultivated land on sec- 
tions 17 and 18, Rantoul Township, was 
S^^born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1833. 
His father, William Ilewerdine, was a native of the 
same shire, where he married, and reared a large 
family, following the occupation of a farmer. He 
was possessed of limited means, and at an early age 
the children went from home to work. Our subject 
when six years old commenced thus to assist in the 
support of the family. He was too small to be of 
o-reat service to anyone, and only earned three- 
pence per day.- He made his home with his par- 
ents until twelve years of age, when he went to 
work for a liutchen The first year he received ten 
shillings and his board. The second year twenty 
shillings, and the third year thirty-five shillings .and 
his board. 

Mr. Ilewerdine continued to woik by the year in 
England, the last two years being occupied as a 
railroad laborer, until starting for the ITnitod St-ites 
in 18i>t). After a tedious sea voyage he landed in 
New York City, whence he proceeded to Toronto, 
Canada, and after tinee months spent there re- 
turned to the States, n\n\ proceeded westward until 
lie reached Indiana. Going into 'i'ippecanoe 




^ 



f. 



t 



868 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



County he enga<;cfl to work for the Mehan-y 
family, various members of wiiicli are now locaterl 
in <lifferent parts of Champaign County. He re- 
mained with them until 181)0, then came ti> this 
county, anil in due time rented a tract of land in 
company with two brothers, where they engaged in 
farming until after the outbreak of the late war. 

Our subject, naturally of an observant nature, 
had watched with interest ^the passing events in 
this country with the character and customs of its 
people. The longer he lived here the more he re- 
solved to identify himself with its institutions and 
interests. Ac^cordingly, soon after the first call for 
troops to assist in the ))reservation of the Union he 
set aside his personal plans and interests, and became 
a member of Co. I, 25th 111. Vol. Inf., marching with 
his regiment to the scene of conflict. He entered 
with courage upon the life of a soldier, resolved to 
bear with fortitude whatever hardships weresfliotted 
him. His regiuient was under the command of Col. 
Coler,"and he participated with his comrades in the 
battles of Pea Uidgc, Corinth, Perrysville, Stone 
River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, .and all the en- 
gagements from Chattanooga to Atlanta, being 
present at the siege and capture of the latter city. 
He encountered many hairl)readlii escapes, and at 
the battle of Mission Ridge was wounded and re- 
ported in the dispatches mortally hiu't. He recov- 
ered, not long after, however, and at the expiration 
of his term of service received his honorable dis- 
charge and was mustered out with his comrades. 

Soon aftenvard our suljject returned home and 
took u|) the broken thread of life which he had 
dropi)ed to enter the army. His first work w.as a 
job of cutting corn, for which he received ninety- 
five cents per day, and after this was finished he 
worked l)y the month two years afterward. By close 
economy he now iLianaged to save a sum of moiie3' 
suflicieut to purchase eighty acres of land, about 
one-half of which had been broken, and upon 
which stood a small house. He at once cneigeti- 
cally engaged in its im|)rovement, and in due time 
began to enjoy the rew.ards of industry. What w.as 
once a tract of land given to the growth of wild grass, 
and swept each year with destructive prairie fires, 
now yields in abundance the choicest products cul- 
r tivatcd by the farmers of Illinois. Mr. Hewerdine 



has added to his original p\irchase. and has all but 
sixty acres of his large farm either iu p.asture or 
grain fields. The pl.ace is supplied with good build- 
ings, and well equipped w^th the most practical 
farm inachineiy. In politics Mr. II. is Republican. 
A lithographic view of the residence and sur- 
roundings of Mr. Hewerdine is shown elsewhere in 
this work. 



i 



■^•- 



(P^TEPHEN L. TO.MPK[NS is the owner of 
^^^ a quarter of section 17, Harwood Town.stiip, 
lfl/_j|j which ctnnprises a body of choice laud, .and 
undei a good state of cultivation. It w.as 
but partly improved when it came into his posses- 
sion, and he has fitted it u)) with fences and neat 
buildings, planted an appl'.' orchard, and also trees 
of finer fruits, and has in all respects one of the 
pleasantest hom(!Steads in Harwood Townshi)). He 
has a splendid assortment of stock and good ma- 
chinery, all well cared for, and everything about 
the premises is a credit to the proprietor. 

Mr. Tompkins was born in Clermont County, 
Ohio, April 5, 1845. He is the second child of 
Nichol.as W. and Nackey (Stephenson) Tompkins, 
and his father, a native of Ohio, was the son of 
Jonathan and Rebecca Tompkins, who wore natives 
of the same State and born there while it was a 
Territory'. The mother of our subject, also a na- 
tive of Ohio, was the daughter of Lemuel and 
Florence (Abraham) .Stephen.son. The former was 
a n.ative of Delaware and moved to Pennsylvania 
when a young man, and tlu're married. His wife 
was a native of liial Slate. After his marriage 
Nicholiis Tompkins located in Clermont County, 
Ohio, where he had formerly engaged in farming, 
and tot)k u}) mercanlik' pursuits at Point Isabelle, 
where he lemained until the close of his life. Dee. 
10, l.S()7. His widow is still living on the old 
homestead, at the latter-named place. 

The boyhood of our subject was spent in the 
rural districts and his education secured in the com- 
mon schools of that period. He had reached his 
majority at the time of his father's death and was 
appointed administrator <if the estate. He con- 
tinued with his mother five or si.\ years later, until 
their prt)perly affaiis had been adjusted s.atisfactor- 






-.1 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



869 



t 



t 



ily. and then started for the West to .^eek his fortnne. 
Upon arriving in Central Illinois he purchased 
eighty acres of i)artly improved land in Stanton 
Township, this county, of wiiich he look possession 
and began its improvement. Two years later he 
sold out and secured possession of tlie land eni- 
l)raced in his present homestead. 

IMr. Tompkins' marriage with Miss Mary E. Be- 
sore took place at her brotiier (Jeorge's residence, 
in Urbana. ^Sept. 10, 1.^7.'). His wife was the 
youngest child of John and Mary (Moun) Besore, 
whose offspring were twelve in iuind)er. Her par- 
ents spent the eai'lier part of their lives in the ag- 
ricultural districts of Western Pennsylvania, where 
Mr Bes()re was recognized as a man of more than 
ordinary ability and of high Ciiristian ciiaraeter. 
He and his estimable wife have both passed to 
tiieir long home. The two eldest children of Mr. 
and Mrs. Tompkins are Minnie May and Edmund 
Earl. The baby, who has but just learned to know 
her name, is called Lutie Orvalcnn. 

In regard to political affairs Mr. Tompkins avails 
himself of the rights of the free Ainerican citizen 
and votes independently, aiming to give his support 
to the best man. He has steadily declined becom- 
ingan olfice-seeker, although upon various occasions 
having been elected to discharge the duties of 
Town Clerk or Treasurer, maintaining that he could 
serve Ins fellow-citizens fully as well b3' his vote 
and his influence as in the more conspicuous posi- 
tions in wiiich they would have placed him. In 
State and National affairs his sympathies are de- 
cidedly with the Democratic party. Mrs. Tompkins, 
a lad^' of much worth and amiability, is a valued 
member of the Christian Church. 



^AMES II. llODAiM, born in (iallia County, 
Ohio, Aug. 1;"), IHll, was tlic eldest of five 
^.^^ children born to A<lam I), and Eliza Ellen 
(^/' (Orant) Hodam. The fatlier was a native 
of Nicholas County, W. \'a., and the son of .lohn 
and I'iiebe (Mouse) Hodam, also of the O'd Do- 
minion, and among the most worth}' people of the 
agricultural districts, .lolni Hodam served in the 



W'-M- of 1812, and his father in the Revolution; the 
latter was a German by birth. The mother be- 
fore marriage, was Miss Eliza Ellen (Jrant, of Ohio, 
and was the daughter of David and Mary (Boggs) 
(iraut. David Grant wasa native of N'irginia, who 
descended from Scottish ancestry, and his wife. 
Mar}', was the daughter of Samuel and Ellen Boggs, 
natives of Ireland. Adam Hodam, who was a 
fanner, was also deeply religious, and occu|iied his 
leisure time as a local minister of the Methodist 
Episcopal Churcli. The family settled in what is 
now Roane County, W. Va., in 1843, and the father 
still resides there. The wife and mother departed 
this life Nov. 13, 1885. 

The subject of our sketch spent his' younger 
years in assisting to clear his father's land, but 
when fourteen years of age was employed as niail 
carrier between Zachville and Spencer, a distance 
of twenty-eight miles, which he made on horseback. 
His salary was $75 per annum, but the money paid 
out for the same service now aggregates ^3,000. 
He was thus employed until the commencement of 
the Civil War. His native State was largely Dem- 
ocratic, but the opposition was also very -strong, 
especially in the western part of the State, Roane 
County having a small Whig majority. When the 
question of secession arose, in the spring of 18G1, 
young Hodam went with his State, and joined the 
rebel army. He enlisted in Co. C, 17th Va. Vol. 
Cav., being mustered in Aug. 28, 18(;i,and was on 
duty in the mountain regions several months. A 
year later his regiment w.as attached to the brigade 
of (ien. Alljert (i. Jenkins, and took part in a raid 
through West Virginia aiul Ohio. They soon re- 
turned, however, and joined the Confederate forces 
under Gen. Loring in the Kenawha X'alley. 

In May, 1803, this brigade was transferred to 
the Shenandoah Valley, and participated in the 
capture of Winchester and the route of Gen. Ty- 
ler's force at Martinsbui'g. Company C was soon 
afterward ordered to report to (ien. John B. Gor- 
don, at (TCttysbiirg, and acted as the advance in 
the march on the cities of York and Wrightsvillc. 
At the battle of (Gettysburg his Ikjisc was shot and 
he w.as stunned by the concussion of a shell. After 
recovering, he participated in many cavalry skir- 
mishes on the retreat of (Jen. Lee throusih N'irsrini.a. 



^ 



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870 



1 

i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



After the defeat of the Confederate forces at Cloys' 
Farm in May, 1864, the brigade assisted iu the pur- 
suit of Oeii. Hunter and liis command into West 
Mrginia. Our sulijeet was witli Earley in the bat- 
tle of Monocacy Junction. Md., where every field 
officer of the regiment was killed or wounded. He 
a.ssisted in the jjursnit of Cook's coniniand to the 
Potomac, in wliicii lijilit many of tlie a.ssociates of 
his boyhood days, then engaged as Federal sol- 
diers, were captured. Mr. Hodam also saw the 
brave Gen. Mulligan, of Chicago, tenderly carried 
from the field to a house near by to die. A few 
days afterward he was sent by Gen. McCansland 
with a body of infantry, to take .McCoy's Ford on 
the Potomac. They captured the Federal pickets 
at daybreak, but wei-e attacked by the cavalry, 
which, however, thej' kept at hay until assistance 
arrived. They then pushed the enemy back toward 
Hagerstow-n, and 'circling around Hunter's army, 
entered Chanibersbnrg the next morning. After a 
few shots and a short parley, the town was fired by 
Harry (iilmore's Maryland batallion. Though the 
Soutiiern pe<ji)le had suffered much from the out- 
rages of Northern soldiery, yet the victorious 
troops here were m'oved with pity for the defense- 
less Women anil children, and Mr. Ilodani with 
some of his comrades, assisted many of these to 
places of safety, and saved for them what property- 
they could from the devouring element. In the 
battle at New Creek. \'a., Mr. Hodam was severely 
wounded in the thigh by a minie ball, and was 
sent to the hosiiital at Staunton. Here he received 
his only fuiloMgh during tile war. Keforc really 
able he insisted u|>on returning to duty, and in the 
absence of ollicers who iiad been killed or disabled, 
assumed eomniand of his com|)any in which he had 
already been promoted First Sergeant. During the 
skirmisli at i>iberty .Mills, Dec. 24, 1S(;4, in a hand- 
to-hand encounter with a Federal trooper. .Mr. 
Hodam received a severe sabre cut in the right 
side, but stuck to his saddle and captured his an- 
tagonist. 

The division to whieh the regiment of our sul)- 
ject belonged took i)art in the battle of Five Forks. 
The sufferings and privations that man and beast 
endured in that retreat no tongue can tell. Mr. 
Hodam saw his lu-ave eonir.ades one by one drop- 

< i 



ping by the w.ayside. .starved, sick or wounded, to 
die or be captured by the advaiK'ing hosts of (irant. 
The last fight of importance that he took part in 
was near Farmville. The day following, .at 10 
o'clock. Gen. Lee had crossed the Ai)poniatt<)X, the 
17th llegiment bringing up the rear with orders 
to burn the bridge at Farmville. Sergt. Hodam 
had deployed his company .as skirmishers near tiie 
bridge, and the enemy were pouring down the hill 
upon them on every hand. Feeling that thej' 
must escaije. they started for the bridge, but when 
near, it burst out in (lames. The Federals seeing 
the situation, set forward with exultant yells to 
capture the rebels, and Sergt. Hodam shouted to 
his comrades that they must either swim, drown or 
surrender. Mr. Hodam himself preferred the 
former, and the whole coui|.'any plunged over the 
steep bank, and to their jo}' found the w.ater only 
up to the horses' breasts, and they succeeded in get- 
ting safely across. The Federals were close enough 
to cut them off, but in their humanity let them go. 
Gen. Lee's surrender occurred soon afterward. 
Brigades had been reduced to regiments in num- 
bers, regiments to a mere handful, and companies 
blotted out entire!}-. Of the ninety-two men and 
officers forming Company C, not a private was left, 
the only men surviving being Sergt. Hodam and a 
Corporal. 

After an absence of nearly four years, .Mr. Ho- 
dam returned to his home, arriving there M.ay 17, 
18G5. He w^as without the means to buy himself a 
suit of clothes, but declares tliat among his warmest 
friends were the boys in blue, many of whom he 
had met in battle and on the skirmish line. Ow- 
ing to the reconstruction laws in the .South, our 
subject determined on coming North, and wiicu he 
came into this State possessed a cash capital of 
^2.2i>. By hard work and honest means, he has 
secured a good home of IdO acres, and is sur- 
rounded with all the comforts of life. Though liv- 
ing in a strong liepulilicau township, he has held 
his share of local offices. He feels proud that 
among his strongest friends and supporters are the 
men who went to the front in defense of our coun- 
tr3''s flag, that Hag that now knows no Norlli, no 
South, but for which the boys who wore the blue 
and gr.ay will rally and guard from foinnan's touch. 



•*^m^4» 



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t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



871 a 



Mr. Hodani was married to Miss .Sarah Harsh- 
barjjcr in the winter of 1808. She was llie daui'h- 
ter of .losepii and Anna (Wengcr) llarshbarger, 
natives of Augnstii County, ^'a., and was born in 
1844. Our subject and wife reside on section 21, 
Ilarwood Townsiiip. Tiiey were the parents of 
seven children, but four of whom are now living, 
namely, Robert M., Joseph A., Anna E. and Cor- 
delia H. Mr. Hodani when fifteen years of age, be- 
came a member of tlic Methodist E|>iscopal Church. 
His estimable wife l)elongstoihc Menniniite Church. 




REDERICK SCHOENBERGER. This geu- 
j^i tleman, as a partner of William Foos, of 
Springfield, Ohio, has charge of nearly 
4,000 acres of land, embracing sections G, 7, 8, 18 
and 19, Brown Township, and is conducting one of 
the largest stock farms along the Mississippi Valle}'. 
The ranch accommodates about 600 head of cattle, 
forty head of horses and mules, and the firm fat- 
tens about 500 head of hogs annually. Our sub- 
ject is well fitted for the ini[)ortant interests of 
which he now has charge, both I)y liirth, training 
and education, being the son of a well-to-do Penn- 
sylvania farmer, Frederick Schocnberger, Sr., who 
was born in Lancaster County, married to Miss 
[>ydia Whitman, of York County, Pa., and took up 
his abode in the latter county, where the subject of 
our sketch was lunu. The parents si)ent the greater 
part of their lives in York County-, and there, when 
they had cc^ased from their earthly labors, their re- 
mains were laid to rest. 

The parental family consisted of si.x sons and 
seven daughters, Frederick of our sketch being the 
seventh child. He vvas born on the farm in York 
County, Jan. 22, 1827, and passed his boyhood and 
3'outh after the manner of most farmers' sons, at- 
tending school during the winter season and mak- 
ing himself as useful about the farm Iji summer as 
his age and size permitted. When eighteen years 
old he commenced serving an apprenticeship in the 
tanner's trade and afteiward . workcid as a '•juiir" 
at this in Peuns^lv.ania and Ohio until after reach- 
ing his majority. He visited Clarke County, Ohio, 



■ -4«- 



first in the fall of 1848, and the following year en- 
tered into partnership with his uncle, Baltzer 
Sehoenberger, who was engaged in tlie tanning 
business, and with whom he operated three years. 
Our subject then sold out his interest in the busi- 
ness, but soon afterward purchased it back entire, 
continuing it until about 18GI. He then withdrew 
eiitirely, disposing of his property to other parties, 
and engaged in farming, also running a threshing- 
machine until 18U4. 

Mr. S. now decided to change his location, and 
setting his face toward the Prairie State, c;ime to 
this county, and finding in Brown Township a lo- 
cation which pleased him, proceeded at once to ar- 
range for settling permanently. That same year 
he formed a partnership with .Mr. Foos, and soon 
made ari'angements for their present e.\teusive 
stock farming. The residence of our subject is lo- 
cated on section 8, where there is a fine house with 
beautiful sui-roundings, and a few representatives of 
the choice stock which range at will over the larger 
domain of the farm proper. In this retreat Mr. 
Sehoenberger, with his family iibout him, gleans 
much enjoyment from life, and is rated as a fair 
re|)reseutative of the farming community. 

Our subject before leaving Ohio was married in 
Clarke County, March 2, 18')(), to Miss Emily, 
daughter of Wailes and Nancy (Foos) Aldrich, 
who was born in Clarke County, Ohio, Feb. 2j, 
1831. Her father was a native of Vermont, and the 
mother i^f Ohio, to which latter State they emi- 
grated soon after their marriage, locating in Clarke 
Count}', where they spent the reniaindei- of their 
lives. The household circle includeil two children 
only, a son and a daughter. 'J'he brother of Sirs. 
K., William Aldrich, is still a resident of Ohio. Of 
the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Sehoen- 
berger, by name. William .1. ami Ida A., the former, 
in .May, 1881, married Miss Ida Foos, of Cham- 
[jaign, and is engaged in business at Springfield, 
III.; ld;i A. became the wilt; of William C. Brickey, 
and died at the home of her husband in Clarke 
County, Ohio, Jan. 14, 1879. Her (laughter. Ida 
S., resides with her grandparents, our subject and 
wife. 

Mr. Sehoenberger. allhougii full uf business, 
never having time to be idle, has represented 



i 



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i 



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-4*- 




872 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Brown Township in tlie Board of Supervisors and 
officiated as School Director. Political!}' he is a 
stanch Republican, and fearlessly upholds the princi- 
ples in which he sincerel}- believes. .Airs. S. is a 
consistent member of the Christian Churcii, and a 
lady liighly esteemed by all who know her. 



— j»t^ 



^<:'K- 



>^*ii ■ 



Li^^HOMAS ,1. WOODIN. junior member of the 
il^^\ '^''"' '^^ Ream &. W(K)diu, manufacturers of 
^^^ drain-tile at St. Joseph, lepresents with his 
partner one of the most important industries in 
that section, which was established by Mr. Ream in 
the spring of 1880. Our subject became connected 
with the enterprise in 1882. The equipments of 
the works are after the latest improved patterns, and 
the drying is carried on liy the most popular meth- 
od, narael}'. that of air instead of heat. In addi- 
tion to this industry the lirm is also engaged in 
the breeding of Norman and Belgian horses, and 
has now in its possession six fine stallions of late 
importati(Mi. which are destined to make their mark 
among the fine horses of Champaign County. 

Mr. Woodin is a native of Verniiiion County, 
this State, born near what was formerly known as 
, Butler's Point, but is now Catlin, Sept. Itj. 1841. 
His parents, Elmore and Rebecca Woodin, were 
natives respectively of Ne.v York and Ohio, and 
were among the earliest s.ttlers of Vermilion 
County. They located on a tract of uncultivated 
land, from which the father built up a good home- 
stead, where he lived and labored until called to 
his eternal rest, in the spring of 1858. The mother 
survived him for a period of twenty-two 3'ears, her 
death taking place in 1880, at tlie home of her son 
in St. Joseph. ( )f the eight children born to the par- 
ents three only survive, two sous and one daugh- 
ter, residents of St. Joseph. 

Our subject passed iiis boyhood and youth in 
Xerniilion County, where he began and completed 
his education. He remained with his mother until 
after her second marriage, ami when a youth of 
nineteen years enlisted as a soldier in the Union 
army, becoming a member of Co. E, olst 111. Vol. 
Inf., his regiment being assigned to the Army of 



i" 



the Mississippi, and stationed first at Cairo, 111., 
then took i)art in the battle of New .Madrid In Mis- 
souri, and thence proceeded to Memphis, Tenn., 
whence they were ordered back to Corinth, assist- 
ing in the capture of that city, and from tiiere re- 
traced their steps again to Alabama, then to Jlur- 
freesboro and Chattanooga, meeting the enemj' at 
each point. During a charge at Mud Creek young 
Woodin was shot thr.)ugh the ankle by i minie 
ball, making a very painful wound, and by reason 
of which he was confined to the hospital eleven 
months. Ipon his recovery the war was [)ractically 
ended, and he received his honorable dischaige in 
June, 18G.5, at Springfield. 111. 

After being transferred from a soldier to a civil- 
ian Mr. Woodin took up his abode in St. Joseph 
Township, where he has since resided. He first en- 
gaged in farming, and then became connected with 
his brother in the grain business until 18G7, wiien he 
added the shipping of stock, hogs and cattle, wliiuh 
he found quite iirofitable, and which he still i)ur- 
sues. In 187u Jlr. Woodin was united in marriage 
with Miss Carrie A., the daughter of Jonathan 
Hunt, one of the pioneers of Champaign County, 
the wedding ceremony taking place in Prairie Hope 
Church. The offspring of this union was three 
sous — Walter L., Earl B. and Ernest C. 

]\Ir. W. was one of the members of the first Town 
Board of St. Joseph, and has served as Director of 
the Village School Board, while his clear head and 
good judgment are ofteu called into requisition by 
his fellow-townsmen in discussing the measures 
which shall result in the most good to the greatest 
number. 



ji> S. CORLIS is the owner of eighty acres 
of highly cultivated land located on sec- 
tion 25. Sidney Township. He was born 
in U|)per Canada, Dec. li), 18.'5!), and is the son of 
Abraham W. and Elizabeth (Shaw) Corlis. His 
father wiis a native of New York State, but re- 
moved with his parents to Canada when but ten 
years of .age. About the year 1850 our subject's 
father removed with his family to Michigan. 

On the 28th of February. 18(;2, .Mr. W. S. Corlis 
enlisted in Co. A, 3d Mich. Vol. Inf., and served T 




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i 






•4^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



873 



three years in tin- War of the Ht'lu'Ukiii. lie was 
first !i lueiiiber of the M ('<)r|)s. Imt after (ieii. 
'J rant had been made Cunimander of the Army of 
tlie West he was removed lo the 2d turps under 
(ien. Ilaneock. Me foiijiht bravels' in tiie battle uf 
Seven I'ines, ',he second iUdl Run engagement, the 
buttles of Fredericksburg, Chaneellorsville. Gettys- 
burg and the Wilderness. At the close of the war 
he was mustered out of service at City Point, Va., 
and returned to Michigan, where he remained six 
niuntlis, and tlien removed to Champaign County, 
where he has remained until llie present time. 

Mr. Carlis w.is niairied in \'ermilion County', 
111., Oct. IS, IXiifJ, to Miss M. .1. Peters, the daugh- 
ter of Sj'lvanus and Catherine (Burton) Peters. 
Her [i.irents were natives of Ohio. Her mother 
died in Indiana and her father in Urbana, tliis 
county. Mr. Corlis aucl his wife have six children, 
viz., Don, born Aug. 2,), 1S6'J; Walter, March I, 
1.S71; Mary, Doe. 8, 1S73; Alta, Dec. a. 1«75; 
Fred, Oct. 4. 1.^77; >i'orah, June 1, 1SS4. His res- 
idence and farm buildings are both comfortable 
and elegant, as will be seen Ij^' examining the litho- 
graphic view which is shown on another page vf 
this work. Mr. Corlis has become identified with 
the interests of the place; has held the ollice of 
School Director, and in politics sj'mpathizes with 
the Republican party. 



-ijrij#:|**ss 



ot^^f^.-?- 



■S^DGAU ALLEN SiIA\l<:U, a law-abiding 
fel citizen, and a gentleman didy respected by 
■J_:r^' ids neighbors and acquaintances, located on 
section l(j, Kantoul Township, in ISJ-iO. He has been 
a resident, however, of the Prairie State since isi',,"), 
coming here with his father from Indiana. His 
birth|)lace was .Shelby County, Oido, and the date 
thereof Aug. ;>, 1841. He is the son of I'hilip 
Shaver, who was born in Warren County, Ohio, 
Sept. o, 1814, and whose parents were of (ierman 
birth and anceslr}-. The graiidf.-iLlier of our sub- 
ject enugraled to the United States when a young 
man, and settled in Ohio during its early coloniza- 
tion. He theie married and rai.sed a family, .-imoug 
wlK)m was l'hili|>, the f.ither of onr subject, who 



•►-■-4«- 



i 



passed his boyhood and youth in Warren County. 
After reaching manhood he was married to Miss 
Mary E. Bailey. Her father, William Bailey, a 

' native of \'irginia, was oui> of the early pioneers of 
the Buckeye State, and made his location in Clin- 
ton County. Philip Shaver, soon after removing 

I from his native county, resideil in Shelby and Lo- 
gan Counties until 1861, then crossed (jver the line 
into Indiana, and settled on a farm which he Jiad 
[)nrchased in Noble County. After a residence 
there of si.v years, he came to this .State, purchased 
eighty acres of land in Logan Count}', and ini- 

I proved a farm, luiilding u|) a good homestead, 

' where he died .June 8, 1871). His wife, the nu)ther 
of our subject, was born in Ohio, and departeil this 
life at their home in Logan County, this .State, Oct. 
2, 1875. 

Edgar A. Shaver atttended the district schools 
in Shelby County, Ohio, and when old enough as- 
sisted his father on the farm. He removed with 
the famil}' to Indiana in 1861, and four 3'ears later 
commenced working at the carpenter's trade. He 
was a natural mechanic, and handled tools with so 
much ease and readiness that he received wages 
from the first. In company with his brother he 
afterward [)urchased eighty acres of wild land in 
Logan County, and while working at his trade also 
superintended the improvement of his land. He 
continued thus occupied in Logan County until 
becoming a resident of Champaign County in 1880. 
That same year he purchased the farm of which he 
is the proprietor, and which comprises 160 acres of 
land with a good residence, and all oilier needful 
buildings. He raises grain and stock principally, 
and the land also supplies all the produce required 
for the lunisehold. He has an excellent wife, and 
five bright children complete the happiness of the 
household. These are Elmer A.. Thomas Albert, 
Charles Edgar, Elonzo Dow and Claudius. Mrs. 
Shaver, formerly Miss Melissa .L Dalbow, is .-i na- 
tive of this State, born in Pike County, March 21, 
1856. Her father, Isaac Dalbow, a native of New 
Jersey, came to Illinois during the early settlement 
of I'ike County, where he located and s|)ent the re- 
mainder of his life. 'IMie m.aiden name of his wife 
was Eliza Mustard. She w;is born in X'iiglnia. is 
still living, and a resident of I'ike Counlv, 

»► 



* 



.i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






The home of Mr. and Mrs. Shaver presents the 
typical picture of a peaceful farm house, whose in- 
mates are surrounded by all the comforts of life. 
They are training their children to lialiits of indus- 
try and those principles of virtue and honor which 
are the sure foundation of good citizenship, and 
which will secure for them the respect and esteem 
of their community, and a good financial standing 
in life. Our subject and his wife became connected 
with the Methodist Kpiscopal Church in l.ss;{, <^f 
which they remain consistent members. 

The brothers and sisters of Mr. .Shaver, eight in 
number, are recorded as follows: John W. was 
born May 27, 1842; Frances H., Aug. 22, 1846; 
Elizabeth A., May 4, 1848; Thomas E., born Dec. 
17, 184y. died Oct. 25, 1878; Philip W. was born 
Jan. 10, 1852; Nancy J., Sept. 12, 1854; Mary M., 
Dec. 14, 185(); Amy A., born Aug. 5, 1860, died 
Aug. 17, 1880; Nancy, vvho was born in 1854, died 
in 1886. 



T*<'E>— 



VS. WATERS. The career of this gentle- 
man possesses more than ordinary interest 
to the reflective mind, as it presents a 
forcible illustration of the result of enterprise and 
industry and a steady, undcviating course through 
rain and shine. Mr. Waters .-tMrted out in life witli 
no capital but his strong hands and determined 
will. He was willing to live within his income at 
the start and has adhered to this rule all his life. 
He commenced in an extremely modest manner, oc- 
cupying at first a small house with a few acres of 
land, but gradually made his way upward until now 
we see him in possession of an elegant resi'lence 
occupying one of the most Iteautiful sites in .Stan- 
ton Township. It is <iu a rise of ground which 
commands a view of the country for miles around. 
The dwelling and its adjacent buildings stand back 
from the public road and a beautiful driveway 
winds around, ))ordered on each side with handsome 
shade trees. The ground is otherwise embellished 
with shrubs and llowers, and the fields surroundhig 
form a picture extremely beautiful to look upon. 



The land is finely improved and the live stock of 
the farm includes the better grades of horses, cattle 
and hogs. One important feature of the homestead 
is the fine fruit orchard which provides the family- 
and manj' of their friends with good things to eat 
the year around. It has taken many years to per- 
fect the homestead as it at present appears, and the 
proprietor may be pardoned if he views with pride 
and satisfaction the result of his labors. The estate, 
a view of which we give in this connection, lies on 
the southwest quarter of section 7, and about five 
miles from the little village of Thomasboro, the 
chief shipping and trading point of that locality. 

The subject of this historj' is a native of Berk- 
shire County, Mass., where he drew his first breath 
Feb. 11, 1826. His early days were spent on the 
farm, where he gained a gtiod acquaintance with 
the various departments of .agriculture and received 
the advantages of the common schools. When si.x- 
teen years of age he left the parental roof to learn 
the bl.acksmith's trade at Otis, Mass. This occupied 
his time for six 3'ears and he then set up in business 
for himself. After conducting his shop at Otis 
nineteen 3'ears, he determined to change his location 
and occupation, and selling out came to this State 
and for the following four ^-ears rented land and 
carried on farming. In 1870 he purchased 256 
acres of wild prairie and at once set about its culti- 
vation and improvement. The first year he broke 
and fenced about forty acres and built a small 
house into which he moved his family. From that 
time his course has been one of prosperity, and 
while building up a permanent and beautiful home- 
ste.id he has at the same time secured the good- 
will and esteem of his neighbors and fellow-citi- 
zens. The work of such a man is not merely con- 
fined to his own estate or to his own interests, but 
has its effect throughout the whole township, con- 
tributing to l)uild up and maintain its reputation as 
the al)lding-place of an intelligent and enterprising 
community. By his successful mau.igement of his 
farm he has, as it were, painted a bright picture on 
the landscape which gives |)le.asure to all who look 
upon it and is a silent vvitness of what refined taste 
and ingenuity m.a^' accom|)lish. 

The lady who has presideil with dignity and 
grace over the liouio of our subject for a period of y 



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i 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



S77 a 



I 



over thirty-five years, was in her girlhood Miss 
Klizahetii Haley, to whom he was manied on tlie 
l:?th uf October, 1.S4'.), in Blanrlfoid, Mass. Mrs. 
Waters was born in Blandford. Hampden Co.. Mass., 
in 1825, and is the danghter of Tnelcer M. and 
Hannah (M^atson) Haley, natives of Rhode Island. 
The p.arental household included three children: 
Klizalieth, Mrs. W. ; Henry A., who married Annett 
Fenn, and is a practicing physician of this county, 
and Jennie A., the wife of Joseph Waters, of New 
York City. Henry and Jennie are twins. Tuclccr 
Haley departed this life at his home in ISouier 
Township, this county, in September, 1870, and the 
wife and mother over a j'ear later, Jan. 12, 1872. 
The grand[)arents of Mrs. Waters, Jeffrey and Han- 
nah (Bal)eock) Haley, were natives of Rhode island, 
whence they removed to Massachusetts at an early 
diiy where they passed the remainder of their lives. 
The former died in 1828. Tlie grandmotiier sur- 
vived her husband for about twenty-four ye.ars, her 
death taking place in August, 1852. The family 
is of English descent. 

The father of our subject, Levi Waters, who was 
born in Massachusetts, moved to New York, where 
Le lived for twenty years. He was married in early 
life to Miss Lucinda Twining, and they became the 
parents of six children, as follows: Lyman T., who 
married Miss Jane .Shepi)ard, and they are residents 
of Copenhagen, N. Y. ; W. .S., of our sketch, was the 
second son; Joseph, who married Miss Jennie IIale3\ 
and is living in New York C'it>'; Roliert. wiio mar- 
ried early in life and his first wife died shortly' 
afterward; he was then married to Miss Mollie 
Leach, and they are living in Fayette County, Oiiio; 
Nelson, who first married Miss Emma McBurncy, 
of Peterboro, Ontario. She died in 1882, and he 
w.'is then married to Mrs. Bell, of Paxton, III.; 
they are living in Marshall County, Kan. llcniy 
died when live years of age. The Wateis family is 
also of English ancestry. The paternal grandpar- 
ents of our subject were natives of Rhode Island, 
l)ut afterward removed to Massachusetts, where they 
spent their last ypars. 

The five children of Mr. and .Mrs. Waters are re- 
corded as follows: Henry N.. who was born Nov. 
.'50, 1851, died Aug. 1», 18/8; Howard W. was Ixn'n 
Nov. 20, 1853; Myron L., .Marcii l.J, 1850; Ella E., 

4' 



May 3, 1861 ; Jessie L., Jan. G, 1872. The living 
children are all at home, the boys assisting their 
father in carrying on the farm. Mrs. Waters is a 
member of the Congregational Church. Mr. Wa- 
ters is a decided Re[)ublicaii in politics, as is the 
whole family. 



\f/OSEl'll II. L0(;AN, now a farnuT and 
stock-grower, located on section ."il, .Sidney 
Townshii), was one of the gallant .soldiers 
re.'idy to respond to tlie call of his c<nintrv 
to lay down his life if required in the defense of 
the "old Hag." He was born in Carroll County, 
Ohio, Jan. 27, 1840, and is the son of J. .M. and 
Elizabeth (IIi.\on) Logan. 

In the si)ring of 1807 Jose|)h's father, who luul 
lived for some time in Indiana, moved to Kansas, 
where he remained until 1874, when, not feeling 
satisfied with his surroundings, he came to Cham- 
paign County, and remained through one winter 
with his son Joseph H. In the following spring he 
returned to Indi,an:i and remained there one year, 
then moved to VV^ayne County, III., where he is 
now living in comfort and ease as a retired farrnci'. 
Joseph H. Logan came to Illinois in 1S0(), when 
a young nnm, and purchased forty acres of railroad 
land, which he broke and cultivated until ls7l. 
He then sold and purchased his present place, I'om- 
prising eighty acres of valuable land all under a high 
state of cultivation, and on wlileli he h:is .'ni eleg.-uit 
residence and excellent farm luiildings, well sup- 
plied with all the modern appliances necessary for 
systematically conducting farm woiU. Among the 
representative f;irm views given in this .Vi.j.im may 
I be finmd that of Mr. Logan. 

In December, 1803, Mr. Logan enlisted in Co. B, 
1st Indiana Heavy Artillery, and served until Jan- 
uary, 1800. Among the many liard-fongliL battles 
in which he was eng.agcd was the nienioral)le siege 
of Mobile, which continued throughout nine weary 
days and nights. While in the service he was 
never absent fioni his post except for a short time 
when he lay sick in the hospital at New Orleans. 
Unalih^ to march witli Ills b.atlcry In Ft. Morg.an 
he, with a few others, was left in eharjjc of the 



■•►-■-* 



i 



t 



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t 



878 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ciiuip equipage until the return of tlie regiment. 
Mr. Lwgan, like many others, who escaped death 
on the l):ittle-field, contracted disease from exposure 
and hardship wliile in the army, from wliich he has 
never fully recovered, having been to some extent 
an invalid since the close of the war. Me does not, 
however, regret the sacrifice made in lielialf of his 
country, and suffei's with a patient resignation the 
aHlietions which are the I'esult of his army services. 

On the Gtli of Ai)ril. ISGd, Mr. Logan was married 
to Miss Eliza Ring, the daughter of Walter and 
Mary (lloffsiuger) Ring. .She was horn Oct. 2, 
l.s I'.l. Her parents were (^f (ierman extraction, and 
both of them are now living in Indinna. .Mr. Lo- 
gan and his wife have a family of six interesting 
children, whose names are as follows: Cora A., born 
March L5, 1869 ; Franklin, .Ian. II, 187.) : Charles, 
Dec. 10, 1877; Effie A., April -i. 1.SS2. A son and 
daughter died in infancy. 

In addition to the home place Mr. Logan owns 
eighty acres of highly improved laud on section 29, 
and six acres of timbered land. He is a i^ublic-" 
s|)iriled man, interested in all the affairs of the 
count}', and has held the ollice.s'of Koad Commis- 
sioner and .School Director. Ho is reg;irded as one 
of the best citizens of his comniunit}-, and has 
made a good record both on the baltlc-lield and in 
the pursuits of the peaceful calling which he now 
follows. In politics he is a Uemocral. 



ILTOX U. .S(J1M-:R, a gentleman of educa- 
''' tion and retiiied t.-isles who has made the 




most of his opportunities in life, is one of 
the most highly respected n embers of the 
farming ci-nunuuity of llarwood Township, resid- 
ing on section 211. He is of New England birth, 
having been born in Franklin County, Vt., April 2, 
1830. He is the youngest child of Remember E. 
and I'ermeli.-i (.McXall) .Soper, also jiatives of the 
(Ireeii Mountain .State. His mother was of Irish 
descent. Her father, a Captain in the English army, 
while in the service was sent to Canada, and subse- 
(pKMitly removed to \'ermonl, where he engaged in 
farming and remained until his death. The father 
-<• . 



of Milton H., Remember E., was a Captain in the 
United States Army, and participated in the War 
of 1812. At the battle of Plattsburg. being in one 
of the volunteer corps, he was the means of saving 
the regular trooi)s from defeat. His coolness and 
bravery iusjjiredhis men with courage to rush upon 
the enemy and put them to flight. .Subsequently 
he was engaged along the Canadian border until 
the close of the war, when he was honorably dis- 
charged. He received a [lension for his services 
and also a bounty of lOO acres of land. I'pon one 
occasion while in the service, and during the storm- 
ing of the fort at Flattsburg, the movements of the 
volunteer troops commanded by Capl. .Soper, were 
so regular and precise that the liritish mistook 
them for reinforcements from the regular service, 
and withdrew from their position, abandoning the 
attack of the fort. The gallant Ca|)tain, although 
in many engagements and always at the front with 
his men, escaped without a wound. After retiring 
from the service he returned to his homo in \'er- 
mont whore he spimt several years. 

The father of our subject came to Illinois in tho 
fall of 1847, settling near what is now Wankegan. 
His family consisted of four daughters and two 
sons, viz., Adeline, .lulia. Orange 1*., EveJine, Ra- 
chel, and Milton IL oi our sketch. 

Young .Soper continued umler the parental roof 
until sixteen years old, spending much of his time 
in school. He then entered Waukegan Academy, 
and from there was .sent to Lawrence University, at 
Appleton, Wis., where he pursued his studies for 
two years. He then entered the University of 
Michigan, where he completed his studies with 
much honor and returned home. He found his 
father in ill-health and at once cancelled an engage- 
ment which he had made to take charge of the 
public schools in Memphis, Teun. The late war 
being then in progress it was perhaps fortunate 
that he was not permitted to go South. He en- 
gaged in the real estate and loan business at AVau- 
keiran, and continued with his father for the follow- 
ing three years. He had greatly desired to acquire 
a thorough knowledge of medicine, but sacrificed 
his own wishes to those of his parents, and at their 
.solicitation relurue<l with them, in 18(i.'), to his na- 
tive State. He purchased a farm of 300 acres in 



^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



879 



Franklin Coiliitv, ;iii(l in company witli his fatluT 
followed agriculture for a period of four years. 
His father and mother continued to reside in \'er- 
nioiit until their deaths, while Milton II. returned 
West. 

In company with his Inother, (). I'., he went into 
Southwest Missouri and took the lirst ste|)s in the 
establishment of a shee|) rancii. Thev looked over 
the eotnitry and found a suitable location, but also 
fonml that an ultra Yankee had very little to en- 
courage him in .svttlinu' there. In view of this state 
of affairs they returned to Illinois and purchased 
about ')60 acres of land from the Illinois Central 
Railroad C'oniijany, foi' the [(urpose of sijcculating. 
In due time they sold all but 120 acres and upon 
this, in l.SGS, our subject, who was then married, 
removed his family. There has been a great change 
since then. The uncultivated prairie has been trans- 
formed into a beautiful farm of 240 acres, with a 
handsome modern residence, a good barn and all 
other buildings necessary for tlie shelter of stock 
and the storage of grain. The Sopor farm is ac- 
knowledged by all to be on(^ of the finest in Har- 
wood Township, and its pro|)rietor is one of the 
most popular men in that hjcality. His residence 
is finely finished and furnished, and one of the most 
interesting features is the fine librar}', to which the 
|)roprietor often has recourse in his leisure hours. 
In early youth his incliuatit)ns were for the army 
or navy, and at one time he made all |)reparations 
for a course at West Point. He gave up his cadet- 
ship, however, at the solicitation of his mother, 
who was apprensive of the result of such a life for 
her favorite son. She could not blame him, how- 
ever, for he came of ancestors remarkable for their 
military prowess. 

The lady whom oni- subject married was Miss 
Catherine A., daughter of Elijah and Mary (Nay) 
Soper, also of Vermont, but supposed to have lieen 
no relative. Their marriage took place Jan. IS, 
1862, in Waukegan, III. The family of children, 
six in number, born to our subject and his wife, are 
iis follows: The eldest daughter, Cora M., was born 
in ^'crnlont. The others — Adrian K.. Arthur M., 
Stanley L., .Alorton N. and Lanra Kdith — are natives 
of the Prairie State. Mr, ami ,Mrs, S. jii-e active 
mend)ers of the Methodist I'^iiscopal Church, and 




our subject has often discharged tlu' duties of the 
various townshi|) ollices. Politically he is a Ui'pub- 
lican. 



/ll.LL'VM ld-;.\KVK. The subject of this 
sketch, a native of this State, was liorn 
W^ seven miles northeast of what is now the 
flourishing city of Danville, in September, 1832. 
He is the third child of .lolm and Rebecca (Newell) 
Leneve, the former a native of Tennessee and the 
latter of Kentucky, His paternal grandparents 
were Samuel and Catherine (Arlington) Leneve, 
the former the son of .lohu and Catharine Leneve, 
natives of France. .lohn Leneve served as a sol- 
dier in the RevoltUionar}- War under command of 
the gallant Lafayette, and was killed in the same 
battle in which his coniniander was wounded. The 
grandmother of our subject was the daughter of 
John Arlington, who was banished from .Sc(.tland 
on account of his religious belief. He lied to 
America and joined with the Colonists in the war 
against his persecutors, resolved to '"give his life 
and seal it with his blood," if necessary for the 
cause of independence. The Later descendants of 
the family were highly educated, and strictly relig- 
ious, and several of its male members were states- 
men of marked ability, who wielded an important 
influence u[)i>ii the social and moral questions of 
their day. 

The father of our sulijcct with his brother, Oba- 
diah, came to Illinois in 1824, and located first in 
Vermilion County during its earliest settlement, 
when the footprints of white men were seldom seen. 
The journey was made overland, and upon arriving 
at their destination they (occupied their wagon as a 
shelter until they could put up a log hut. Both 
being single thej' were obliged to keep house for 
themselves, and the In<lians were their only neigh- 
bors. They entered a large tnict of land and made 
every preparation to establish fov themselves a [)er- 
manent home. Two years later Obadiah, who was 
the first to inaugurate a change in their manner of 
living, brought a wife to the cabin door who took 
charge of their domestic jitTairs, an<l seeing how 
much better it w.as to have " women folk " .■iround. 
.lohn ill du<' time folloucd his bml Ik'i's I'xaiiiplc. 



4" 



i 



t 



t 



/ 



' ' 



880 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



'J'he cabin of one small room was not large enough 
for t«o families, so tlu- lirolliers separated, and there- 
after each followed fanning for liiniselft In due 
time each family wms augmented by the birth of 
children, and these, like their fathers and niothers, 
were at an early age inducted into the experiences 
of pioneer life, together with its labors and duties. 

Our subject took kindly to the labor imposed 
upon him and remained a member of the parental 
household until he was twent^'-six years i>U\. Me 
then concluded he was big enough to look out for 
himself and also for another. Mis marriage with 
Miss Emma Smith took place at the home (^f the 
liriile's parents on the Ith of March, 1H,J8. Mrs. 
L. was the daughter of .Iose|)li and .luliet A. Snnth, 
and by her union with our subject became the 
mother of two sons, Joseph Perry and Marshal 
Ney, both of whom are still living. Tiie latter 
married Miss Mary, daughter of .Smnnel and .Sarah 
Kuns, and is engaged in farming near the home- 
stead of his father. The mother of these children 
passed from earth on the 1st of June, 18()(j. She 
was a lady greatly beloved b^' her husband and 
friends, by whom her memory is held as the cher- 
ished wife and mother who [)crformed all her duties 
in life in a faithful maiuiLM- and left behind her a 
record of womanly virtues. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married Aug. 22, 18G7, was Margaret M. Halvert, 
the eldest daughter of Davis .S. and llachel. (Col- 
lins) Halvert, natives of Iveutucky. Her father, 
although fifty years of ago at the outbreak of the 
late Civil \Var, enlisted in the Union army and 
served gallantly for three years. The first husband 
of Mrs. L. was William .Mills, of Vermilion County. 
111., by whom she became the mother of one son, 
William M., who married Miss Ad;i, daughter of 
Klbridgeand Minerva Loring, of Vermilion County. 
Mr. and Mrs. Alills have one daughter, Ivlna V. 

Our subject continued iu the stock business in 
connection with farming until 187.!), the year when 
so many men succumbed to the hard times and 
parted with the larger share of their possessions. 
Mr. L. was carried along in the general disaster, 
being obliged to give u|) all his property to his 
creditors, and retained for himself only a te;im of 
horses and one cow, though the law, which provides 
-4* 



for those who have met with like misfortune, would 
Inive given him more. In due time he was enabled 
to recover his footing and eventually purchased 
back 240 acres of the land he was obliged to for- 
feit, and begins to feel that he is once more upon 
solid ground. 

Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Leneve, 
one daughter, Emma S., passed from earth at the 
age of twelve years, leaving a sad vacancy in the 
household circle. Those surviving arc .lohn S.. 
Sanford W.. Lillie J., Samuel K.. Thomas. Laura 
Miiy and Nellie Hay ; the two l.itter are twins. They 
are all at home with their parents, the ohU-r mem- 
bers having received a goi^d education and the 
younger ones still pursuing their studies. ( )nr sub- 
ject and his wife are connected with the .Methodist 
Episcopal Church, anil Mr. L., although taking no 
active part in politics, endorses the principles of the 
Reijublican part^'. 

.-d»»i» .^>t>;*^^.^;<f-M^5«^-. 
()N. JAMES S. WRIGHT. Till' subject of 
this history' has been a resident of Cham- 
paign Coimty for the long period of fifty- 
six }-ears, and has won an enviable place in 
the hearts of its people. After a busy ami ener- 
getic life he is now retired from active labor, and 
in a beautiful home, surrounded by the comforts of 
life, and the friendship of his fellow-citizens, is en- 
joying the ease and quiet to which his early indus- 
try and honorable and upright course in life have 
fully entitled him. 

Mr. Wright was torn in Highland County', Ohio, 
on the 4th of August, 1816, and came to Illinois in 
1 830, with his father's family, excepting the mother, 
who had died five years previously in Indiana. 
They first settled near Homer, Champaign County. 
The father of our.subject, John B. Wright, was born 
in Virginia in 178,5, and in 180;) was married to 
Miss Elizabeth .Stephens. They removed on a boat 
down the Ohio River to a point near Leesburg\ 
where James S. was born. In the same year they 
emigrated to Indiana, locating where Winchester 
now stands. There the mother died, in 182.'i, and 
the father in l,S(;i). Tlie latter was a man of great 
force of character, and possessed more than ordi- 




n 



t. 



i i 



-4^ 



:L. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



«81 



-! 



nary al)ilitv. beinjj prominent in the loc;il aflfairs of 
Ills I'uiiiilv, and served in the Stale Legislatnre at 
Corydon, tlie old capital, from ISIS to 1824. Here 
the boy .lames was raised after the manner of most 
farmers' sons and assisted his father in the blaek- 
smilh-shop, the latter haviny served an apprenlice- 
siiip at this bnsiness in early nianhond. Onr sul)- 
jeet attended sc-hool three months eaeli winter. 
where tiie old Seoteh teaelier wimld vary tiie after- 
noon exercises by taking a na[), a drink of liqnor. 
and whipping two or three boys. 

Tlie Wright family was of Seotch-Irish descent, 
and tlie famil}' of John ]>. consisted of three sons 
— David, .lames and .lohn 15., ,Ir. After going to 
Indiana the father of our suliject. in addition to his 
blacksniithing and legislative duties, served as 
Connty Treasurer, and filled other responsible posi- 
tions with credit and fidelity. After coming to 
Illinois they loeate<l in what was then called Ver- 
milion but is now Homer Townslii)). Cham|)aign 
County. Hero the elder Wright purchased KiO 
acres of land, for which he paid ■S.')0(), and where, 
after years of industrious labor, he established a 
comfortable homestead, which he occupied until 
a few years before his death, which occurred in 
18(>!). llis natural abilities were soon recognized 
b}' the people of this locality, and it was not long- 
before he was tacitly acknowledged as a suitable 
leader in the community and a man whose opinions 
and word conld be relied upon. Here he served as 
County Commissioner and was called to other posi- 
tions of note. He had been reared in the Society 
of Friends, and possessed in a marked degree the 
simplicity and the honor which go hand in hand 
with the I'ves of the Quakers. The p.arental family 
consisted of nine children, of whom four are now 
living,^ind all are residents of this count}' — I'hebe, 
.Mrs. Way; Kebcoca, Mrs. Butler; .Sidna, Mrs. 
Swearingen, and .lames S. 

When nineteen years of age .lames S. \\'rigl it after 
much persuasion received the permission of his father 
to start out in the world on his own account. The 
family had experienced all the didlculties and pri- 
vations of pioneer life, and when our subject was 
offered the enormous salary of ^i i)erday by the Illi- 
nois it Michigan Canal, he at once accepted, .after 
having hired a farm hand at *10 per month to work 



for llis father during his minority. He had received 

a pr.actic.'il education and had taught school one win- 
ter. Aftei' three days' work on the canal he "tlew" 
his contract, as the bread-making, which was carried 
on by an li-islini:in with a piiie in his mouth, took 
aw.'iy his appetite. He then secui'ed employment in 
a hotel, where he became practically cashier and 
treasurer, and remaineil there until is:i7. He then 
returned home, and jnirchased eighty acres of land, 
but until re:idv to take possession of this engaged 
as clerk In a store at Homer, with whieh, in con- 
nection with hook-keeping, he occupied himself for 
five years followi^ig. Sul)serjuently he engaged in 
the |)ork trade, transporting his [)roiluce down the 
ri .er to New Orleans. After abandoning this he 
engaged as a stock-dealer at Homer, buying cattle 
and hogs, and feeding and shipi)iug, continuing at 
this for ten years. 

In IS');") Mr. Wright removed into the city of 
Chanip.-iign, and in aiMilion to mercantile pnrsuils 
engaged ([uite (extensively in real-estate transac- 
tions. He was cashier of the bank at ('hami)aign 
for three years after its organization. He put up 
the first brick building in the city, in lS")i;, and was 
first and foremost in every enterprise calculated to 
advance its welfare, lie donated the first ^1,000 
for the establishment of the Illinois Industrial 
University. During the erection of the building- 
work was stopped one year on account of the high 
prices occasioned by the war, and Mr. Wright in his 
aii-KJety to see it completed then contributed ^'M) 
more. As time passed on he beoaine an extensive 
land-owner in this and adjoining counties. 

In IStCi Mr. Wright was elected to the Legisla- 
ture by lifty majority over the Democratic candi- 
date, Col. M. W. Husey. He met in this body such 
men as ex-Gov. Reynolds, V. K. Linder. (lov. 
Matteson, .Judge .loseph (iillespie. and Stephen 1*. 
Logan, then lea<ler of the House. Liu(H)ln and 
David Davis were there, hut not members. .Stephen 
A. Douglas during that term was elected Senator. 
In the meantime Mr. Wriijht was also the incumbent 
of the oflice of County Surveyor. In ISSO he was 
elected to the .State .Senate for four years, .•uwl he 
often refers jtroudly to the brains and laleul which 
he found in the (Seneral Assembly of Illinois thirty 
years ago, and wiiicli he believes superior t«) that 

: — -•►- 



t. 



882 



4 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



of the jiresentdny. He has never belonged to aiij' 
chuixli (IV nny other organization except temperance 
societies, of which lie joined every one that came in 
his way, and l)y every means in liis p<iwer oi)iiosed 
tlie mannfactnrc and sale of spirituous liquors. 
Mr. Wiight, as m;iy be sui)posed, is a stanch sup- 
porter of tlie Kepulilican [lart}', and has served two 
terms as Mayor of Champaign. He was Postmaster 
of Ib»uier and Justice of the Peace in that place 
and in C'lianii)aign. 

Tlie marriage of James S. Wright and Miss Cath- 
erine Lander was celebrated in Homer Township, 
this county, at the residence of the bride's parents 
Nov. 11), 1840. Mrs. W. was the daughter of John 
and So|)hiii W. Lander, of Kentucky, who removed 
from liourbon County in 1830, and coming to this 
State and county settled in wiiat is now Homer 
Township, near the farm of John B. Wright. John 
Lander died seven years later, in 18;J7,and his wife 
in 18l'.i. l\Ls W. was born iiiBourlion County. Ky., 
March 20, 1823. Upon the same day of her mar- 
riage with our subject, her sister Margaret was 
married to William Elliott, Esq., of Homer, Uev. 
William Phillips performing the joint cerennjny. 
After remaining the faithful and affectionate com- 
panion of her husband tor a period of forty-six 
years, Mrs. Wright departed this life Nov. '.), I88G. 
She was a lady of great personal worth an<l highly 
respected by all who knew her. They bcciime the 
imrenls of eight children, four now living — James 
C, Jessie A., Minnie E. and Katie G. The family 
residence is located at No. 130 Ivist I'niversity ave- 
nue, where its inmates, surrounded by hosts of 
friends, are enjoying all the comforts of life. 



^- 



M-^ 




lis. NANCY REH), the daughter of .bunes 
P. and Catherine (Pool) Leedy, and wife of 
C. Reid. and who is pleasantly' situate(l in 
St. Joseph, was born in Vigo Count}', Ind., 
March I, 18;>8, and came to Champtiign County 
with her parents. Her father, :i native of Indiana, 
was l)orn Sept. 12, 1812, and the mother, .lune 1 I, 
IKIO. Their marriage took place in Portsmouth, 
Ohio, in I8.")L They afterward removed to Indi- 
ana, and loc.Mted on a farm in \'i<i<) Countv, where 



the father died in 1847. The mother, who was a 
Miss Argo, survived her husband for a period of 
nearly thirty years, ifi the meantime becoming a 
resident of Ogden Township in this county, where 
her death took place Dec. 22, 187.'). 

Tlieir family of five .sons and four daughters is 
recorded as follows: Rebecca Jane became the 
wife of James Purcell, and died in ^'igo County, 
Ind., in 183i), leaving two children; William H. 
was married, and at the breaking out of the late 
war enlisted in an Hlinois regiment and. died in the 
service at Nashville. Tenn., a year after his enlist- 
ment; Elizal)eth died when a child of seven years; 
Nancy, of onr sketch, w,as the fourth in order of 
birth; John T. married Miss Elizabeth Helton, who, 
after becoming the mother of eight children, de- 
parted this life in February, 1870; Francis J. mar- 
ried Miss Jessie Jarictte, and they are living in St. 
Joseph, this county: David, who enlisted in the 
20th Hlinois Lilantry, was wounded,and died Aug. 
It. 1804; Augustus died in the service of his 
country in 1802; James A. married Miss Nellie 
Peters, and is a resident of St. Joseph. 

The mother of these children, after the death of 
hei' first husband, was nnirried June 1.5, 1858. to 
Benjamin F., the son of P>enjamin and Esther Argo, 
of Pickaway County, Ohio. The death of Mr. A. 
took place in St. Joseph, Dec. 17, 1880. Benjamin 
1''. Argo, Sr.. linilt the first "rail-pen house " in tlie 
northern part of St. Joseph Towiishi|), which he 
^)ccupied with his family for several months. His 
first wife was AHss Nancy J>ee, of Pickaway County, 
Ohio, to whom he was married Feb. 11, 1827. Her 
death took [ihw'c in St. Joseph Township on the 18th 
of June, 1857. 

Mrs. Nancy Reid spent her childhood and youth 
under the parental roof, receiving ;i common-school 
education and being trained in the duties which 
best fitted her for a housewife and a hel|)meet t<) 
some good man. Her marri;ige with C. Reid took 
l)lace in St. Josejih Township, this county, Aug. 7, 
1859. Of this union tliere were born eight children, 
two sons and si.\ daughters, of whom four are <le- 
eeased : Mary C. is a resident of Finney County. 
Kan.; Etiie was married to C. W. McMains. Jan. 1. 
1885, but is now a widow, and living witli her par- 
ents, her husband li:iving <lied Sept. 20. 1 88C ; 



i 



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I 



4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



883 



f 

■T-: 



William nnd Majrgie A. are at homo with their 
mothor. 

Mr. Heid was horn in Iiel:ind. and wiien twenty 
years of age emigrated to the I'nited States, land- 
ing first in New York City, where he worked one 
3'ear at blaeksmithing. which trade he had learned 
in his native conntry. Thence he went to Chicago, 
spent a year or so in the G;irden City, and from 
there came into this county, where he was married, 
and followed his trade at St. Joseph until the out- 
break of the Civil War. He then enlisted on the 
2.')th of August, ItSOl, giving his time to his 
adopted country for the space of three years, dur- 
ing wliich he endured cheerfull}' the hardships of a 
soldier's life and received his honorable discharge 
at the close of his term of enlistment, and was mus- 
tered out Mt Springfield. 111., in 1864. since which 
time he has been following his trade and has pro- 
vided a good home for his family in St. Joseph. 

In 1885 Mr. Reid crossed the Mississippi, and 
going into Finney County, Kan., took up 1 GO 
acres of land which he is now improving, while at 
the samo time working at his trade in Montezuma. 
Mr. Ueid is a worthy citizen in all respects, and pos- 
sessed of commendable enterprise and industry. 
He is a member in good standing of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and belongs to .St. Joseph Post 
No. 22(1, G. A. R. He is also connected with the 
I. O. O. F. Mrs. Reid is a consistent uiomber of 
the Christian Church. Tiieir home in St. Josepii is 
pleasantly located, and is provided vvitli the ct)n- 
veniences of modern life. 



i~^^- 



f^ KRMAN TAULMAN. The subject of the 
|j following biography presents the picture of 
a well-preserved old gentleman, healthy, 
ha|)py and active, ))ossessed of a clear con- 
science, and who has marked over threescore years 
and ten on the dial of time. His birth took place 
near the city of New York, Oct. 3, 18l(), and he is 
the youngest child of William and Anna (llulse) 
Tanlman, the former a native of New York and the 
latter of (ierniany. The father of our sid)j('('l was 
a blacksmith 1 1\' trade, anil rcniovcil (Voni his na- 



t* 



tivc State in 181.S, settling near Cincinnati, Ohio. 
There his wife died about one ^-ear later, and his 
own death took place in about twelve months after 
his wife's decease at Flat Rock, Ind., to which he 
had removcil. Thus their son Herman was left an 
orphan at the tender age of four years, and having 
no written record, h.as little knowledge of his ances- 
try. After the death of his father he was bound 
out to .Solomon Ferris, a farmer of HaTuilton Coun- 
ty, Ohio, with whom he lived until reaching his 
ni.ajority. He early became acquainted with labor, 
and the only education he received was that ob- 
tained in the imperfect country schools. 

Our subject upon starting out in life for himself 
was fully prepared to .depend upon his own re- 
sources, having no caiiital and no friends to furnish 
him with such commodity. He continued at farm 
work until after his marriage, which occurred March 
2.T, 18;i9, when he was a little over twenty-three 
j'ears of age. His wife was Miss Mary, daughter 
of Louis and Mary (Clark) Pierson, wIk) were na- 
tives of Ohio. After his marriage he located with 
his young wife upon a tract of rented l.nul in 
Hamilton County, and for four or five years after- 
ward followed farming, lie then jiut up a sawmill 
in the timber regions of Hamilton County, and re- 
maine<l a resident there for a jieriod of twentv 
years. In the spring of 1844 he sutfercd a i,nvat 
atHietioM in the death of his wife; she had liecome 
the mother of two sons, William and .lohn. The 
former married Miss Hester Thornell, and still lives 
in Ohio, where he owns and operates the sawmill 
built by his father years .ago. He li;is two chil- 
dren — John Wesley and Ilattie. .lohn married 
Miss Lillie Dill, ami they located on the farm of 
our subject in Ilarwood Township, where they re- 
mained until the death of the former, wliicli occuired 
in isisd. He left a wife and one child. 

In 184() our snl>ject marrieil Miss Annie Davis, 
eldest child of Abram and Klizabeth (Morris) Da- 
vis, natives of Ohio, and residents of ll.-imilton 
County. Of this latter marriage there were born live 
childien, namely, Cavalier; Adam Lee, now de- 
ceased ; Oscar Marion, Mary and Luella. Ihc latter 
nriirried Calvin Crani", a prosperous farmer of Itiui- 
toul Township. The other surviving children are 
at home with their paients. . 






t. 



A 



884 



.t 



►=^-^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Mr. Taulnian, in March, 18(i9, disposed of Lis 
interests in the Biielceye State and came to Illinois 
with iiis family. Ho had lieen fairly iH'osperoiis in 
tilling the soil among the Ohio hills, and in seeking 
his new location, selected a tract of 320 acres on 
the south half of section :5:!. in Harwood Township. 
The land was nniniproved and withont fences or 
hnildings. His first business was to pnt up a tene- 
ment for his family and soon afterward he began 
to l)reak the sod. He labored industriously for 
several years, taking advantage of modern methods 
of agriculture, anil keeping his eyes open to what 
w.as going on around him in ttie world generally. 
After fencing his land and bringing it to a good 
state of cultivation he turned his attention to stock- 
raising. He makes a specialty of Short-horn cattle 
and Poland-China hogs. He has planted an apple 
orchard, set out choice trees of the finer fruits, and 
as time and opportunity permitted has embellislied 
his homestead in those ways best known to the en- 
ergetic and enterprising fanner. 

Mr. Taulman has never been a politician although 
earnest in his advocacy of the principles in which 
lie liilioves and which are most nearl3' represented 
by the Democratic i)arty. He has served as Road 
Commissioner and School Director for many years. 

■- ^#^ ^ 




HANCIS .M. LKUill, a worthy representa- 
tive of one of the oldest families of .St. 
Joseph Townsliip, w.as born in tiiis town- 
ship on the old homestead of his father and upon 
which he spent the greater part of his life, as he 
himself settled there after his marriage and will 
probalily keep it in the possession of the family. 
That which gave the feudal estates of old their 
value an<l importance was the residence upon them 
of one generation after another, by which method 
the familj- gained its power, influence and reputa- 
tion. 

Mr. Leigh was born .Sept. ;i, 1.S4.J, and is the son 
of Henry ami Jemima (Fisher) Leigh, natives of 
( )hio and Virginia respectively. His paternal grand- 
parents. Levi ami Klizabeth (Seedeth) Leigh, were 
j'oung people in the old revolutionary times, and 



the great-grandfather Seedeth participated as a sol- 
dier in the conflict which resulted in establishing 
the independence of the Colonies. Henry Leigh 
was born in \'irginia, in which .State his parents had 
settled after their marriage, and where their son 
was introduced to the responsibilities of life Sept. 
4, 1807. Snbsequentlj' they removed to Ohio, set- 
tling in "Pickaway County, where he grew to man- 
hood and married .Miss Jemima, the youngest child 
of John and Kli/.abcth (Petty) Fisher. The Fisher 
family were of (iernian and Welsh extraction, and 
the children of John and Eli/.alteth F.. whicli in- 
cluded four sons and five daughters, all grew to 
mature years, married, and settled in comfortable 
homes of their own. 

Henry Leigh and his wife remained in Pickaway 
County until the spring of 1 8.'J6, and then decided 
to seek their foVtunes in the Pi'airie State. Load- 
ing their household goods upon a wagon the}' started 
overland by team, part of their journey lying 
tlu'ough the niack Swamp oi Indiana. They car- 
ried their provisions, camped and cooked b}'' the 
w.ayside, and after a journe}' of four weeks ar- 
rived at their destination. Mr. Leigh selected a 
tract of land on section 2, St. Joseph Township, 
and proceeded with its improvement and cultiva- 
tion, although not being able to secure a title until 
some time later. The country at that time abounded 
in wolves, and their cries, together with those of 
the wild geese, often arou.sed the .settlers to pursue 
them. Gradually as the country became settled up 
these creatures disappeared, and the settlers' guns 
hung idle for weeks upon the wooden peg in the 
cabin. The father of our subject labored indus- 
triously to build up a comfortable homestead for 
his familj' and succeeded admirably, as the present 
farm gives ample indication. It now includes 120 
acres of valuable Land, thoroughl}- drained with 
tile, and fitted up with all modern improvements. 
The house and other farm buildings are substantial 
and comfortable, and finely adapted to all the pur- 
poses of country life. 

The subject of oiu- sketch pursued his first studies 
in the i>ioneer log .school-house in the winter sciison, 
and as soon as oU\ enough his services were made 
available on the farm. The death of his father 
took place when Francis M. w;is a j'outh of four- 



i 



i 



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.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



889 



teen years, in the spring of 18G1. He continued 
with his mother there.iftor, proving iior main sup- 
port and counselor, and after he assumed tiie man- 
agement of the farm the motlier praetieall}- retired 
from active labor l)ut is still living, making her 
liome with our subject. 

Mr. Leigh was married, Nov. It, 1S07, to IMiss 
Martlia, second daughter of J(ihu L. and Catherine 
Ross, and a native of Indiana, to whicli State her 
parents had removed after their marriage. Mr. 
Leigh brought liis bride to tlie old.liomestead wliich 
still continues their residence. 

Our subject is the only survivor of his father's 
f.amil3- of eight children. Two died in infancy. 
The others lived to mature years, but have since 
passed away. They were, Elizabeth, Martha C, 
Charles S., John F. and Mary A. The mother's 
birth occurred May 27, LSIH. Her residence on 
the present homestead of our subject comprises a 
period of fifty years, and the changes which she 
has witnessed during that time have been as re- 
markable as satisfactory to one who has watched 
them with an observant eye and rejoiced at every 
evidence of the pros|)erity of Illinois. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Francis M. Leigh 
were nine in number, three of whom died in in- 
fancy. The others are John M., Marion E., Cath- 
erine A., Ivah Maj', Lola Etta, William Everette. 
Mr. Leigh has been prominent in the affairs of his 
township since reaching his majority, and is a gen- 
tleman in whom his neighbors have great confidence 
.as they have watched his course from boyhood up 
and found there the elements of a reliable and sub- 
stantial manhood. He has ofliciated as School 
Director, and with his estimable wife is a member 
in good standing of Prairie Hope Cluircii. 



J" AMES YEAZEL, a successful farmer and 
stock-grower of Homer Township, is a na- 
tive of the Buckeye State, and was born in 
Clarke County, March 2, 1817. His p.ar- 
cnts, Abr.iham and Mary (Curl) Yeazel, were 
both natives of A'irginia, the former of (Jerman and 
the latter of Scotch ancestrj'. Abraiiam Yeazel, 
who was born April 29, 1774, located in Ohio in 



the pioneer days, and became a farmer and stock- 
grower of much importance in Clarke Count}- and 
vicinity. He departed this life in 1831, when little 
past his prime, and in the midst of his usefulness, 
at the homestead which he had established by his 
enterprise and industry. Politicall}', he was a 
stanch Whig, and served for a number of years .as 
Justice of the Peace. The motlier of our subject, 
who cheerfully shared the fortunes and rejoiced in 
the successes of her husband, was born Oct. 30, 1 77G, 
and became the w^ife of Abraham Ye.azel on the 7th 
of October, 1794. The marri.a'ge resulted in the 
birth of fourteen children, and presented the re- 
markable spectacle of an unbroken family circle 
until after reaching adult years, all living to be- 
come men and women, all married, .and rearing 
families. The}' were named respectively, Mary 
A., Sarah, George, William, David, Jeremiah, 
Catherine, J.acob, Adam, Elizabeth, Abraham, Sid- 
ney, James and Isaac. 

The younger years of James Teazel's life were 
spent upon the farm of his father in Ohio, and when 
twenty years of age, on Sept. 7, 1837, he was 
united in marriage with Miss Mary M. Spencer, a 
native of Ohio, whose parents were from the State 
of New York. The result of this union w.as twelve 
children, who were named respectively, Jacob, 
John, Hamilton, William, George, James, Alice, 
Abraham, Abigail, Matthew L., Charles and Mary 
I. Five of these are deceased — Jacob, Hamilton, 
George, James and Charles. The mother died at 
the homestead, March 9, 18G7. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
married in June, 1872, was formerlj' Mrs. Eliza- 
beth (Littler) Habb. Of this union there have been 
born four children — Miltcm J., Maria E.,ason who 
died in infancy unnamed, and Frank. The chil- 
dren of Mrs. Yeazel by her first husband, were Ed- 
win P., Alice J., James E. and Charles D. Mr. 
Biibb was a native of Hardy County, W. Va., 
where he was born Nov. 10, 182G. His death oc- 
curred Jan. 8, 18G9, when in the forty-second 
year of his age, and while a resident of Homer 
Township. He was of a wealthy family and was 
himself a good financier. He w.as .an extensive 
stock-grower and in all respects a representative 
business man and citizen. He l)ocame a member^ 



1 



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••► 



I 



890 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



( 



of the Methodist Episcopal Church when fifteen 
years of age, and carried out in liis daily life the 
religion wliich he professed, lieing a kind husband, 
father and neighbor. His last illness was of brief du- 
ration, being taken with t^-phoid-pneunioiiia, which 
resulted f.italh" six days later. As one of the 
prominent men in tiie early history of this countj' 
we take pleasure in presenting his portrait in this 
Aliuji. 

Politically, Mr. Babb was an ardent supporter of 
Republican principles, but only participated in 
politics enough to cast his vote at the regular elec- 
tions. His estate embraced 1,100 acres of laud 
lying in the nortliern part of Ogden Township. He 
came to Illinois in 1854, and was married to Miss 
Elizabeth Littler three years later. The onl}^ 
daughter born of this marriage, Mary Alice Jane, 
liecame the wife of George W. Helm and the moth- 
er of twin daughters. Mabel Jane and Mar}' Alice, 
who are at the present writing (1887) bright and 
interesting children six years of age. Mrs. Helm, 
who had. evinced great ability as an artist, died at 
lier home in Sidney, Feb. 12, 1881, having been 
married less than a year. Edwin and Charles 
Baltb, who are promising young agriculturists, have 
charge of their father's farm and are principall}' 
engaged in the breeding of fine horses. Edwin, in 
1884, married Miss Emma S. Conliey, and the}- 
have one child, Harry C. James E. Babb, a finely 
educated young man. graduated in law at Chicago 
and is now a partner of Judge Fry, a prominent 
member of the legal profession of that citj'. 

Mrs. Elizabeth B. Yeazel was born in Ohiti, Jan. 
14, 1838. Her parents, ICdwin and Margaret 
(Sterrett) Littler, natives of Ohio, are both now^' 
deceased. The parental household numbered six 
children, namely, Kai'iiel, Elislia, Elizabeth, Mary 
A., Martha and Kdwin. .Mr. Yeazel came to Illi- 
nois in 1840 with less th;in ^1,000 in cash. He has 
been quite prosperous, as eviilenced bj' the statement 
that his real estate now includes 600 acres of some of 
the finest farming land in Central Illinois, provided 
with good iinprovemenls, including a fine brick 
residence, a substantial barn ami all conveniences 
for general farming, together with the proper 



feeding and care of fine st(jek. He is now engaged 



in breeding Norman and Clydesdale horses, and 



«» ■ ^ 



has a few sheep, with choice grades of cattle and 
hogs. Although our subject is not strong physi- 
cally, his natural energy will not ](crmit him to be 
idle, and he is alw,ays busy looking after the stock 
and generally superintending the estate. Although 
not mixing much in politics or religious matters, 
he is the stanch supporter of Republican principles 
and a believer in the Christian religion. His por- 
trait may be found on [tage 830. Mrs. Yeazel 
when a young girl thirteen j'ears of age, united 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she 
has been a devout and consistent member since 
that time. The portrait of this estimable lady ac- 
companies this sketch. 



^OHN J. MUMM, of Sidney Township, is 
the proprietor of a fine farm of 320 acres 
lying on sections 17, 18 and 20, the resi- 
dence, a view of which is to be seen in this 
work, being on the latter. The homestead in- 
cludes a shapely and substantial dwelling, a good 
barn and all necessary out-buildings, and is [)leas- 
antly located and well drained. The first purchase 
of our subject in this townsh'p consisted of fort}' 
acres of uncultivated prairie, to whose extent he 
added as time passed on and his means permitted. 
When it came into his possession the greater part 
of his land had never been tilled. By years of in- 
dustry he has brought the whole to a fine state of 
cultivation, and besides producing the ordinaiy 
farm crops in abundance, Jlr. M. lias also given 
much attention to high-grade Short-horn cattle, 
Norman horses, and Poland-China swine. 

Our subject lias been uniformly successful in his 
farming and business operations, and is one of the 
important factors in the agricultural interests of 
this section. He commenced life at the foot of 
the ladder, and is a forcible illustration of what 
maj- be accomplished by resolution and persever- 
ance. He emigrated from Ilolstcin, (iermany, to 
this country in 18o4, hiiiding with a cash capital of 
$5. He at once made his way to the Prairie State, 
and for two years .afterward wa« a resident of Cook 
County, where he engaged as a farm laborer. Af- 
terward he came into Champ.aign County, worked 



i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



891 



t 



t 



on a farm for a time, and then rented a tract of 
land which lie cultivated on shares. lie invested 
his savings in land, and in dne time found himself 
on the road to prosperity. He is now an inipor- 
t^ant property holder in one of tiie richest connties 
of the Prairie State. Every dollar of his posses- 
sions has been accumulated l)y ills own industry 
and good judgment, and lie may reasonably regard 
his career with i)ride and satisfaction. 

Mr. Mumm is a native of Sleswick-Holstein, 
(xermany, and was born Feh. 1, l<s32. He is the 
son of William Munim, a native of the same Prov- 
ince, of pure (German parentage and ancestry. 
The Mumm family is well and favorably known 
throughout a large portion of the Fatherland, its 
representatives having been distinguished fur those 
substantial and reliable elements of character pecu- 
liar to the German nationality. The mother of our 
subject before iier marriage was Miss Ann Hinz. 
She also was of an excellent family, and was a na- 
tive of the same Province as her husband. They 
remained on their farm in Germanj' until 1 800, 
then, accompanied by their eldest son, William, Jr., 
came to the United States, and located with him, 
first in Sidney Township, and then removed to 
Philo Township, where they were residents the re- 
mainder of their lives. The mother departed lliis 
life in 1870, aged eighty-tw(j years, and the father 
in 1883, aged eighty-three. They were members 
in good standing of the Lutheran Church. 

The subject of this notice was the third son and 
child of the seven included in the parental house- 
hohl. Of these three only are now living. .John 
J. remained with his parents until starting for the 
United States, in 1854, unaccompanied by any 
friend or relative, and having, besides a small 
amount of money, only the clothes which he wore. 
He soon, however, procured employment, found 
friends, and in due time could see his way to the 
establishment of a home. Accordingly, on the 
19th of December, 1857, he was united in marriage 
in Sidney Townshi|) to Miss Magdalena Wilt, a 
native of the same Province as her husband, and 
the daughter of Dulf and Anna Magdalena 
(Young) Witt, natives of <ierinany. They emi- 
grated to the United States in 1804, coming direct- 
1\' to this State and locating in Sidne}' Township, 



of which their daughter had been a resident since 
early in 1857. Here the father died in about 1876; 
the inoljipr died in 180!) at the home of her daugh- 
ter, Mrs. Mumm. 

Our subject and wife became the parents of 
seven children, of whom two, Rimer and Kmma, 
are deceased ; Anna is the wife of Henry Witt, a far- 
mer of .Sidney Township; .loiiii \V. married Miss 
Alinnie Malone. and they reside on the homestead ; 
Mary, Peter and Henry are at home. The family 
are members and regular attendants of the Luth- 
eran Church, of which our subject has held the 
various offices. Since becoming a citizen of this 
country he has voted the straight Republican ticket 
and has held the office of Ro.'ul Commissioner in 
his township. 



-i5^3>»-^»ti?. 



<5<f-«^»tf< 




ROF. GEORGE E. MORROW, Dean of the 
College of Agriculture and Professor of 
Agriculture in the University of Illinois, 
after occupying the position of Professor 
in this department in the Iowa Agricultural College, 
changed his location, in 1887, and accepted the cor- 
responding Chair in the Cniversit}' of Illinois. 
Prof. Morrow is a native of the Buckeye State, 
being born near Cincinnati, Oct. 19, 1840, and is 
the son of .John and Nancy (Espy) Morrow. His 
paternal grandparents, Jeremiah and Mary (Park- 
hill) Morrow, were natives of Pennsylvania. His 
grandparents on his mother's side were of Scotch- 
Irish descent and also natives of the Keystone 
State. 

Hon. Jeremiah Morrow located in Warren County 
on the Little Miami River in 1798, ])urchasing 040 
acres of land, where he l)uilt a tlouring-mill and 
sawmill, and carried on farming and milling the 
remainder of his life. He was a man of more than 
ordinary ability, and tacitly accorded the position 

[ of leader in his county and community, lioth so- 
cially and politically. He was a member of the 
First Constitutional Ctmventioii in Ohio, and the 

1 lirst and only Member of Congress for a number 
of years. While in the Senate he w.as on most of 

I the important committees, and was elected Gov- 

■» 



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* ► I T ^- 



-A 



^ 892 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



\ 



em or in 1822, serving from tliat year" until 1826. 

He was again elected to Congress in 1 MO. He was 
the first President of the l^ittlc Miami Railroad 
Company, and toolvan active interest in everything 
pertaining to the development and progress of his 
adopted State. The canal system of Ohio was or- 
ganized while he w.as Governor, and reX-eived his 
liearty assistance and support. lie encouraged the 
estalilisliiiient and maintenance of schools and 
cliurclies aiiil religiously adhered to Presbyterian 
doctrines. Jeremiah Morrovr had a family of eleven 
children, among whom was John, the f.ather of 
our subject, who was reared and educated in the 
schools of Ohio, and who inherited in a marked de- 
gree the talent and eneroy of his f.ather. The 
pursuit of agriculture, however, seemed mosi con- 
genial to his taste and he commenced putting his 
theories into practice on the home farm where he has 
alw.ays lived, being now eighty-seven years of age. 
The mother died in 1«S1, aged eightj-^-two. Both 
parents became members of the Presb3'teri{ln Church 
early in life. Of their nine cliildren. four only are 
now living, namely, Lizzie, Thomas E., Josiah, and 
George K. of our sketch. 

Prof. Morrow received an academic education 
and remained at home with his parents until August, 
18G1. The Civil War being then in progress he 
enlisted in Co. C, 2d Ohio Vol. Inf. He was 
wounded at the battle of Perry ville, Ky., in October, 
l>>G2,and afterward captured by the guerillas, being 
held a prisoner, however, but a few hours. On 
account of failing health he was obliged to abandon 
the service in July, 18()3. After a few mouths 
spent in Minnesota, he entered the Law Depart- 
ment of .Michigan University, from which he gradu- 
ated in 1866. He never practiced law, however, 
but became editor of the Western liural, iind sub- 
sequently of the Western JFanner until IsTo. In 
1.S70 he Was elected Professor in the Iowa State 
Agricultural College, which chair he aOandmied to 
accept his present position. 

I'rof. Morrow takes a genuine interest in his 
work, and is prominently connected with the agri- 
cultural and live stock associations of the country, 
both State and National. He frequently delivers 
addresses on the subject, and has been a regular and 
intelligent corresjjondent of agrictdtural journ.als. 



In 1879 he made a trip to Great Britain on jjro- 
fessioual business, and gained a good insight into the 
methods and theories .adopted bj' the agriculturists 
of the Old World. 

The marriage of Prof. George E. Morrow and 
Miss M. Gifford, of Washington Count}', N. Y., 
took pl.ace in Detroit, Mich., in 1867. Of this 
union there were born four children, three of whom 
are living — Minnie M., Clarence G. and Grace E. 

^^^EORGE OAKES. a prosperous member of 
III =^ the farming community of Ogden Town- 
^^!| ship, is of excellent Pennsylvania parentage, 
and was born in the Keystone State, Feb. 8, 1837. 
He is the son of Michael and Nancy (Farmer) 
Oakes, the former of whom was born in 180G, and 
died in "Vermilion Count}', 111., in 1881. He was 
engaged in farming pursuits all his life, which 
calling he followed first in his native St.ate, then in 
Ohio, coming first to Illinois in 1847. He then 
returned to the Buckeye State, where he remained 
four 3'ears, and in 1851 came back to Illinois, lo- 
cating in Clark County. After a residence there 
of fourteen years he changed his location to Ver- 
milion Count}', which remained his perm.anent 
home. Upon first exercising the right of suffrage 
he voted with the Democratic party but later sup- 
ported Republican principles. The family were of 
German ancestry, and the mother a member of the 
Albright Church. Her death took place in Indiana 
while on the journey to Pennsylvanfa in 1850. Of 
their five children the record is as follows: George, 
of our sketch, was the eldest; Nanc\' died in child- 
hood; John, during the l.ate war enlisted in the 
25th Illinois Infantry, serving from August, 18G1, 
to January of the following year, when he died 
ver}' suddenly of measles at Raleigh, Mo. ; Dan- 
iel married Miss Melissa Morrison, and located in 
\'ermilion County; Caroline, the wife of Fred- 
crick W.agner, lives in Ohio. 

Our subject. remained with his parents attending 
school during the winter seasons and assisting on 
the farm the balance of the year until after reach- 
ing his m.ajority. Afterward he w.as variously 
employed until the outbreak of the Rebellion, the 



i 



* 






<^ 



^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



893 ^^ 



family tlii'ii living in Illinois. In Fcbrnaiy, 1864, 

lie enlisted in Co. F, 20tli 111. \iil. Inf.. and served 
eighteen months, mostly in the Aiiuy of the Ten- 
nessee. He afteiwai'd went with .Sherman through 
the Atlant.i campaign, heing at the siege and 
capture of that city and in the light at Savannah, 
Ga. He received his lionorahle "liseliaige at the 
close of the war, turning his steps homeward in 
July, 180.-). 

The marriage of our suliject took place on the 
;3()th of .\ugust, 1 SCO, the maicU'u of his choice 
lieing Miss Lydia C. (Jolden, a native of this 
county, born in 1843. She was or|)haned when 
hut four years of age, and became an inmate of 
the family of Alu'aham Veazcl, with whom she 



Democratic in politics and one of the pillars of 

the Presbj^terian Church. In eai-Iy life he identi- 
lied himself with the Masons, of whose |)rinciples 
he was a great admirer and in which fraternity he 
occupied an important position. He was married 
early in life to .Miss .lane Moore, also a native of 
South Carolina. 

Dr. RawHnson w.as reared on his father's farm in 
York Count}', .S. C, and under the careful training 
of his excellent parents was instilled with those 
worthy |irinci|)les which have formed the basis of 
his success in life. A little over a 3"ear after hjcat- 
ing in Homer, he was united in marriage with Miss 
Virginia West, their wedding taking i)lace at the 
home of the bride's parents on the 26th of Octo- 



remaincd until her marriage, which took place at . ber, 1878. Mrs. Rawlinson was born in Wiscon- 



his residence in Homer Township. Mr. and Mrs. 

i 
Oakes bocanie the parents of four children : Ann | 

.M., born April 0, 1862, is the wife of Aubert Pogue, 
and resides in this county; Caroline, born Nov. 13, 
1.S6.?. married H. E. Huffman; Nancy, born May 
25, 1866, died three montlis later, on the iJth of 
August; Mich.ael, born Aug. 1.5, ls71, is now a- 
resident of this county. 

The farm of our subject consists of fort}' -five 
acres well cultivated and cared for, and the dwell- 
ing will com[)are favorably in point of ai)pearance, 
comfort and convenience with those of the other 
prosperous and industrious residents of Ogden 
Township. 

^U. WILLIAM M. RAWLINSON, a grad- 
uate of the Baltimore .School of Dental 
Surgery, came to this State in the winter 
of 1877, becoming a resident of Homer, 111., 
on the 1 4th of February. He at once opened an odice 
and began the practice of his profession, in which 
he has met with more than ordinary success, build- 
iug up a large i)atronage and securing the respect 
and esteem of all who know him. Our subject is a 
native of York County, .S. C., his I)irth taking place 
Oct..21. 1848, His father was Col. J. W. Rawlin- 
son, who was a native of the same State. He served 
twelve 3'ears in the Legislature of South Carolina, 
and for many 3'ears was prominently identified 
with pul)lic affairs in his native .State. He was 




sin in 1*^02, and of lier union with our subject there 
were born three children, two sons and a daughter. 

Dr. Rawlinson commenced life without capital 
othcrwi.se than his resolute will and pei'severing in- 
dustry'. When landing in this village he had but 
%.') in his pockctjaud was obliged to pay a week's 
lioard in advance, which left ver}' little collateral. 
It is hardlv necessary to state that for some time 
aftervvard and until he began to. gain a foothold he 
was obliged to live most carefully and economi- 
cally. His present status financially ami socially is 
a silent but forcible witness of what he has accom- 
plished. He has now a fine business and a comfort- 
able home where, with his family, he enjo3's many 
of the luxuries of life, and no man is esteemed 
more highly in the community. Politicall}', Dr. 
Rawlinson is Democratic. He has occujiied va- 
rious minor ofliccs in the town and is one of the 
Directors in the Building and Loan Association 
established in 1886, and of which he w.as one of 
the prime movers, being rei)resented b}' fift^' shares, 
each share valued at ^100. He has been a member 
of the .Masonic fraternitj' since 18H,5, having passed 
the Chapter degrees. 

The brothei's of Col. .1. \V. Rawlinson, the ftither 
of our subject,'Ik'njamin F., .lames M. and Charles 
W., are all living in -.South Carolina, two engaged 
in farming and one in mercantile |)nrsuits. The 
liarental fandly of the mother of Dr. Rawlinson in- 
cluded five children, the elilest being the mother of 
our subject; William, .a Captain in the Confederate 



•►-■-^•- 



4 



i 






894 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



army, at the battle of Gettysburg was wounded by 
a rifle ball wliich he carried for live years afterward, 
when it was extracted ; Frederick, who also received 
a Captain's commission, was ivilied at the battle of 
Gainesville; Baxter was a |nominent lawyer at 
Charlotte, N. C, and Dorcas, who married a Mr. 
McDuncan, and lives in North Carolina. 



#^ 



'■^^ 




I 



'MBROSE W. STRONG located upon his 
present farm on section 17 in .St. Joseph 
Township soon after his marriage, in ISStJ, 
when but nineteen years of age. He pos- 
sessed great energy of character, had been trained 
to habits of industry and economy by his excellent 
parents, and is now the owner of a fine property, 
which he has accumulated for the most part un- 
aided and by the exercise of his own labor and per- 
severance. 

Mr. Strong was born in llaiicocli County, Ohio, 
Oct. 4, 1834. His ancestors, upon first crossing 
the Atlantic, settled in New England, of which his 
grandfather, Cyrus Strong, was a native, and 
whence he emigrated to Ohio during its early set- 
tlement. He was one of the most worthy members 
of the farming community of Hancock County, 
where he married Miss Mary Jloore, and became 
the father of three sons and three (laughters. Sub- 
sequently, in 1833, he resolvcil to see something 
of the farther West, and corning to this county 
purchased a small tract of land in St. Joseph Town- 
ship, which he carefully cultivateil until resting 
from his earthly labors, his death taking place in 
the spring of 1853. The wife and mother had de- 
parted this life three years pieviously. John 
Strong was married the second time, to Miss Mary 
Hay den, and selling the first farm removed to an- 
other in St. Joseph Township, where his earthly 
labors ended. The children of John and Marj' 
(Moore) Strong were Ambrose \V. of our sketch, 
Permelia, Casper L., Cyrus, Tabitha and Nancy E. 
Of these four are now surviving, and located in 
this connt^'. 

(Jur subject icniaiucil uudci tlie parental roof 
until his early marruige, his chosen bride being 

4* 



Miss Martha A., daughter of William and .Sarah 
Peters, who settled in this county in the pioneer 
days. Mr. Strong's first business w.as to put up a 
house for the shelter of iiiraself and wife, and they 
then took possession of the land destined to remain 
their permanent home. It is hardly necessary to 
say that its present condition is in great contrast to 
its former state. The soil has been carefully culti- 
vated, the fields are neatly enclosed with substantial 
fences, and the farm buildings are creilitable alike to 
the taste and good judgment of the proprietor. Mr. 
.Strong wisely invested his surplus capital in addi- 
tional lands, and now has a fine farm of 200 acres, 
productive of the finest crops in the Prairie State. 
He has been largely engaged in grain-raising, and 
has made a specialty of Poland-China hogs and fine 
horses. 

Wiiilc a young man Mr. Strong freiiuentl}' in- 
creased his purse by breaking prairie for liis 
neighbors, and spent few idle hours, his natural 
inclinations making labor pleasuraljle as well as 
profitable. In 1874 the first humble dwelling was 
replaced by a handsome new residence, which is 
flanked by correspondingly good out-buildings. A 
lithographic view of the pl.ace is shown in this 
work. He has planted fruit trees and otherwise em- 
bellished the premises after the manner of the mod- 
ern and progressive farmer. Socially he is a favorite 
among his townsmen, and is liberal both in religion 
and politics, aiming to sujjport the man best (piali- 
fied for the ollice. 



r/AMES DAVIS, an old and highly ivs|)cctcd 
resident of Mahomet Township, who was 
formerly engaged in farming pursuits, is 
now living in retirement upon a competency 
in the village of Mahomet. He is a native of New- 
ark, Ohio, and was born Nov. 14, 1811. His par- 
ents, Zachariah and Elizabeth (Roberts) Davis, 
were natives respectively of Carlisle, Pa., and Mar- 
tinsburg, \'a. They were marrietl at Newark, 
Licking, Co., Ohio, the mother dying there Nov. 
1(), 1.S41. Air. Davis afterward came to Illinois, 
and made his home alternately at Chamiiaign and 
Danville. He died in the latter [)lace on the oth of 



i 



i 



■<^ 



L. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



895 



Miy, 1«()5. Their family ul' six cluidroii included 
four sons und two daiiglituis, of vvhuui .laiiios of 
our sketch was the eldest. 

James Davis remained a resident of his native 
county until 1<S12, during which time for a period 
of thirteen years he was engaged principally as a 
butcher. In the year last mentioned he turned his 
face wc'stward, and emigrating to Iowa engaged 
as a hotel-keopcr in Iowa Cit^'. He met with fair 
success, but after two years changed his location to 
Wab.ash, Ind., where he engaged as a carpenter and 
butcher, and also in merchandising. In December, 
ISSG, he left Indiana and came to this county, 
where he spent the winter in Champaign, and the 
following spring removed to Newcomb Township, 
where lie remained five years. During that time he 
had acquired a tract of land, and remove*! to .Scott 
Township. Two years later he located in Mahomet, 
and engaged in butclieriiig for twelve years follow- 
ing. Since 18GG he has been a resident of the vil- 
l.age. most of the time engaged actively in I)nsiness 
until about 1884, when he retired. 

The marri.age of James Davis and Miss Elizabeth 
Roberts took place in Franklin County, Ohio, Oct. 
2, 1832. Mrs. Davis was 'a native of the latter 
State, and by her union with our subject became 
the mother of one child, a daughter Lizzie, who is 
now the widow of John Leslie, and a resident ()f 
Danville. Mrs. Davis departed this life Oct. 31, 
1838, at Newark, Ohio. Mr. Davis was the second 
time married, in tlie latter-named place, April 28, 
1840, to Miss Mary McCollum, a native of Fair- 
field County, Ohio, and born Nov. 28, 1814. She 
is the daughter of Francis and Marg;iret (Bradley) 
McCollum, who were natives of Iri'laiid, and emi- 
grated to America soon after their marriage. They 
liecaine the parents of ten children, si.x girls and 
four boys. (Jf the marriage of our subject there 
wci-e born seven children, namely, (ieorge, Robert, 
Elizabeth, .Iose[)hiiie, Lucind.a A., Ida and .James 
H. George died in Iowa when two years old; 
Robert is a resident of Mahomet Township, and his 
biography appears on another page in this work; 
Elizal)eth, llie wife of A. .1. Ham, died in Scott 
Township, .Ian. 21, 18()(i; .losei)hiiie maiiied Will- 
iam F. S(;ott, who die<l in llensley Township in 
February, 1871), and she afterward became the wife 



•►-■-4« 



of .1. K. Cissna; Lucinda died in Wabash, Ind., 
when nineteen months old; Ida died tli^re also, 
aged live years; James II. married Miss .Vgnes 
Clark, and is a resident of Mahomet. 

In 18r)2 .Mr. Davis visited California via the 
water route, and was nine months on the voyage. 
He had ex|)ected to work in the mines, but changed 
his plans and commenced dealing in stock. He 
spent about twc; years on the I'acitlc Sloi)e, and re- 
turned both pleased and benefited by the expe- 
rience. As a useful and valued citizen he has held 
a prominent place in the affairs of his township, 
serving as Justice of the Peace, School Director, 
Clerk and Highway Commissioner. Socially he is 
a member of the L O. O. F., and with his family, 
enjoys the association and esteem of the best citi- 
zens in his communit3'. 



i 



J'|MV. SHUCK, dealer in shelf-hardware, tiii- 
I ware, wlieel-barro ws, picture frames, brackets, 
I sewing-machines, looking-glasses and furni- 
^_l) ture, forms an important factor in the busi- 
ness interests of Urbana, where, since 1874, he h.as 
carried on a thriving and profitable trade. He is a 
native of Bedford County, Pa., born Jan. 24, 1839, 
and the son of Daniel J. and Ellen J. (Ilerriage) 
Shuck. His father w.as a native of Cumberland, 
Md., and the mother of Bedford Countj', Pa. The 
younger j'cars of Daniel Shuck were empk>yed in 
the manufacture of wagons and carriages, and later 
he became foreman of a tannery. He is now living 
.at Bedford Si)rings, Pa., .aged eighty j'ears. The 
mother is seventy-six. 

The household circle included twelve children, 
six now living. Mary A. became the wife of J<jhn 
.Mann, who is a contractor and builder at Lincoln, 
Nell.; Margaret M., Mrs. W. T. Filler, is a resident 
of Pittsburgh, P.'i., where her husband is occupied 
in c.ari)entering; Asbury B. isa.graduate of Clarke's 
School of Cincinnati, and is doing an extensive and 
prosperous business in lh'bana;.J. W., of our sketch, 
was the fourth child ; \'inton W. is profitably eii- 
g.-iged in the hardware ar.d store trade of I'rbana; 
William I?, is a resident of Btnlford, Pa. .lames II. 
was the third child, and became a |)roniiiieiit citizen 

» ► 



i 



t 



fi 



896 




CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



of Urbaiia, where he resided from the time of his 
discharge from the army until near the date of his 
death. He was a soldier in the 94th Illinois Infan- 
try, a regiment made up at Bloomington. In Ur- 
bana he engaged in the grocery trade, and after- 
ward in the furniture business. He married Miss 
Alice Justice, in Allegheny City, Pa. As a business 
man he was very [successful. Daniel Shuck is a 
stanch Republican in politics, and otliciatcd iu his 
younger days as an exhorter of the A^Ictliodist 
Episcopal Church. He was Tax Collector in 1838, 
and greatly interested in the establishment of 
churches and schools. 

The subject of this biography spent his younger 
years in school, during the winter season, until fif- 
teen years of age. He then served an ap[(reutice- 
ship of three years at the blacksmith's trade, but 
wishing to advance still further on the road to 
learning, for tlirce summers following attended 
school and taught during the winter. Afterward 
he vvent to Pittsl)urgh, Pa., and entered Iron City 
Commercial College, where he was graduated. He 
came West in 18G0, and established himself as a 
book-seller in Bloomington, where he carried on 
business six months, and thoncc removed to Urbana. 
In IsGl he was ai)i)ointed I)eput3' County Clerk, 
in which oltice he continued until August, 1802. The 
Civil War heing tlien in progress, he enlisted as a 
Union soldier in Co. B, TGlli 111. \'ol. Inf., and was 
in the service nearly three years, particii)ating in 
many of the important engagements of the war, and 
serving as Quartermaster Sergeant. He was in the 
battle at Holly S|irings, the capture and siege of 
Vicksburg and Mobile, and traveled witli his com- 
rades over a stretch of 10,000 miles. After his en- 
listment his regiment received lo() recruits. They 
were mustered out of service at Galveston, Tex., 
and paid off at Chicago on the 4th of August, 1865. 

Upon his return home Mr. Shuck was replaced 
in the olliee which he had abandoned to bec(jme a 
soldier, and" rem.-uned Deputy County Clerk until 
18G9, wlien he was appointed Clerk, to fill the va- 
cancy caused by the death of Capt. Clarke, and at 
tlie expiration of the term was elected to the full 
term of four years. At the expiration of that time 
Mr. Shuck established himself in the furniture busi- 
ness at |!rb:ina, whicii he conducteil one year. lie 



*^^m^4^ 



then purchased the hardware store of Heisler Bros., 
which he has operated in connection with his other 
business until the present. 

Mr. Shuck was married, in 18G5, to Miss Julia, 
the daughter of John W. Benner, of Urbana. They 
have two children — Harry M. and Ilattie M. Mr. 
S. is Republican in [lolitics, and has served as Al- 
derman of the Third Ward and School Trustee. 
Besides his furniture business and his residence at 
the corner of Day and North streets, he has a fine 
farm of 320 acres near Urbana. and 640 acres of. 
land in Reno County. Kan. The latter is devoted 
to stock-raising. With his excellent \yife, he is 
prominently connected with the Methodist Kpisco- 
pal Church, of which he is Trustee and Treasurer. 
The Shuck family are of German descent, and our 
subject has inherited in a marked degree the sub- 
stantial qualities of his ancestors, which have con- 
stituted him a fine representative of the business 
and industrial interests of this section. 



DWARD F. THAYKR, deceased. The 

E rural home which occui)ies a i)ortion of sec- 
tion G in Sidney Township, remains as a 
niv/uurnent to the thrift and industry of this gentle- 
man, whofor many 3'ears presented to the people 
of his neighborhood and vicinity an exam|ile wor- 
thy of imitation by. his resolution of character and 
his ijatural perseverance and industry. He was 
born in Conwa}', Mass., June 2, 182G, and died 
March 20, 188G, at his home in Sidney Township. 
His remains were laid to rest in Lynn Grove Ceme- 
tery. 

The Tha3'cr family nearly thirty years ago, at- 
tracted by the superior advantages of the West, 
moved from Massachusetts to Lee County, HI. 
After a residence there of three years, they again 
changed, removing to Big Rock, Kane Co., III. 
That place not proving satisfactory, after a trial of 
three years, they came to Sidney Townslui), this 
county, in 18G4, which place has since been their 
|)erraanent residence. 

While a resident of his native State, Mr. Thaj'er 
was married, Nov. 20, lHo3, to Miss Luthera, the 
daughter of Erastus and Mary A. (Porter) Booth. 



I 



T 



t 



-4•- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



899 



1 



The bii-thplace of Mrs. Thayer was the township of 
Florida, in Berlcshire County, Mass., and the date 
liiereof, Oct. 27, 1828. She had ten Inothers and 
sisters, the names of wlioui were, Marj-, Harriet, 
Nancy, Pauline, Acsa, Giiclnia, Faunie, Sarah, Tr_y- 
l)hcna and Erastus. Mr. Thayer h.-ul two hrulhors 
^aud one sister — Salem, Oscar and Eliza. 

The marriage of .Mr. .•uul Mrs. Thayer was 
blest hy the birth of ten children: Edward E., 
born April 28, 185o, is married and lives in this 
county; NancyjL., born July 25, 18.J7, is the wife of 
Edward Ilayden, and resides in I'liilo; IMira E., 
born April 20, 1859, is the wife of Allierl Deta- 
more, and resides in Nebraska; Frank 11., Ijorn 
June 4, 18(52, is single and lives in Nebraska; Otis 
T., born Sept. 1 1. 1803, and married to Miss Net- 
tie Davis, also lives in Nebraska; F^rnest and Wal- 
ter M., twins, were l)orn Oct. 10, 18G7, aiid reside 
with their mother; Sarah A., born April 22, 18C1, 
died Nov. (i, 1874, and Charles C, born March 6, 
1871, died Oct. G, 1874; they are both buried 
beside their father; Merton E., born Feb. 1, 1873, 
lives at home with his mother, who is a most esti- 
m:d)le Christian lady. The Tha3er estate includes 
ninety acres of highly improved and fertile land, 
constituting the homestead, besides eighty acres of 
farm land in I'liilo Township. 

A lithographic portrait of Mr. Edward F. Thayer 
is shown in connectii)n with this sketch. Although 
a man ([uiet and unobtrusive in life and habits, he 
filled worthily his appointed station in life, and is 
kindty remembered b}- hosts of friends. He built 
up one of the homesteads which assist in the em- 
bellishment of Sidney Township, and pursued the 
even tenor of his way, in all respects deporting 
himself .as an honest man and a good citizen. 

*y* US. CATHERINE PATTERSON, widow 
I i\\ (jf John K. Patterson, came to this county 
jl w in the pioneer days when a j'oung woman, 
•^ and during a i)eriod of over lifl3' years, in 

which she has passed in and out among the people 
of St. Joseph Townshi[) and vicinity, she has been 
the recipient of their deepest res|)ect and confidence, 
possessing those kindly and generous qualities of 



heart and disposition which have endeared her to 

hosts of friends and caused her to be widely known 
as a lady of the kindliest imi)ulses .•md the highest 
moral character. 

Mrs. Patterson, the daughter of John and I'Mi/.a- 
belh (Myers) Swearingen, is a native of Lewis 
County, K3\, born near Maysvillc, Dec. Ui, 1808. 
She removed with her mother to this county in 
1835, her father having died in Kentucky. The 
family included ten children, five sons and five 
daughters. Cathciine, less th;ui two years l.iler be- 
came the wife of John K. Patterson, who was born 
in Madison County, tJhio, Oct. 2, 1810, and was 
the son of William aiid Jennie (Kilgore) Patterson. 
Tiie former died in his native State, when his son 
was a young bo^'. The latter afterwai'd went to 
live witli his uncle, 'I'homas Kilgore, who gave him 
an interest in his l)usiness, that of a cattle-dealer, 
in which the youth became quite proficient, and in- 
vested his first capital in 120 acres of land in St. 
Joseph and Sidney Townships. 

On the 1st of January, 1837, Mr. Patterson was 
united in marriage vyitli Miss Catherine Swearingen, 
and they settled on a farm one and wne-h.ilf miles 
southeast of St. Josei)li, this count}', where Mr. P. 
engaged in general farming and became very suc- 
cessful. He addeil to his landed property luilil he 
became the owner of 3G0 acres, which he spent 
manj' years in improving and embellishing, putting 
up handsome and substantial buildings, and adding 
all the appliances of a modern country estate. fn 
the spring of l.s74ht' retired from active labor and 
removed into the town o{ St. Joseph, where his 
death took place the following fall. He left a 
wife and seven children.. One eliilil, Robert, had 
died when thirteen years of age; Mary M. is the 
wife of John Caley ; Elizabeth married Arthur 
Strong; Frances D. Is the wife of John Dakin; 
Amanda M. was married to N'an 15. Swearingen; 
'J'homas E. married Miss Nettie A., daughter of 
Jessie C, and Elizabeth Wood; Otno married JHss 
Sadie Wood, of Indiana, and they reside in St. Jo- 
seph Township; John K. married May E. Oillispi, 
daughter of Dr. (iillispi, of .St. .Ii>seph Township,' 
and they now reside there. 

Mrs. Patterson after the death of her hM.>liand 
continued in St. Joseph, of which she has since 
■» 



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<*■ 



900 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4~ 



been a resident and is now in the seventy-nintL I 
yeur of her age. Slie is a complete picture of the [ 
well-presiTVcd, hamlsoiuL' :uiil he:ilthy]ol(l hidy. with i 
a line head of hair in whioli tliero is Ljiit little gray, I 
ami slill continues the iiabits of imlustry In which : 
she was trained from a child, doing her own cot)k- 
ing and mucli of her housework, in wiiieii she takes 
delight and sets a fine example of neatness and 
thrift to many a younger lad}-. She has been a mem- 
ber of the Christian Church for over fifty years, 
and has ailorned her profession by her modest walk 
and conversation, doing good as she had opportu- 
nity and exertinga happ3' iullnence over all around 
her. She was very active and energetic in her 
youth, taking delight in all the employments of the 
farm, a fearless horseback-rider, and engaging with 
zest in .ill the pleasures of country life. I'pon one oc- 
casion, however, while riding she was thrown from 
her horse and sustained dislocation of the hip and 
ankle, from which she still suffers. ' • 

Thomas E., the fiftii child of Jlr. and Mrs. Pat- 
terson, was born Dec. 7, 184i). and married Sept. 
10, 1874. He settled with his bride upon a farm, 
and (le|)arted this life in November, lii81, leaving 
a wife and one son, Theophilns C. His wife, Mrs. 
Nettie (Wood) Patterson, was born in Wilmington, 
Clinton Co., Ohio, an<l came to this county with her 
|)arents when a girl twelve years of age. She re- 
mained under the home roof until her marriage, 
and h}' her union withTlnnuas K. Patterson became 
the mother of one child t)nly, a sou, who was but 
an infant when his father died. Mr. Patterson was 
a gentleman greatly respected in his community for 
his sterling worth of character, liis high moral prin- 
ciples, and his value as a straightforward and enter- 
prising citizen, whose place it will be hard to fill. 

The I'atterson family is of Irish origin, the first 
representatives in this country having settled, it is 
believed in Virginia, and the later descendants of 
whom have been widely anfU favorably known for 
the enterprise and energy with whicii the^' have 
conducted their business affairs, and the interest 
they have taken in advancing the interests of the 
section of country wherever they have seen fit to 
establish a permanent home. Mrs. Catherine Patter- 
so:!, as a lady who has witnessed remarkable changes 
during the period of u long and eventful life, 
^1 




is tacitly accorded that deference and respect due 
to one who has watched the development of one 
of the richest sections of the Western Continent, 
and has always rejoiced in its prosperity, train- 
ing her children to become worthy residents in a 
more than ordinarily intelligent conimuMlty, and of 
a State which lias Ipecomc great Ihrongh the enter- 
prise of its |)ioneers who inaugurated and taugiit 
their ciiildren to maintain its [phenomenal pros- 
l)erity. 

A lithogra|)hic portrait of .lolin K. Patterson is 
shown on a [preceding [jage. 



[/(^UILLA PALMER, who has been a resi- 
dent of the Prairie State nearly fifty years, 

... ._ coming here when a child, is pleasantly lo- 
1^ cated on section IH, Homer Township, 

where he has a good farm embracing 16.5 acres of 
land, with a comfortable residence and all other 
necessary buildings for the carrying on of agricult- 
ure intelligently and successfuUj'. A view of the 
[)lace is shown on another [)age of this work. He 
is a native of Clarke County, Ohio, born A|iril 30, 
1832, and is the son of Landou and Annie (Ellis) 
Palmer, the former a native of Virginia, and the 
latter of Kentucky. Landon Palmer was horn in 
Loudoun ('ounty, Va., in 1800, and died in Cham- 
[jaign County. 111., Oct. 21, 1865. He followed 
farming all his life, and from a modest capital of 
?i30 in cash became [possessed of pro[>erty worth 
xl 7,000, the accumulations of his own persever- 
ance and industry. His wife, Annie, the mother 
of our subject, was born in Kentucky in 1803, and 
died at her home in Chani[)aign County in 1862. 
The [wrental househohl included twelve children, 
of whom eleven are now living, and named res[)ect- 
ivcl}', Edmund. Ellis, .Mary .1., .Vquilla of our 
sketch, George W., Elizabeth, Milburn, Ennmuel, 
Sarah, Andrew .1. and .lames. Charlotte is de- 
ceased. 

The subject of this history during his boyhood 
attended the district schools of his native county in 
the winter season, and during the summer followed 
farm pursuits. The family removed to Illinois in 
1838, and he remained a nieiuber of the ()arental 




f 



■^•■ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



901 



household until reaching his majority, in the mean- 
tinie having learned the carpenter's trade. Being 
a natural mechanic he became an expert at this 
business, and received more than average wages. 
In 1855 he purchased 240 acres of land in this 
township, upon which he operated until, 18(11, then 
sold out a portion of liis i)resenl farm. The line 
residence and handsome oiit-l)uil(Ungs_whicli serve 
to embellish the lR>mestcad are largely. the work of 
his own hands, and that which he did not person- 
ally perform he superintended, the result being 
some of the finest architecture in this part of the 
county. 

The lady who has presided over the home of our 
subject for a period of over tweut3'-eight years be- 
came his wife on the (jth of March, 1859. .She was 
formerly' Miss Iluldah H. Clark, born ' in Butler 
Count}', Ohio, Dec. 17, 1832, and is the daughter 
of David and Jerusha (Clark) Clark, natives re- 
spectivel}' of New Jersey and New York. The 
father was horn Sept. 27, 1789, and died Sept. 22, 
184!). The mother, born Jan. 14, 1800, died Dec. 
2, 1835. Their children vvere Philinda, Harriett, 
Jane, Mary, George, Nanc}- and Huldah H. After 
the death of his first wife Mr. Clark was nuirried to 
JMrs. Blackall, formerly a Miss Leach. Of this mar- 
riage there was born one child, a son, Alvin, who 
married Miss Brock, and is now living in Hamilton, 
Butler Co., Ohio. 

Of the fen children born to Mr. and Mrs. Palmer 
the record is as follows: Charles, born March 20, 
1800, died Oct. 23, 1874; Landon and Annie were 
twins, born in 1801; the latter died on the llth of 
March, 180G; Jerusha was born Aug. 18, 1802, and 
died March 23 of the following year; David, born 
Dec. 20, 1803, died Oct. 0, 1804; Henry C, born 
Dec. 19, 1804; Albert, June 17, 1809; Oliver, born 
Aug. 1, 1871, died April 2 of the following year; 
Louami, liorn Nov. 28, 1872; .Sopiiia, Ajjril 12, 
1874. Mr. Palmer, politically, is a straightforward 
Republican; he is a thorough business man, (irompt 
to meet his obligations, and in all respects i)ossess- 
ing the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. 

David Clark, the father of Mrs. Palmer, in earl}- 
life. was a fisherman, but later engaged in farmin"-. 
His. early advantages were e.\tremcly limited, and 
^ r he learned to read the Bible from his wife after 



- 



they were married. The paternal great-grandfather 
was an Englishman by birth, and a sailor by occu- 
patit)n. His home was on the New Kngland coast, 
and while on board ship he was at one time capt- 
ured by the British and hot tar poured over him 
in order to make him swear allegiance to the king, 
but he would not comply with their wishes. Dur- 
ing his absence, and in the time of the Revolution- 
ary War, his wife protected her home from the 
rav.Tges of the British, and upon one occasion, 
when they were trying to steal her calves, buckbd 
on her husband's sword, shouldered his gun and 
saved her jiroperty. 




BRAHAM THOMPSON, one of the most 

enterprising farmers of St. Joseph Town- 
l\ ship, and a native of this Stale, came from 
St. Clair County in 1857, and took [losses- 
sion of his present farm of 140 acres located on sec- 
tion 25. Here he has engaged largel.y in the rais- 
ing of grain and cattle, the latter being high grades, 
of which he has shipped annually large numbers, 
realizing a handsome income. The farm is well sup- 
plied with all the machinery required by the modern 
and progressive agriculturist, and Its proprietor lia.s 
long been recognized as one of the imporlanl fac- 
tors in a community possessing more than (irdinary 
intelligence and <'nterprise. 

The birth of our subject took place near the town 
of Highland, 111., Dec. 10, is; 1, on the iMrni of 
his father, Hezeklah Thom|)son, whose family in- 
cluded three children, two sons and a daughter, of 
whom Abraham was the eldest. The family, which 
was originally from \'irglnla, settled in Keutuck}' 
during the pioneer days, whence the grandfather, 
Abraham Thompson, Sr., removed to St. Clair 
County, 111., in 181G. Before the renujval, how- 
ever, he had married In his native State, a Miss 
Brown, and the.v became the parents of nine chil- 
dren, four .sons and five daughters. Grandfather 
Thompson died In St. Clair County In about 1819. 
His wife survived him several yeais, linally making 
her home in Fayette County, this State, where her 
death took place. 

Hezeklah Thompson, the father of our suliject. 



i 



t. 



-4^ 



t 



002 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






was born in Kentucky in 1813, and was but a child 
of three years when his |)arents removed to South- 
ern Illinois. There he was reared to manhood and 
lii'gan the ostalilishnient of a home of his uwn b3- 
lieeuinini; the lui^liand of Miss Mary Lcwallen, a 
native of Tennosseo, from whieli State her parents 
had removed tu Illinois when siie was but a child. 
After his niarriaye llezekiah 'rhnni|ison and his 
bride remained in St. Clair Connly nntil 18oo, and 
then took up their residence in Fa3'ctte County. 
Their only daughter, Eliza A., became the wife of 
Harry Spalding, Superintendent and Master Me- 
chanic of bridges t)n the X'andalia, Tcrre Mantc ik 
indiaMa|)olis K.ailiuad. The younger son was named 
after the reigning President, William Henry IIa:ri- 
son. 

Abraham Thompson passed his boyhood and 
youth in Fayette and Bord Counties, being nearly 
of age when the family removed to Fayette Connt3'. 
He first received the advantages of the ecjmmon 
schools, which was supplemented by attenilance at 
a select school. He was a bright bo}', fond of books, 
and when quite j'oung engaged in teacliing, which 
he billowed for some time tifterward. His (Irst busi- 
ness venture was in the lumber trade in St. Joseph 
Townshi[p, where lie took charge of a sawmill and 
shii)|)ed large quantities 'of walnut lumber to dif- 
lerent points North and South. This was cut from 
trees which grew on land owned by him, and he 
bellowed this Imsiness successfidly for eight years, 
and then tuiiiod his attention to farming. After- 
ward he investeil his sur()lus capital in a stock of 
general merchandise, including drugs an<l groceries, 
and in the space of three \ears had built up a good 
trade. His earl^' haliils, however, still clung to him 
and he did nut feel contented away from the farm. 
He accordingly' aliandoned mercantile pursuits and 
purchased the land included in his present farm, 
which he has now bi-(jught to a fine state of cultiva- 
tion, and which bears fair comparison with any- 
thing of the kind in that section. Here, amid the 
comforts of his home and family, he is cnjo^'ing 
the fruits of his labors and the respect and con- 
fidence of his fellow-citizens. 

The wife of our subject, to whom he was mar- 
ried Feb. -J I, 1H;')8, .vas formerly' Miss Drusilla, 
daughter of William and Sarah (McNutt) Peters, 

4» 



who was born on her father's homestead in St. Jo- 
seph Township, Aug. 24, 1838. Of this union there 
are four children — Kliza A., Wallace Clark. Sarah 
I., the wife of N. .). Bradley, an<I Melinda. at home 
with her i)arents. 

Mr. 'J'honi[)son has served his t(jwnshi|) in many 
positions, covering a peiio<l of twenty' years, as 
School Director, Assessor, Collector and Supervisor. 
He casts his vote with the Republican i)art\', and 
both he and his estimable wife are members of the 
(ierman Baptist Cluucli. 



I^IDWARI) T. TFLLlNt;. The gentleman 
^ whose name stands at tiie head of this 
L^ sketch is a leading member of the farming 

His e.'jtate em- 



communit}' of Ayers Township, 
braces 326 acres of the most highly cultivated land 
on Section 31, where of late ^^ears he has given his 
attention principally' to the breeding of fine stock, 
mostl_v Short-horn cattle of the best grades. The 
entire farm is finel^^ located, well watered and 
neatly fenced, and the buildings, lastefnll}^ and 
substantially constructed, are .as convenient in their 
arrangement as the}' are ornamental in appearance, 
which will be seen b}' an examination of the litho- 
graphic view which appears in this connection. 
The entire premises indicates the supervision of a 
man more than ordinarily intelligent, who lays his 
[ilans -with deliberation and executes them with 
decision. 

Mr. Telling is one of the finest representatives of 
an F^nglish farmer, a class of people to whom the 
West is largel}' indebted for its present status 
financially, and the law-abiding element which per- 
vades this section of country'. His early home 
was across the sea in (Gloucestershire, England, 
where his birth took place April 17, 1842. There 
his parents, John an<l Hannah (Bouton) Telling, 
united their hands and fortunes, reared a family, 
and spent the remainder of their lives. John Tell- 
ing was born in 17'.);'), and after a life of success- 
ful industry' departed from the scenes of his earthly 
labors after having arrived at the advanced age 
of sevent^'-seven years, in 1872. The nn)lher, 
who was born in 1797, survived her husband 
thirteen ye.ars, her decease taking place in 1885 at 





Residenceof E.T. Telling ,5ec. 31.,(r.H.w) AyresTownshi p. 








^S^'^?^JS~S*^^~?3ftS^P«S5^^^^^^^^^^^^^^£]^^^»i 



Residence or D.R.Wilson,(Propr. of Black Bell Herd, of Poland China Swine).Scc.2A, Sid net Township. 



t. 



M^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



905 






" 

1 



the nge of eiglity-eight years. The children who 
gathereil aroiilid the family licarthstone were Isaac, 
Tliomas, William, (ieorge, Kliza. a baho who diod 
unnaincd, Ileiuy, Mary A., .John and Kd«ard T. 

The subject of this sketch was the 3-011 iigest 
of his father's family and remained under the 
parental roof variously engaged until reaching man- 
hood. His marriage took place on the 2(1 of 
April, 1SG8, after he became a resident of Morgan 
County, 111. His wife, who was formerly Miss 
Sarah F. Taylor, was a native of said count3% born 
Maj' 5, 1844, and the daughter of George and 
Polly K. (Tucker) Taj'lor, natives of Kentucky. 
George Taylor was born in 1805, removed from his 
native State to Illinois in Ks;5(>, followed farmingall 
his life, and having made a good record as a man and 
citizen, departed this life Sept, 2.'3, 1886; He was 
a stanch Union man during the war, Kepnblican in 
politics, and a member of the Christian Church. 
The mother, wiio was born in 1807, is still living, 
and a resident of Morgan County', 111. 

Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, eleven 
in numljcr, the eldest born died in infancy: Maxi- 
milia, the second daughter, became the wife of 
John Swigert; Edward married Miss Susan Sooy ; 
Benjamin married Miss Sarah Delanj'; William 
married INIiss Marj' MeCane; Casablanca married 
Miss JIar}- Scott; Phebe became the wife of 
George Scott; Sarah, the next In order of birth, is 
the wife of our subject; (ieorge married Miss 
Mattie Jefferson; John married Miss .Sarah Spires; 
Shelby married Miss lielle Spires. The hou.sehold 
of Mr. and Mrs. Telling comprises a fine family of 
children, eight in number, and born as follows: 
Nellie T., Oct. 18, 18G9; George W., July (>, 1871 ; 
John W., July 27, 1873; Annie F., March 21, 187(;; 
Mary K., Jan. 14, 1880; Hannah B., Oct. 1!), 1882; 
Edward K.. Oct. 3, 1885: Albert B.,.Sept. 31, 188(). 

After leaving the shores of his native country in 
1 SCO, Jlr. Telling first landed in Canada, and eleven 
months later repaired to New York State. He 
came to the West in the fall < if 18G4, locating in 
Morgan County, and seven 3'ears later went to 
Sangamon County, where he staid three years, 
thence went to Morgan County, and from there to 
this county, and purchased 100 acres of land in 
A^ers Township. He has been greatly prospered 



in his farming operatio'ns, and fortunate in "his 
investments, ;uiil has now doubled the original 
purc^hase of land, wliicli tlirough his jiulicial man- 
agement has become one of the most fertile tracts 
in Central Illinois. He has taken a warm interest, 
in the welfare of his adopted State, and few private 
citizens have had more inllnencc in encouraging 
every cntcrijrise calculated for its moral and finan- 
cial advancement. He is one of the most inlliien- 
tial members of the Republican party in this town- 
ship. an<l is serving as Commissioner. 



1-*^- 



-^ 




URFEE U. WILSON is an extensive farm- 
)j er and stock-grower, living on section 21, 
Sidney Township. He leals largely in pure 
Poland-China hogs, and exhibits some of 
the hau<lsomcst varieties in this part of the State. 
The chief of the herd is registered in Ohio ller<l- 
Book. Mr. \\'ilson's son, \V. 1). Wilson, is a 
partner in the stock business. He is dealing in 
Holstein cattle with fiili-blnod ami high grades. 

Oui' subject was born in Clinton Count}-, N. 
Y., March 21, 1828, and is the son of Durfee and 
Fannie (Cam[)bell) Wilson. His mother was a na- 
tive of Worcester County, Mass., and his father 
was born'in Leicester, the same Slate. Jan. 23, 1788, 
and died at Colchester, Vt., Oct. 17, l.SoO. Their 
family consisted of nine children : Solomon M. 
die<l when two years old ; Eliza A. became the 
wife of Guy Loomis, and both are now dead ; 
Harriet is the widow of Theron H. Chandierlain, 
and resides in New York; Nathaniel E. married 
Miss Marj' Brownwell, and lives in Colchester, 
\'t. ; Henderson C. married Miss Mary A. Portei-. 
and lives in North Troy. N. Y. ; he was formerly 
a mend)er of the State Legislature of \'ermont, 
h;iving served one term in the Lower and several 
years in the Upper House; Dnrfee II. is the sidi- 
jeet of our sketch; Solon was killed bj' an acci- 
dent when seven years old, and Milon, marrie<l 
Maria Wooleott. and is living in Red Cloud, Neb.; 
Merritt married Charlotte Stenim, and they resi<le 
in Clinton County, N. Y. The mother of these 
children died July 21, I83,s. On the 22d of July. 
1811, lier liusbalid contracted a second marri.age. 



■*► 



T 






906 



A 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



with Lydin, Safford. at Cambridge, Vt., Mrs. Lydia 
Wilson is still liviii"-, and is ninety-six years 
of iige. 

Diirfee 11., tlie subject of our sketch, was mar- 
ried on the 17th of Marcli, 1852, to Miss Mary 
Ann Iveeble. the daughter of William and Eliza- 
beth ( Bruce ) Keeble. Her parents were both 
born in England, and came from the State of Ver- 
mont to Illinois in 18(i4, where both died in Philo 
Township. 

Mrs. Mary A. Wilson became the mother of four 
childreji: William, liorn in Milton, \'t., Jan. 31, 
IS;');), married Miss Emma M. Towner; Elizabeth 
M. A., born at Colchester, Vt., July 1, 1857, be- 
came the wife of SamueljKesterson, and is now de- 
ceased ; 'Jeorgie A. U., born in Champlain, N. Y., 
Oct. 21), 1859, is the wife of William Cash, living 
in this county. One child died in infancy. 

After the death of his first wife, Mr. Wilson 
married again, taking for his wife Mrs. Mary 
(Moody) Towner, the daughter of Simon S. and 
Hannah (Colwell) Moody. She was born in Foun- 
tain Count}', Ind., April S, 1832. Her mother 
was a native of New Jersey and her father of 
Canada. By iier first husband, Mr. William Towner, 
she had seven children. George W., born Dec. 10, 
1854, married Sarah Crosby; Benjamin F., twin 
brother to George, is blind, which atlliction came 
upon him when he was nine months old; Al- 
bert E., born Nov. 18, 1857, married Miss Alice 
Conley, and the}' live at 540 Warren avenue, 
Chicago; Clinton S.. born Aug. 11, 1861, married 
Ijatta King, and lives at 834 Madison street, Chi- 
cago; Nora II., born March 7, 1803, is single; Emma 
M., born Nov. 10, 1865, is the wife of Willard B. 
Wilson, anil lives in this township; Walter G., 
born Aug. 8, 186«, is living in Chicago. Mr. 
Towner, the father of these children, was born 
Aug. 23, 1810, at Prairie Town, Ind., and married 
Miss Mary Moody, March 2H, 1852, in Coving- 
ton, Fountain Co., Iml. In tiiat same month he 
moved j"rom Indiana to {'liMuipaign County, III., 
where his death took place. 

Of Mr. Wilson's second niarriagt- there is one 
chilli, Theron C, IxM'n May K!, 1875. h\ Janu- 
.ary, I.SC2, Mr. Wilson, desirous of locating in the 

West, removed from Champaign Township, Clin- 

\ 1 

» ► ■ <■ . 



ton Co., N. Y., to Philo Township, III. He re- 
mained there some four j'ears, actively engaged in 
farming and buying and selling stock. He after- 
ward located in Crittenden Township, where he 
remained two years, and then changed his place of 
residence to Terre Haute, Ind., where lie still en- 
gaged in buying and selling live-stock. He also 
employed part of his time at the carpenter's trade 
and in the sale of maiHjle. In 1870 he left Indi- 
ana to locate in this county and settled on the 
farm where he now resides. 

Mr. Wilson is the owner of 100 acres of well- 
improved land, and twenty acres of timber on sec- 
tion 1, Sidney Township. His premises are all 
kept in excellent order and good repair. He has 
held several of the local township ollices. Both 
himself and wife are highly esteemed members of 
the Presbyterian Church. He is also a member of 
the I. O. O. F., No. 473, at Sidney, 111., Homer 
Encampment, Homer, 111., and Canton No. 11, at 
Danville, 111. In local politics he is not influ- 
enced by party spirit, but endeavors to sustain in 
■office those whom his judgment advises him are 
best fitted to till the place, but in National politics 
he votes the Democratic ticket. 

A lithographic view of the handsome residence 
of Mr. Wilson, together with its surroundings, is 
shown on a preceding page. 



i^.OLLIN H. MORSE, Business Manager of the 
Exchange Bank at Gifford, lives with his 
ii \V mother on section 1 4, in Compromise Town- 
^^ship, where his parents located in 1869. 
He is a native of Kendall County, this State, born 
May 14, 1867, an<l was brought by his parents to 
this county wiien but a year old. His schooling 
was obtained at Rantonl and Paxton primarily, 
and in the fall of 1884 he entered the State Uni- 
versity at Champaign. After finishing the prepara- 
tory' he entered the regular- course, but ten weeks 
later was called home on account of the illness of 
his father, which terminated fatally Maj' G, 1887. 
Business matters then demanded his presence in 
connection with the estate, and taking charge of his 
father's bank he assumed its management and has 



r 



I 



u 



A 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



907 



carried it on with great credit to hiinself and satis- 
faction to all concerned. Although little over 
twent}^ years of age he possesses the discretion of 
many a man older, and is also of the highest nioi'al 
character, interested in I'eligioiis matters, a nienihcr 
of the Baptist Church, and an earnest worker in 
the Sabbath-school. He furnishes an example which 
might be imitated with profit by man^' even older 
than himself, and by his upright and manly course 
is [uoving a source of comfort to his mother and 
pride to his friends. 

Our subject is the son of James M. and Eliza- 
beth .1. (Hart) Morse. His father was for many 
years one of the most prominent and valued citi- 
zens of Compromise Township. His birth took 
place in Cazenovia, Madison Co., N. Y., .June 19, 
1H36, and he traced his ancestry back to the Puri- 
tans, whose descendants were among the ])ioneer 
settlers of New England. He spent his boyhood 
and j'outh in Madison County, his education being 
completed at the Oneida Conference Seminary, a 
Methodist institution at Cazenovia, in which he 
pursued his studies for a period of six years. 
When twenty j^ears of age he determined to seek 
his fortunes in the great West. He fust went into 
Wisconsin, and for a j'ear was alternately engaged 
in farming and teaching, and the year following l)e- 
canie a resident of Kendall County, this State, wheie 
he remained until 1 .sils, iMirsuing the occupations of 
fanning and teaching, and soma years later came 
to this county and took up his,abode near wiiat is 
now the town of Gilford. 

In the meantinif Mr. Morse had i)urc!iascd 220 
acres (rf land, and in the sjiring of 1S(;9 turned iiis 
whole attention to its iniproveuuMit and cultivation. 
In due time the soil responded to his labors aud he 
found himself on the highway to prosjjerity. He 
put up a One residence with a good barn aud all 
other necessary out-buildings, and when the home- 
stead was complete as a country residence turned 
his attentiiiu more to strictly business |)nrsuits. 
Among the.se he purchased a stock of drugs and 
opened a store in Oift'ord, which he c )ndncte<l 
until .lanuary, I.SiST, then sold out. lie had in the 
meantime, in May, IS.S;"), iuaugur;ite(l an Exchiuige 
Bank at Clifford, the operations of which he superin- 
tended until oblined to ab;iu(l<in it on account of 



ill-health, when it practically passed into the hands 
of his son Hollin. 

The death of James M. Morse tcjok place on the 
(ith of M.ay, l.S,s7. During the yetus of his health 
and strength he was active and industrious in his 
habits and regarded among the most useful citizens 
of Compromise Township. He was the author of 
many measures tending to its welfare, and con- 
tributed generously to the establishment and main- 
tenance of religious and educational institutions. 
He became a member of the Baptist Church when 
a youth sixteen years old, and was actively con- 
nected with it the balance of his life, being one of 
the organizers of that society at Gitford and doing 
all in his [lower to encour.age and build u|) the so- 
ciety. His [lolitical inttuence was cast iu snp|)ort 
of Republican principles, and he was entrusted with 
the important locaf offices, in which he discharged 
his duty with fidelity and with satisfaction to his 
townsmen. He was Postmaster of (iitford for a 
period of six years aud until the change of admin- 
istration. He was contined to his house the gre.-iter 
part of the time for a year and a half previous to 
his death, which was occasioned by partial paralysis 
of tiic Inain. lie died peacefully, surrounded by 
his family and friends, and his remains were laid to 
rest iu Welles Cemetery. 

The mother of our subject was the daughter of 
Dennis and Elvira (Dulton) Hart, and was born 
Jan. 9, 18;3S, in Chautauqua County, N. Y. She 
attended the comnH)U schools in early chihlliood and 
later the select schools, remniuing .a member of iier 
father's family until her marriage. Siic became the 
wife of James .M. Morse on tiie lOtli of October, 
18(11, tiu" marriage taking place at her home in 
Chautauqua. The young lu'ople soon afterward 
removed to Lisbon. Kendall Co., 111., and alter four 
yi'ais removed to Sandwich, in DeKalb County, 
and from there two years later to Coinpromise 
Township. In the spring of 1 8(i9 they took pos- 
session of the present liomcsteiul of liie fnniily. 
Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Morse h.as 
conducted the affairs of the farm intelligeully and 
successfully. .Hill is also proprietor of the Exchange 
Bank. Of her union with James Morse there were 
born four children, of whom the record is as fol- 
lows: ll.altie M. was born Au<j'. 22, 18(12, and be- 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



came the wife of William A. AVooldridge, Oct. 2, 
1883; Rollin II., of our skotcli, w;is the next; Adel- 
boii, hdiii Sept. 17, ISU!), died the 28th of the same 
month; Jedediiih IX was born Oct. 13, 1874. Mrs. 
Morse is connected with the Baptist Church, and is 
a lady highl}^ esteemed in the community for her 
rare business ability and the admirable manner in 
which she conducts her business affairs, and con- 
tributes in assisting to elevate the tone of society 
around her and the moral and religious element of 
the community. 

Dennis Hart, the father of Mrs. Morse, was a na- 
tive of Connecticut, born Sept. 2, 1798. He was 
reared to farming pursuits ]>y his father, who tilled 
the soil before him and followed agriculture all his 
life. He w.as married, Feb. 1, 1S2.5, to Miss Elvira 
Button, and soon afterward removed from his na- 
tive State to Chautuaqun County, N. Y., where he 
puichased 1 20 acres of timber land and proceeded 
to o|)en up a farm in the wilderness. He cut down 
the forest trees, prepared the land for cultivation, 
was unifoi inly successful in his t)i)eratians as a far- 
mer and business man, and. l)eeame prominent in 
the affairs of that localit}'. He put up a fine resi- 
dence which was the pride of that section for a 
quarter of a century, and rested from his earthly 
labors on the Sth of September, ISG.s. The mother 
of Mrs. Morse, formerly Miss Elvira Dntton, was 
born Dec. 22, 1802, and was the youngest of a 
family of five children. She is still living, having 
reached the advanced age of eighty-four 3'ears, 
making her home with one of her children in the 
town of Sherman, N. Y. Her children were named 
Cornelia E., Mary E., Joseph D., Henry M., Eliza- 
beth ,1., Harriett A., Rollin W. and Abbie M. 



|(j_^ ENRY M. MORRIS, [noiirietor of RaiiLoul 

Niirseiy, and also operating, .an extensive 

apiary, is pleasantly located on section 2, 

^ in Kantoul Township, and is meeting with 

success in the prosecution of liis chosen calling. 

His na'tural tastes liave seemingl}- well fitted him 

for tiiese s|)eci.aUii'S. He has fifty stands of bees 

and his nursery includes several acres of land, with 

■ » "i ^« 



all the ap|)liances necessary to the successful prose- 
cution of his labors. He occupies with hisfamilj' a 
/ tasteful and sulistantial residence, surrounded by 
choice shrubs and trees, and on all sides indicating 
the cultivated tastes of its owner. 

Mr. Morris was born in Elgin, Kane County, this 
State, Oct. 14, 1840, and is the son of Edwin and 
Mary A. (Benson) Morris, the former a native of 
Connecticut, of Welsh ancestry, and the latter of 
Portage County, Ohio. The parental household 
included eight children, and tiic mother departed 
this life in 1 S56, when her son, Henry M., was a 
lad ten years of age. The father is now making 
his home vvitii his son, our subject. 

The great-grandparents of Mr. Morris removed 
from Connecticut to Ohio, settling in Portage 
County in the pioneer days. The grandfather was 
a shoemaker bj' trade, but took up a tract of land 
which, with the assistance of his sons, he cleared 
and improved into a good farm, wiiorc he and his 
aged partner spent the last years of their lives in 
comfort aiul contentment. Their son. Edwin, was 
a youth of sixteen years when his parents made 
the journey overland to Ohio. He was married in 
Portage County and lived there until the spring of 
1846, when he started with his f.amily for the 
prairies of Illinois. Their outfit consisted of a team 
of horses and a wagon, and they can led their 
household goods and provisions, camping out at 
night and cooking by the wa3'side. They located 
first upon the presient site of the eit}' of Elgin, 
which was then a small village, and the father en- 
gaged in teaming, transporling wheat to St. Louis 
and bringing back merchandise. 

In the fall of 1846 .Mr. Morris sent his family 
back to Ohio while he crossed the Mississippi for 
the purpose of looking over the conntiy, in the 
meantime visiting Wisconsin, but finding nothing 
desiral)le returned to Ohio and purchased land in 
Break Neck Township, Portage County. Prom 
this the timber had nqt yet been cleared and he 
set about cutting dow^n the trees, and in due time 
had several acres under a good state of cultivation. 
He bought a number of cows and engaged in dairy 
fanning until the spring of IHIM, when he decided 
to once more try his fortune in the West. Coming 
to this count}^ he eng.aged in the livery business at 



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911 



Kiintoul, and also carried on farming on a tract of 
land outside the limits. He was thus engaged until 
1S.S2, when lie proceeded to Arkansas and bought 
railroad land, where he opened up a gt>od farm and 
lived four years. lie then returned, and is now in 
business with ids son, the subject of our slvctch. 

lleiUT M. was fairly educated in ids youtli, his 
studies not being conipletedjit tlie time of the late 
war. In May, ISGl, when but eighteen years old, 
he determined to go into the army, and accordingly 
enlisted in Co. D, 171st Oliio \'ol. Inf.. but was 
captured by Morgan, the raider, during the sum- 
mer, and beingparoled returned home. He after- 
ward came to Illinois with his parents, and in 
February, 1865, re-cnlisted in Co. (i, 151st 111. 
Vol. Inf., serving until the close of the war. After 
his honorable discharge he returned to liantouland 
was occupied as a car[)enter until ISTO, when he 
eng.aged in the hardware trade, ar.d a year later 
embarked in the lunilicr business. In 1S72 he 
opened a grocerj' store which he carried on two 
years, then sold out and purchased the Rantoid 
Nursery which, in connection with bee-keeping, he 
has carried on successfully and which is a source of 
pleasure as well as profit. 

Mr. Morris was married, Oct. 7, 1808. to Miss 
Harriet N. Myers, who was born in Dansville, N. Y., 
Oct. 13, 1847, and is the daughter of Peter and 
Theresa (Gardner) Myers. Of this union there are 
six children — Charles M., Ethelroy B., Mabel L., 
Keith (;., Helen F. and There;^a Rose, ()urs^lbject 
is Republican in politics, and with his wife, is a 
mendjer in goc)d standing of the Congregational 
Chiuvh. 



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'll^AVID PEABODY, an enterprising and 
I ))] l"'ospp''ous farmer of .St. Joseph Township, 
jgvJI^^ and whose portrait is presented on the oi)- 
posite page, is pleasantly located on sec- 
tion 13, where he has a good farm of 208 acres and 
is surrounded by all the comforts of life. Ilis his- 
tory, briefly narrated, is substantially as follows: 
The Peahodys were originally from Scotland. Our 
subject was born in Switzerland County, lnd.,Sept. 
II, 1H33, and traces his ancfistr}' back to New 



Kngland, of which his grandfather. Stephen Pea- 
body, was a native, having been born in Massachu- 
setts. From there, when a young man, he removed 
to Scottsville, N. Y., thence to Pennsylvaiua, and 
from there to Switzerland County, Ind., where he 
•permanently located, and sjient the remainder of 
his days. He married a Miss Clark, and they 
reared a family of three daughters and four sons. 
Among the latter was Adolphus A., who was born 
in New York, accompanied his father to Indiana 
when a lail fourteen years old, there grew to man- 
hood, and married Miss Permelia Lester, who be- 
came the mother of our subject. Her parents were 
David and Sarah (Applebee) Lester, of German 
descent. 

After their marriage the parents of our subject 
remained residents of Switzerland County, Ind., 
until the spring of 1834, then removed to La Gro, 
Wabash Co., Ind., where the death of the father 
took place in 1880, when he was seventy-eight 
years of age, his birth having occurred in 1802. 
The wife and mother is still living, making her 
home in La (iro, Ind. She was born in 1811, and 
by her marriage with Adolphus Peabody became 
the mother of eight children, five sons iind three 
daughters Of these, one died in infancy. Sarah, 
the wife of Joseph Pratt, is a resident of Wab.ash 
County, Ind. ; David, of our sketch, was the twin 
of his sister Sarah; Hiram is now deceased; Edward 
.and Cyrus are living on a farm in Wabash County, 
Ind.; Mary is the wife of Henry Stoops, of that 
county; William A., the youngest, is farming in 
La (!ro Town.ship, Ind. 

The boyhood and youth of David I'eabody were 
spent after the manner of most farmers' sons, at- 
tending the district school in winter, and assisting 
his parents around the homestead the balance of 
the year. After the outbreak of the Civil War he 
enlisted in Co. G, 72d 111. Vol. Inf., and followed 
the vicissitudes of army life for three years. He 
was present at some of the most important battles 
of the war, namely, Chamiiion Hills, Black Hiver, 
and the siege and capture of \'icksbin-g, where he 
was detailed as a sharpshooter. Afterward he went 
to Nashville and Franklin, Tenn., where the enemy 
was met and vanquished, and after various other 
engagements and skirnushes, in which he was fortu- 



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912 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




nate in escaping witliout a wound or iinprisonnient, 
one flay there came news of the final surrender of 
Lee's army, and he and his comrades not long after- 
ward received their honorable discharge. 

After being mustered oiit of service Mr. Pea- 
body returned to this county and began making- 
preparations for the estaiilishuientof a future home. 
One of the first important steps was his marriage, 
in 18G.H, to Miss Anna Hiliegas, who was a native 
of Wabash County, Ind., and the daughter of Jon- 
athan and Mary E. (Brosier) llillegas. The latter 
were of German descent, but natives of Pennsyl- 
vania. Our subject and his bride located not long 
afterward upon the farm which has since remained 
their permanent dwelling-place, and in the commu- 
nity with whose interests they have been identified 
for a period of nearlj' twenty 3^ears. Upon this 
Mr. P. has effected all the improvements which now 
attract the eye of the passer-b\', and which consti- 
tutes one of the most desirable homesteads in St. 
Joseph Township. The household circle . includes 
one daughter and two sons, namely. Eugene F., 
Charles A. and Mary Bertha. 

Our subject and wife are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church at St. Joseph, and Mr. P. 
belongs to St. Joseph Post No. 220, G. A. 11., in 
which he takes great interest. He is one of the 
valuable factors of the communit}^ which has known 
him long and well, and by whom he is held in the 
highest respect. In politics he is an uncompro- 
mising Republican. . 

N'fefc. R. WILLIAM A. CONKEY, one of the 
honored pioneers of Illinois, came to the 
.State with his parents in 1830, ne.arly fift}'- 
seven years ago. The face of the country 
at that time was vastly different from the picture 
which it now presents, and our subject, in common 
with other sons of pioneers, is in possession of a 
rich experience dating over a long period, during 
which he has witnessed changes more strange than 
fiction. He commenced life in a modest manner, 
has kept full pace with the march of progress and 
civilization, ami is now numbered among the ex- 
tensive farmers and stock-growers of the Prairie 



State. Ilis property embraces 400 acres of finel_v 
cultivated land on section 7, Homer Township, a 
part of which he look possession of in l.S;V2. He 
afterward added to his real estate as time passed on 
and his means accumulated, improving his laud with 
shapely and substantial buildings, enclosing the 
fields with fences, and supplying all the re(piisites 
of a first-class country estate. 

Dr. Conkey is of New England birth and parent- 
age, having first opened his eyes to the light in 
Franklin County, Mass., Dec. G, 1820. and being 
the son of Alexander and Lucy (.McCuUoch) Con- 
kev, who were also natives of the Baj' .State. The 
father of our subject, who was born Nov. 1, 1789, 
came to Illinois with his family in 1830, an<l lo- 
cated first in Edgar County. Although a stone cut- 
ter by trade he engaged in farming after coming to 
Illinois, and was thus occupied until his death, 
which occurred Nov. 9, 1859. He was a man of 
much force of character, decidedly orthodox in hig 
views religiously, and a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, in which he held the ollice of Deacon for 
many j-ears. He was a great admirer, of the |)rin- 
ciples of the Ma.sonic fraternity, with which lie 
united when a 3'oung man. The mother of our 
subject was born March 11, 1789, the same year as 
her husband, and passed awa}- the same year in 
which he died, her decease occurring in Jnl3'. .Slie 
was a most worthy Christian lady, who sj-mpathized 
with her husband in his views and beliefs. 

Of the union of Alexander and Lucy Conko3- 
there were born four children, of whom the record 
is as follows: The eldest son, Otis M., was first 
married to Miss Naomi Morton, who died three or 
four years afterward ; he next married Miss Sarah 
Ta3'lor. ll3slop A. was married thrice; his first 
wife. Miss Zilpha .Sweet, lived only a few 3-ears, and 
he was then married to Miss Jane Ke3'es; this lady 
also survived but a short time, and for his third 
wife he married Miss Esther Bales. Lusetta S. mar- 
ried Alanson Baldwin, and is now deceased ; William 
A. is our subject. 

William A. Conke3' was a lad of ten years when 
his parents made the long journe3' from M:issachn- 
setts to Illinois, but he still remembers many of 
the incidents connected therewith, especially, the 
camping at night and cooking b3' the wa3-side, and 



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making their beds in the wagons. He remained a 
member of the parental houseiiohl until twenty- 
three years of age, and tlien started out to m.ake his 
own vva}' in life with a small caitital of §2. .50, with 
wliich he purchased a town lot in what is now the 
village of Homer. His boyhood and youth, aside 
from the ordinary farm labors, had Ijeen partially 
spent in .attendance at the school carried on in a log 
cabin, and later, having a t.iste for the study of 
medicine, he repaired to Louisville, Ky., and after 
taking a course iu the college there, was pronounced 
fitted for the duties of the profession. AfteK mak- 
ing a trial of this for a period of nine ye.irs, during 
which time he could not really interest himself in 
the profession, he abandoned it and turned his at- 
tention to farming. In this latter he. has been 
greatly prospered, as his tine farm of 400 acres, with 
its welt-kept stock and ample buihlings, gives evi- 
dence. A view of the place is shown in this work. 
He li.as among his herjl of Short-horn cattle some 
of the finest animals in Central Illinois, and both as 
a farmer and stock-grower has attained an envialile 
reputation in this section of the State. 

Dr. Conkey has also been iironiiiient in the affairs 
of liis township, representing it on the Board of 
Supervisors ten years in succession, serving as ,lus- 
tice of the Peace and Commissioner of Highway's, 
and being called upon to .assist in manj' of its im- 
portant measures for the general good. Upon first 
exercising the right of suffrage he cast his vote with 
the old-line Whigs, but upon tlie .abandonment of 
the old part^- cheerfully endorsed the principles of 
the one built upon its ruins, and has been a true- 
blue Republican since the organization of the party. 
Socially" he Is a member in good standing of the 
Masonic fraternity, having attained to the 3d degree, 
and has also occupied various Important odlces 
among the brethren, being now connected with 
Homer Lodge No. 199. 

While a resident of Edgar County. 111.. .Mr. Con- 
ke3' made the aeipiaintance of Miss Kli/.al)etli Wil- 
son, who became his wife on the 19th of Xoveiiil)er, 
1843. Of this marriage tliere were born two chil- 
dren, both of whom died in Infancy, the mother 
.also passing to the otiier life soon afterward. Her 
^ death ()ccinred Aug. l.j, is 17, when she was about 
^ ' twenty -eight years of age, her birth having taken 



' place July 21, 1819. The second wife of our sub- 
ject, to whom he was married May 31, 1849, was 
formerly Miss Sarah V. Saddler, a \'iiglnia lad}', 
, born Nov. 20, 1827, and the daughter of William 
I and Keziah (Brooks) .Saddler, also natives of the 
Old Dominion. They removed from there to Illi- 
nois in 1840, locating in Vermilion County, where 
the death of the mother occurred some 3'ears later. 
Mr. Saddler afterward removed to Champaign 
County, where he died in about 18(33. The chil- 
dren of this household were John C. II., Williara I., 
Jane E., .Sarah Y. and Lucj'. 

Dr. Conkej- canje to Homer Township from Ed- 
gar County iu 1843. The familj' of nine children 
born to himself and wife is recorded as follows: 
Aubert J., the eldest, married Miss .Susan E. Butler; 
Byron M. died when four j'ears of age; Francis, 
born Dec. 3, 1854, died on the 23d of February 
following; Lucy was born Dec. 1. 18.56; Bruce T., 
April 27, 1859; Carl, July 10, 1861 ; Emma S.. born 
Nov. 3, 1863, became the wife of E. P. Babb, 
on the 9th of October, 1884; Frank M. was born 
May 3, 1S68, and Fred B., Oct. 24, 1870. These 
childi'en constitute a fine famlh', having inherited 
tiie business ability of their father and the virtues 
of their mother. 



,.l NTHONYCOYLE, thedescend.antof an old 
'(W[UJ^ family dating b.ack to the Revolutionary 
War, Is one ot the i)rominenl farmers and 
1^^ stock-growers of Kerr Townshii). He was 

born Ai)rll 5. 1840, In Baltimoie, Md., and Is the 
son of Martin and Mary ((ioian) Coylo. .Martin 
Coyle was luirn in .Maryland, of which State his 
father. .lohn Coyle, was also a native. His mother, 
Catherine, was the daughter of Thomas aiu) .Mar- 
garet Goian, of North Carolina. 

Both of Anthony Coyle's grandfathers served 
in tlie Revolutionary War, and likewise In the War 
of 1812. M.artin Coyle, his father, was a wholesale 
merchant in Baltimore, and died wlien Anthony 
w.as Inu eight years of .age. Deprived of his father's 
protection and care he left home at the age of 
twelve years to begin tlie l>attle of life for himself. 
He first vislteil some relatives In Wheeling, W. \'a., 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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for whom he workcfl fof a sliorL time. Thence he 
went to Warwick, near Zancsville, Ohio, and there 
engager! in teamini;-. In the spring of l«o4 he 
came to Chicago, and tlience two months later, re- 
turned to Ohio, sojourning for a lirief time in 
Barnesville, l)ut finding no favorable opening for 
bu.siness there he returned the same autumn to 
Illinois, and located in Urhana, this county, where 
he engaged in farming for Cliarles McKinney. He 
worked in this manner for various parties until 
18;')'.), when he was engaged for two years as assist- 
ant in managing the farm of F. P>. Battles, in Har- 
wood Township. In the fall of 18G0 he went to 
New Orleans, and for a time engaged in teaming. 

While completing arrangements for buying horses 
in Illinois and shipping them South, Mr. Coyle's 
negotiations were cut short by the breaking out of 
the Civil War. He then returned to Illinois and 
resumed farming. But having descended from a 
military ancestr}', his patriotism prevailed and he 
entered the sel'vice of his country, enlisting July 
10, 18(31, in Co. D, M 111. Vol. Cav., under Capt. 
Charles E. Verrick. He served until June 14, 
1863, when he was discharged on account of disa- 
bility, having received a gunshot wound Dec. 20, 
1802, at Holly Springs, Miss. He had been with 
the Army of the Tennessee during the entire time of 
his service, and was with (iraut at Holl3' Springs, 
when his supplies were all destroyed by the rebel 
General, Van J)oru. 

Ml'. Coyle was united in marriage with Miss 
(Jeorgiana Kuder, Nov. 1(1, 18(i;3. Mrs. C. was the 
youngest child of Solomon and Frances (Skinner) 
Kuder, natives of Ohio. For three years Mr. C. 
had the management of his father-in-law's farm. 
On the 29th of October, 18G4, his beloved wife was 
removed by death, leaving one child, George Solo- 
mon, who is now deceased. June 14, 186G, Mr. C. 
was married the second time, to Miss Amanda J. 
Kuder, the youngest daughter of John and Cornelia 
(Kdson) Kuder, natives of North Carolina. In 
1868 he made his first purchase of land, which con- 
sisted of forty acres of wild prairie in Kerr Town- 
ship, located on section 32. He has remained here 
since the winter of 18(19, cultivating .and improving 
his farm, to which he has in the meantime added 
forty acres. 



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To Mr. and Mrs. Coyle there were born four 
children, only two of wh(jm are living, namely, 
Clara Permelia and John Franklin. The deceased 
are Mary Frances and Joseph Benjamin. Mr. Coyle 
is actively engaged in farming and stock-raising, 
giving special attention to breeding Bertrand and 
Messenger horses, and Poland-China hogs. He is 
also interested in public affairs, having served four 
terms as Supervisor, six years as Road Commis- 
sioner, seven as School Trustee, and about six as 
Director. He belongs to the Democratic party and 
takes an active jiart in local politics. Himself and 
wife arc both members of the Methodist Church. 

)EOR(iE II. HEED. The history of this 
gentlem.an, who is well known in the vicin- 
*^^i|( ity of Rantoul, as a skillful breeder of Per- 
cheron horses, first opened his eyes to the light 
near the town of Marcellus in Onondaga, County, 
N. Y., March 1.'), 183:3. He is of English ancestry, 
and his paternal great-grandfather l)ecame a resi- 
dent of Massachusetts during the early settlement 
of New England. He married and reared a fam- 
ily, and among his sons was Zel)ulon, who married 
Miss Elizabeth Tracy. They reared a family of 
two sons and five daughters, among them being 
Jonathan, the father of our subject. The latter 
was born in the town of Concord, Mass., in 1804, 
and became, with his [januits, a resident of .Marcel- 
lus, N. Y., four years later. He is still living, an 
energetic and active old gentleman, eighty-three 
years of age. 

Our subject grew to manhood in his native 
county, and when twenty-three years of age started 
out for himself, ilrifting westward, and finally en- 
gaged as traveling salesman for a commission house 
in Toledo, Ohio. In 18.59 he returned to his na- 
tive town, having chosen one of its daughters ft>r 
his future wife. This lady was Miss Martha, 
daughter of William and Sarah Sarr. They were 
married in 18.')9, and took up their residence in 
Cayuga County, where Mr. Reed engaged in farm- 
ing and remained there until 1868, when he came 
into this county and purcliased a farm on section 
17, in Ludlow Township. He followed agricult- 

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iiial piirsuit-s until the fall of 1871, and then, de- 
siring to chimge liis occupation, left the f.-niii in 
cliarge of a tenant, and going into Kantoul, pur- 
chased vehicles and iiorsos and engaged in the liv- 
ery business, lie was thus occupied for perhaps a 
year, and then became interested in I'ercheron 
horses, to the breeding of which he turned his at- 
tention, and to which he seems eminently fitted, 
judging from the success with which he has oper- 
ated. Among liis favorites are Comet, a jet ))lack; 
Cliarles, dark graj", and Oliver, still darker and 
dap|)led. Tiiese creatures are of magnificent pro- 
portions, and tlie owner may readily lie pardoned 
fur his pride in tliem. The business consumes the 
larger portion of his time. 

The children of .Mr. and Mrs. Reed, four in num- 
ber — Grace A., George II., .Tr., Blanche M. and 
Kate S. — are all living at home with their |)arcnts. 
and form a bright and interesting family. The 
parental family of our snl)ject included six sons 
and live daughters, all of whom lived to mature 
years and nine still survive. They are located 
mostly in the East, and all have comfortable homes 
while living honest and worthy lives, in accordance 
with the early training received from their excel- 
lent parents. 



^<w-^!^^'0ji^4><^«^-<J. 




REDKRICK A. BEI.S.SER, a successful and 

skillful market gardener of Champaign 
Township, has been a resident of this section 
since the spring of li^55, and a year later located 
on the snug homestead which he now owns and oc- 
cupies. Here he li.as a good frame house, and for 
the pro.secution i>f his calling, has nine greenhouses. 
lie raises the lirst vegetables of each season, and 
finds a good market for liis earliest i)roduce at the 
city t)f Chicago. Later in the season lie sells veg- 
et.'djles at Champaign and I'rliana. lie h:is a good 
nnderstanding of his business, seems naturally 
adapted to it, and takes pride in i)rodn<-lng the 
finest specimens of the garden and greenhouse. 

Mr. IJeis.ser was born in the Province of Saxony, 
I'ru.ssia, Aug. 12, 1825, and five ye:iis later re- 
moved with his parents to Ihaudenbnrg, where he 
attended sehoi.il until fouiteiui ye.ars old. The 
t'.-imily then returned to Sa.Kony, locating in the 



^ 



city of Magdeburg, where he lived until eighteen 
years old. His parents soon afterward began to 
make preparatitms to emigrate to the United .States, 
and on the lOtli of July following, set sail from 
Hamlnirg, arriving in New York on the 2()th of 
September, after a verj' stormy pa.ssage. They 
proceeded to Buffalo, via the Hudson River and 
Erie Canal, and remained residents of that city 
for throe years. From there they rtwnoved to Ma- 
honing County, Ohio, whence, after four years 
they removed to Cleveland, and were residents of 
the Forest City for seven years following. In 1S55 
they came to this county. Tlie mother died a 
short time afterward. The fatlier then returned to 
Cleveland, where he spent the last years of his life. 

While in ]Malioiiiiig County, Ohio, Mr. Beisser 
was employed in a coal mine, and after taking up 
his residence in Cleveland, engaged as clerk in a 
drug-store, remaining six years under one employer. 
In the meantime he gained a good understanding 
of the Ijiisiness, and then set up a store for himself. 
This was destroyed by fire eighteen months later, 
and having lost all his possessions, he concluded 
to emigrate to the farther \Vcst. Coming into 
Champaign County, he engaged as clerk in a gen- 
eral store, whcie he w.as eraplo^'ed for six months, 
and then became connected with the mechanical 
department of the Illinois Central Railroad, most 
of his time being occupied in repairing. After 
two years he was placed in charge of a gang of 
men in Ellingham County. After a year thus eni- 
jiloyed, he purchased a tr.act of unimproved prairie 
land on section 21, in Champaign Townslii|i, which, 
after another year, he sold out, and in l^i.js took 
possession of liis present place. Upon this he has 
effected marked improvements, .aud is doing a prof- 
itable and stca<lily incieasing business, enlarging 
each year his facilities for the raising of choice 
garden iiroducts. He is universally res|)ected by 
his fellow-townsmen, and in politics inclines to 
Democratic principles, inakingit a point, however, 
to cast his vote for the men whom he believes to 
be the best qualified for ollice. He commenced in 
life at the foot of the ladder, and li.as attained to a 
good i)ositioii in the community, with an assured 
competency for his old age. 

Mr. Bci.sser was married In Buffalo, 7<. ^'., in 

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916 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



T 







1846, to Miss Amelia Meissner. Mrs. Beisser was 
born in the Province of Silesia, Prussia. They 
have no chiklren of their own, but are supplying 
the place of kinrl [jarents to an adopted son, Robert 
.J. Fieg. 

i>lLLIAM J. PETERS, a representative of 
one of the jjjoneer families of Champaign 
County, was born on his father's home- 
stead in St. Joseph Township, Feb. 3, 1834. Here 
"William Peters, Sr., first settled in 1827, making 
his first purchase of eiglity acres with five yoke of 
oxen. He afterward added to his real estate, and 
in due time had a good farm of 120 acres, which 
to-day bears fair comparison with the homesteads 
adjacent. The family residence is a substantial and 
roomy structure, two stories in height, and with its 
adjoining out-buildings invariably attracts the 
attention of the passer-by. The stock and farm 
machinery are of the best description, and the 
entire premises indicates the industry and taste of 
the proprietor. 

The parents of our subject, William and Sarah 
(McNutt) Peters, who were born iu Kentuckj-, 
emigrated from the Blue Grass regions to Indiana, 
wlience they moved to Champaign County, iu 
1827, hicating three miles south of the present 
town site of St. .Joseph, on section 111. Here Mr. 
Peters lived and toiled industriously until 1802, 
when he rested from iiis earthly labors. The wife 
and mother survived several years, her death finally 
taking place on the old homestead. Their thirteen 
children all lived to maturity and included seven 
sons and six daughters. Of these one died when 
abi)»l nineteen years ol<l; eleven married, and have 
families <,)f their own. 

William J. Peters, who was the si'venlh child of 
his parents, was reared on the homestead, educated 
in the district si^hool, and remained with his par- 
rents until reaching his majority, lie then located 
upon the eighty acres which constitutes a part of 
liis present homestead, where he commenced tilling 
the soil on his own account and was prospered. 
After he had laid tin; foundation for a future home, 
he was united in marriage with Miss Jemima 
Penny, ill the spring of 18.08, and they took up 



their residence on his first purchase. The wife of 
our subject was born in Madison County, Ohio, in 
1.S40, and is the daughter of Joseph and Rhoda A. 
(Johnson) Penny. 

The household of Mr. Peters and his wife was 
gradually enlarged until eleven little ones had been 
added to the family. Oi these but eight are now 
living, namely, Henry C, who married Miss Susan 
M. Foreman, and is now a resident of Piatt County ; 
Joseph R.. who married Miss Mary Stanner; Will- 
iam A., who married Mary L. Harvey' ; Sarah E., 
j;iiza J., wife of William Ridinjer; Cyrus E., 
Elizabeth A., Arlis O. John C, the eldest child, 
died in infancy; Amanda C, when three yeai-s old, 
and Addie F., in infancy'. 

Mr, Peters h.as been a useful member of his com- 
munity, serving as Commissioner of Ilighwaj's, 
Road Overseer, School Director, and in other posi- 
tions where his clear hea<l and cool judgment 
proved of great benefit to his fellow-citizens. He 
was reared in the Denuicratic faith, to which he 
still adheres, although meddling little with politics, 
except to exercise the rights and duties of a free- 
born American citizen at the polls. 



tEORGH Iv. LARGENT is the owner of a 
fine esUite containing 100 acres, located on 
section 23, Urbana Township. He is the 
descendant of an old Virginia famfly, and was born 
Oct. 2, 1833, in Hampshire County, W. Va., twen- 
ty-six miles east of Romney. His parents were 
natives of Virginia, and never left that State. His 
father, Lewis Largent, was twice married. His sec- 
ond wife was the daughter of Abner Clark, and 
the mother of George K. The families of each mar- 
riage comprised sixteen children. 

George Largent w:is brought up on his father's 
farm in Hampshire County, and remained at home 
until his twenty -second year, when his marriage 
with Miss Naomi Harmon took place. Mrs. Lar- 
gent is the daughter of Samuel Harmon, a resident 
of Pendleton County, W. Va. During tiie progress 
of the Civil War. Mr. Largentlost all of his' proper- 
ty ; his horses and cattle were cajitured and his i)lace 




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It 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



917 \ 



l;u(l watite by tlic confederate troops. His business 
was so broken up l)y this disaster tliat in August, 
18(J2, he left the South and removed to I'eoria 
County. 111. After remaining there tliree years lie 
changed ills residence, in KS()S, to I'iiilo Townshii), 
Ciiauipaign Count}-, wliere for six years lie con- 
ducted a rented farm. Having i-ecovered from liis 
financial enibarassment he then purchased iiis |)resent 
homestead. His land is in a fine state of cultiva- 
tion and well improved, and he is chiefly engaged 
in general farming. 

Our sulijcct and wife have had a family of seven 
cliildren. The first born, .lacob W., died in his 
twent_v-fnst year; Klizabcth C. is the wife of J\Ir. 
Khinchard, a resident of this county; Samuel, D. is 
l'rinci|)al of the High .School at Tolono; George G. 
is a [)rosperous farmer residing in I'hilo Township; 
John A. is a teacher of high standing in his profes- 
sion ; Charles A. is an active, enterpiising farmer, 
and Rosa M. resides at home with her parents. Mrs. 
Largent and two of her sons are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church* 

Almost at the beginning of his business career 
]Mr. Largent was seriously crippled in resources by 
the devastations of war, which, wherever it svveeps 
through a country leaves mi.sery and desolation in 
its track; anguish and sorrow are its heritage, and 
it will yet be many years before the country re- 
covers from the clash of arms which shook the Re- 
public from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Through 
trial and adversity, Mr. Largent has born himself 
with the courage of a brave man, and by energy 
and industry has to a great extent retrieved the 
losses of the past. 

KTKR MYLRS, deceased. The subject of 
jlj the following history located in Rantoul 
' Township during the pioneer days and be- 
came c'K).sely identifieil with its develop- 
ment. He was a man of nioie than ordinary abil- 
ity, and was at once recognized as eminently fitted 
to be a leader of the conimunit3'. After occu|)ying 
the minor otlices of the townshi|> he was. in IsGS, 
elected as .Sheriff of Chami)aign County, the duties 
of which ollice he discharged in a creditable man- 




ner for a period of two years. He was rearetl to 
farming pursuits which, however, he only followed 
about five years after his marriage, his mind in- 
clining more to trade than .agriculture, and during 

^ o o 

the latter part of his life he was engaged mostly in 
the hnnber business, his transactions extending 
over a large section of country. 

Mr. Myers was a native of (ireenbush, Rens- 
selaer Co., N. Y., b jrn Nov. 19, 1809. His father, 
Peter Myers, Sr., was born in Dutchess Count}', N. 
Y., and his grandfather, also named Peter, w.as of 
German |)arentage, the exac't location of his birth 
not being known. He carried on a farm in Dutch- 
ess County for a number of years, and then retired 
to Gieenbush, where he spent his last days. His 
sons followed in his footsteps, also tilling the soil. 
The father of our subject carried on farming for a 
number of years in Rensselaer Countj'. and then 
retiring to the village of Greenbush, spent his last 
j'ears in peace and quiet. His children were eight 
in number, four of whom survive. 

Peter Myers, of this sketch, remained under the 
home roof until reaching manhood, and upon start- 
ing out in life for himself made it his first business 
to secure a companion and helpineet to share his 
fortiuies. The maiden of his choice. Miss Theresa 
Gardner, became his wife Sept. 1, 183."). and the 
following year, with a team of lun'ses and a wagon, 
they went overland into Genesee County, and 
located upon a farm which they occupied for five 
years. Mr. Myers then began dealing in lumber, 
his operations commencing at I'ortage, N. Y. In 
18K) he removed to Dansville, Livingston Co., 
N. Y., where he resided until 1850, and thence re- 
moved to Cani.'iteo, Steuben County, where he be- 
came the owner of a sawmill, which he conducted 
until 1855. In the spring of that year he migrated 
to this State and county, purch.asing u tract of wild 
land in Tolono Township, which he occui^ied two 
and one-half years, effecting what improvement he 
coidd in that short time. He then removed to the 
city of Champaign, where his family resided two 
and one-half years. Mr. Myers in the nu-antimc es- 
tablishing a lumber trade at It^mtoul. In isiii he 
took up his residence at Rantoul, where his death 
occured Jan. 31, 18H(). 

Mr. Myers was a man of decided views ui)om all ' 



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918 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



matters of general interest, and before the organi- 
zation of the Republicans was an old-line Whig. 
After tiie abandonment of that party he cast his 
lot with tiie Republicans, and was by them elected 
Sheriff in 1868, serving his full term. Both he and 
his wife were members in good standing of the 
Congregational Church at Rantoul. Mrs. Myers is 
a native of Steplientown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., born 
July 22, 1815. Her fatlicr, Ludowick Gardner, 
was a native of Rhode Island, in which State his 
fatlier located soon after liis marriage. A few 
years afterward the^' went to Rensselaer County, 
and took up a tract of timber land, in the cultiva- 
tion and improvement of whicii Grandfather Gard- 
ner was engaged the remainder of his life. The 
father of Mrs. M. grew to manhood in Rensselaer 
County, was married and reared his family in 
Stephentown, where he died in about 1824. Her 
mother, who was formerly Miss Chloe Bull, was a 
native of Connecticut, and the daughter of Abner 
Bull, who removed from that State to Rensselaer 
County, N. Y., during its early settlement, and 
there died at the age of ninety-one years. 

Two children were born to our subject and wife: 
Harriet N., the wife of H. M. Morris, of Rantoul, 
and Helen T., a teacher of music, who resides with 
her mother. They occupy a pleasant home within 
the village limits, and enjoy the societ}- of a large 
circle of friends. 



-^■^:^e^> a- 



L':JJ. 



^ 



»>-_j-tS 1- *^£-<» - 



-V 



VILLIAM FLETCHER. In presenting this 
biographical notice of one of the leading 
farmers of Champaign County, and a gen- 
tleman who tlioroughl3' repi'esents its progressive 
element, it is well to advert to the life story of 
those from whom ho drew his origin. ^Joseph 
Fletcher, the father of (nir subject, was born in 
Kirby Moorside, Yorkshire, England, Sept. 27. 1781. 
His parents were William and Elizabeth Fletcher, 
also natives of Yorkshire, where they spent their 
entire lives, and were laid to rest in the church- 
yard .at Kirby Moorside. They left as a leg.acy to 
r their children a record of kindly anil upright lives, 



I 



which were spent in the |)eaceful pursuits of agri- 
culture. 

.Joseph Fletcher, after his marriage, located in 
the parish of Normanby, where he engaged in farm- 
ing until 185.i. That j'ear, on the 1st of April, 
accompanied by his wife and seven children, he set 
sail for the United States, and after a safe voj'age 
landed in New York City on the 1st of JIay. He 
had a few hundred dollars in his possession, and 
coming directly to Illinois purchased 200 acres of 
land in Mason County, and entered eighty acres 
more from the Government. Of this, eighty acres 
were partially improved. The balance had never 
been turned by the plowshare. After providing a 
suitable dwelling for his family he at once pro- 
ceeded to the cultivation and improvement of his 
land, and during the time of his residence there 
brought 240 acres to a condition where it 3'ields in 
abundance the choicest products of the Prairie State. 
Having now accumulated a competency for his 
declining years, he rented his farm and repaired to 
the home of his son, our subject, in this county, 
where with his faithful companion and the mother 
of his children, he resided until his death, which 
occurred June 22, 1882. He was a man greatly 
esteemed for his excellent personal traits of char- 
acter, his correct and temper.ate habits, and his un- 
compromising honesty. The mother, a lady of 
more than ordinary intelligence, is still living, and 
is now eighty-four years of age. Her faculties are 
preserved to a remarkable degree and she still pos- 
sesses the happy and active disposition of her youth. 
She recalls distinctly man}' incidents of the early 
da3's when the}' lirst settled in Illinois and remem- 
bers d.ates with wonderful correctness. Mrs. Fletcher 
was born in Normanby, Sept. 27, 1803. Her par- 
ents were John and Ann (Thompson) T.aylor, both 
also natives of Yorkshire, England, where the}' spent 
their entire lives and were buried in the old church- 
yard at Normanby. 

The parental family included nine children, of 
whom the record is as follows: John still lives iu 
Mason County, this State; William, of our sketch, 
was the second child; Joseph W. resides in the city 
of Chann>aign; Jane, when a child of four years, 
died in England on the 2;id of .March, 18;$;?; an 
infant died niniamed in 18;58; Thompson was born 






f 



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afc '■ ^m 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



921 



Feb. 22, 1837. and died in 1870, in Mason County; 
Mary, the wife of Robert I'iersoii, lives in Ilarwoud 
Township, lliis eouiily; .lane is the wife of B. K. 
Vates. a sketch of wlioin will lie found elsewhere in 
this Ai.imm; Bessie married Isaac Layman (see 
sketch), and departed this life at the home of her 
husband in l.'^72; John T. was born in England in 
1853, and reared by his yrandmother, with whom he 
lived until grown. 

Our subject remained with his parents and at- 
tended the common scIkkjIs bricHy during his boy- 
hood. He was not, however, fond of stiuly l)ut 
preferred to work, and when eleven years of age 
engaged as a groom. Two 3ears later he occupied 
himself ,as a plowboy, being employed thus four 
years, then engaging as a teamster followed this five 
j'cars. The next eighteen months he held the 
position of foreman on a large farm. In 1855, 
.accompanied b^- his parents, he set sail for Amer- 
ica, and has remained a resident of this State 
since his arrival here. He h.as in the meantime 
visited his native Eugland and speut nine months 
among the friends of his boyhood and youth. 

In ISC'J Mr. Fletcher purchased 329 .acres of 
uncultivated prairie which is now included in his 
present farm in Kantoul Township. Four years 
afterward he took possession of this, his parents 
accompanying him. Since that time he has indus- 
triously labored, cultivating and improving his 
property, with most gratifying results, and now 
has the satisfaction of knowing that there is not 
an acre of waste land on the farm. That which 
is not devoted to pasture is utilized for the grow- 
ing of corn, oats, r^'e and wheat, and the vege- 
table products required by the household. He 
has a substantial dwelling. Hanked by a good barn 
and out-buildings, while fruit and shade trees em- 
bellisli the grounds about the residence. The 
friends who have known him best have the highest 
appreciation of the character of Mr. Fletcher both 
as a neighbor and friend. He has taken a genuine 
interest in the [)rogress and prosperity of his 
adopted county, and is the encouragei- of every 
enterprise tending to its moral and intellectual ad- 
vancement. 

Politically .Mr. F. votes the I)em(<cratic. ticket, and 
^ Ms a Worthy and consistent member of the Methodist 



■ 



Episco|)al Church. His extensive farming opera- 
tions have beeu uniformly successful,- and tlu' smil- 
ing fields of growing griun, the wide pastures ten- 
anted liy well-cared-for stock, with the ample farm 
liuildings atul |)leasant surroun<lings form one of 
the pleasantest pictures in the landscape of Cham- 
paign County. A view of the place is presented 
on another page of this work. 



^^ LEMENT Ml .MILLIAX. Among the |)rairie 
'if^^ homes of Illinois there arc perhaps none 
^^^ more attractive than that of the subject of 
our sketch, which is finely located in Hensley 
Township, on section 18. Its shapely and sub- 
stantial buildings, choice grades of stock, and excel- 
lent farm machinery all indicate the industry and 
intelligence of their proprietor. The farm, which 
consists of 240 acres, is under a line state of cidti- 
vation, and fields in abundance of the choice |)rod- 
ucts of the Prairie State. Our subject as a man is 
held in the highest respect by all who know liim, 
and none have assisted toward the material growth 
and i)rosperity of his township and county more 
than he. 

Mr. McMilliau was born in (Jreenbrier County, 
now West \'irginia, .Sept. IG, lf<29. His paternal 
grandfather removed from ('ulpeper to (ireenbrier 
County during tlie early settlement of that section 
of countr3'. He purchased a tract of timber land 
and improved a farm, where he spent the remainder 
of his life. There also his family was reaied, 
among whom was Daniel, the father of our subject. 
He was born in Culpcper Count}', and w.-is quite 
3'oung when his parents became residents of (Ireen- 
Ijrier Count}'. He grew to mauhotxt on the farm 
and then settled u|)on a tr.act of land given him by 
his father, which he occupied until 1847. He then" 
removed to Cabell CUnint\', where he cultivated 
rented land a few 3ears, aud thence removed to 
M.ason County, in the same State, where he spent 
the remainder of his life. He was married in early 
manhood to Miss Margaret Carroll, a native of 
(ireenbrier County, Va. After the death of her 
husband Mrs. McM. came to Illinois and spent the 



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922 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



1 ' 

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last years of her life vvith lier son, our subject, in 
I'iiilt County, lier ileutli occurrinu;- in 18(59. 

The parcnliil family of our sul)ject consisted- of 
si.K children, of whom Clement w.as the third in 
order of birlii. Me was reared to farming i)ursMils 
and made his home witli his parents until his mar- 
riage. Afterward he rented land in his native 
State, then romnved to Ohio, and for years followed 
farming on rented land in F.ivette and Pickaway 
Connties. Not being quite satisfied with his con- 
dition or prospects in the Buckeye State, lie con- 
cluded to seek the farther West. In October, IS.io, 
he started for Illinois with a team of horses and 
wagon, and acc()m[ianied liy his wi.'e and three 
children. The country- at tiiat time was destitute of 
hotels, and the travelers cani|ieil in the open air 
and cookeil the provisions wliich they carried 
witli them. After eighteen days' travel they arrived 
in Ciiam|)aign County, this .State, where they re- 
mained until liS(;s. They then gathered together 
their household goods once mure and took up their 
line of niarcii for Piatt County, where they re- 
mained until ISSl, then returned to this county. 
UlK)n first coming to this county t'le^' located near 
Mahomet, whence they removed the following year 
to Condit Township, where Mr. McM. operated on 
rented land until l.SOiS. lie then returned to Piatt 
County and purchased a farm of eighty acres, where 
he lived with his family until l.S.si, as above men- 
tioned. He then sold out ami [lurehased a part of 
the old Dickerson homestead, which he has occu- 
pied since that time. 

Mr. McMillian was married first in the Old Do- 
minion, in .lanuury, IS;")!, to Miss Sarah .). Mathews, 
who was born in Augusta County, that State, and 
was tlii^ daughter of James and Martha (Ham) 
!\lathews. Of this union there were born three 
children: Martha It., the wife of J. T. Huckman, a 
resident of Piatt County, 111.; Maggie K., !\Irs. M. 
. V. Skeels, of Summer County, Kan., and Frances 
J., the wife of II. P. Howman, of Piatt County. 
Jlrs. Sarah .1. McMillian departed this life at her 
home in Piatt, .Sept. 19, li^lH. Our subject was 
married again, in 1879, to Miss Catherine, daugiiter 
of Ilenr^- and Catherine (Beck) Dickerson. The 
|)r('si'nt wife of our subject was born in Washington 
Connty, Pa., in 1811, and remained with her par- 



ents until her marriage. Both she and her husband 
are members in good standing of the Methodist 
Episco|ial Church. The latter has l)een connected 
with this denomination since eighteen years of age. 
He has contributed liberally .iiid cheerfully to the 
support of the Master's cause in tiiis pl.ace. As one 
of the representative homesteads of this county, we 
take i)leasure in presenting a view of Mr. McMill- 
ian's place in this volume. 



*i-sil^^ 



/^^ LAUS .1. WTTT, of Sidney I'ownsliip, who 
j|( ^^ ft)r several years successfully conducted the 
^^(/ farm belonging to Mr. Coffeen on section 
■24, 1ms recently purchased a fine tract of scvent}'- 
nine acres on section 23, this townshi(), in which 
venture all his neighbors wish him the success to 
which he is entitled by his energy, enterprise and 
perseverance. 

.Mr. Witt, a native of Holstein, Germany, was 
born Jan. 13, 1832, and is the s<jn of Dulf and 
Magdalene (Young) Witt, also of (J(!rnian birth 
and parentage, and who emigrated from the Father- 
land to America in 18C4. They inimediatel}' sought 
the West, and locating in this county, here spent 
the remainder of their da3-s. Their family consisted 
of six children — Dulf, Anna, Clans, Lena, William 
and Peter. 

Our subject came to the United States in 1854) 
ten years before his parents. After spending one 
year in the vicinity of Chicago, he made his way to 
this county, of which he has since been a resident. 
He was united in marriage with Miss .Sarah Kuder, 
in 18G2. Mrs. Wjtt is the daughter of George and 
Sarah (Morris) Kuder, who were of German ex- 
ir.action, and reared a family of eight children — 
Isiga, Kli/.aheth, George, Hannah, Kmeline, Ben- 
jamin, Sarah and Catherine. IMr. Witt and his 
wife are the parents of six children — William, Ed- 
ward, Emeline, John, Laura and George. Both our 
sul)ject and wife are members in good standing of 
the Inited lirethren Church. The family ranks 
among the worthiest class of citizens, and Mr. Witt, 
as a thorough and ))rogressive farmei', deserves the 
highest praise. 

In politics Mr. Wilt votes the Dcinocralie tickel 



n 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



923 



l)iit aside from casting his l)allut at important elec- 
tions lie is content to allow mote ex|)erience(l heads 
to inn the (iovernment while he exercises the in- 
dustrious talents handed down to him from his 
resolute (iennan ancestry, and employs himself in 
the no mean position of a skillful tiller of the soil. 

-^^ ^-^ -<- 



\¥^W. P-VRKKK. The great-grandfather of 
\f^ our snhject, Thomas Parker liy name, was 
J' — -< / the progenitor of the I'arker faiiiil}- in this 
eoiiutry and emigrated from Kiigland when a young 
man, locating at Lexington, Mass. It is be- 
lieved that it was he who led the men at Lexing- 
ton during the Revolutionaiy War. After the in- 
dependence of the Colonies had iieen e<talilished he 
located on a tract of land in Middlesex Count}', 
Mass., where he followed agriculture the remainder 
of his life. lie married in that county and reared 
a family-, among thein being Ebenezer, the grand- 
father of our subject. 

The latter also enlisted as a soldier before ho had 
attained his majority, and assisted the Colonists in 
their straggle for freedom, and like his father be- 
fore him, spent the greater part of his life in the 
Ba3' .State. Ilis first wife was the grandmother of 
our subject, and among their children was Ebenezer, 
who was born in Worcester County, Mass., and 
when of suitable years engaged as a clothier. 
Later he abandoned this calling, and locating upon 
a tract of land in Worcester County, followed 
farming the balance of his days. His death 
occurred after he had reached the age of fourscore 
years. lie was a man of strictly religious (irinci- 
ples, living and dying in the orthodox faith. 
Politically he adhered closely to the old Whig 
party. He married Miss Hannah Merriam, of his 
own county, who survived liiin several years, and 
lived to be ninety years old. All the grandparents 
of our subject were strong, both mentally and 
physically, the result of temi)crate lives and high 
moral principles. 

The parental household of (jur subject included 
twelve children, eight sons and four daughters: 
K!)ene/,er W. was born Oct. 28, isi.i, ami was the 
foiutli rliild of the f:imil\', of whom one d.'iughter 



j and four sons are yet living. Our subject is the 
j tuily one in Illinois. The others are residents of 
M.assachusetts. The childhood and youth of Mr. 
Parker were S|)ent under the home roof, assisting 
his father in cloth dressing and i)ursuing his studies 
at the [lultlic schools. After reaching manhood he 
was married. May H'>, 1840, at the home of the 
bride's parents, to Miss Cliloe A. Painionter, a 
native of Worcester Count}', Mass., born Si'|>t. 17, 
1817. Mrs. P. is the daughter of Solomon anil 
Mary T. (Allen) Parmenter, also natives of the 
Hay State and of New England parentage. 

The grandparents of Mrs. Parker were born in 
Massachusetts, where, they spent their entire lives. 
Solomon Parmenter fought in the Revolutionary 
War, and was own cousin to the Paulding who 
captured Maj. Andre. He lived to be •seventy- 
tive years old. The grandmother was formerly 
Miss Lydia (Jleasoii, who w.as first marrii'd to a Mr. 
Cheney. .She w.as a lady of more than ordinary 
ability, was reared and educated at her home in 
Worcester County, and died while in the midst of 
her strength and usefniuess. The Parinenters were 
liberal in their religious belief, and .Mr. P. politi- 
cally was a stanch Whig. He was a m;iii of inlluencc 
in his community, and the sons and daughters in- 
herited in a large degree the e.vcellent traits of 
their parents. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parker became the [larents of four 
children; E. C, the third child, a banker and dealer 
in real estate, married Miss Mattie Baker, .ind is 
doing business in Philo; Louisa is at home with 
her parents; Mary became the wife of Paschal 
Parkraan, and both she and her husband are de- 
ceased; they left tA'o sons and a daughter — Charles 
C, William and Emma; the latter married Irviii 
Baker, whi) is engaged in the printing business in 
Kansas; Annie E. Parker <lied whin three years 
of age. 

Mr. and Mrs. P.arker after their marri.igc rcsideil 
for a time in Massachusetts, whence they removed 
to the Prairie .State in April, 185G. Coming into 
this county, Mr. Parker purchased I (JO .acres on 
section 10, in Philo Township. During the years 
whi('h h.ave elapsinl .since that time he li.as brought 
the original wild land into ;i thorough state of 
cultivation, well dr.-.incd with file .'ind stocked uilli 



i 



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924 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 



a. choice assortment of domestic animals. A feature 
of liu' iionieslead is tlie niiinlier of beautiful trees 
wliicli grew from seed wliic-li lie planted when first 
taiving |)ossession of liis land. 

Our subject and his wife were for many years 
nu'inhers <jf the Presbyterian Church, but are now 
Spiritualists in belief. Mr. Parker is Rei)iibliean 
in polities, and was one of the first to advocate the 
abolition of slavery, being one of the two men who 
voted the Abolition ticket in Massachusetts for 
Birney as President. lie was roost strongly 
opposed to Inunan slaver^', and did everything in 
his power in making it unpijpular. A view of Mr. 
Parker's handsome residence is shown on anotiier 
page. 

WILLIAM MORTON, who is pursuing the 
even tenor of his way on a fine farm in St. 
.loseph Township, became a resident of 
this county soon after the war. He is tiie owner 
of nearly ."SOO acres of good land, the choicest be- 
ing in the home farm of eighty acres, which lies 
on section 2.5. Heie, of late yeai's, in addition to 
general farming lu; has given much attention to 
stock-raising, liaving a fine herd comprising seven- 
ty-five head of Short-horn cattle, a number of 
good horses, and is als(J engaged in breeding very 
fine Poland-China hogs. 

The subject of our skctcii was born near Blairs- 
ville, Indiana Co., I'a., March 23, 1832. His grand- 
father, .lohn Morton, also a native of the Keystone 
State, w.as born near llarrisburg and niari'ied Miss 
Mary Hell, a Pennsylvania lad^-. The Morton 
family is of Scotch ancestry, the fir,--t representa- 
tives coniiog to this country in the eighteenth '.-en- 
tury, and locating it is believed in Pennsylvania 
during its earliest settlement. The children of 
John and Mary (Bell) Morton included a son, 
John, who afterward became the father of our 
subject. He was born and reared in Indiana 
County, I'a., and inarri(!d Miss Elizabeth, daughter 
of Samuel and Kliza Young, the former a native 
of Ireland and the Latter of American birth. The 
father of our subject learned the trade of wagon- 
making early in life, but afterward engaged in 
farming and renniined a resident of his native 



county his entire life. He was born in January, 

1«00, and died in .rune, 1878. His wife, Eliza- 
beth, was burn in l.si)8, and preceded her husband 
to the silent land March 4. 1844. Their ten chil- 
dren included three sons and seven daughters, five 
of whom still survive. 

William Morton, who was IIr. sixth child of his 
parents* family, spent his boyhood and youth upon 
the old homestead in Pennsylvania, receiving a 
common-school education and being trained to 
habits of industry and those princi[iles which form 
the basis of an upright and honest character. In 
the si)ring of 18.54, after becoming of age, wishing 
to see something of the world outside of his na- 
tive State, he proceeded to Indiana and eng.aged 
first .OS a boatman on the Wabash Canal. A year 
later he repaired to Perryvdle, Inil., where he re- 
mained two 3'ears, and then coming to iJanville, 
this .State, remained there also two >ears. In 18.5G 
he was employed on a cattle ranch where he con- 
tinued for three years following, and until the 
outbreak of the late Civil War 

Mr. Morton was one of the first to respond to 
the call for troops to aid in the preservation of the 
Union, and enlisted in the spring of 18(il, in Co. 
E, .51st 111. Vol. Inf. His army life comprised a 
period of four years and twelve d.ays, during a 
part of which his regiment belonged to the 20th 
Army Corps, which operated raostl3' iu Missouri, 
Tennessee and (Jeorgia. He took part in many of 
the important battles of the war, including a num- 
ber of skirmishes vvith the enemy, being at Mew 
Madrid, Island Nt). 10, Farmingtonv Stone River, 
Chattanooga, Chickamauga and Mission Ridge. In 
the spring of 18G4, his regiment was in the 3d" Brig- 
ade, 2d Division, 4th Army Corps, detailed to 
go to the Southeast, where they participated at 
Resaca and all the engagements of the cam[)aign. 
In the battle of Ivennesaw Mountain our subject 
lost two fingers of his left hand by a gunshot from 
the enemy. He was confined in the Uos|)it;il for 
sixty days, and in the meantime his bravery was 
rewarded by being commissioned Second Lieu- 
tenant. Afterward he wjis present at the battles of 
.Spring 'Hill and Franklin, in the latter of which 
the commanding odicer was wounded, and Lieut. 
Morton vva-s placed in command of the company at 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



925 



" 1 

t 



the battle of Nashville. They followed Hood's 
army across the Tennessee, were suon afterward 
.sent to Nashville, anxl went into winter qnarters at 
Decatur, Ala. In the sprinjr of ISG.ithey were 
ordered to Bull's Gap, Tenn., where they were en- 
camped at the time of Lee's surrender. The reg- 
iment was mustered out near Camp Irwin in Sep- 
tenilier, 180.5. . 

After receiving- his lu)noraI)le disoharac Lieut. 
JLjrton returned to Champaign County and i)ur- 
ehased his present farm. He has been uniformly 
l>r^)sperous in his agricultural oiioratious and has 
contributed his full quota toward the building up 
<if his townsln'i) and conimunit}'. 



|fF^^OBERT PETERS. The fine farm of 240 
iLg*j acres, lying on section 1 4. in St. Joseph 
L%S \\\ Township, was eliminated from the raw 
^P, prairie by the subject of this sketch, who 
came to this county during the jiioneer days and for 
a period of over fifty-seven years has walked in 
and out among its people, enjo3'ing their confidence 
and esteem and interesting himself in their ha[)pi- 
ness and prosperity. He began with modest means, 
and by a life of industry and economy gradually 
accumulated his present projierty, which consists of 
one of the finest homesteads in the township. 

Mr. Peters is a native of Rush Count3-, Ind., and 
was born near Rushville, Jan. 8, 1827. He conies 
of substantial German ancestry, his great-grand- 
father having crossed the ocean from the Father- 
land in about 1(!00. The son of the latter, David 
bj' name, was born in Pennsylvania, where he spent 
a part of his life in the farming districts, then re- 
moved to Kansas and from there to Rusli Count}', 
Ind. He lived industriously and frugally and 
rounded up the ri])e old age of ninety-six years. 
He and his wife, .Permelia, became the parents of 
the following-named children: Aaron, John, Is.aac, 
David, Samuel, William; Mary, who became the 
wife of .1. T. Hayden; Elizabeth, who married B. 
Brown, and Sar.ah, the wife of Jesse Eaton. 

William Peters, the father of our subject, re- 
mained with his brothers and sisters under the 
parental roof, and early in life formed domestic 
ties, being united in marriage with Miss S:irah Mc- 



Nutt, a native of Kentucky. To the household 
thus established there were born twelve children, 
six sons and six daughters, all of whom lived to 
maturity and formed a remarkably fini' looking 
family group. With the exception of two, David 
and Joseph, all are married and .settled in comforta- 
ble homes. Robert, of our sketch, was the third sfni ; 
Malinda is deceased; Isaac, William .1.: Martha A., 
who married Ambrose Strong; Drusilla and Lu- 
einda, twins, the latter deceased; Eli/.al)eth .1., who 
mariied Saint Rice; .biuntlian L. ami .loliu N., com- 
prise the remainder of the family-. 

The subject of this sketch was the third son and 
child of his parents, who removed from Indiana to 
this county when he was little more than an infant. 
His father selected a tract of land in what is now 
St. Jijseph Township, two and one-half inilcs south 
of the present site of the town, ])urchasing forty acres 
of Sil.as Yount, upon which he located and indus- 
triously -began its improvement and cultivation, 
lie was pros[)ercd in his undertakings and invcste<l 
his surplus capital in more land until he I)ocame the 
owner of 440 acres. He took great [iride in his 
farming operations, in the excellence of his crops, 
and the gr.ade of his live-stock, and the farm is ac- 
knowledged by .ail to l)e one of the best arranged 
in that part of the county. 

William Peters lived temperately, enjoyed excel- 
lent health, arose early in the morning, and retired 
each night with the consciousness that there had 
been, " something attemi)tcd, something done." He 
possessed great force of character, more than or- 
dinar}' ability, and kept himself well posted upon 
matters of general interest. He was often called 
upon to serve as administrator, and seemed pecu- 
liarly ada|)ted to the a<ljustment of estates, in 
which he gave full satisfaction to all concerneil. 
After taking possession of his first purchase he put 
up a substantial hewed-log house of two rooms, and 
this structure, with comfortable additions remained 
his home during the balance of his natural life. His 
death to<jk pLace in August, 1H(>4, and besides his 
estate of 400 .acres he left his family $10,000 in 
money, in addition to a large amount of personal 
property. This handsome little fortune he li.ad 
amas.sed from almost nothing. The faithful wife 
and mother, who had assisted materially in the build- 



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926 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ing lip of the homestead, survived until the spring 
of 1873. The remains of both parents were laid 
to rest in the biirying-grouud on the homestead. 

Our suhject remained under the parental roof 
until re.aching manhood, during which time he had 
obtained his education mostl3' at a private school. 
Before finally departing from the home roof he was 
married, Aug. 22, 1849, to Miss Mary E., eldest 
daughter of Henry and Dianna (Robertson) Swear- 
ingen, the wedding taking place .at the home of the 
bride's parents in St. Joseph Township. Mrs. Pe- 
ters was bi)rii in Adams County, Ohio. March 31, 
1831. Her i)arents were natives respectively of 
Kentucky' and Ohio, being married in the latter 
State, whence the}' emigrated to this county in 
1839. They were among the most highly respected 
members of the farming community i>f St. Joseph 
Township, where they spent the last years of their 
lives. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Peters located with 
his bride on the homestead which they still occupy 
and where occurred the birth of their sons and 
daugliters, eleven in number, seven of whom are 
still living. Sarah C. is the wife of Benjamin 
Stiner. of St. Joseph; John II. is managing the 
homestead ; Isaac S. is farming in .St. Joseph Town- 
ship; Susan J., the wife of William P.arrett, lives in 
Homer Township; Eliza A. married F. K. Shobe; 
William A. and .Mary E. are at home with their par- 
ents. Franklin died in August, 1882. aged twentv- 
three years. 

Mr. Peters became a member of the Christian 
Churcli in about l.s(U, with which his wife has been 
connected since seventeen years old. Thej- have 
lived blameless and ui)right lives, lilling worthily 
their jiosition in the community, training their 
children to honorable lives, and, keeping in view 
the fact that the acts of individuals necessarily 
exert a great influence upon those around them, 
have siiapeil their lives accordinglj-. 



ENRY C. WHITE, one of the most protni- 
nent and prosperous members of the agri- 
cultural community of Homer Township, is 
a fine illustration of the self-ma<le man. who 
commenced life at t!>e foot of the ladder, and h.as 




climbed ste.adil}' upward until he occupies one of 
the topmost rounds. He holds a high position, so- 
cially and financially, and is possessed of all the 
qualities which constitute a valuable and reliable 
citizen. His property, which is finely located on 
section 20, comprises 170 acres of fertile prairie 
land, upon which he has erected a handsome and 
substantial set of buildings, admirably adapted to 
all the purposes of country life. Aside from his 
farming operations, which have been arduous and 
constant, he ha.s generously interested himself in 
the welfare of the people about him, and been, as 
opportunity presented, a promoter of those meas- 
ures tending to the moral and educational welfare 
of the community. He has held the various offices 
within the gift of his townsmen, including those of 
Tax Collector, Commissioner of Highways and 
School Director. It will thus be seen that he has 
contributed all that could be reasonably expected 
toward building up the interests of his adopted 
count}', of whicii he became a resident in the fall 
of 1851. 

Mr. White is a native of Cl.arke County, Ohio, 
his birth taking place at the homestead of Jiis father 
in Harmony Township, April 26, 1831. He is the 
son of Benjamin and .Sarah (Fore-man) White, na- 
tives respectively of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, 
the former born Oct. 11. 1790, and the latter Aug. 
30, 1796. Their marriage took place in Cham- 
paign County, Ohio, Jan. 4, 1817, and they spent 
the remainder of their days in Clarke Count}-. 
Benjamin White departed from the scenes of his 
earthly labors March I, 1846, in Harmony Town- 
siiip. Clarke County, arid the mother followed her 
husband to the silent land Aug. 23, 1878, dying in 
Homer Township, this county, having survived him 
a period of thirty-t\\:i) years. The parents of our 
subject are affectionately remembered by him ius 
having been persons of more than ordinary intelli- 
gence, and possessing those Christian virtues which 
arc so essential to the proper training of a family 
for a worthy position in the community. Benja- 
min White was a leader of the Baptist Church in 
Clarke County, Ohio. He w.as liberal-minded and 
generous with his friends, and this Latter quality of 
his character effected his ruin, financially, .as he 
stood security for debts which he was obliged to 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



927 



liquidate. Politic-all^', he was an old-line Whig, 
and clung to his principles with that open-hearted 
tenacity which proved how conscientious he was in 
evervlliing which he believed to he i'i<,dit. 

The mother of our subject when a young child, 
emigrated with her parents from Kentucky to Ohio, 
where she was reared and received a limited edu- 
cation. She was the suitable companion of her 
husband in every resi)ect, liice him being iiigli- 
minded and generous, and looked well to the ways 
of her household, training her cliildren carefullj' as 
to morals and teaching them to become industri- 
ous and frugal. .Slie was an expert at the spinning- 
wheel and loom, and like the mothers of those 
days, kept her family comfortably clothed from the 
l)r()ceeds of her own industry. The l'\)reman fam- 
ily originally came fnim Ireland, and Sarah (Fore- 
man) White was one of its most worthy represent- 
atives. By her union with the father of our sub- 
ject, she became the mother of nine cliildren, all of 
whom grew to become men and women. .Joseph, 
now sixty-nine j'ears of age, is a resident of Da- 
kota; Isaac Is sixty-five years, and is farming in 
Coles County, HI.; Jlary, the widow of .Joseph 
Sayton, is fifty-eight years of age; Eleanor, the 
widow of Alexander Bo.arland, is sixty-three years 
of age. and a resident of Ht)mer Township. tliLs 
county; Amos <lied unmarried when twenty-f<jur 
years old; Henry C, of our sketch, was the sixth 
in order of birth; >sancy is the wife of .James 
Poage, a prosperous farmer of ^'ermili^^n County; 
Martha ,J. died Aug. '.I, 1S.')<J, when twenty-two 
years of age; Perry married Miss Elizabeth Uui- 
beidi()wer, and lives in Homer, 111. 

Mr. White spent his boyhood in his native .State, 
coming to Illinois in 18.il. He located in Homer 
Townshi|), where he was first employed b}- the 
month, anil afterwanl went to the city of New 
York with a four-^ear-old steer, which he led all 
the way liy a rope from this township to the great 
metropolis. After he had determined to make 
this his future home he w.as united in marriage with 
Miss Emil}' Lay bourn, the wedding taking place at 
the home of the bride in .St. Joseph Township, in 
.September, 18a9. Mrs. Emily White was born 
near LaFayette, Ind., Sept. 2, l.s;!'j, ami after be- 
coming the mother of four chililren, departed this 



life at her home in Sidney Township, Jan. 8. 1867. 
She was a lady highly esteemed by a large circle of 
friends, and a faithful member of the Baptist 
Church. The children of this marriage were named 
respectively, Abraham L., Alice .J. (deceased), 
Charles F. and Emma B. The latter died in 1805, 
when twelve days old. 

The present wife of our subject, to whom he w.as 
married Sept. 27, 1868, was formerly Mrs. Elizabeth 
(.Staten) .Sweai-ingen, who was born in .St. .loseph 
Township, this county. Jan. 24, 1842, and is the 
daughter of Joseph Staten, of the latter-named 
township, who is now deceased. Of this union 
were b<)rn the following children : .John ('., David 
B., Saddle E., Francis B. and Elizabeth E. ; the 
latter died in infancy. Mr. White meddles little 
with political affairs, but uniformly casts his vote 
with the Re])ublican party. Socially, he belongs 
to the Mast)nic fraternity, with which he became 
conuecli'd in 187.'?. He is at jiresent a member of 
Homer Lodge No. 1!)'.), together with his two sons, 
Ivincoln and Charles. 




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i~ 



5^ AMUEL J. REAM is senior member of the 
lirm of Ream iVr Woodin, manuf.acturers of 
drain tile, near the city limits of St. .Iosei)h, 
where they have a valuable pl;iut, embrac- 
ing all the rcipiisite machinery for carrying on this 
industry in a proper and profitable manner. Our 
subject is well fitted by natural talent .'nnl e.-irly 
training for the carrying on of an important busi- 
ness, and the firm has become one of the indisix'u- 
sable features of the manufacturing element of this 
section. 

The earliest I'ecollections of Mr. Ream are of 
Central Ohio, where he was reared, in Union C\)nn- 
ty, and where his parents still reside. His birth, 
however, took place in the more southerly part of 
the State, near (ireenfield, iu Ross County, on the 
10th of N»vend)er, 18411. That same year his par- 
ents removed to Union County, where their son, 
■Samuel J., was reared and educated, with his six 
brothers -and sisters, on the farm which constituted 
the parental homestead. 

The parents of our subject were .Samuel and 
Elizabeth (Feathcrlin) Ream, natives of Pennsyl- 

: ^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4 






vania, wlicnce they both removed in early youth 

loeatlni; with their parents in Ross County, Oliio, 
where tho3' liecanie ae(|n.iinte(l and were afterward 
married. Mr. Ream engaged moderately in fai'm- 
ing and stoek-raising, and althougli not becoming 
wealthy, providecl hi.s family with all the comforts 
of life, and reared his children to hahits of indus- 
try and economy, which have served them well in 
their battle witii the world. The seven children of 
the parental household included four sons and three 
daughters, six still living, namely', (ieorge W., 
Matthias, Elizabeth; Samuel J., of our sketch; 
Adelia and Frank. 

Our subject, in ejideavoring to secure an educa- 
tion, was frequently obliged to travel four miles in 
order to reach the temple of learning, which was a 
primitive structure of modest dimensions, and the 
system of learning conducted after the manner of 
those days, was widel>' different from that of the 
present. He remained a member of the parental 
household until reaching his majority, and after 
stalling out for himself was varioiislj' engaged un- 
til l.sT'.i, when he came to this county still a single 
man, and formed a partnership with Mr. Ira Cline< 
and established the business with which he is still 
connected. This was the first establishment of the 
kind in this county. Mr. Cline only remained a 
member of the firm for eight months, disposing of 
his interests in the business at the expiration of 
this time to Mr. .Ic^hn II. Swearingon. Mr. S. con- 
tinued twelve months, and then sold out to Taylor 
IIoss. The latter disposed of his interest to Messrs. 
Woodin & l)rullinger;.tlie latter withdrawing, left 
the lirm as it now stands. 

Mr. Ream, finding. that his time was not wholly 
occupied, purcha.sed a pair of fine Norman horses 
and l)egan the breeding of draft animals, which he 
has followed since 1H79 with uniform success. In 
1 SSO he added to his stables the fine imported 
Norman horse, Fairbanks, and now has three of the 
kind, wiiich for models of symmetry and strength 
can scarcely be excelled. In order to carry on his 
breeding operati(ms properly Mr. Ream utilizes a 
line little farm of (ifty-two acres near the town of 
St. .loseph, every acre of which is under a high 
stale of (;ultivation, and supplied with convenient 
and substantial buildings. iVIr. Ream has in the 



main fulfilled all the duties of a good citizen, be- 
ing delinquent in one respect only, that he is still a 
bachelor. He is a thorough business man, invest- 
ing his surplus funds in a wise and judicious man- 
ner, meeting his obligations promptly, and on ac- 
count of his relialde traits of character has fully es- 
tablished himself in the confidenc^e of his fellow- 
townsmen. He meddles little with i)olilie.s. but 
casts his vote with the Democratic party. 

ylLLIAM M. CASH owns and occui)ies a 
snug farm of eighty acres, located on sec- 
tion 36, in Sidnej' Township. His land, 
through a thorough process of cultivation, _vields in 
abundance the rich products of the Prairie State, 
and together with its neat buildings forms a model 
country homestead. The subject of our sketch w.as 
born in Boone County, Ind., Feb. 22, 185"), and is 
the son of John and Celia (Gibson) Cash, a sketch 
of whom will be found elsewhere in this work. 

John Cash, a native of Tennessee, was born June 
2G, 1828. His parents were Benjamin and Eliza- 
beth (Bennet) Cash. The former, a native of North 
Carolina, afterward became a resident of Tennes- 
see, whence he removed in lS2.'i with his wife and 
four children to Missouri. After the death of his 
wife, which occurred in 1 84:5, Benjamin Cash re- 
turned to Tennessee, where he remained one 3'ear, 
and thence removed to Indiana, in which State his 
death took place about 1 850. The mother of our 
subject was the daughter of Abel and Celia (Heart) 
Gibson, and was born in Ohio in December, 1824, 
Her parents subsequently removed to Indiana, 
where the mother died. Tiie father afterward 
came to Sidney Tow-nsliip. this county, where he 
spent the remainder of his life. 

Our subject after reaching years of manhood 
was united in marriage with Miss Anna B., daugh- 
ter of D. R. and Mary A. (Kecble) Wilson (sec 
sketch of David Wilson). Of this union there arc 
two children — Carl V., born Sept. 4, 1883. and 
Ethel C, Jan. 19, 1887. Mr. Cash and his estimable 
lad}' are young people who have begun life to- 
gether under favorable auspices, surrounded b}' all 
its comforts, and enjoy the friendship of a large 

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



931 




circle of rofiiu'(] ami cultivated peoiile. Jlr. Cash 
keeps himself well posted upon matters of general 
interest, and is accounted a wide-awake and cnter- 
jirising citizen, of whom much is expe(;ted in the 
future. 

John Cash, the father of our subject, during the 
late war enlisted in the loO da^-s' service, being a 
member of the 71st Illinois Regiment, and was de- 
tailed with his comrades for service at Cairo and 
Mound Cit}-. He votes as he was ready to tight 
during the war, and upon all proper occasions gives 
voice to his stanch Republican principles. 



(|i_^ KNRY REECHER, one of the early i)ioncers 
of Cham[)aign Township, and whose por- 
trait is shown in this connection, after a 
long and useful business career, is now liv- 
ing in retirement in the village of Savoy upon a 
comfortable income, honorably secured by the in- 
dustry and econoni}' of earlier years. During his 
long I'esidence in this section he has made for him- 
self a record as an honest man and a good citizen, 
and enjoys in a marked degree the confidence and 
esteem of hosts of friends and acquaintances. 

Mr. IJeecher was born in Watertown, Litchfield 
Co., Conn., Dec. 27, 1820, and was the son of 
.Tared Reedier, a native of the same county. The 
grandfather, Jared Reecher, Sr., who was born in 
Rethau}', New Haven County, was of Welsh an- 
cestr}', and followed farming all his life, spending 
his last years in AVatcrtown. There his son, .Tared, 
was reared, and inherited the old homestead, where 
lie spent his entire life, dying in September, 1844. 
In early manhood he mariied Miss Anna Ilickok, 
who was al.so born in Watertowu, and was the 
daughter of Jonas Ilickok. She also died on the 
old homestead, in January, 18G5. The seven chil- 
dren of the p.'irental family are recorded as follows: 
Martha became the wife of Benjamin Blakesley, 
now deceased, and lives in Northfield, Conn.; 
Henry, of our sketch, was the second child; Sarah 
married Henry Whitlock, and died in Virginia; 
Amelia, Mrs. Levi Thrall, died in Guilford, Conn.; 
Isaac went to California in 1H,5H, and when last 
^ Micard from was in Nevada; John is a resident of 



St. Louis, Mo.; Anna died when six years of age. 

The subject of this history, who was the eldest 
son of his parents, was reared to farming pursuits 
and educated in the public schools. When twenty- 
one years of age he inherited a jjart of the oUl 
farm, upon which he lived for five years afterward, 
then sold, and [lurchased another in the same town, 
whicli he occui)ied until 185.'). In that year he dis- 
posed of his i)roperty, and coming to this State, 
rented a farm six miles from Chicago, which is 
now included in the city limits. He farmed on 
rented land in that vicinity for two years follow- 
ing, but in the meantime had visited this county, 
and purchased eighty acres of wild land in Cham- 
paign Township, on section 26. Upon this he 
erected a frame house, and in the fall of 18,57 took 
possession of it with his family. Thereafter, for a 
period of nearlj' thirty years, he was emiiloyed in 
the imi)rovement and cultivation of his farm, in 
the meantime doubling its original acreage. In 
1885 he purchased the property' which he now oc- 
cupies at Savoy. Two years pi-eviously, however, 
he had engaged in the manufacture of tile and 
brick at this place, whicii business he sold out in 
188G. 

The marriage of Henry Reecher with Miss Julia 
Dayton, took place in Watertown, Conn., his wife's 
birthplace, on the 4th of October, 1843. Mrs. 
Reecher was born April 6, 1822. Her parents were 
Truman and Harriet (Tyler) D.ayton, tiie father a 
native of Litchrield County, and the mother of 
New Haven County. Mr. Dayton followed the 
vocation of a farmer, and both parents late in lite 
retired from active labor and made their home in 
Watertown, Ct)nn., where their decease occurretl. 
Mr. and Mrs. Reecher have become the parents of 
two children, a son and daughter. The former, 
Truman, occupies the old homestead in Cham[)aign 
Township, and Martha, the wife of Merton Dun- 
lap, resides with her husljand in I'a.xtou, Ford Co., 
111. 

During the progress of the late war, Mr. Reecher 
enlisted as a Union soldier on the 1st of January, 
18C2, in Co. I, 2Gth 111. Vol. Inf. lie p.articipated 
with his comrades in all tlie vicissitudes of war, be- 
ing engaged in tifty-seveu ditTereut liattles^of whicli 
llic most important were. New .Madrid, Farming- 



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932 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



toil, Iiika, Corintli, tbc siege and cnpture of Vicks- 
l)urg, .laokson aiul Mission Hidge. He joined the 
command of Shei-nian at Chattanooga, and |)artici- 
l)ated in man}' engagements and skirmishes on the 
march to Atlanta, being at the siege and capture 
ol that city, whence he afterward marched with liis 
regiment to the sea. Tiience the}- went niJthrongii 
the Carolinas and from Riciimond to Washington, 
wliere they jiarticipated in the grand review, the 
march in all having emiiraced G,031 miles. Mr. 
Beecher was mnstered ont of service in Louisville, 
Ky., in Aiignst, ISfi.T. He had suffered, in com- 
mon with his Ijrother soldiers, the fatigue of weari- 
some marches, oftentimes making his couch upon 
the bare ground, suffering with fasting and thirst, 
and often felt that his constitution was giving way 
nnder the trial, but, far more fortunate than many 
others, he escaped wounds and serious illness, and 
lived to see the re-establishnient of the I'nion. for 
whose preservation lie would cheerfully have laid 
down his life. At tiie battle of Missit)n Ridge. 
Nov. 19, ISOo, tiie remnant of his com|)any, con- 
sisting of thirty-live men, came out with fourteen 
missing, who were either killed or wounded. Polit- 
ically, Mr. Beecher affiliates with the Republican 
party. ____ , 

JOHN CASH is the proprietor of a good 
homestead, including 120 acres of finely 
improved land, pleas.-intly located on section 
;i.5, Sidney Township. He is the son of 
Benjamin .nud Klizabeth (Beiniet) Cash, and was 
born in the Slate of Tennessee. His father, a 
native of North Carolina, moved first to Tennessee, 
where he for st>me time resided, and about the year 
\H->:i emigrated to Missouri, with his wife and four 
children. Twenty years later, after the death of 
his wife, which occurred in 1843, Benjamin Cash 
returned to Tennessee, and remained tiiore one 
yeai-, when lie moved to Indiana, in wiiich State he 
died about the year 1850. 

.lohn Cash, after reaching manhood, w.as married 
in lfS41, to Miss Celia, daughter of Al)el and Celia 
(Heart) Cibson. Mrs. Cash was born in Ohio in 
December, 1H24. Her parents .arc now deceased; 
the mother died in Indiana, and the death of the 



father occurred in Sidney Township, this county. 
Our subject and his wife became the parents of 
eight children, namelj', Mar\' K. and Sarah, now 
deceased; the latter and Henrietta were twins; 
Thotnas, William M.. .1. W., Tubitha .1. and Joel 
M. ; the latter is deceased. 

During the Civil War Mr. Cash enlisted in the 
lOO-d.iys' service. He was in the 71st Illinois, and 
detailed for service at Cairo and Mound City. He 
keeps himself well |)osted upon matters of general 
interest in the community, and has held the otlices 
of Road Overseer and School Director in his town- 
ship. In [)olilics he is a Republican, and in all re- 
spects a trustworthy and honored citizen. 



~^/^-'^«i^J^l2/®^*^)^^»'®§'5y^fzra^^~■ 



\l'AMES M.CRAIG. Among the sturdy and 
reliable spirits who first braved the dangers 
and ditlicnlties of settlement in a new coun- 
try IS the subject of this history, who is now 
reaping the reward of his early struggles and toils 
in the possession of a fine homestead located on 
sections 23 and 27, Champaign Township. His 
farm, which consists of 2.52 acres., is under a high 
state of cultivation and admirably' adapted to 
stock-raising, in which he has of late years been 
actively- engaged. Here, surrounded by the friends 
whom his honesty and uprightness of character se- 
cured for him long years ago, and a family of 
which he is justly i)rond, he is S|)ending his later 
da3s in the consciousness of a well-spent life, in 
which he has sought to do good as he had oppor- 
tunity, and further the interests of his adopted 
county. 

Ml'. Craig is a native of Armstrong County, Pa., 
born March 27, 1.S3!». His father. .Tolin Cr.-iig, was 
a native of the same county, while his grandfather, 
Samuel, and his great-grandfather, John, Sr., were 
both born in New .Jersey. The ancest*)rs of the 
Craig family came from .Scotland in the seventeenth 
century, as nearly as can be ascertained in about 
1684. They were among the earliest settlers of 
Armstrong County, Pa., and became widelj- and 
favorably known for their enterprise, industry and 
honest lives, .lohn Craig, Sr., assisted in the sur- 
vey of Western Pennsylvania, and was among the 



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933 



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fii-st to tuke up :i tract of laud in Anustrong Coun- 
ty. His family was ainoug the twelve families who 
first settled west of the Alleghany River at a place 
now known as Freepoit. Tliey located there when 
Indians and wild game were plenty, and erected a 
block-house, which was named Ft. Craig, and with- 
in which they all lived for mutual protection and 
security from tiic Jndians. Outside were the fields 
wherein lliey worked together, one field at a time, 
a suHicienl number being retained as sentinels to 
give the alarm when the enem^- should appear. 
Tile great-grandfather of t>ur subject became a man 
of note in that locality, and attained to the ripe old 
age of uinet3' -seven j-ears, dying upon the home- 
stead which he had established, in Armstrong 
County. 

His son, Samuel, wiio was a young boy when the 
family located in Pennsylvania, after reaching 
manhood improved a farm for iumself, and also 
spent the last 3'earsof liis life in Armstrong County. 
He was there married and raised a family, among 
whom was .lohu, the father of our subject. The 
latter was reared to tlie |)ursuits of liis forefathers, 
an<l after his marriage purchased l.>8 acres of land 
in Armstrong Count}", only twelve of which were 
cleared when he took possession of it. From the 
balance he cut down a large part of the timber and 
increased liis pt)Ssessious as lime progressed and liis 
means accumulated. In 188(i he rented his farm 
and removed to the vill.'ige of Worthington, where 
he purch.ased a lot and put up a comfortable dwell- 
ing, and now lives retired from active labor, with 
his aged and faithful companion of more than fifty- 
four years. The niothej- of our subject, who was 
formerly Miss Eliza Huston, was born in Philadel- 
phia, Pa., and is the daughter of Samuel Huston, a 
native of Ireland, but of Scottish ancestry. The 
parental household included nine children, of whom 
our subject was the fourth in order of l)irtli. 

.Fames M. Craig was reared on his father's farm 
in I'ennsylvania, and educated in the schools of his 
native county. He rem.'iined under the iionie roof 
until sixteen years of .age, then went to live with 
his paternal grandfather, whose farm lie o()erated 
on .shares for ten years following. In December, 
18G4, wishing to see the Western country, became 
to this count}', and being pleiised with the outlook 



rented a farm for one year. He afterward took 
charge of another farm, which he occupied for two 
years, then purchased si.xtj' acres in Champaign 
Townshii). The following year he rented this and 
returned to the second farm he had operated. After 
a 3'ear spent'there he became a resident of the cit}- of 
Ciiampaign, where he was variously emploj'ed for 
a year. At the expiration of this time he took 
charge of the Arthur f.arm, upon which he remained 
until 1871), then |)urchased his present homestead, 
a view of which is presented on another page of 
this work. His land is thoniughly drained with 
tile, and everything al)out the premises is kept in 
first-class order. 

Mr. Craig chose as his bride Miss Margaret A. 
Blaine, to whom he was married on the 7th of 
February, ISO 1. Mrs. C. w.as born in the same 
count}' in Pennsylvania as her husband, and is the 
daughter of William and Elizabeth (Wiggins) 
Blaine. Of this union there are si.\ children, all 
living: William P. is a student at Wesleyan Uni- 
versity, Bloomington, which he entered after grad- 
uating from the State Industrial University at 
Urbana; Hattie E. is the wife of Samuel Harrison, 
and lives in .St. .Joseph, this county; .Kihii C. is a 
graduate of Champaign Business College; >.'ellie 
B., lioy V. and Jennie A. are at home. Mr. and 
Mrs. Craig are members in good standing of the 
Congregational Church, and our subject jjolitically 
is a stanch I{epul)lican. 



SHO.MAS L.WERICK, a worthy member of 
the farming community of Ayers Township, 
is of English parentage, aiul was himself 
born in Yorlcshire, England, Dec. C, 1844. His 
parents were Edward and Elizabeth (Smith) Lav- 
erick. The father is still living there. The four 
children of the parental family were Ann, Thomas, 
Margaret and George. 

Mr. Laverick left his native land to seek a new 
career in thisc<;untry in 1871, and after landing at 
New York City, first came to Morgan County, 
111., where he remained ten years. In 1881, having 
increased his capital, by the exercise of industry 
and economy, he came to this county and purchased 
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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160 acres of improved land on section 31, in Avers 
Township, wliicli lie has since brougiit to a high 
state of cultivatiun, and improved with a fine resi- 
dence and substantial farm buildings. 

Thomas Laverictc was united in marriage with 
Miss Milcaii .Smith, April 1, 1873. Mrs. L. is the 
daughter of Robert and Mary (King) Smith, and is 
also :i native of Yorkshire. England, her birth 
taking |)lace Feb. 13, 18.5.5. Her parents, vvho emi- 
grated to this countrj' about 186.5, are living in 
Morgan County, HI. There were nine children in 
their familj' — Milcaii, Ann, Mary, .lolin W., Eliza- 
beth E., Thomas B., Amelia F., Robert and Lena. 
To our subject and wjfe there were born five chil- 
dren, of whom but three are now living, namely, 
AVilliam E., Ira F. and Maryetta. Those deceased 
are Lillie and Annie E. 

Mr. Laverick takes a genuine interest in the 
welfare of his county and community, and holds 
the offices of Township Collector and School Di- 
rector. In politics he is Democratic. His estimable 
lady is a member in good standing of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church at Broadlands, in this township. 
A lithographic view of Mr. Laverick's residence is 
shown on another page of this work, and with its 
surroundings, is sufficient evidence of his thrifty 
eiiter|irise and the success he has met with in the 
establishment of a comfortable home. 

^ ^^^ ^ 



--^-^IIOMAS WILSON, one of the prosperous 
:uid progressive farmers of Sidney Townshi[). 
owns and occupies a good homestead on 
section 30. He is a native of County Tyrone, Ire- 
land, and was born Dec. 13, 1854. His parents, 
Andrew and Jane (Hay) Wilson, are mentioned in 
the sketch of George Wilson, on another page of 
this work. They also were of Irish birth and par- 
entage, and were married in their native country, 
whence they emigrated a year after the birth of our 
subject, to the United States. Tiiej' came directly 
to the West, and located in what is now known iis 
Old Homer. Thomas grew to manhood, receiving 
good home training and a fair education, and when 
.about thirty years of age was united in inarri.age 
with Miss Lida Parsons. The parents of Mrs. Wil- 

■ 4» 



son are still living and reside in Philo Village. 
The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson is a 
daughter, Ida, who w.as born April 12, 1886. 

The homestead of our subject comprises 120 
acres of fertile land, with a fine residence, a good 
barn and other out-buildings, and all the facilities 
for the storing of grain and the shelter of stock. 
The farm machinery is valuable and the live-stock 
comprises good grades of the domestic animals. 
Mr. Wilson possesses the shrewdness and hospitalitj' 
characteristic of his family and nation.alitj'. Upon 
coming to this countr}-, and after becoming a nat- 
uralized citizen, he identified himself with the 
Democratic party, the principles of which he has 
uniformly sustained by his vote and influence. 

The view of the homestead, which will be found 
on another page, sufficiently indicates the character 
and proclivities of Mr. Wilson, and gives ample 
evidence of the manner in which he has contributed 
to the progress and embellishment of his adopted 
county. 

»^w^ -^^^ tS:;"^ «=i^- 

C. STEWART, who in former 3'ears was 
prominently identified with the agricultural 
interests of this section, now occupies a beau- 
tiful residence in Champaign, where, retired 
from active labor he is enjo^'ing the fruits of earlj^ 
industry and a prosperous business career. He was 
born in Ohio, Dec. 14, 1821, and is the son of 
Robert and Esther (Gillespie) Stewart, both natives 
of New York; the former when young went to Ha- 
gerstowu, .Md., and afterward to Ohio, settling 
in Ross County, where he engaged in farming until 
1855. That year he came to Illinois and locateil 
on a tract of land north of Champaign, where he 
engaged in agricultural pursuits and spent the re- 
mainder of his life, dying June 17, 1860. The 
mother had died in Ohio in 1825. 

Robert Stewart was a man of great force of 
character, and took an active interest in all the 
moving (piestions of the da3'. Ho w.as Chairman 
of the convention which met at Hamilton, Ohio, 
and carried the aiiti-slaver}' (jnestion into politics. 
Upon that memorable occasion there were present 
Salmon P. Chase, Thom.as Morris, Samuel Lcwisand 




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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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other men of note, who took an active stanrl 
against the niovcmeiit for the extension of slaveiy. 
The fatlier of our jiiliject. althougii mainly Demo- 
oi'atic in pi-inciples, liad beooine strongly ini[)reg- 
nated with the just theories uf the Abolition party, 
and was kn<jckeil down I)}' one of his Democratic 
friends as they were discnssing the subject. He 
swore out a warrant for the arrest of his iissailaiit, 
who was sentenced to a fine. Tiie [)risoner declared 
himself unable to pay but e.\|>i'essed his regret at 
what had hapi)ened. Robert Stewart took com- 
l)assion on him and told the Justice he would 
himself pay the costs. After that they became 
warm friends, and there was no further occasion for 
a re|)etition of the occurrence. Robert Stewart 
throughout life was an active business man and 
watched with keen interest the progress of the 
State and National events. His family included 
six children, but only four are living, namely, 
Samuel G. ; Margaretta, Mrs. Taylor; Dr. George H., 
of Cincinnati, and H. C. of our sketch. 

The subject of this history was reared on his 
father's farm and pursued his rudimentary studies 
in the common schools. He afterward entered' 
Athens College in Ohio, and after completing his 
studies returned to the farm, where he remained 
until IHoi). In that j'ear he came to Illinois and 
purchased 200 acres of land north of Champaign, 
to which he soon afterwai-d added 1 20 acres. He 
was engaged in agriculture and real-e;itate transac- 
tions until 1K70, wlien he removed to Champaign 
to property which he had purchased on West Clark 
street. After a residence of ten years in that locality, 
he sold out and purchased his present homestead on 
Springfield avenue, amidst the comforts of wliicii he 
is now enjoying the society of hosts of friends and 
the Confidence of all who know him. He has 
contributed his full siiare toward the building of 
the cit3' and has been warndy interested in the 
establishment and maintenance of schools, serving 
as Chali'man of the Hoard. He was elected .Instice 
erf the Peace in KSG9, which lie held in the townshi)) 
until becoming a resident of the city. 

Mr. .Stewart was married on the2ltli of Decem- 
ber IHiG. to Miss Lovina N. Smith, a native of High- 
land County, Ohio, and the daughter of Samuel 
and Sarah (Galloway) Smith, both natives of 

4' 



Pennsylvania. They removed to Ohio at an early 
daj', and located in Greenfield, Highland County, 
where Mr. Smith engaged in farming for a num- 
ber of years, then removed to Springfield, where 
he engaged in the real-estate business until 
his death, which occurred in 1S72. The mother 
survived him three years, dying in 1.S7'). Of 
their twelve children only three are now living: 
William, wh') is a practicing physician of Hillsl)oro, 
Ohio; Mrs. Stewart, of our sketch, and James H., 
of Springfield, Ohio. 

Our subject and his wife became the parents of 
six children, three now living: Margaret K., 
Mrs. Robbins, is a resident of Lyons, losva, and 
has one child, Alice M. ; Charles W. is engaged :is 
U. S. iingineer on the Mississippi, he being a naval 
graduate; Samuel S., a telegraph oi)erator, resides 
in Champaign. Mr. Stewart is Republican in poli- 
itics, and, with his wife, is prominently connected 
with the Congregational Church. 



DMCNl) NAVLOR, of Hrown Township, 
and son of David Naylor, a sketch of whom 
will be found in another part of this volume, 
was born in Brown County, Ohio, March ID, 1847. 
He was reared on his father's farm, received a com- 
'mon-school education, and removed with his par- 
ents from his native State to Illinois in 18(15. He 
continued under the parental roof ten years after- 
ward, and under the instruction within the house- 
hold and on the fal-ni, became .admirably fitted for 
the further duties of life. 

Upon his marriiige, Mr. N"., liiidiug no more de- 
sirable spot, settled in Hrowii Township, where he 
has since resided, and is accounted among its most 
valued citizens. He is now the proprietor of 200 
acres of good land on sections 34 and 35, where 
he has erecied a fine set of buildings, and is carry- 
ing on farming and stock-raising after the most 
modern and improved methods. 

Mr, Naylor was married in Doniph:in County, 
Kan., June 14, 1875, to Miss Fannie M. .Mider, 
daughter of .loliii 1'. and Mary C. (Smith) .Mider. 
The father of Mrs. N.aylor was a native of (;<a-- 
iiiaiiy, and the lutjtlier of Madison, Ind., although^ 

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936 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



reared in Maysrille, Ky. After marriage the par- 
ents first settled in Adams County, Ohio, where 
the^- lived until 1874. thence removed to Doniphan 
County, Kan., where they now reside. Their 
family consisted of five daughters and three sons, 
of whom Mi's. N., of our sketch, was the third 
child. She was bom in Adams County-, Ohio. 
.June Ki. 1854, and by her union with our sub- 
ject has become the mother of six children — Mary 
M.. Eflie E.. Wiunie M. C. Otterbein L.. Royal C. 
and David W. F. 

Our subject, [jolitically. affiliates with the Repub- 
lican party. Both he and his estimable wife are 
members of the United Brethren Church, of which 
Mr. N., has been Class- Le.ider. Trustee, Circuit 
•Steward, Class Steward and .Suiierintendeut of the 
.Sabbath-school. He has devoted a large jwrt of 
his time to the prosperity of the Church, and is 
rightfully considered one of the pillars, whose place 
if made vacant, it would be difficult to fill. Mr. 
Naylor is now in his prime and in the midst of a 
useful career, enjoying abundanth' the confidence 
of his friends and fellow-citizens. 

The view of the neat residence and a part of the 
farm of Mr. Naylor which will be found on another 
l)age, is, in its appearance of neatness and thrift, a 
fair exponent of the character of its proprietor. 



-V-- 




'WILLIAM H. WILLI A M>. of Stanton Town- 
ship, is a son of Robert Williams, of North 
5^ J Carolina. The latter, was bom in 1806, 
and left his native State with his |)arents when a boy 
nine years of age. They started on the trip over- 
land b}' teams, and after arriving in Indiana tiX)k 
up their abode in Orange County, .it a time when 
the country was comparatively unsettled, and they 
were called upon to endure all the hardships and 
difficulties of a pioneer life. 

Robert Williams remained with his parents until 
twenty-five yeurs of age. and besides assisting 
to carry on the farm, had in the meantime learned 
the trade of a silversmith at Paoli, Orange Co., 
Ind. He now l>egan to think al>out esUiblishing a 
home of his own and supplied himself with one of 
its chief requisites, namely, a wife and helpmeet, 

<■ 



Miss M.irj- Hamed becoming his wife in the 
spring of 1829. The mother of our subject was 
the daughter of William and Margaret Haraed, 
natives of the 01<1 Dominion, who emigrated to 
Indiana and located among the earliest settlers of 
Orange County. With them they cut down the 
forests, drained the swamp land. cultivate<l the 
prairie and built up a homestead, where they spent 
the remaining years <.f their life. Robert Williams 
after his marriage, purchased 160 acres of heavy 
timber land in Indiana, where there was not even 
space enough to build a log house until he had cut 
down the trees. The task before him seemed truly 
an Herculean one, but others were attempting the 
same and he did not intend that any should l>c 
before him in courage or industry. In due time he 
had succeeded beyond his expectations in clearing 
the land and opening up a farm. He built one of 
the finest dwellings in that section, with a barn and 
other out-buildings to correspond, while at the same 
time he did not allow his skill as a silversmith to 
degenerate, but worked at this as opportunity af- 
forded and realized from his labors in this direction 
a comfortable income. He is now an old man. h.<iv- 
ing reached over fourscore years, and can relate 
many interesting tales for the diversion of his 
great-grandchildren. His father w.as l>om in North 
Carolina and he distinctly remembers the time when 
the family started from that .State for Indiana. 
This was in 181.5, and after reaching Orange County 
the_v found the neighbors few and far between, the 
nearest one being nine miles distant from their 
chosen location. The elder Williams purchased 
160 acres of limber land and went through the 
same process as did his son m later years, and which 
we have already described. The improvements 
which he made were perhape not as pretentious as 
those which his son Robert effected in later years, 
but he built up a comfortable home for his family 
and spent his last days in Orange County. |>assing 
awav in 1843. 

The wife of Robert Williams shared with him 
the vicissitudes of a pioneer life in a new country, 
and passed to her rest in 1 8o.3. at the homestead 
which she harl assiste*! in building up. Their nine 
children were, Margaret, AVilliam, Rachel, .Tohn, 
Jane, J<jsiah. Dinah, Thomas, and one died in in-i 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



937 



fancy iinnained. Rachol and John diod when sevcn- 
teoii and t\vont3'-tn'o years of age respuctivel}'. 

William II. WilliuTns obtained his early education 
in the subscription schools of Orange County, Ind., 
mostly' diiriuii the winter season, and assisted his 
father on the farm the balance of the year. When 
nineteen years old, wishing to change his locution 
and occupation, he went to learn the trade of a 
miller, which he followed afterward for several 
years during the winter season, and continued on 
the farm witli his father in the summer. He worked 
three yeai'S after his marriage in the mill, then pur- 
cha.scd the old farm which hail l)elongcd to his 
grandfather. He took possession of this in l.^OU, 
and remained upon it five years. Afterward he 
rented the farm of his father-in-law, operating that 
three years. At the expiration of that time, not 
being quite satisfied with the result of his labors in 
Indiana, he crossed over the line into Illinois, 
which involved a journey of seven and one-half 
days by team. Coming into this county he pur- 
cha.sed eighty acres now included in his [iresent 
farm. It was then mostly wild prairie, with liu-ee or 
four acres broken and a small wooden building un- 
plastered. He occupied it, however, with his young 
family until enabled to put up a better one. The 
later dwelling was erected in 1 87 1, and on the 
premises is also a good barn and sheds for the 
shelter of stock. Mr. Williams has added to his 
lirst purchase, so that he now owns 200 acres, all of 
which is in a tillable condition, and will bear com- 
parison with the farms around it. 

The marriage of William II. Williams and Miss 
Mar}- Ann Osborne was celebrated on the -J.Hli of 
.I.'Miuary, liS.j'I. at the home of the bride's [)arenls 
in Orange County, Ind. Mrs. W. is a native of 
that county, liorn .Ian. 25, 1837, and is the daughter 
of Jesse and Klizabeth Osborne, formerly of North 
Carolina. Her father was a small child when his 
parents left that State and jourui'yed overland to 
Orange County, Ind. He was a feeble infant, and 
his mother miuiy times feared that he would die on 
the journey, but h» •• [lulied through" and lived to 
be of assistance Iv his pari'uts on the farm which 
they (ji)ened up in the wilderness. After his mar- 
riage his father, Abram, gave him HiO acres of 
heavy linibei' land, and lie proceeded, .as others had 



done before him, to cut down the trees and to make 
room enough for the building of a log house. This 
completed he gradually cleared the ground around 
it, and after the lapse of years beheld around him 
a line farm with good improvements, and the soil 
prolific of the richest crops of that region. Ik- 
sold this property in 18G4, for $11,000. He then 
removed to Parke County, Ind., in the spring of 
18(54, and [nirchased an improved farm of 300 
acres, upon which he lived until his decease in 
Januar}-, 1870. His remains were laid to rest in 
the family burying-ground on the farm. His wife, 
Elizabeth, who was born in Orange County, Ind., 
in 181 0, is still living on the homestead in Parke 
County. The children of Jesse and Elizabeth Os- 
borne, eleven in number, all lived to inatinc 3'ears 
and located in Indiana and Illinois. 

A recori' of the nine childivn liorn to Mr. and 
Mrs. Williams, is as follows: Thompsoii E., born 
Jan. U, 1857, married Miss Martha Osborne; Zeno 
W., born Jan. 24, 18G0, married Miss Phillis lla- 
worth; John N., born Nov. 2, 18G2, married Miss 
Ruth Osborne; William Edward, born Nov. 20, 
18G5; Lillie Bell, Jan. li), 18C8; Charles J., March 
20, 1870; Mary E., Nov. 7, 1870; Orchis H., April 
30, 1877, and Walter O., .Sept. 3, 1881. The 
younger children are at home with their parents. 

The Williams family is of Welsh ancestry. Our 
subject and his wife are connected with the Society 
of Friends, and politically Mr. W. is an ardent ad- 
herent of the lieimblican party. 

UGUST S. BUDDEMEIER is the owner of 
240 acres of valuable l;ind, occupying a 
lli portion of sections 34 and .io, Sidney 
Hg^ Township, which he has aciiuired by that 

native shrewdness and business capacity for which 
the (Jerman nationality is distinguished. He is the 
son of Rudolph and Sophia (Uuddemeiei) Hudde- 
mcier, and was born in Westphalia, Prussia, Feb. 
18, 1834. His father was a soldier in the Prussian 
army and came to America in 18,)0, bringinji with 
him his wife and four children. He died in Cin- 
cinnati in 1800, and his widow in ISlJ'.l, in Franklin 
County, Ind. Our suiiject's brother, Freilerick, 




r 



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i 



I 



938 



-^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






served as a Union soldier in the late Civil War, en- 
listing at Dayton, Ohio, in tlie l.'5th Missouri Regi- 
ment. He was seized witli a fatal illness while in the 
service and died at Pittsljiirg Landing. 

Mr. Biiddemeier was united in marriage with Miss 
Louisa llamsmeier, tiie daugliter of Samuel and 
Elizabeth (Uohlcutter) llamsmeier, who arc still 
living in their native German3'. Our subject and 
his wife became the parents of eleven children, who 
were born and are located as follows: (Sophia \V. 
C, born Dec. 17, 18.50, is the wife of George Un- 
nawain-, who lives in Riple}- County, Ind.; .John 
F.. boiii Feb. 2G, 1858, married Miss Eliza Block, 
and lives in I'.uffalo County, Neb. ; Matilda, born 
Nov. 10, 1859, is the wife of Henry Unnawahr, 
living in Decatur County, Ind.; Christian A., was 
born in December, 18U1; Mary, Oct. 17, 1HG3; 
Elizabeth, Aug. 29, 18G5; Margaretta, born June 
19, 18G7, is the wife of John Th(>nipson, of .Sidney 
Township; Martha was born May 31, 1809; Henry 
J., April 4, 1871; Henry W., Sept. 8, 1873, and 
•Samuel, Dec. 21, 1875. Mr. B. is a stanch Repub- 
lican, politically, and he and his family are regular 
attendants of the Lutheran Church. 



%^'V,"< -!; 



-"O"! ->»^»-;.- 




i 



YRUS ARNOLD, a practical farmer of I'hih. 
Township, has been a resident of Cham- 
paign County since the fall of 1807. He 
tiien purchased 100 acres of land on section 35. 
which constitutes his present homestead, and which 
ho has brought to a fine state of cultivation. To 
this he subsequently added forty acres, and has the 
whole well drained with tile, enclosed with neat 
fencing, and has enlaiged and improved the orig- 
inal buildings so that they aie now models of con- 
venience and comfort, and bear comparison with 
any in this section. In addition to the ordinaiy 
l)ursnits of agriculture Mr. Arnold is also engaged 
in raising fine stock, horses, cattle and swine. 

Our subject is a native of Clifton Park, .Saratoga 
Co., N. Y., and was tiorn Sept. 8, 1830. His fa- 
ther, Peter Arnold, was a farmer of good standing 
in the county whore he was born, married and dioil. 
Politically he w:is a Uepublicjin, and rdigiijusl^' ;i 
H:ij)tisl. like his fallier before him. His wife, before 

4» 



her marriage was Miss Millie Ostrom, of Holland an- 
cestry. She was also born and reared in Saratoga 
County. N. Y. Roth parents died at Clifton Park, 
the mother in 1 843, at thii'ty-se ven 3'ears of age. and 
the father in 1878, aged seventy-five. Joseph Ar- 
nold, the grandfather, was reared in Providence, R. 
I., whence he afterward removed to Saratoga Coun- 
ty, N. Y., and there married jNIiss Mary Althouse. 
This lad}' was the daughter of Peter Althouse, a 
native of Holland, who emigrated to this country 
in an early day, and settling in New York, died at 
Clifton Park after arriving at the age of eighty 
years A section of the Arnold family- also lo- 
cated in New England jirior to the Revolution. 
Joseph Arnold also died at Clifton Park when sev- 
enty-five years old. He was a man of more than 
ordinary ability, and conducted his farming and 
business affairs in a methodical and S3stematic 
manner. 

Cyrus Arnold was the eldest son and second 
child of a family of three sons and three daughters, 
all of whom lived to mature years and married. 
The eldest daughter, Mrs. ^lary ^'an Branken, is 
deceased. Those living are, Cyrus, of our sketch; 
Lucinda, the wife of Harvey Taylor, a farmer of 
Seward County, Neb.; Catherine, Mrs. Cj^rus Cole, 
is a resident of the cit}' of Albany, N. Y. ; her hus- 
band is a piano manufacturer. George nuirried 
Miss Caroline Jones, and lives in Yorkville, Ken- 
dall Co:, III.: Enimett married INIiss Martha Jones, 
and is a resident of Burnt Hill, .Saratoga Co., N. Y. 

Our subject received a good education in the 
public schools, and remained a member of the 
household circle until he reached his m.ajorit^'. He 
then went to Jackson County, Mich., where after a 
residence of two years he was married, Feb. 2, 
1853, to Miss Caroline Francisco, who was born in 
Washtenaw County, Mich.. Aug. 14, 1831. Her 
l)arents, IIenr\- A. and Catherine (Overacker) Fran- 
cisco, were natives of Wells Township, Herkimer 
Co., N. Y., the father born M.ay 20, 1794, and the 
mother, Aug. 13, 1790. They were married Feb. 
29, 1810, in their native count}'. The grandfather 
of Mrs. Arnold. Abraham Francisco, a native of 
New York .'State, married Miss Hester Vandercook. 
in the vicinity of New York City. They located 
in Ontario Count}', and boiii clied in Rushville,' 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



93a 



'i- 



thai county, the grandfather when about sixty 
years of age. and the grandmother at eighty. 

Tiie parents of Mrs. Arnohl, in ISl.S, removed 
from New \\)ri< State to Cuyalioga C\)unty. Ohio, 
locating on a farm wliich they occupied until 1S2'J. 
In that year tiiey removed to \\'iisliti'naw County, 
i\[ich., and in l.s;i3to-i farm in Jackson Ctuint}', 
Mich., where tiie motlier died .June .j, 18.51. In 
18.")4 Mr. Francisco became a resident of the Prai- 
rie Slate, first settling in Geneva, Kane County, 
and thence removing to Kendall County. After- 
ward he came to this county, settling on a farm 
near I'liilo, in Chamiiaign Towiishi|), where he spent 
the remainder of his days, dying Sept. 2, 1 875. 
]Mr. Francisco was Judge of Jackson Count}- from 
1858 to 18G2. lie was of Spanish ancestry, and 
his wife descended from the (ierman. Both were 
active members of the Methodist Cluucli for many 
years. 

The children of Mr. Francisco ami wife are re- 
corded as follows: Henry E. died at Philo Village 
Oct. li), 1878, having been engaged in the grain 
business there for several years; Nancy became the 
wife of Aaron Blake, and died in Barry County- ; 
Horace married Miss E. Preston, and died in Texas; 
Hester J. lives with her sister, Mrs. Arnold, of our 
sketch; Antoinette C. became tiie wife of II. J. 
Nash, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this 
Ar.iiiJM; Eleanor married J. H. VVheaton, who was 
killed at the battle of Champion Hills during the 
late war; he was first commissioned Cai)tain of a 
company and afterward promoted Colonel of the 
regiment. Mrs. Wheaton is now a resident of De- 
catur, Mich. 

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold lived 
for one year in Grass Lake, Mich., whence they re- 
moved to Mcllenry County, 111., afterward to Ken- 
dall Count}-, and from there, in 18()7, to Philo 
Township, this count}', taking possession soon af- 
terward of their present farm. Mr. Arnold was 
collect(;r of taxes in Kendall County; he, wiib his 
excellent and amiable partner, isa iiieinber in goo.d 
standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

The children of our subject and his wife, six in 
number, are recorded as follows: Mary is the wife 
of John L(jcke, a successful f:irmer of Philo Town- 
.■•hi[); Emmet F. married Miss Clara .VI. I'ayne, and 



carries on a stock ranch at Hot Springs, Dak.; 
Horace and Cora E. are at home; Clara P. came to 
her death by being scalded: llenrv E. died at the 
.age of nine mouths. Politicall}' Mr. Arnold is a 
stanch Pepublican. and casts his vote with that 
party. 

A lithographic view of Mr. Arnold's luuidsome 
residence is to be seen on another page. 



\t]()IlN \V. 1111, DEKBRANT.of Homer Town- 
ship, is a native of ()liio. born ;iniong the 
hills of Highland County in the spring of 
(^^' 1822. Twelve years later he went with 
his parents, l):ivid and Annie ((irady) llilderbi-ant, 
to Tiiipecanoe County, Ind., of which he remained 
a resident until coming to this State, in 1805. His 
.property consists of eighty acres of some of the 
choicest land in Champaign County, which has 
been brought to a line state of cultivation b}- thor- 
ough drainage and by being managed in a manner 
calculated to develop its best resources. .Mr. H. 
has pursued the even tenor of his way, extracting 
much enjoyment from life, having been blest with 
good health, and never within his remembiauce be- 
ing attended by a [ih3'sician. 

The father of our subject was also a native of 
Ohio, where he was reared and married. He died 
on a f:u-m in Peoria County, 111., of cancer, and 
w:is buried in Elmwood. The mother died some 
years before in Tippecanoe Count}'. Ind., and her 
remains were hud to re.st in Sugar (irove, Ind. 
The ten children of the parental family were Nancy 
J., Rachel, Emcline, Martini, .lames W. (wIkj was 
killed in the army), Marion, Pleasant, Cyrus, Stan- 
ton and John \V. 

Oiu' subject, who was the eldest child, remained 
under the piu'cntal roof until his marriage, :uid then 
united his fortunes with Miss Emily Fovvler, A|)ril 
'.t, 1802. .Mrs. H. was born in Tippecanoe County, 
.\pril 12, 18;il,and is the daughter of Joshua D. 
and .Mary (Hall) Fowler, natives j'espectively of 
Penn.sylvania and Kentucky. The former, who 
followed farming all his life, died in Fount:iin 
County, Ind., in 1871, when seventy -eight ye:u-s ofy 



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940 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



age. The mother, who was born in 1799, passed 
her last years on the old homestead, and died in 
ISC-i. The houst'lKjld iiichided eleven children, as 
follows: Nancy, John II., James R., Gcoriic R. C, 
Cyrus M., Rachel, Jessie M.. Emily, Ruth, Albina 
and Ann. 

Mr. IIilil(jrlu;uit may be properly classed among 
the honored pioneers of this coiint_v, :ind possesses 
in a marked degree their perseverance and energy. 
Men of that d:iy were not ensily discouraged, and 
whenever their croi)s failed or they met with other 
misfortunes, they lost no time in grieving over their 
mishaps, but "got up and went at it again." 
Among other discouragements Mr. II. at one time 
tended sixty acres of corn three times over, pre- 
paring the ground each time himself and alone. In 
the fall he sold ^1,300 worth of corn, and felt 
amply re()aid for his perseverance. Of late years 
he has devoted his attention largely to the raising 
of hogs, which has yielded him a fine income. 

The two promising children of our suliject, Mary 
and Levi, are both married and settle<l in comfort 
able homes. Mary became the wife of .Sylvester 
Newman, and Levi married Miss Annie AVilson. 
The residence of Mr. II. is a comfortable and sub- 
stantial structure, set in the midst of shade and 
fruit trees, and the barn and out-bnildings are 
amply adapted for the purposes to which they are 
devoted. 



ri--;:>-'«» 



J^ OIIN A. I'KRRING is Assessor of tlie town- 
ship of Rtuitoul, and one of the partners in 
the firm of I'erring A LaFoUett, shi])pers of 
live-stock. He is a native of Indiana, and 
was born July 8, 1850, in Washington County, 
near Salem. The names of his i)arents are Isaac 
and Anna (Hoar) Perring. His father was a native 
of Ivigland, and when a young man came to seek 
his fortune in America. Our subject's mother was 
a native of Kentucky, but her parents had moved 
to Indiana during her childhood, and she was there 
married to Mr. Perring. After their marriage the^' 
established their new home in Washington County, 
Ind., where they lived fen' several years. Mr. Per- 
ring then moved with his family to Lawrence 
County, where his death soon afterward occurred. 



He owned 400 acres of land and had carried on an 
extensive farming business. After his death his 
widow, with her family of seven children, returned 
to Washington County, and made that place their 
home for many 3'ears. 

John A. Perring had received a good common- 
school education, and u|)ou reacliing manhood he 
resolved to go further West in search of a good 
business opening. He fii'st went to Marion County, 
III., and remained there over two years. Not feel- 
ing satisfied with his prospects therein ISTl he 
went to Champaign Couut\- and rented a farm. He 
remained there several 3"ears, engaged cliietlj- in 
raising grain. In 1 878 he embarked in the business 
of shipping live-stock, which he has since exten- 
sivel}' and successfully carried on. He deals in cat- 
tle, horses and hogs, and ships great numl)ers to 
the Chicago market. 

In 187<) Mr. Perring was united in marriage 
with Miss Mary Jones, of Ranloui. Her family 
came from Kentuck}', where her father died. Her 
mother is living in Arkansas. !Mr. I'erring has ac- 
quired a fine property through his own energy and 
application to business. He has twice been elected 
Town Trustee, and has been Assessor of the town- 
ship since 1877. He is a member of the L O. O. F. 
and K. of P., and belongs to the Rei)ublicau party. 



OHN H. LaFOLLFTT. No section of this 
fertile State raises a better grade of stock 
than that included in Champaign Count}'. 
This fact has developed an enterprise wliiqh 
has called in play the genius of some of the shrewd- 
est men in the county. Prominent among them is 
John H. LaFollett, a member of the firm of Per- 
ring & LaFollett, dealers in and shipi)ers of stock. 
Mr. LaFoUet is the son of Isaac and Nancy (I)u- 
valt) LaFollett, and w.as born F'eb. .0, 18;J7, in Put- 
nam County, Ind. His parents were botli natives 
of Kentucky, and at an early day moved to Indiana, 
and settled in Putnam Count}' on a farm, which 
they improved and cultivated, and retained as their 
home for the remainder of their lives. They had a 
family of seven children, only tin\'c of whom are 
now living. 

John H. LaFollett, who was the eldest sou, liut 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



<Ml 



fourth I'liihl, remained in I'litiiani C'omil}- until he 
readied his twentj'-first year. Starting out an in- 
experienced youth to make a .successful career for 
himself in life, he first went to Missouri, and thence 
to Edgar County, 111. He did not re<iiaiu lliero 
long, but came to Hanloul in the autumn of ISTl, 
and opened a meat-market. He continued that 
business for two years, and then commenced ship- 
ping horees in company' with Mr. I'erring. Find- 
ing that promised to be successful they soon ex- 
tended the business niid included cattle and hogs. 
Mr. LaFollet has been signalls" prospered, and has 
acquired a line propert}'. 

Our subject h.as been married four times. Ills 
second wife, Mrs. Henrietta LaFollett, died leaving 
two children — William (irant and Mattic. His 
third wife, Miss Ellen Steward, died leaving him 
two more motherless children — Nancy and Roscoe. 
His i)resent wife. Miss Harriet Weaver, is a native 
iif Edgar County, 111. She is a verj' estimable 
lad3', and a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church of I\ant(jul. Her husband is a member of 
tiie Ba|)tist Cluirch, and one of Ihose solid and suli- 
stantial men who not only gives weight and stand- 
ing to tiie community in which he resides, but 
prominence and stability to all enterpi'ises with 
wliicih he is identified. 



(^p5^ <iUJHE; LEE, deceased. The finest tribute 
^^^ perhaps, that could be given to this gcn- 
m/f^M tlenian, who for many years wnlked in and 
out among the people of Pesotum, was that 
of one who knew him well and who remarked "'he 
lived an earnest, upright life and died a confessed 
Christian." This practically covers the ground- 
work of the life and character of the subject of 
tills sketch. He first opened hisej'es to the light in 
Pulaski Count3', Ky., in the year 1X20, and was the 
son of Charles and Nicie Lee, natives (jf \'iiginia, 
and engaged in farming pursuits. He remained at 
home with his i)areiits on the farm until l.sil, and 
then, having reacheil his majority, was united in 
marriage with .Miss lOlizabclh Ann .l.amcs. .'i native 
of his own county, whose birth took place Aug. 27, 

4* 



1S21. Mrs. Lee was the sixtii child of Joseph .M. 
and Martha (McCalister) .lames, who were N'irgin- 
iaiis, in which State they spent the greater part of 
their lives. 

Immediately after their marriage. Mr. and Mrs. 
Lee settled on a farm in their native county, whence 
they removed seven or eight years later to Lincoln, 
where Mr. Lee purch.ased a farm. Three years later 
lie sold out to remove into Mercer C'ounty. After 
a spring and summer spent there he came North to 
this State, and located in what \ias then Coles l>ut 
is now Douglas County. Soon afterward he pur- 
chased eighty acres of land, which, however, did 
not remain long in his possession and which he sold 
preparatory to a removal acro.ss the Mississipiii 
into Missouri. But circunistances induced him to 
ab;uidon this phin, and he began to pre-empt and 
purchase land in what is now Champ;iign County. 
He proceeded in this manner until he had accumu- 
lated .'liO acres. 

The land which Sciuin; Lee had thu-i acipiired 
oecu[)ied a part of sections IT), 2;>, .'!() and .■?1, which 
he lived upon and improved until il bec'inn- recog- 
ni/ed ;is one of the finest farms in the whole towii- 
ship. His death occurred on the 21st of M;irch, 
I.s.sf), when he was sixty-five years old. The fiiends 
who at that time gathered aroun,', to do reverence 
to the inanimate clay silently rect>gni/.ed the fact 
that there had been one cut off from their midst 
whose place It would be most dillicult to till. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Lee, all living, are 
Martlia .lane, who was born .Inly 17, 1842; Mary 
Ann, Nov. 23, 1844; ticorge W., Aug. 8, 184r»: 
.lames H., Feb. 3, 1847; Henry, Feb. 27, l.s-)(): 
Noah. .May 2:i, 1 s.-,;{, and Sarah E., May 10, ls.-)7. 
Martha became the wife of .John Rice, who diecl 
two months aftei'ward, and the bereaved young 
wife then returned to her parents; of this union 
there was one child. Emma A., born in I8()2, and 
reared bj' her grandparents. .Martha afterward be- 
came the wife of Parker (Jregory, a tanner of Pe- 
sotum Townshi|>; of this inarri:ige there were born 
three children. Mary Ann became the wife of 
Arthur J{ice; of whom a sketch appears elsewhere 
In this volume; (ieorge married Miss Ellen Cold- 
man, ami follows farming in Pesotum Township, 
ne:ir the p;irenlal homestead of his lather; .1. liar- 



i 



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942 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



vey iimrriefl Miss Mary L. Cook, and occupies a part 
(if llic home farm lying on section \:>. Ilenry first 
inarricd Miss Jennie Ailair. wlio became the mother 
of two cliiidren and p;ts>ed from earth; liis second 
wife was ]Miss Marie Kiohardson, and to them have 
lieen l)orn two cliildren; Niiah married Miss Mary 
Hart, and lives within a few rods of his mother's 
hfniso. (Jertrude remains at home with her mother. 
Sarali niari'ietl Thomas Adair, and lives near her 
molhei'. 

Much of the land ln-loiiging to the Lee estate 
was devoted liy its proprietor to stock-raising', and 
no man took greater pride in the qnalit\' of the 
animals which he purchased and sold. The farm 
was provided witii all the conveuieiipes necessary 
for this department of agrienlture, and his opera- 
tions in this line yielded him a line income. Mr. 
Lee interested himself in the welfare of his town- 
ship and community, .and was freqaently elected to 
the townshii) offices. Politically he supported 
Uemocratic princiiiles, Init never sought preferment, 
contented if he could l)e of service to those imme- 
diately alxjut him in his township or town. Al- 
though never connecting himself with any church 
organization, he rect>gnized the im[)ortance of es- 
tablishing and maintaining religious institutions, 
and contributed libcially of his means to this end. 
His natural imi)idscs were (jn the side of right and 
justice, and the influence which he shed around him 
will serve as a means of good for years to come. 



jir^LlSHA N. CKMlNti, deceased. The sub- 
fel jcct of this sketch was one of the pioneci-s 
Jk^ of Champaign County, who mad>? for him- 



t- 



self and his family' a name whom all delight to 
honor. Mr. (Jenung was born Sept. 20, liS16, in or 
near Newark, N. J. The famil}' are of French ex- 
traction. His grandfather was a native t)f France, 
but s|)ent tlie last years of his life in America. 
His father, who wasa blacksmitli by tr;ule, removed 
from New Jersey to I'enn.sylvania, and engaged in 
business in the town of Ilonesdalc, where he spent 
Ihe remainder of his life. 

i'^lisha ( u'liung, our sidiject, was (juite young when 



his parents emigrated to Peim.sylvania, and lived at 
home until he was fourteen years of age, when his 
father, who was a very practical man. apprenticed 
him for six years to learn the carriage-builder's trade 
in Newark, N. J. After he had served his time, at 
the age of twenty-one lie emigrated West, spending 
some time in different places. He was in Ohio for 
a short time, and then went to New Orleans, where 
he worked at his trade, but feeling dissatisfied he 
next went to Terre Haute, Ind.. wiiere he remained 
five years, engaged in the trade of carriage-buildin: 
He next went to Tecumseii, where he established a 
cooper-shop, in which business he continued for 
five years. In IH;').") he came to Champaign Count}', 
whiuh place he had visited two years previously', 
and entered half of section 35, in what is now 
Ludlow Township, after which he returned home 
and resumed his business. In the following year 
he came again and built a house on his land, and in 
18,"»o removed tiiere with his family. He nnide the 
journe}' in primitive fashion, conveying his family 
and household goods b}" means of two wagons and 
six iiorses. ' The roads were almost impassable iu 
some places, and many times he was obliged to 
attach all of the horses to one wagon in order to 
pulL it through a slough, and having successfully 
accomplished this, to return for tiie other. After 
his arrival he immediately commence<l imi>rove- 
ments. The site of Kantoul was then a cornfield, 
and during his lifetime grew into ipiite a village. 
His death occurred April 15, 1807. 

On the 25th of August, 1.S52, Mr. tifniing was 
united in marriage with Miss Julia A Shank. She 
was the daughter of Samuel Shank, and w.as born 
in Rockingham County, \'a., Nov. 13, 1830. Her 
family was of German extraction, though for several 
generations its members have been natives of Vir- 
ginia. Her grandfather passed his entire life in 
Rockingham Count}'. In 1835 her parents removed 
to A'igo County, Ind., where they purchased tim- 
bered land, which they cultivated and improved. 
Her father was a mason by trade, and was engaged 
in that business most of the time. He died on the 
homestead in 1843. Her mother, Mary (May) 
Shank, was also of German descent and a native of 
\'irginia. 

Three of the children of our subject and wife are.^ 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



943 



living: Kliza llolen, tiie wife of Ueulien Rougliton ; 
Lou Belie, tiie wife of Dr. I\. 'I'liyldr, who lives in 
Rossville, \'erniilioii Co., Jll., nnd Ziniri R., the 
only .son, who lives on the homestead and manages 
the farm. 



REDERICK NICHOLS. A large piopor. 
tion of the successful agiicnltuiists and 
1^ valued resii'eiits of Central Illinois first 

drew In-eatli on the other side of the Atlantic in 
modest homes and luMnl)le stations, where the}' 
were early made aciiuainted willi life an<l its re- 
sponsibilities and admirably fitted to cope with its 
duties and dilliculties. Among these the subject 
of our sketch is a bright example, essentially a .s(>lf- 
made man, who commenced without means or in- 
tlueuti.'il friends, but who steadil}' worked his \v:\y 
upward until now we see him oecuining an enviable 
position in his community and holding his own 
among the al)le linanciers of a great common- 
wealth. 

The early home of Mr. Nichols w.-is near the city 
of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. England, where his 
birth took pl.ace Nov. 13, IS.'};j. His parents, 
Richard and Elizabeth (Shorter) Nichols, were also 
of English birth and parentage, and lived, from his 
best recollections, upon a small farm, where b}' 
strict industry and economy they secured for their 
family all of the necessaries and many of the 
pleasures of life. The father did not live to old 
age, and the mother, after his death, emigrated to 
the United States with her children. After a long 
vi>yage on a sailing-vessel lliey first landed in New 
York Cit}', whence they proceeded to Montgomery 
County, lud., where they took up their abode on a 
small piece of ground. After a brief illue.ss the 
mother passed from earth in the summer of 1870 
and was laid to rest in the cemetery at Mont- 
gomery. The parental household included six sons 
and two daughters, of whom only three survive, 
our suliject and two brothers. The latter are both 
living, one in England and the other in Mont- 
gomery County, Ind. 

The boyhood and j'onth of Frederick Nichols 
were pa.ssed in his native shire, where he received 
1^ 'a limited education and remained until sixteen I 



years of .igc. Then, in company with his brother, 
George I)., he sailed for America, landing in .New 
York C'ity in .luiie, 1.S4!). Thence they went 
direct to I'oughkeepsie, Duldiess Co., N. Y., and 
remained three years. In the spring of 18.')2, our 
subject went into Ohio, locating near Lebanon in 
Warren County, where he resumed his trade for a 
time and then set out for new fields. He was a 
wi<le-;iwake and ambitious young man and ilesiied 
to see something of the world before settling down. 
From the Buckeye State he procee<led southwest- 
ward to Mississippi, where he s|)eut one winter and 
then migrated to S[)rii!gfield, this State. Here lie 
worked at his trade two years, and tlie following 
year took up his abode at Bldominglon. Thence 
he made his way to Alton, and from there four 
months later crossed the Father of Waters intu 
Montgomery County, Iowa, engaging on a farm 
near Linden, until 1870. 

The State of Illinois, however, had impressed 
Mr. Nichols more favorably than any other locality, 
and having now managed to save a sum of money 
he came to this county, ami puii'liased eighty 
acres of land in the northwest corner of St. .loseph 
Township.' Here he began farming, and at the 
same time engaged in bricklaying as he had oppor- 
tunity, ri'maining until the fall of 187.5. He then 
sold out and purciiased 120 acres on section 21, 
.and began the first improvements in that portion of 
the towiishii). He proceeded successfully witii his 
farm operations and has now one of the finest 
country estates in this section. He has at times 
been largely in debt, and failure seemed inevitalile. 
but he made it a point to d(j the best he coiiM un- 
der, all circumstances and finally emerged fr(uii iiis 
dilliculties with Hying' colors. His stock-raising 
operations have mostly been confined to hogs, of 
which he has made a specialt}', and in which lie has 
finely succeeded, reaping a rich reward for his 
labors. 

The first marriage of .Mr. Nichols was celebrated 
in Montgomery County, lud., Nov. 13, 18(12, his 
chosen bride being Miss Susan E. I'addock, who 
only remained the companion of her husband two' 
short years, dj'ing in 18G1, and leaving one son — 
I'errv Franklin, now a resident of Jvansas and en- 
gaged in fanning. The present wife of our subject. 






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944 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



to whom he was married Feb. 13. I.sfi6, wa.s formerly' 
Miss Lueinda Irons, a native of Ohio, and born in 
1><40. Of this union there are two sons and one 
daughter — Lancelot T., Nathan and Cora E. 

The tine family residence was erected in l.s84, 
and is one of the handsomest structures in the 
neighborhood. It is situated on a gentle elevation 
commanding a fine view of the suirounding coun- 
try, and with its shade trees and .-idjoining build- 
ings, forms an attractive feature of the landscape. 
The farm is stockeil with good grades of domestic 
animals, and ever3'thing about the premises is keirt 
in good style, reflecting great credit upon the taste 
and imlustry of its proprietor. 

Mr. Nichols has always taken an intelligent in- 
terest in the affairs of his township and been a man 
generally respected for his clear head and gcjod 
jndgment. He has served as Commissioner, and 
with his excellent wife is a member in good stand- 
ing of the -Methodist Kpiscopal Church, iu which 
he has otKciatcd .as Steward and Trustee for a num- 
ber <»f years. He has built up the record of an 
honest man and a good citizen, and enjoys the 
friendship and esteem of his neighbors and ac- 
quaintances. 



^^=:=: - 




R. SAMLKL N. Sl.MS. physician and sur- 
geon, of St. Joseph, <:>ceupies a worthy po- 
sition in his chosen profession, and enjoys 
the confidence of the people of his com- 
munit}'. He was born at the home of his parents 
near Terre Haute, Vigo Co.. Ind.. Dec. 3o. 1855, 
and is the son of Dr. William B. and Sarah J. 
(Medlev) Sims, who are residetits of Urbana, 111. 
His father, who was born in Tennessee, left his na- 
tive State when a bo\- of four years, and completed 
his education in the North. Afterward he entered 
the medical department of Rush College, Chicago, 
after which he availed himself of a higher course 
of instruction at Louisville, Ky. He entered 
uix>n the practice of his profession in 1869, and be- 
cantc eminently successful as a physician. 

The grandfather iif our subject, William (i. .Sims 
by name, wjis reared in K.ist Tennessee, where he 
engaged in agricultural pursuits, and married, 
rearing a large family' of sons and daughters, among 



whom the father of our subject was tenth in order 
of birth. The latter was marrie<l in Indiana, and 
remained there until coming to this .State. The 
I^arental household included eight children, seven 
sons and one daughter, of whom .Samuel of our 
sketch was the eldest. He received his primary 
education iu his native township, and completetl 
his studies in the High School at Le Roy, iu Mc- 
Lean County. He commenced reading medicine 
under the instruction of his father, and a j'ear later 
entered Rus!i Medical College, of Chicago, where 
he spent six mouths, .and afterward to<>k his secoml 
course iu the .Medical College at Louisville, being 
graduated in 1877. He commenced the practice 
of his profession at St. Joseph iu compan}- with his 
father, who had successfully followed his profession 
there for a period of thirteen years. After the re- 
moval of the latter to f rbana the son succeeded to 
the business, and bids fair to become as skillful and 
successful as his father before him. 

The marriage of Dr. .Sims to Miss Rosa Cusick, 
of Edgar Countj", 111.. to<>k place at the home of 
the bride's parents, in the spring of 1880. Mrs. 
Sims was born iu Edgar County in I860, and is the 
daughter of Abraham B. Cusick. Esq.. of the latt«r 
county. Of her marri.age with our subject there 
has been bom one child, a son, Flemmer B. 

Of the Doctor's brothei-s there are three married, 
the eldest of whom, Joseph M., residing at ^'eed- 
ersburg, Ind., is joint agent for the I., B. <t W., the 
C. A- I. C. and the T., C. * K. C. R. R. ; the sec- 
ond, William F., a blacksmith b}- trade, resides in 
Mayview, this county, and the third, David M., is 
engineer on the C. <t I. C. R. R., making his home 
at Brazil, Ind. 



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SAIAH HL'.MRICHOLSER, a resident of Ho- 
mer, 111., W.1S one of the old veterans of the 
ii Civil War. He enlisted in Co. C, 2.ith 111. Vol. 
Inf., as Third Sergeant; was enrolled June I, 1861, 
sworn in at St, Louis, Mo., and served three years. 
For some time he was iu the Arm^- of the West, but 
was afterward transferred to the Army of the Mis- 
sissii)pi. and thence to the Army of the Cumberland. 
He was promoted, Nov. 1.^, l."<63, to the rank of ' T 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



945 



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First Lieutenant of Co. E, Utii U. S. Colored 
Troops. At the battle of Chickaniaiiga, September 
r.i following, our subject was wounded by a eliarge 
of nine musket balls, in the space of five minutes, 
and was reported among the killed. He lay woundd 
on the battle-field among the dead and dying until 
nearly midnight, when he was discovered and ininiC- 
diatel}^ placed in the ambulance and ivmoved to 
Crawfish Spring Hospital, where he remained, part 
of the time unconscious, for sixty-four hours be- 
fore his wounds were dressed. The balls had pene- 
trated several different parts of his bod}'. Two 
had pierced the liead. one the right shoulder, one 
. the right arm, three the left thigh and two the 
right. His face is now somewhat disfigured from 
the wounds caused by the two balls, which passed 
entireh' through the head, and there can be no 
doubt that this gallant battle-scarred hero stood with 
his face to the foe. On one occasion he marched 
from Jacinto, Miss., to Louisville, Ky., a distance 
of 970 miles, under a scorching sun. 

Lieut. • Humrieliouser, two weeks after assum- 
ing command of his company, and after being 
wounded, was captured and confined in a rebel hos- 
pital about fourteen daj's, then paroled. After a 
short time, spent first in the camp at Chattanooga 
and subsequentl}' at Nashville, Tenn., his brother 
Henr}-, of Plymouth, Ind., went after him and took 
him to his homo. While there he received orders 
to report to his command, when he received his 
commission of Lieutenant, l>uton account of being 
a parolinl prisoner of war, he could not be mustered 
in or do further military service. After being sent to 
Camp Chase at Columbus, he resigned, and return- 
ing to this State, raised Co. K, 13;id III. Vols., 1 00- 
day s' men, being First Lieutentant; subsequently' 
he was detailed .as Provost Marshal at Rock Island, 
whereabout 11.000 rebels were imprisoned, 

Isaiah Humrichouser was born in Ashland, Ash- 
land Co., Ohio, Feb. 2.0, 1842. His early advan- 
tages were somewhat limited, liul he po.ssessed 
good natur.al capacities and gained a good acquaint- 
ance with the general methods of conducting busi- 
ness. He became a resident of Illinois in l.s'iO, 
and nine years later, March 17, 1800, was united in 
marriage with Miss Detrick, daughter of .bjhn and 
.Sophia Detrick. Mrs. II. was born in I'einisyivaiiia, 



Aug. 24, 184.T, and by her marriage with our sub- 
ject became the mother of one child, Charles H., 
who w.as born April 2!), 1807, and is now a promis- 
ing young man nearly twenty -one j'ears old. The 
property of our subject includes three farms, two 
located in Seward County, and one in Woodson 
County, Kan. Socially he is a member of the 
G. A. H., belonging to Homer Post No. 203. He 
is a warm adherent of the Republican i>Mrly, and 
on account of iiis wounds receives a pension from 
the Government. 

The follow'ing is a eop3' of a bill passed for the 
benefit of Mr. Ilnmrichouser: "Fortj'-eighth Con- 
gress, Istsessinn. House Resolution 4,41!). In the 
House of Repi-esentatives: Be it enacted I)}' the 
Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
.States of America, in Congress assembled, that the 
Secretary of the Treasury is directed to p.ay Isaiali 
Humrichouser, late a .Sergeant of Co. C, 2oth III. 
Vol. Inf., the difference between the pay as such 
Sergeant and that of First J.,ieutenant of Infantry, 
from the ISth day of November, 180.1, until the 
1st of March, 1804." 

^^ s>t^^^^>^'^ ^ 

OSEPII COBURN, a farmer .and stock -grower 
residing on section 23, Sidney Townshi[>, 
was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., 
1^)) March 12, 182<». He is the son of Joseph 
and Ann (Ilalladay) Cobiirn, and is the seventh 
child in a family of ton children, whoso names are: 
James. John, Agnes, Ann, Maria, Joseph, C.-urie, 
Robert and Mary Harper. Of these, .lames, .lolm, 
Ann, and Sarali J. are deceased. 

Mr. Cobiu'n's i)arents died in New York. His 
f.'itlior was a stone and brick ni.ison I>y trade and 
carried on that business with energy and success 
until tlie last few years of his life, wlien, on account 
of poor hoaltii, he was obliged to relinquish work, 
and bis death occurred when Joseph was but thir- 
teen years of age. 

At the age of sixteen .Mr. Coburn obtained a 
position on board a steamer which was plying 
between the cities of (Quebec and ll.imilton. lie 
continued tii follow that business for eleven years, 
and since then has l)een engaged in farming. In 



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94fi 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



4- 



1856 lie removed to Ohio and made his home there 
until 1867, in which year ht' removed to Cham- 
paign County. He was married in Cievelaml, Ohio, 
Jan. 4, 1851, to Miss Sarah l>lythe. Mrs. Cobnrn 
is the daughter of .Samuel and Mary Blythe. She 
was born Aug. 27, 1S2!), and is the' eldest of a 
family' of seven children. The names of her brothers 
and sisters are: Ann, Joini, .Innies, ^Villianl, Samuel 
and Mary J. Her parents have latterly resided in 
Canada. 

Mr. Coburn now has the management of a farm 
belunging to F. .1. I'.usey, and carries on a success- 
ful business in farming and stock-raising. His 
family consists of eight children : Marj' Ann, the 
wife of Webster Minor, lives in the citj^ of Cham- 
paign; Joseph, married to Miss Alice Kissinger, 
lives in Kingman County, Kan.; Mahala, the wife 
of David Simnis, lives in IJrazil, Ind.; Mr. Simins is 
connected with the railroad business in that place; 
William U., Melissa B., Lucy S., and Lydia Maj'^ 
are single; Clifford died in infancy. 

Mr. Coburn is industrious and active in business. 
In politics he supports the Republican party, and 
with his wife is a member of tlio Univcrsalist 
Churcli. 



i 



IIOMSON KIIODKS WKl'.BKR, deceased, 
(^^ came to this ciumty in the earl}' days, and 
was one of the |>i-i>niinent and ellicient men 
wiio assisted in sliaping ifr destiny, and bringing it 
to its present onvialije position. He was a native 
of SJH'lliy County, Ky., and was born Oct. 6, 1807. 
On his father's side he was of Oerman extraction, 
and was the eldest of tiiirteen children, of whom 
b\it four are now living, namely, William H., 
Oeorge G., Mrs. Nancy Munhall, of Frliana, and 
Mrs. Sarah Uominc, of De Witt Countj-, 111. 

Thomson R. Webber was twice married. His first 
wife, who was formerly Miss Martha Thompson, of 
Shell)}' County, Ky., died in 1837. Of this nnir- 
ri.ag there were born three children — Joseph T., 
William B., and Susan, Mrs. Blaydes. In 1838 Mr. 
Webber was married to Miss Anna B. Carson, of 
this county, whose death preceded his sever.ar years. 



Of this marriage there are two surviving children — 
Robert A. and James H. 

Mr. Webber came to Urbana in 1833, and identi- 
fied himself with the Democratic part}'. He cast 
his first vote for (ien. Jackson, and heartily sup- 
ported the candidacy of Horace Greeley, as the 
Democratic presidential nominee. He was a man 
of fine abilities and enjoyed for many years the 
confidence and friendshii) of many eminent men, 
among tiiem Abraham Lincoln and Senator David 
Davis. After coming to this locality his talents re- 
ceived read}' recognition. He was the first Post- 
master in the county, and upon its organization 
was elected Clerk of both Courts, serving as Coun- 
ty Clerk twenty years and Circuit Clerk twenty- 
seven years. For forty years he acted as Master 
in Chancery, and upon his retirement from oHice 
carried with him the respect and good-will of all 
who knew him. 

Thomson R. Webber, in 1847, was elected to rep- 
resent Vermilion, Champaign, Piatt and Coles 
Counties in the Constitutional Convention, and in 
1863 representetl the same in a similar convention, 
with the exception of Vermilion County, which was 
substituted by Macon. He possessed gre.-it firmness 
of character, wiis decided in his opinions and fear- 
less in the expression of them. His death occurred 
at his residence south' of the city of Urbana, Dec. 
14, 1881, when he was over seventy-four years of 
age. He believed in and practiced the principles 
of Christianity, although not a member of any 
Church (organization. He possessed a c^uiet dignity 
of manner and kindness of heart that was not above 
speaking kindly to the liumlilesl individual who 
came within his notice. 



<34 



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JfjOHN TRICK, a native of Wurtemberg, Gcr- 
I many, having by courage and perseverance 
I overcome the dillicullies of jMoneer life in a 
'/ strange land, is now the owner of a fine 
farm on section 36, Sidney Townshi)), of which he 
became a resident in 185(). Tlie i)areuts of our 
subject were George and .\nna 1!. (liuolT) 'I'rick. 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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!»47 



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The father is still living in his native euiintiv, "hero 
the niutlier died in 1S7G. 

John Trick, wIki was liorn Dee. 21, l.s;M, when 
twenty years vf .ige, in 1854, started out alone to 
seek his fortune in a foreign land, and embarked 
onboard the sailing-vessel ^\'iilianl Tell, iilying be- 
tween Havre and New York. After a stormy l)as- 
sagc vi thirty-seven dajs, he leaehed his destina- 
tion and proceeded to Miamisburg, Ohio, where he 
remained employed some three months, and thence 
migrated to Springltoro, Warren County, the same 
State. There he remained two years, working on a 
farm, and at the ex[)iration of this time resolved 
to seek his fortune in the farther West. After com- 
ing to this county- he spent several months wood- 
chopping, in .Sidney- Township, but not being satis- 
fied with the results of his labor there, removed to 
I'rbana. and obtained employment in a .sawmill, 
where he continued ten months. He then returned 
to .Sidney and engaged in farming for Paul L.ay- 
bourn, witli whom he remained three and a half 
years. 

In August, 1801, .Mr. Trick enlisted in Co. 1, "id 
III. \'o\. Cav.. and served in the Civil War for four 
years and six months. At the end of his third year 
he re-enlisted as a veteran, remaining in the ranks 
until the close of the war. lie was present .at the 
battles of Champion Hills and Pittsburg Landing, 
and in all the campaigns in which his ''ommand 
took part. At Liberty, Miss., he received a severe 
wound in the right tliigh from a musket liall, 
which, together with the rlicuniatisni contracted 
while in the army, lias to some extent made liim a 
cripple. He w.as mustered out in Texas, and dis- 
charged at Siiringfielil, 111., in Januai'}', 1,S(J6. 

After the close of the war Mr. Trick returned to 
the scenes of his former labors, and on the "iyth of 
January, IHfiT, was married to .Miss Jeanette, 
daughter of Abel :ind Kinelinc (Tanner) Laybourn. 
The parents of Mrs. Trick were both natives of 
New York .State, but tiicir decease occurred in Sid- 
ney Township, this county. The father rested from 
his labors on the Gth of January, 187-4, and tlic 
mother Jan. 11, 18S(;. Our snl)ject an<l his wife 
are the parents of four children, namely, George, 
born Dec. 27, 18(57; John and Nettie, twins, were 
bc>rn May 7, 1S74: John died February 10, and 



Nettie February 111, of tiic following year; Mar^' 
N., the youngest of the household, was born Nov. 
28, 187(!. 

The property of our subject com|)rises 120 acres 
of linely improved land on the home farm, besides 
aliout eigiit acres of tiinlier. He takes great satis- 
faction in noting the progress of the townslii|), 
which he has assisted in building np, and has 
:>erved in his school district as Director. He is a 
Kepublican politically, and with his estimable lady is 
a worthy memlier of the .Methodist Church. 

^' 08EPH CODI)INGTON,a successful tanner, 
residing on section 1 2. Sidney Township, is 
the son of lienjamin and Delilah (Thomas) 
Coddington, natives of Ohio. His father, 
who was also a farmer, was born in liS23, and died 
April 13, 18(i.'», ill .Sidney Townshi)). His mother 
w.as born in 1824, and is still living on the home 
farm. Joseph was the eldest of a famil}- of nine 
children, comprising three boys and six girls. He 
was born in Sidney Township in 1843, and on the 
23d of November, 1871, was married to .Miss 
Clara McKlroy. Mrs. C. is the eldest daugiitcr of 
Samuel and jMary A. (Franklin) McEIro^-, natives 
of Ohio, but living in Sidney Township, this 
county. Their family consisted of si.v children, 
three boys and three girls, and their daughter 
Clara was born in or near Jlarietta, Ohio, Julj' 

13, 1853. To Mr. and Mrs. Codilingtoii three 
children were born — Grant, Essie May and M.ary 
Delilah. The two elder are now deceased. 

Our subject, during the late war, enlisted .M.-iy 

14, 18G4, for 100 days, and was detailed to guard 
dut3' for the Government at Rock Island. After 
having served more than his full time, he wiis 
mustered out at Camp liutler, about .Sept. IG, 18G4, 
and returning to .Sidney Township, remained there 
some ten years. In 1874 he removed his family 
to Mitchell County, Kan., intending to permanently 
locate there, but a few of the cyclones incident to 
that region induced him within a few dsiys to re- 
turn to Illinois, where he has since remained. 

Mr. Coddington, socially, is an honored mem- 
ber of the<!. A. H.. and as a citizen, interested 



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948 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



ill thu iHiblic welfjin', he 1ms successfully filled the 
offices of Koad C'oiiiiuissiuner and School Director. 
He owns a finely ciilllvatcd farm of eighty acres, 
with five acres of tinihcr I.iikI. and in addition to 
general farming, gives special attention to the rais- 
ing of Poland-China hogs. Tiie management of his 
farm is carried on systematically, and aided hy the 
most apiJioved machinery. 

Our subject and his estimable wife are members 
in high standing of the United Brethren Church, 
in which Mr. C. is Clas.s-Leader and also Assistant 
.Superintendent of the Union Sunday-school. He 
is a man of integrity and enjoys the respect and 
confidence of his community, to whose moral and 
educational welfare he has always contributed by 
all the means in his power. 

/^s^ A. PORTERKIKLD, a gentleman in the 
^^^^ prime of life, and a pnw|)erous farmer 
%JLS) '"■"'^ stock-growei' of Sidney Township, 
owns a quarter of section '.), which he has 
embellished witji a lioine-like country residence, 
and goi.id out-buildings. He occupies himself prof- 
itably in general farming and stock-raising, and is 
a fair example of the prosperous agriculturist of 
Central Illinois. Mr. Portei'field was born in Arm- 
Strong County, Pa., Nov. 7, 184."!, and is the son 
of R. r;. and Hannah (Campliell) Porterfield (see 
sketch of L. C. Porterfield). 

Our subject was a youth of nineteen 3'ears at 
the outbreak of the Rebellion, and in 1.SG4 enlisted 
in till' 78th Penns3lvania Infantry. He gave one 
year to the service of his country, and then at the 
close of the war was mustered out at Uarrisburg, 
Pa., and returning lionu!, again took up the imple- 
ments of liusbandry, which he has since followed. 
He remained in his native State two 3'ears after- 
ward, and in I. S(;7 migrated to the West, settling 
in this county, with whose interests he has since 
been identified. 

Jn 1H71, when ^twenty-nine years of age, Mr. 
Porterfield was united In iu:iriiage with .Miss Kliza- 
beth Williams, ller parents were' natives of Ohio, 
and came to Illinois about 1 H();'). Their family 
included six children — Cyrus, K I i /.a belli, Clara, .1. 




T., Mamie, and one who died in infancy. To Mr. 
and iMrs. Porterfield were born four children — lid- 
ward, now deceased; Robert Z., Nellie B., and one 
who died in infancy. Mrs. Porterfield departed 
this life in 1 S80. Our subject has held the office 
of School Director, and is a citizen generally inter- 
ested in the welfare and i)rosperity of his adopted 
county and township. At home he is kind and 
hospitable, and in every relation in life performs 
his part in a praiseworthy manner. Religiously 
he is a member and oirc of the Trustees of the 
Methodist Church, and in politics is a straight Re- 
publican. 

\|?iii, AVID S. MOORK, who occupies the old 
homestead of his father, on section 36, 
Hensley Township, has been a resident of 
this count}' since a boy fifteen years of 
age. He was born in C-ioshen, Hampshire Co., 
Mass., Aug. 5, 1845. His father, Abner C. Moore, 
was born in the same town, Sept. 21, 1807. His 
grandfather. Shejiard Moore, was a native of 
Brookfield, Worcester Co.. Mass., whence he re- 
moved to Hampshire Count}' during its first settle- 
ment. He imicliased logs and put up a house, 
commenced to clear away the tinilier. and in due 
time built up a comfortal)le home. The locality 
where he settled is now known as Moore's I lill. 
There he and his excellent wife spent the remainder 
of their lives. 

Of the five children in the parental family, Ab- 
ner C. was the youngest. He was reared on the 
farm, remaining with his parents until after his 
marriage. The young town covered quite an area 
of ground, and Abner Mooie purchased a tract of 
land within its limits. Ujjon what was once his 
[n-operty is now situated the reservoir fed from 
Mill River, which siip|)lies water for the mills 
which manufacture various cotton and woolen 
goods. Here also stood, originally, a small .saw- 
mill, which Mr. Moore put in good repair, and sub- 
sequently converted the structure into a brtjoiii- 
haiidle and button factory. The buttons were 
made of wood, and designed to be covered with 
cloth. Mr. Moore was a natural mechanic, and in- 
vented two valuable niachines for the cutting of 
buttons. In 1851 he solil out his interest in that 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



t 
949 



vicinity', ami decided to try his foi'times in the 
West. Getting together his houseliold goods, with 
his wife anil seven chihlren, lie started for tiie 
Prairie State, and after arriving' within its limits, 
[JurehMsed a farm in Ueuloii 'I'liwiishiii, Italic Cuini- 
t3'. He lived there nntil 1H.J7, when he sold nut, 
and removing to IJaeine Connty, Wis., was a resi- 
dent of the Badger State tluve years. In IMi'id 
he s(ild his propertj" tliere, and eoming to this 
county, located first on a farm near l>inn Grove, 
which he rented one year. The year following he 
removed to Rantoul, living tlwre on a rented farm 
for one 3-ear, and then purchased the farm in Hens- 
ley Township upon which our suliject now resides. 
The land at the time of its purchase by Mr. Moore 
was entirelj- uncultivated. Tlie father, liowever, 
was cut down in his |)rime, dj'ing on the 28th of 
March, 1863. 

The mother of our subject, who before her mar- 
riage was Miss Luena P. Slack, was bom in Nortli- 
ampton, Mass., Jan. 18, 1803, and was united in 
marriage with Abner Moore in 1829. Her father, 
David Slack, was l)oi'n in Killingly, Conn., Dec. 11, 
1771, and was the son of Christopiier Slack, a na- 
tive of the same State and one of the lirst settlers 
of Northampton. He located in what is now the 
north part of the cit}', and died tliere at a ripe old 
age. David Slack removed to Southampton in 
1807, and after a residence there of thirty years, 
sold out and returned to Northampton. He after- 
ward came West with his daughter, Mrs. .Moore, 
and died at her home in Kacine County, Wis., 
April 28, 1851). His wife, to whom he was married 
Jan. 11, 1799, was Anna Pomero.y. She was born 
May 17, 1774, and died in Northampton, Aug. Hi, 
1845. They had three children; the eldest died 
in infancy. Her father was Caleb Pomeroy. His fa- 
ther's family contained five sons and three daughters, 
all of whom, with the exception of one son, grew to 
maturity, married, and had large families of their 
own. The son mentioned, Caleb by name, was 
drowned when a young man. The surviving diil- 
dren settled around their father in South or Kast- 
hampton, and all engaged in farming pursuits. 

The Pomeroys, like their ancestors, were very 

strict in the observance of the .Sabbath and other 

^ ' religious matters. .Sabbath commenced at sunset 



t 



on S.aturday, at which time all work w.as laid aside 
until sunset on Sundiiy, when work for the follow- 
ing week commenced. The people went a great 
numy miles to "meeting" on horseback, the men 
ridhig on lln' sacldlc and the women on a jjillion be- 
hnid, in the days when Jonathan Kdwards, vv.ho 
lived at Northampton, was the popular preacher of 
New England. Their text-books were the Bible, 
the Psalter. Watts' p.salms and hymns, and the 
Catechism. 

Caleb Pomeroy, the great-grandfather of our 
subject, settled with his brother, Elijah, in the north- 
ern part of Northampton, Mass., in 17G0, and there 
built nil a home from the primitive soil, cultivat- 
ing the land and setting out fruit trees. Elijah be- 
came the father of a son, .Samuel, the father of ex- 
Senator Pomeioy, of Kansas. The latter was a 
second cousin of Mr. Aloore of our sketch. Sena- 
tor Pomeroy was the youngest in a family of seven 
children, all living but<nic; he is seventy-one years 
of age anil a resident of Washington City. This 
distinguished gentlennm learned his letters and 
" spoke his first piece " at the school with Abner 
Moore, when both were boys together. The first 
representatives of the Pomeroy family in this 
country, settled first at Koxbury, Mass., whence, 
after a few years, they removed to Windsor, 
Conn. 

The mother of our subject was educated in the 
public schools of Southampton, and commenced 
teaching when nineteen years old. She first re- 
'ceived seventy-five cents per week and "boarded 
around." Wliile teaching at Goshen, this lady met 
her future husliand, Abner C. Moore. She is still 
living and in full possi'ssiou of her mental faculties. 
Both she ami her husband were members of the 
Congregational Church. They became the parents' 
of seven children, of whom the record is as follows: 
Fannie C. became the wife of E. O. Stephens, and 
lives in Champaign; Ann, Mrs. Jewett, is a resi- 
dent of Coffey County, K.ui. ; .lulia P., Mrs. Mow- 
rey, lives at I'hilo, HI. ; Chaucey is deceased ; Edna 
E., Mrs. DeLoiig, and Sarah V ., Mrs. Hazen, are 
residents of Sidney Township; David S., of our 
sketch, was the youngest of the family. The son, 
Chancey, was born July 1, I 837. During tlie jirog- 
ress of -the late war he enlisted as a [inioii soldier 



^ 



f^ 



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I 



■'^ 950 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



in 1863. becoming a member of Co. D., 42fl 111. 
Vol. Inf. He was fatally wounded at the battle of 
L':)okoiit Mountain, and died sofin aftcirt'ard, be- 
ing buried in the Xalional Cemetery at Chatta- 
nooga. 

Although our subject was liut six ^ears of age 
when his parents removed from his native Slate, he 
distinctly remembers his old huuie in the East and 
many incidents conuected with the removal hither. 
He was never sejiaratLMl from his parents until the 
atlliction which deprived him of the society of his 
father, and has lived with his mother since that 
time. He assisted in the improvement of the 
homestead in Hensley Township, which they set- 
tled upon in I SGI, and where he has continuously 
lived since tiiat time. After reaching his twenty- 
first year he was united in marriage, Sept. 6, 18C6, 
to Miss Nancy Alice Dunham, vvho was born in 
Cass County, lud., Sept. G, 184.5, and is the daugh- 
ter of John and Matilda (Grillin) Dunham. The 
parents of Mrs. Moore were natives of Ohio, 
whence they removed and were among the earliest 
settlers of Cass Couiit3% Ind. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Moore there have been born two children — Grace 
I. and (irant K. Our subject and his wife are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Politically Mr. Moore affiliates with the Republican 
p.-irty. 



I 



^o^-^tS^'Ss^^-^i^^-^ 




I 

♦ 

i 



ORTIMKR SMITH, farmer and tile manu- 
facturer at Homer, came to Danville, this 
State, iri 18.')'), where he remained two 
years, then took up his abode in the com- 
munity which now claims liiin as one of its most 
valued factors, lie is largely identified with its 
industrial interests, and is also of no small impor- 
tance as a farmer, being the possessor of 700 acres 
of land, with good buildings and farm implements. 
Upon coining here his first purchase consisted of 
400 .acres of land, upon which little ini|)rovemeut 
had been made. At that time the city of Joliet 
was the only point of competition in ctmnection 
with the I'lanufaeture of tile, lie established his 
factory in 18G7, and has turned out from twenty 
to sixty miles of tiling each year, looking first to 



the improvement of his own propert}'. which has 
been thoroughly drained, tile being laid four rods 
apart all over the farm. In this institution he 
placed the latest and most improved machinery, 
and having his work done thoroughly and well, 
stands second to none in this industry as carried on 
in the Prairie State. His farming operations also 
have been conducted upon an extensive scale, much 
of his attention l)eing given to the breeding of 
fine cattle, m<jstly Jerseys. Of these he has fifty 
head, together with the same number of Poland- 
China hogs, besides a number <jf fine horses. 

The history of Mr. Smith furnishes an excellent 
example for young men just embarking in the fiebl 
of active life, of what may be accomplished by a 
man beginning poor, but honest, prudent and in- 
dustrious. Mr. Smith came to Illinois with about 
$150 in cash, and the [)reseut value of his propertj' 
is estimated at §.')0,()00. He has made [/rofitable in- 
vestments, become interested in remunerative enter- 
prises, and combines strictness of moral principle 
with energy and decision of character. He is fa- 
vored with a good physical constitution, mostly- 
due to his temperate habits of life and the con- 
sciousness of having gained what he possesses bj' 
fair means and in the ordinary course of a success- 
ful business life. In viewing the career of such a 
man we naturallj" look to the source from whence 
he drew his origin. 

The parents of our subject, William and Julia 
(Ransom) Smith, were both descendants of excel- 
lent families, the former a native of Lancashire, 
England, and tlie latter born in the Empire State. 
The birth of William Smith occurred in the early 
part of I sol, and that of the mother of our subject 
in 180G. The former spent the early part of his 
life in his native country, where he learned the 
trade of a machinist, afterward eng.aging in the 
manufacture of cotton, woolen and silk, and upon 
coming to this country established a silk factory at 
Salem, Ind. He died, however, before scarcely 
reaching his prime, on the ;51st of July, 1849, while 
a resident of Hanover, Ind. The mother is still 
living, having arrived .at the .advanced age of nearly 
eighty-two years, and is in the enjoyment of good 
health. Kor many years she has been a member of 
the Presbj'terian Church, and as a wife, mother and 
■» 



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•» ■ < • 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 

cioilitably llio variuiis duties of 



951 



frieiul lias fiillilli 
life. 

Tlie c-liildivn forming the i)arciUal household 
'vere named, Oliver, George W., Milton, Mary li., 
■William II. 11., Francis and Louis. They, together 
with our subject, were [jrovided with as good an ed- 
ucation as the schools of those days afforded, which 
was necessarily somewhat limited. Mr. Smith was 
united In m:irriage with Miss Jennie Trislci'. Mrs. 
Smith was born in Danville, this State, and is the 
daughter of .Samuel Trislor, who was formerly a 
resident of Kentucky, but is now deceased. This 
union resulted in the birlli of eight children, who 
were named respecLivelj^ Julia, William, Mary, 
Charlie, Jennie, Nellie. Roy and C'lara. The latter 
died in infancy. 

Notwithstanding his usuall}' successful career, 
Mr. Smith, in 1879, met with a severe loss by fire, 
involving the destruction of a steam ttouring-mill, 
which was valued at *;(j,000, with no insurance. 
With the |jersistenc3', however, which is one of 
the essential points in his character and has been 
the secret of his success, he lost no time bemo.aning 
his misfortune, but proceeded with his other bnsi 
ness, to which he 

with the result already stated. Politically 
.Smith gives his support to the Republican party. 
He presents in all respects the character of a well- 
bred gentleman, enjoying' the confidence of his 
friends and the esteem of his neighbors, lie has 
performed the duty of a wise father to his chil- 
dren, [)roviding them with all the advantages of 
education. 

S^EW F. A. LIJKDECKEU. pastor of the (ier- 
'r^-' man Evamjelical t'liureh. the buildinii of 
Ji \\\ which is located on section 2iS, in Sidney 
^^Township. occupies a comfortable country 
homo not far away, on section S;}. He is of Ger- 
man birth and. parentage, having been born in the 
city of Herlin, Feb. 7, l.s.')0. His parents were 
Martin and Caroline (Wellgast) Luedeekcr, the 
former of whom died in his native Land in IS,')-1, 
when our subjectt was a chilil four years of age. 
Fifteen je.ars later the mother emigrated to the 



but proceeded with his other bnsi- i^i] 
e gave his undivided attention, " [l( 
already stated. Politically. Mr. ^^iJi 



United States, and is still living in Kane County, 
111. Martin Luedeeker was a cooper bj- trade. 

Our subject received his early education in the 
common schools, and later attended Mapleville and 
the Northwestern Colleges, from which he was 
graduated and admirabl}- fitted for the duties be- 
fore him. He married Miss Amelie .M.adenwold, 
who was born in this count}' Jan. 24. 18G2, and is 
the daughtei' of Charles and Minnie (Lange) 
Madenwold, who were of German birth and parent- 
age and are still living, making their home with 
our subject. Of this marriage there were born 
four children — Ainia, Fedie, Herbert and Carl. 

The church over which our subject presides in- 
ehules tliirt3'-eight families, making a eougregati(jn 
of about 200. They have a catechism class, with a 
good attendance, and the day school three months 
in each year. This forms an e.xcellent community 
of praiseworthy citizens, and the presiding minister 
is eminently fitted for his responsible position. 



*"~*~W" 



-^ 



HARLES W. (JIHSON. a valued member of 
the farming community of Ogden Town- 
ship, is comfortabl}' located on section 30, 
where he owns 120 acres of land and is largely en- 
gaged in the breeding of Poland-China hugs. He 
came to this State in 1SG3, and eonimeneed life in 
a modest manner, and by the exercise of diligence 
and industry is imw ii] possession of a good home- 
stead and surrounded by all the comforts of life. 

Mr. (iibson, a native of Kates County, Mo., was 
born Nov. 10, 1854. His parents, John W. and 
Nancy J. (Hartman) Gibson, were natives respect- 
ively of Ohio anil Illinois. John W. (Jibson was 
born in lS2i), and departed this life at his home in 
Chanip.nign, in Se|)lendjer, 1 875. He was a fanner by 
occupation and served as a Union soldier during 
the late war, being a niember of the 25th Ohio In- 
fantry, and giving three years and seven months to 
his counlrj-. He was mostly in the Army of the 
Cumberland, anil sulferod in common with his 
brother soldiers the privations of army life, by 
which he contracted a serious illness and was for 
three 3'ears an inmate of the .Soldiers" Hume at 
Dayton, (Hiio. Thennitlu'r of uur subject w;is liurn 



1^ 



n 



952 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 




in 1836, married in 1855, and is still living. She 
has been a consistent member of the Methodist 
Kpiscopal Church fi^r many years. Tiie parental 
household included four children — lohn A., Ellen, 
Emil}', and Charles W., of our sketch. 

Our subject, after arriving at years of manhood 
was united in marriage with .Miss Sarah Cannon, 
Feb. 20, 1876. Mrs. G. is a native of this State 
and was born Dec. 12, 1856. Her parents were 
.John and Keziaii (Boone) Cannon, the former a 
native of Delaware and the latter of Illinois. Her 
father w.as born in 1831, has followed farming all 
his life, and is now a resident of Kansas. He is 
esteemed a worthy citizen, and is a consistent mem- 
ber of the Christian Cluirch. The mother, who 
w.as born in 1839, passed away in 187;). The three 
children of the parental liousehold were named 
respectively, Mary, .Jennie and Sarah L.. and .-ill are 
married. 

Mr. anil Mrs. (Jibson have three children, namely, 
Minnie E. F., born in 1876 ; P^-ederick, in 1880, 
and (irace .J., .Jan. 17. 188.3. The homestead of 
our subject includes a handsome dwelling and good 
barn, and one of the attractive features of the 
place is a spring of living water with which the 
proprietor would not part for hundreds of dollars. 
His early advantages were extremely limited but 
he was possessed of much natural ability and has 
kept his eyes open to what is going on around him. 
He has nov.' accumulated a good property and can 
.afford to live in comparative ease. He is a stanch 
Republican in politics, and socially a member of 
Homer Lodge No. 252, I. O. C). F. 

i-.^ EBASTIAN DILL. The subject of this 
sketch was born near Nureniburg, Ger- 
many, of which, from the many interesting 
historical events connected with it. a brief 
reference may not be uninteresting. It was found- 
ed in the year 905, and thirty-two years later was 
the seat of the first German Diet, familiarly asso- 
ciated with the movements of the reformer Mar- 
tin I.,ntlier, whose doctrines its inhabitants em- 
braced at an early da}-. In 1805, during the wars 
of Mie great N.apoleon, it became a Province of 




i' 



■<^ 



Middle Franconia, an old Grand Duchy of Ba- 
varia. It w.as once the greatest and most wealthy 
of all the free imperial cities of Germany, standing 
on a well-cultivated plain and presenting a very 
striking appeaiance, its characteristic feature being 
the venerable air of antiquity which invests it. It 
is surrounded b}' walls and battlements, the chief 
edifices being the Reichsveste, an old imperial cas- 
tle often occupied by the (Jerman Emperors of the 
middle ages; the Church of St. .Sebald, with fine 
paintings .and sculi)ture, and the churches of St. 
Laurent and St. Giles. There is also the German 
National Sluseum, including a vast number of vol- 
umes, with the original manuscript of famous au- 
thors, together with ancient coins and other antique 
objects of interest. The first gun carriages of Ger- 
many were constructed in Nuremburg, and the 
first railway of the Empire w.as opened from there 
to Furth, in 183(;. It is now the great center of 
the manufacture of wooden clocks and toys, which 
are exported to all parts of the globe. It was also 
honored in being the birthplace of the celebrated 
painter, Albert Durer, whose personal character was 
as admirable as his genius. 

Our subject was born .March 4, 1835, and lived 
amid the surroundings and scenes of this ancient 
city until a youth of nineteen years. He was the 
oldest son of Andrew and Mary (Durr) Dill, who 
lived in Nederrimb.ach, Wurtemberg, at the time 
of .Sebastian's birth. His father was a native of 
Eckqarhofen, Bavaria, and became a soldier and a 
land i)<)liceman. The family consisted of five chil- 
dren. Sebastian remained under the parental roof 
variously employed until the age we have men- 
tioned, and then upon starting out to earn his own 
living, decided to seek his fortunes in the New 
World. He embarked from Havre, Easter Monday, 
in March, 1854, on a sailing-vessel, and landed in 
New York City five weeks later. .Soon afterward 
he engaged .as a farm laborer in the suburbs, but 
after eighteen months |)roceedcd to the Province 
of Ontario, Canada, where he worked on a farm 
near St. Catherine's for over four 3'ears. There 
also his marriage took place Feb. 28, 18(;o. His 
wife was formerly Miss Rosa A. Strieker, a native 
of Grinschwinden, (ierniany, bc>rn Oct. 12, 1841. 
She emigrated to America with her parents when 

^ •►- 



i 



-0-^ 



4^ 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



953 






tliiiU'Pii yi'ivrs of ago. She is Iho ilaiigiilui of 
.loliii ntul Rosiiia (Koliler) Stric-kor, natives of Ger- 
luaiiy, who. aflcr t'rossiii<5 the ocean, located in 
Ontario, ami are now living in Dnart. Uppei' Can- 
ada. Their sons and d;ingiiters were named respect- 
ively, Kosina. Mar^', JIargaret, Fredeiiciv, Freder- 
ica, Catherine, John (first and second) both de- 
ceased, (Jeorge, Anna and Ragina. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Dili settled on 
a farm in Ontario, where they remained five 3'ear.s, 
and then decided upon a removal to the States. 
They crossed the Canadian line on the night of 
April 15, 186;'). and tlic lirst news that greeted 
them the following morning was the assassination of 
President Lincoln. Mr. Dill prcjceedcd westward 
into this county, and purchased forty acres of wild 
land on the Illinois Central Railroad, on section -1, 
in Compromise Township, where he first put np a 
small house, and as soon .as possible began the im- 
provement and cultivation of his land. Not long 
afterward he increased the amount of his real es- 
tate by eighty .acres, and occupied this farm five 
years. Thence he moved into Marwood Township, 
where lie continued farming, and in about 187(>, 
began to deal in grain and coal in the village. This 
was one of the stations on the Havana, Rantoul & 
Eastern Railroad, now a branch of the Illinois Cen- 
tral, and .Mr. Dill, with commendable forethought, 
purchased quite a tract of lanil aronnd. and erected 
first a store building, and soon afterward an eleva- 
tor. Mis merchandising and grain business opened 
up prosperously', and he soon secured a post-office, 
which at first was known as Ilarwooil, but in Au- 
gust. 1881, was changed to Dillsburg in honor of 
our subject. Of this he was the first Postmaster, 
which office he has held since that time, and is also 
Station Agent, besides doing the business of tlie 
American Express Company. 

Mr. Dill .added to his estate by subsequent pin- 
chase, forty acres adjoining the village, and on a 
])art of which it stands, and has been busily en- 
gaged in building up the town and encour.aging 
settlement since that time. It will thus be seen 
th.at he has been no unimportant f.actor among tiie 
business interests of Marwood Township, whose 
citizens iioid iiim in the higliest esteem. Mis polit- 
ii'al inclinations are with tlie RipuMiian |):irty, al- 



tlKiugh in township and local affairs licsnpi)orts the 
man whom he esteems the best qualiiied for olllce. 
Mis elections to the offices which he has liehl have 
been on the People's ticket. Me and his family 
are regular attendants of the Lutheran Church, of 
which he has been a member since 18l<(, and there 
are few religious, educational oi' business enter- 
prises in which he has not' taken a prominent pjirt 
and bui'U tiie leading spirit in their establishment 
and success. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Dill, eleven in 
nunlber. were born as follows: Lillie A.. .Ian. 1;'), 
i lK(il; .lolm was born .June 24, 18(;2, ami died 
Sei)teniber 1(> following; Lucy C. was born Aug. 
Hi, 18(i:3; Chira M., Dec. I'J, 18(;|; Andrew, 
March 10, 18a7; Nellie M. was born .Ian. 12, 18GI), 
and died .Sept. ;3_, 1879; William II. was born April 
28, 1870; Ralph A., Jan. 5, 1882; Rosa B. and 
Oracle B. (twins), Oct. 9, 1884; G. Clyde, Aug. 
17, 188G. The eldest daughter, Lillie, became the 
wife of John Taulman, who is novv deceased; she 
now makes her home in Kansas City. .Mo.; her one 
child, William II., lives with his grandparents, Mr. 
and Mrs. Dill. Two of the daughters, Luc.y and 
Clara, attended the Academy of the Sisters of 
Providence near Terre Haute, Ind., and afterward 
entered St. Mary's Institute there, where they took 
a full course of music, drawing, painting and em- 
broidery, acquitting themselves with great credit. 
Many specimens of their work now adorn the home 
of their parents and are the admiration of all their 
friends. The sons, Amlrew and William, .-iflcr 
their primary studies were over, entered the Busi- 
ness College at La Fayette, Ind., where they com- 
pleted the full commercial course, and have since 
learned telegraph}' with the intention of following 
this .as a business. 

The grandfather of Sebastian Dill w.as a mason 
liv trade, and lived in Kckqarhofen, where his son, 
.\ndrew, the father v( our subject, was born Oct. 
21. 17il9. The latter was a weaver by trade, and 
was drafted into the Bavari.an army Feb. 7. 1821. 
He served six years to a day, and on the 1st of 
.\pril. 1827, enlisted in what is known a,- the l.aud- 
wher, and contiLined as a soldier until A|iril 1, 
1 8:!.'i, another perio(l of si.x years, when he received 
his honmaljlc discharge. The following year, 

— »► 



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fi 



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i 



954 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



March 6, 1834, he was married, and in due tirae 
became the father of five fliildreii: Sebastian, of 
our slvctch, was the first born; Margaret died when 
aliout five or six weeks old; Michael, who was 
born June 20, 1840, lives on the old homestead; 
John was born Aug. G, 1S43; Leonard was born 
Feb. 12, 1849, and emigrated to America, reaching 
this country ,Iuh' 24. 1'869. lie made his home 
with his brother. Sebastian, until October, 1874; 
then went to California, and after traveling around 
considerably in different parts of the West, finally 
settled at Spokan Falls. Wash. Tv., wiiere he owns 
a half section of land. 



i#^s 




ENRY P. CORNELIUS. During the early 
settlement of Central Illinois there came 
from Kentucky' a hardy band of pioneers. 
P) That State not onl3' took the lead as to the 
time of sending its sturdy sons and devoted daugh- 
ters to settle in the beautiful woodlands which 
skirted the broad prairies of this section, but in the 
nuuiber of its pioneers it excels all other States. It 
was the characteristic Kentucky hospitality that 
won for the pioneers such an enduring reputation 
in this respect, and made life on the frontier 
happy. We have as our subject one of these vet- 
eran Kentucky pioneers, who, although not an early 
settler of Champaign County, is a pioneer of this 
part of the State. He now lives in Brown Town- 
ship, where he is the proprietor of a good homestead 
on section !(!, and emploj^s the greater part of his 
time superintending the cultivation of 160 acres of 
improved land. He took up his abode here in 
1 882, and although not ckssed among the pioneers 
of this township, has by his age, experience and 
most excellent personal qualities, secured the re- 
spect and esteem of all who know him. Hi? head 
has been whitened by the frosts of eighty-one win- 
ters, yet he p(jssesses in a marked degree the en- 
ergy o.f charsicter which distinguished liim in his 
youth. 

Mr. Cornelius was b(jrn within seven miles of 
Hopkinsville, Christian Co., Ky., March 10, 180C, 
and is the .son of John and Martha (Profitt) 

4* ■ 



Cornelius, the former a native of North Carolina, 
and the latter of Virgiuia. After marriage they 
commenced life together in Ciiristian County, Ky.. 
where they reared a family ancl spent the remain- 
der of their days. Tiie children of the parental 
family wIkj grew up on the farm in tin- above 
count}' were eight, four of whom are n(.iw living. 
The subject of our sketch removed to Tazewell 
County, 111., in 1836, and lived there over fort}-- 
five years. He first located in Ilitlle's Grove 
Township, where he lived until the spring of 1877 
and from there removed to Minicr, where he lived 
five years, and thence removed to Brown Town- 
ship, this county, locating upon his present farm. 

Mr. Cornelius w.as first married, in his native 
county in Kentucky, July 17, 182s, to Jliss Mary 
Quissenberry. who was of Southern liirth and par- 
entage, her father and mother being natives of Vh- 
ginia, of which she was also a native. Of this 
marriage there were liorn nine children, whom tlx^y 
named as follows : .John H. ; Edward, deceased ; 
Nancy A. ; Gustavus, deceased; Agnes, deceased; 
Lin; Jesse, deceased, Mary and Levi. The wife 
and mother, while tiie family were living in Ilittle's 
(J rove Township, folded iier hands for her final 
rest in 184,'j. The second wife of our subject, to 
whom he was married in .McLean Count}-, 111., in 
July, 1847, was Miss Catherine Quissenberry, also 
a native of Christian County, Ky., born Jul}' 20, 
1826. Mrs. Catherine Cornelius became the mother 
of eight children, all of whom are living, namely, 
Ann, James, Charles, Millard, Laura, George M., 
Ida and Julia. Mr. Cornelius is greatly opposed 
to the manuf.acture and s.ale of spirituous liquors, 
and in voting upholds the principles of the Repub- 
lican party. 



^S^ 



^^=^ EORXiE FREY. favorably known in Sonier 
III s= Township as a praiseworthy and law-abid- 
^^1! ing citizen, is a native of the Grand Duchy 
of 15aden, and was born six miles south of .Stnis- 
burg, Aug. 1(>, 1846. His father. John Frey, a na- 
tive of the same locality, emigrated to .\nierica 
when our subject was a l.-id, and located in I'rbana, 
this cuunty, in .September, 18.')7. lie look iq) a 



-► i <• 



t. 



•4^ 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



95.-) 



small tract of timber land, and experienced tlio 
.usual iiardsliips of tlio |)itincer settlor. His indus- 
try and perseverance, lionever, were in due lime 
rewanled, and he invested his surplus ca|)ital in 
additional land until he became the owner of !;")() 
acres, from the greater part of which he was obliged 
to clear the timber, and brought the wiiole to an 
excellent state of cultivation. 

The mother of our subject was in her girlhood 
Miss Ursula Frank. The parental household con- 
sisted of two sons and two daughters, .lohn, -Jr., 
during the late Rebellion enlisted in Co. B, 7fitli 
111. ^'ol. Inf., and participated in many of the im- 
portant battles of the war. He was wounded at the 
siege of Vicksburg, and died on the boat which 
conveyed the disabled from the battle-field to the 
hospital at Memphis, Tenn. .Sarah Frey became 
the wife of Fred .Stoth, and they reside near tiie 
old homestead; (ieorge, of our sketch, w.as the 
youngest of the family. 

Mr. Frey was united in marriage with Miss Au- 
gusta Schaplin. and of this union there have been 
born four children, three daughters and one son, 
all living and at home with their parents. They 
are named respectively, Ktta Augusta, Harmon Al- 
bert, Flizabeth and Antonia. Mr. Frey keeps him- 
self well posted upon local affairs, and uniforndy 
votes the Re|)ul)lican ticket. lie has served as 
.School Director two terms, and adiiercs to the doc- 
trines of the Lutheran Church, in whicii he w.as 
reared from childhood. He received a good edu- 
cation in his native tongue, but only attended an 
English school two weeks. He, however, kept his 
eyes open to what was going on around him, and 
ranks among tin- intelligent and progressive citizens 
of the county. 



VijOHN UOUOHTON, a pioneer .settler of Lml- 
low Townshi)), has Ijuill up one of the ttnest 
homesteads within the borders of the coun- 
ty, to which he came in IK.il, settling first 
in Urbana. He is a native of Derbyshire, I'ingland, 
where his birth took pl.ace April ;'i. 1819. His par- 
ents, (iervase and Ann (I'inim) Konghton. were 
natives of the .sanu; shire as their son. and the 
father followed the trade of a millwright the 



greater part of his life. He became an expert in 
this business, l)nilding mills and putting up nia- 
cliinery in the best districts of Derbyshire and 
Cheshire. He met his death by accident, falling 
against the tl_y- wheel of an engine, in 18.51. and his 
remains were laid to rest in his native shire, of 
which he had been a resident the greater i)art of 
his life. The wife, and mother, shortly after the 
death of her husband, emigrated to the I'nited 
States, accompanied by six of her eight children. 
After arriving here she made her home with her 
son, onv subject, for a number of years, but died 
at the home of her daughter, .Mrs. Ly<1ia G.ascoyne, 
in Ohio. 

The brothers and sisters of our subject are lo- 
cated as folhjws, himself being the eldest: Harriett 
Milncr still resides in England; Thomas, during the 
late Civil War enlisted in Co. G,7Gth 111. Vol. Inf., 
and died at Natchez, Miss., while in the service; 
Lydia mari;ied Abraham Gascoyne, and lives near 
Jackson, Ohio; Mary died in England, and Henry 
in .Streator, 111.; William served as a Union soldier 
in the 25th Illinois Inf.antry, and was wounded at 
the battle of Chid<amauga; he recovered from this, 
and lived to be mustered out of the army, but after 
returing home, was killed by a kick from one of his 
own horsi!s; Charles is a resident of Camden Coun- 
ty, N. .1.; Samuel lives in I'rliana, this State. 

.John Ronghton, when thirteen years of .age, was 
apprenticed to a blacksmith, whom he served until 
reaching his majority. He was kept steadily at 
work from five or six o'clock in the morning till 
late in the evening, receiving but his board and 
lodging, while his father furnished his clothing, and 
his mother kei)t this clean and in repair. When 
twenty-one years old he commenced life for him- 
self, without a cent in his pocket. He secured em- 
ployment at his trade, receiving at first Init eight 
English shillings \)vv week, and the highest w.ages 
he ever received in ICngland was but one guinea, 
or about >f') per week, out of which he b(iar<le<l 
himself. Not being .satislied wilh his condition or 
prospects, he deleiinined to seek his fortune in the 
New World. Accordingly, in the immth of April. 
IH,')(), heset sail from Liverpool, and landed in Nimv 
York City aftei' a voyage of thirty d.ays. lie pi-o. 
ceedcd clireclly to Ohio, locating at Cuyahoga Falls. 



■<^ 



i 



t 



I 



9n6 



f 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



Summit County, his entire wealth consisting; of 
tiirce sovereigns, :in<l lie was comparatively alone 
unci among strangers. His first business, of course, 
was to seek einployiiiciil, which he obtained at *il 
per day. 

Our subject's early experiences, although seeming 
hard to the people (jf this day and age, were a good 
,<cli<)ol and e.>>tnblislied an independence of charac- 
ter and self-reliance which served him well in all 
his after life. Ilis master had compellcil him to do 
his work well, and he had learne<l the whole busi- 
ness thoroughl_v, being an expert horseshoer as well 
as a skilled machinist. He worked as journeyman 
one year in his new location, then purchased an in- 
terest in the shop of his emploj'er and continued in 
business at "the Falls" until 1«53. He then sold 
out, and engaged with a contractor at Piketon, 
Ohio, where he removed and lemainod some time, 
and then coming to Trbana, in this county, worked 
as a •■jour" seven weeks and repeated his experi- 
ment in Ohio by i)urchasing an interest in the shop 
of his einpl()yer. A year later he abandoned black- 
smithing to engage in the groce<,y trade, which he 
followed until 1M55. 

During the year last mentioned, the land reserved 
b}' the (ioverment for the Illinois Central Railroad 
to select their grant from, was thrown upon the 
market. au<l it was found that a great many claims 
had been made by men who purchased in order to 
become actual settlers. Speculative '-land sharks," 
as the}" were usually called, were hired to enter 
these lands and dis|)ossess the settlers. In this strait 
the Supreme Court of Illinois was appealed to, 
which decided in favor of the speculators. The 
l)re-emi)tors then met in Champaign Count\" and 
organized a protective association. Mr. Rough- 
ton was one of the three appointed to select a case 
to carry up to the United States Supreme Court, 
and a lax of twent}" cents an acre was levied on the 
laud of all the [)re-emptors in order to raise a fund 
to meet the expense of the suit. Mr. Rough ton was 
appointed to visit these parties and take their notes. 
The case was carried up and decided in favcn- of 
tlie pre-emptors. 

In the fall of !«;')."> Mr. Roughtoii |)re-empted liic 
laud he now owns and occupies. It was then in- 

luded in Pera Townshi[>. He took possession of 



{ 



this the following year, and about the same time 
the little settlement which had been named Rau- 
tonl was incorporated a village. Mr. R. put up a 
small house on his land, but soon afterward was per- 
suaded to move to Rantoul ami establish the pio- 
neer blacksraith-shoi) of that section, which he 
carried on until 1 XGO, when he sold out. After this 
he repaired to Hig Grove and established a shop 
which he operated until 1802. After vainly wait- 
ing in hopes that the attack upon Ft. Sumter 
would soon be foUowed b}' the dawn of [le.ace, he 
enlisted in Co. G, 76th 111. Vol. Inf., and gave his 
services to assist in the preservation of the I'uion. 
Much of the time he was on detached duty in the 
ordnance department, and to whatever post he was 
assigned acquitted himself in a faithful and credit- 
able manner. He partici|)ated in the siege and 
ca|)ture of Ft. Blakesley and was in many other im- 
portant battles and minor engagements. His serv- 
ices as a soldier terminated in August, 18G.T, when 
he was niustered out at Galveston, Tex. Immedi- 
ately afterward he set out on his return to his old 
home in Champaign County, and locating at Big 
Grove a.'? before, carried on blacksmithiug thereun- 
til removing to l"rbana the following year, where, 
in company with his brother Henr}-, he purchased a 
mai;hine-shop and foundry-, selling out his interest 
two j^ears later and removing to the farm, where he 
has since been engagi'd in agriculti*ral pursuits. 
Through his excellent judgment and wise superin- 
tendence, this has become a model country • estate, 
improved with fine buildings, and on all sides giv- 
ing evidence of the good taste and prosperity of its 
proprietor. 

.Mr. Ronghtou was united in marriage with Miss 
Eliza Gilbert at Thurlaston, Leicestershire. Kn- 
gland, in August, 1842. Mrs. R. is a native (jf the 
same shire as her husband, and the ilanghter of 
John and Ann Gilbert, who were born, married and 
died in England. Of the nine children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Ronghtou only one survives, a siui, Reu- 
ben, who was born in Yorkshire, Engl.and, aiul was 
but two years of age when his jjarents emigrated 
to the United Stiites. He was reared in Ohio and 
this county, and married IMiss Ella, the eldest 
daughter of Elisha and Julia A. ( lenung. They have 
three children — A<la M., Roy J<jhn and Hazel M. 



-» ,■ ■< 






CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



957 



John Roughton and his excellent and worthy 
wife becaine nieinhcrs uf tiie I'nivci'salist Church at 
I'rbaua, and wliiie llviny; there Mr. R. was Superin- 
tendent of the Sunda^'-suiiool. He has iieen a Re- 
puhlican since bcepminif a voter, casting his first 
presidential ballot for Abraham Lincoln. He has 
served as Justice of the Peace ten yeai-s, and been 
Commissioner of Highways six years. In ISSOhe 
served as Census Enumerator for Ludlow Town- 
ship, and the Board of School Directors would 
scarcely know haw to get on without him, as he has 
met with them in rain and shine for a number of 
years. Besides being Overseer of Highways for 
many terras he has supported and encouraged every 
enterprise calculated for the public good. During 
the C^j range movement he was identified with it, and 
is now President of the Farmers' Alliance of Ran- 
toul, and also Presi(ient of the Rantonl Permanent 
Road Improvement Society, besides acting as Su- 
|)erintendent and Secretary of the Rantoul Maple- 
wood Cemeter}' Association. Socially, he belongs 
to the Masonic fraternity, as a member of Rnntoul 
Lodge. 

In 188G Mr. Roughton took a tiip across the 
water to the home of his childhood, and spent 
several months visiting among old friends and rela- 
tives. This episode in his life he reverts to with 
jileasure, l)ut claims that there is no country equal 
to the United States for the freedom of its [)eople 
and the excellence of its institutions. 






-^ 




ILLIAM CALDWELL, one of the most 
\\\a/// thrifty farmers of Philo Township, occu- 
pies a pleasant homestead on section 21. 
His property includes 120 acres of land, thorougldy 
ihained with tile and su|>piied with all needful and 
convenient farm l)uildings. He became a resident 
of this county in the spring of 1881, although he 
has lived in the Prairie State for nearly thirty 
. ye.irs. He liist located in Kendall County, to 
which he had removed in 1858. from Wheeling, 
W. \a., where he was born April 24, 1831. 

The fatiui- of oursubjeet, Alexander Caldwell by 
name, is also a native of the Old Dominion and of 
substantial Scotch ancestry. He married Miss 



Amy Whetsell, of Franklin County. John Cald- 
well, the patern.tl grandfather of our subject, during 
the early settlement of A'irginia owned a large |)or- 
tion o"f the land upon which the city of Wheeling 
now stan<ls, and upon which tiic old lilock-house 
wasbuiil. lie lived to see the development of the 
country around him, followed farming successfully, 
and ilied at a ripe old age. He had married a 
West Virginia lady, who also died at tiie old home- 
stead, a ])art of which remains in possession of 
Ezekiel Caldwell, an uncle of our subject. 

Alexander Caldwell inherited the sul)stantial 
traits of his father, and became a prominent citizen 
of Wheeling, near which city he is still living, and 
is now eighty-one years of age. The mother dietl 
there in December, 18G9. She was. an own cousin 
of the famous hunter, Lewis Whetsell, who revenged 
his father's death by hunting down the redskins at 
every opportunity and slaying them. His father 
had been shot while peacefully fishing on tlie river 
bank, and before he expired had asked his son 
to thus avenge his death. The consequence was 
that Lewis Whetsell became one of the most crafty 
and successful foes of the Indians, 

William Caldwell was the fifth t>f liie children 
born to his parents, whose family included six sons 
and six daughters, who are all living and married. 
The early life of our subject was spent under the 
parental roof ami in attendance at the public 
schools. After reaching manhood he wasntarried, 
Oct. 14, 18.57, in his native county, to Miss Mary 
Shepherd. This lady became the mother of seven 
children, and died at iier home in Lisbon Town- 
ship, Kendall (,'ounty, in 1870. Their two eldest 
sons, John and William, still continue in Kendall 
County, and are engaged in farming. Amanda 
is the wife of James Cunningham, who is employed 
in the War Department at Washington, D. C; Ad- 
die mai-rieil Willnir Lovingfo.ss, and is re.-iding in 
Piiilo \'illage; Minnie, Josie and Bertie are at home. 

Tiie present wife of our subject was formerly 
Mrs. Katie (N'anBuskirk) Scofield, wlio was Ixuii 
in New York State and removed with her parents 
to Kendall County, III., when a child ten years of 
age. She was married there to Charles ScolieTd, 
who dietl anil left her with one child, a son. Charles, 
Jr. Of her union uilliour subject there has also 







958 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



a. 






been born one child, a daughter, Maude. Mr. 
Caldwell is an uiKujinpiomising Republican, puliti- 
eally, and his estimable iad^' is a member in goud 
standing of the Presbyterian Cluiieh. 

^Y( OIIN W. IJ'^NKY, a tine representative of his 
snbjitnntinl Seoteli ancestry', is one of the 
must prominent residents of Ogden Town- 
slii|i, and owns 21'.) aeres of tinel}' cultivated 
land, with a handsome farm residence and all the 
out-bnildings required for the prosecution of his 
chosen calling. He, however, only su|)erintends the 
operation of his farm, as he .some time .ago retired 
from active Itdjor and invested a portion of his 
spare crqiital in a stock of agriculturid implements 
and road vehicles. Mis career has been distin- 
guished as that of a wide-awake and thorough busi- 
ness man, and he has been no unini[)(ii-t;int facti.>r 
in develoi)ing the resources of this section. 

Mr. Lcney was Ixjrn on the other side of the At- 
lantic, on the Carlisle Uoad near the citj' of (ilas- 
gow. Scotl:uid, March 28, 182 t. His parents, John 
and Mary (Wallace) Leney, were natives of Scot- 
land and born near Edinburgh. Our subject left 
home when a lad twelve years of age, and set out 
alone on the long voyage across the Atlantic. He 
landed in the city of Philadelphia, whence after a 
residence of three months he procee<led to the banks 
of the Brand^wine, and for a time was eini)loyed 
in a cotton-mill, and .-ifterward, during the con- 
struction of a railroad fiom Wilmington to Dover, 
drove a team and made himself otherwise useful. 
Frum there he migrated to Pottsville, where he re- 
ceived a position .as foreman over a gang of hands 
in the construction of the Bear Gap Uailroad, and 
in that region spent six years. Then, going to Wil- 
mington, he was variously employed until he started 
on his journey to Ohio. Wherever he went he 
found but little diHiculty in securing employment, 
and in the Bucke3e State was occupied in a similar 
manner as before, around freight-houses and loco- 
motives. He rmally left the town and repaired to 
the country, where he was employed on a farm, and 
in Seiiteinber, .18.53, started for the farther West. 
The day after reaching Urbaiia he was engaged by 

■^a — 



a farmer, with whom he remained about six months, 
and was then employed by M. D. Coffeen at Homer 
to feed cattle during the wintei'. 

Afterward Mr. Leney resumed farr.iing, and lind- 
ing that he could without trouble make a comforta- 
lile living, decided to take unto himself a wife and 
helpmeet. The lady of his choice was .Miss Mary 
-M., daughter t>f Allen Po.ague, who became his wife 
on the ;3d of June, 18.0'J. Mrs. l.,eiiey was born in 
1844, and w.as but little over fourteen years of age 
at the time of her marriage. The yt)ung [teople 
began life together on a rented farm, and twoj'cars 
later our subject purchased a quarter section of 
land upon which the village of Ogden is now stand- 
ing. With an early eye to business he laid out a 
l)ortion of his [jurchase in town lots from which he 
afterward realized a handsome profits. 

In August, 1 802, "after the outbreak of the Re- 
bellion, .Mr. Leney enlisted in the ."jlst Illinois In- 
fantry, and gave to his adopted country his best 
service until the close of the struggle. He w'as 
|)ronM)ted Sergeant, .and in the second day's fight at 
Murfreesboro was captured bj^ the rebels an.l held 
from the 1st of January until M.ay. After being ex- 
changed he, with his comrades, w.as sent to Annapo- 
lis, Md., and from there to Benton Barracks, Mo. 
He vvas now detailed to the invalid corps, which 
was subsequently ordered to Indianapolis and as- 
signed to the duty of guarding the rebel prisoners 
at Camp iMorton, where he remained until the close 
of the war, and much of the time acted as (.Quarter- 
master and had charge of the entire camp. Upon 
returning from the ami}' Mr. Lenej' embarked in 
the grain business at Ogden and erected an elevator 
and lloiiring-raill at great expense. He finally' sold 
the elevator, and the mill was destroyed by fire. 
He then'abandoned the grain trade and established 
himself in the business in which he is now interested, 
in Ogden. 

Of the children born to .Mr. and .Mrs. Lene}', 
Mary E. died in infancy; George T. is married; 
Dora A. was married, and is now deceased; Millie 
A., Olive M.. Frank J. and Flora S. are at home 
with their parents. There were also l)orii twins 
who died unnamed. The parents and two daugh- 
ters are members in good standing of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, of Ogden, in which .Mr. i 



n 



-I 



>► ■ ■» 



CIIARFPAIGN COUNTY. 



950 



Lciiey holds the offices of Steward. Class-Leader 
and Trustee. He has also officiated as Superin- 
tendent of the Sunday-school many year.*. I'oliti- 
call}' he votes the straigiit Democratic ticket. So- 
cially he belongs to Lodge No. 7,04, A. V. ife A. M., 
in whidi he ha.s held some of the most important 
offices for several years. 



(F^ I RAM L1;N0X, Ilarwood Township. Tiiis 
jTy^ gentleman chiefly emph>vs his time in rais- 
i\^ ing the lincst crops on one of the best 
'^) farms in Champaign County. The main 
points in his cai'cer, which embraxes a period" of 
about forty-six years, are substantially as follows: 
He was born in .Shelby Count}', Ohio, July "24, 
18'!!i, and was seventh in a faiuily of ten children, 
the offspring of .Tames and .Sallie (Wilson) Lenox. 
James Lenox, who is supposed to have been a na- 
tive of A'irginia. was one of the early settlers of 
the Buckeye .State, where, in near iiroximity to his 
wife's father, he cleared a farm of ills own and iiui'- 
cliased the farm of the latter, both of which he cul- 
tivated afterward until his death. The town of 
Si<lnc3', which gradually grew up. was finely loca- 
ted .about five miles aw.ay, and liecaine the seat of 
.Shell)}' Count}'. 

The elder Lenox was one of the leading f.arraers 
of that time and locality, and was noted for his 
thorougli knowledge of public aff.lirs and his earn- 
est sup|)ort of the Union at the time of the Rebel- 
lion, lie was an extensive reader and possessed a 
remarkable memory, which served him well during 
a time when the various political and social ques- 
tions of the day greatly .agitated the minds of men. 
(lis ready intelligence and large fund of informa- 
ti(m caused him to be singled out as a counselor 
and advisor in both private and public matters. 
Mis family .and the Wilson family, into which he 
married, were regarded as the most substantial 
])eople of Shelby County. During the war he gave 
three of his sons to his country's cause, and ihe 
Lenox family was represented by seventeen sol- 
diers, who were noted for their bravery and li<lclity. 
The father of our sul)ject rested from his earthly 
labors at the age of seventy -one yejirs, and left to 



his descendants a record which they may justly 
lo.ik upon with |)ridc and'satisfaction. 

Hiram Lenox left the parental roof when twenty- 
two years of age, and first spent a short time on 
the farm of his brotlier not faraway. A year later 
he was united in marriage willi Miss llattie M. 
Davcnpoit, the wedding occurring Oct. .'51, \XI')2. 
Mrs. Lenox was the daughter of Aulliony S. 
Davenport, and she and her husband >|)layed to- 
getliei' when they were children. They settled not 
far from the old homo of each, and our subject cul- 
tivated a tract of land belonging to his uncle for 
about six years. They then migrated f.arther 
westward ti> this county, and Mr. Lenox imrch.ased 
eighty acres one mile south (jf Kifford, in Compro- 
mise Township. Me there established a comfort- 
able home, and there the wife and mother died on 
the 7th of June, 1801), leaving two children, name- 
ly, Dora Bell and Lulu May. The latter died on 
the 23d of June, 1882. Dora became the wife of 
James Barnes, who is carrying on a farm about 
three miles from the Lenox homestead. The wife 
of our subject was a consistent member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church from childhooiL and 
one of the most earnest Christian woikers in the 
community, which, by her death, lost one of its 
brightest lights. 

Ml'. Lenox contr.acted a second marriage, April 
18, 1872, with Miss Mary Barnes, daughter vf 
IMiilip and Nancy (Seifers) Barnes, natives of New 
Jersey, .and of German descent. Mer grandfather 
Campbell, was a staff oflicer of Gen. Washington 
during the Revolutionary War, and ,as his name 
implies, was of Scotch descent. .Mrs. Mary Lenox 
was born in Iberia, Ohio, April 11, 18.01, and when 
a child two years of age came with her [jarents to 
Warren County, III. In 18().') they removed to 
this county. Three of her brothers were in the 
I'nion army, and subscfpiently located upon a farm 
nearCiifford, '.vhere they remained until 1S81, but 
are now residents of Ilarwood Township. The 
seven children of Mr. and Mrs. Lenox were named 
respectively, Herbert Claude, KIbert Kllsworth, 
Edna Olive, Alice Mabel. OIlie M.ay. Minnie Myr- 
tle and .Mary Elizabeth. Two are deceased, and 
those surviving are at home with their parents. 
Elbert died when a lad nine years <if .age. lie w;is 



r 



n 






■A 



960 



i 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



an exceptionally briglit \)oy, fond of his books, tuul 
a child of wiiom his pareiTts liad great hopes for tlie 
future. Their little daughter P'diia, died when two 
years of age. 

Our subject and wife are mcinbersof the Methoil- 
ist Episcopal Cluirch, and Mr. L., politically, 
votes the straight Republican ticket. He cares lit- 
tle for politics, but at the solicitation of his towns- 
men has served as Road Commissioner and School 
Trustee. 



OHN I. CLARK, of Ilarwood Township, is a 
native of Wheeling, W. \'a., where his liirth 
took place Nov. 28, 1851. He was the fifth 
^^^ child in a family of seven born to William 
and Dorotha (iAIetcalf) Clark, who were born in 
England near Xewcastle-on-Tyne. William Clark 
entered the mines at an early age, where' he was oc- 
cnpicil until 18,')4, when he emigrated to the United 
States, and coming to Marshall County. 111., con- 
tinued the same business until 1S(J1), in the mean- 
time being [jrusperons and accumulating a good 
property. He then sold out and jjurchased 120 
acres of unimproved land three mile* southeast of 
Uantoul, where he occupied himself in farming until 
his dealii, wiiicli took place .June 21, 1S77. The 
motiicr is still living, and a I'esident of l^bana. 
She is now seventy-four years of age, active in 
"mind and bod^', and takes pride in the fact that she 
can still perform her household duties as of old. 

\\'iiliani Claik wasa peaceable, la vv-abidiug citizen 
and a consistent Christian gentleman. He joined the 
Jlelhodist Episc<Jiial Ciiurcli in England and con- 
tinued his membership with that church until his 
removal to Mai-sii.-di Counts , where there was no 
society of this denomination. He then united with 
the Congregationalists. During tiic war he was a 
stanch supporter of the Union, and his inllnence was 
always exerted in behalf of truth and justice. 

.lohn I. Clark, oursubject. left home in the spring 
of liSTT, after having been married .lanuaiy 22, to 
Miss N'irginia Nixon. This lady is the daughter of 
.lohn 15. and .\nu (llemvood) Ni.von, of Virginia, 
and was born Aug. 2-1, 18,'):3. She came West witii 
her pinents two years later, an<l they lirst settled 
near Woodhulh in Henry County. Her father 



served as a Captain in the regular army, and is now 
living in retirement. Mr. Clark and ids bride lo- 
cated first on' rented land ia Itiintoul Township, 
then removed to Te.xas with the intention of fol- 
lowing farming there. After one year's residence 
in the Lone Star State they returned to Illinois and 
located on section 24. in Harwood Township, where 
they now reside. The household circle was com- 
pleted bj' the birth of four children, namely, Will- 
iam Leslie, Bessie Arkle, Henry Earl awl John I., 
Jr. They are all living and at home. 

Mr. Clark has been quite prominent in local af- 
fairs; was School Trustee in Compromise Town- 
ship, Road Commissioner in Riintoul Township, 
and has served as Supervisor of Harwood Town- 
ship for two terms, being elected on the People's 
ticket. He is independent in politics, aiming to 
support the men whom he esteems best qualified 
for office. Religiously he is connected with the 
Christian Church, near Rantoul, in which he has 
officiated as Assistant Superintendent of the Sab- 
bath-sciiool. 

The farm stock of Mr. Clark is of excellent 
descri|itiou, including Norman horses, Durham 
cattle, Poland-China hogs, and a fuie Hock of 
sheep, embracing 240 head. He recently sold 
1.50 of the hitter. He is paitieularl}' fond of horses, 
and has two valuable thoroughbreds, both imported 
animals and registered under the names of 
"Jacques" and " Captain Jeuks." . 




ROE. JAMES 11. liROWNLEE, M. A., oc- 
li cupies the Chair of Rhetoric and Oratory- 



^ in the Illinois University, to which he was 
called by reason of his eminent fitness, and 
the duties of which he has fulfilled with the dignity 
becoming his high position. Prof. Hrownlee is a 
native of New Albany, Eloyd Co., Ind., was born 
Dec. 29, ISK;, and is the son of Rev. James and 
Lovina (.McClurg) Hrownlee, natives respectively 
of Ireland and Kentucky, .and of Scotch ancestry'. 
The father w:vs finely educated and a graduate of 
the TiKHilogical College at Hanover. After com- 
pleting his studies he at once entered upon his 
duties as a Presbyterian clergyman. In 1857 he 

■I 



4 



1* 



4- 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



9G1 



iL'inuved to KaiitfUj, and was occupied in miiiislerial 
diilie* tliere until 18(),"(, during wiiicli year lie took 
n[» ids residence at Carbondale, HI., where he spent 
his declining years, his death taking place in 1887, 
at the age of seventy-five. The mother had <lied 
in 1 804, aged forty -seven years. Of five children 
of the. parentiil household, four are now living, viz., 
Mary J;, Mrs. Marcuni, of Oregon; Aim M., Mrs. 
Denning, of Michigan; Addison M. and .lames II., 
of this State. 

Our subject first attended school in his native 
town, and after the removal of his parents West, 
entered first au academy in Kansas, and subsequently 
took a course in McKendree College, St. Clair 
Count}", 111., from which he was graduated in 1870. 
He then commenced teaching and was thus employed 
in the Normal .School twelve 3-ears before connect- 
ing himself with the State University', lie was 
united in marriage with Miss Sarali Carey, of Oray- 
ville. While Countj', on the 2.'(thof December, 1874. 
IMrs. Brownlee is the daughter of Capt. Abner Carey, 
and 1)3' her union with our subject has become the 
mothei of two daughters — Bessie K. and Jlaiy L. 

Prof. Brownlee during the late war enlisted in a 
Kansas regiment and was promoted Sergeant. He 
is a straight Republican, politicall>', and socially 
belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the (4. A. R. 
He is President of tlie Teachers' Association of the 
State of Illinois, and an attendant at the Presby- 
terian Church. 



•T i * 



-m^l- 



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^'OHN C. GRABHY, a retired German fanner, 
I and at present a resident of Philo N'illage, 
came to this county manj'3'ears ago, and l)_v 
(^^' his indnstrj' and thrift assisted materially in ^ 
the development of its resources. He is a native \ 
of Sleswick-IIolstein, and first ojiened his eyes to 
the light some sixteen years before the breaking out 
of the war between his native countr}' and Den- 
mark. He became thoroughl}' trained for active 
service, and was destined t<j pla^' an important part 
in the impending struggle. Upon entering the 
ranks he was first assigned as private in a band of 
sharpshooters, lull on account of his bravery and 
fidelity was soon [ilouioled, and e\ intuall} reached 

4* 



the r.iiik of First Lieutenant .•ind was placed in eoni- 
niand of a squadron. He took part in some of the 
harde>l fought battles of that struggle, and at one 
point w;vs under fire for a [leiiod of eighteen weeks; 
fiiiall\'. much to the regret of liimscif and comrades, 
they were obliged to abandon the siege and leave 
the city in possession of the Danes. During this 
, period Lieut. ( Jrabliy received an honorable wound 
which, however, was of slight moment. 

After the struggle was ended Mr. (iiabby set 
out for the I'nited .States and lauded first in the 
cit}' of Chicago. Shortly afterward he repaired to 
Kdgar County, 111., where he was employed in farm- 
ing, but upon the call for troops to put down the 
Rebellion he again entered the ranks, identifying 
himself with the 54th Illinois Infantry. Their regi- 
ment was assigned to the Army of the Southwest, 
and operated first around Little Rock, Ark., meet- 
ing the enemj" subsequently' in the battle at Hum- 
boldt, Tenn., where our subject was e;iptured and 
carried to St. Louis by the rebels. In a few weeks, 
however, he was exchanged and joined his regi- 
ment at Little Rock, whence they repaired for their 
final discharge to Ft. Worth, in the winter of I8(;,'). 
He participated in the tight at Brownsville, Tenn., 
and met the enemy in various other minor engage- 
ments and skirmishes. 

After retiring from the arm\' Mr. (irabby re- 
turned to Edgar County, and a year later was uni- 
ted in marriage with Miss Harriet Johnson, who 
was born near Cleveland, Ohio, May 24, 1844. 
Her earl}' childhood was passed in her native Stale, 
and her education completed in Kdgar County, 111. 
She was a lad}' possessing all womanly virtues, 
proving herself the alTeclionate and faithful help- 
meet tif her husband during the many years which 
they s|)ent harmoniously together. Her kindness 
of he.ait was proverbial, and she was highly es- 
teemed by a large circle of warm friends. .She de- 
parte<l this life in 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Orabby hail 
no children of their own, lint performed the part of 
parents to .a foster child, whom they christened 
Frank, and who is now a resident of Ui'bana. Mr. 
(irabby after becoming a naturalized citizen identi- 
fied himself with the Republican party, and has 
since been one of its warmest.suiiporters. 

The parents of .Mr. (irabby s|)ent their entiri 



-1- 



t. 



962 



^- 



CHAMrAlC4N COUNTY. 




•i 



lives ill till" luiul of their liiitli. Frantz Grabby, the 
fatluT, also a native of Ilolstein, was a weaver bj' 
trade, in wiiicli he attained great sliill. He was of 
eoiniiianding [iresenee, and married a very intelli- 
gent lady of his native Province, Miss Catherine 
Healfoot, who was the descendant of a prominent 
aiul inrtuential family of that section. Her father, 
Ileniing Bealfoot, was prominent in local politics 
and connected with most of the ofllccs of the Prov- 
ince. 

4-@ > ^> 

l^^\ ICHAKL 1). COFFEEK, proprietor of the 
elevator and lloiiring-mill at Homer, came 
to Champaign County in 1853. In 1870 
he purchased IGO acres of land in Sidney 
Township, which he occupied until 1.S74. He was 
aftei'ward engaged in merchandising in Decatur 
and Danville about three years, and farming the 
balance of the time mitil IsT.S, during which year 
he went to Vernon County, Mo., making the trip 
of about ')()() miles in the dea<l of winter with his 
wife and two little children in a two-horse wagon, 
camping out dining the whole trip. During their 
short stay there the}' lived in a one-room log cabin, , 
raise<l a crop which was liurned up bj* drouth, 
and wliieii he sold for isSo, and returned in the fall 
b}- the same C(.)nveyancc to Homer. He there estab- 
lislieil himself as a grain-dealer, with a borrowed 
capital of !5)'.).200, and three years later erected the 
large tlouriiig-mill which he has since ojierated. 
This is fitted willi ten pairs v{ rollers and has a 
capacity of 125 barrels per day. The investment 
has proved a very successful one, which is doubt- 
less altogether due to the intelligence and good 
business management of the projirietor. 

In 1SH5 Mr. Coffeeii incorporated his business 
under the name and style of the Ctiffeen Mill and 
Elev.ator Company, of which he is President and 
principal stockholder, lie makes a specialtj' of 
high-grade Hour, uhiili has won universal favor in 
the culinary deiiartments of the homes throughout 
Eastern IlliiU)is. This is the only mill, in this sec- 
tion having the centrifugal system of dressing the 
Hour. In connection with this mill iMr. Coffeen 
handles probably 1, ()(»() carloads of Hour and grain 
aniuiall}'. Besides his mill and elevator property 



he is the owner of sixty-five acres of good laud in 
the town limits, and is in all respects one of the 
well-to-do citizens of a community nnif')rmly pros- 
perous and com|)osed of the best class of peoi)le in 
the commonwealth of Illinois. In 1885 Mr. Coffeen 
organisied the Texas Mill and Elevator Corapanj', 
of Co:sicana, Tex., it being one of the largest es- 
tablishments of the .kind in the State. He built 
and operated this successfully' for over a year, and 
in which he still retains his interest, it being under 
the management of his brother-in-law, .John H. 
Knox. 

Ml'. Coffeen was lioiii in Warren Cimiity, Ind., 
Aug. 28, 184G, and is the son of Alvali P. and 
Olive E. (Martin) Coffeen, the former a native of 
the Dominion of Canada, and the latter of New 
Vork State. Alvah P. Coff'een was born Jul}' 17, 
1811, and traced his ancestr}' back to the Isle of 
Man in the Irish Sea. lie learned the cabinet 
maker's trade caily in life, and when a young man 
came to the West, locating in this county in 185.'!, 
and engaged in farming. He was for the last fortj' 
years of his life a zealous member and Elder in 
the Christian Church, and politicall}-, a Free-soil 
Democrat. Afterward he was a stanch Abolition- 
ist in the da^'s of Birney and Fremont, and Ue- 
publican dining the war. He then drifted into the 
1 ranks of the (!reeiibackers, and took an active part 
in the Grange movement during flie early part of 
the '70's. The great characteristic feature of his 
life was his earnest advocacy of reformed move- 
ments in society. His last years were spent in 
Homer, his death occurring May Ifi, 1.S80, when he 
was sixty-eight years of age. 

Tl)e mother was born Aug. 1, 1 M .'>, and was 
married to Alvah P. Coffeen on the 25th of Decem- 
ber, 18;52, in \N'arren Comity, Ind.; she is still liv- 
ing in Homer. Both [)arents were orphaned at an 
early age, .and received but a limited education. 
Realizing its advantages, they have exerted them- 
selves greatly to provide their children with better 
school facilities than they themselves enjoyed. 
Of their sons and daughters the record is as follows: 
Alvah M. married Miss Mira Gaines, .ind resides 
in Champaign, 111; Henry A. marrie<l Miss llatlie 
M. King, and lives in \\'voming Territory; Damie 
C. married liichard S. lloi)kins, and they also are 



"i 



J. 



<^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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!)(J3 



t 



living ill Wj'oming Territorj- ; Michael 1)., of our 

.skctc-ii. was the fourth child; Sarali K., Mis. .lohii 
Knox, is now a residi'iit of Texas. Three ehihlreii 
died in infaney. Tlie ehildren and giandcliildren 
iif Alvali P. Coffeen are <listingiiisheil fur teniiier- 
anee in ;ill respects, never using spirits or tobacco 
in any form. 

The earliest years of .Michael 1). Coffeen weve 
spent with his parents in farming. Afterward, he 
and his brothers and sisters received a collegiate 
education, completing tlieir studies in different 
colleges. Our subject graduated from Ann Arbor 
University, Mich., in tlie law de|)artnient, which 
profession he was engaged in about live years. 
After h:iving matured his plans for the future, he 
was united iu marriage with Miss .Mellie Burton, on 
tlie 4tli of April, IsTl. Mrs. C. a native of Indi- 
ana, was born Jan. 12. l.s.iO.and is the daughter of 
.lames and Mary (Shirk) Burton, of \\dodford 
County. 111. Her father followed fanning pur- 
suits during his life, most of the time in the latter 
county, and rested from his labors May :!, 186.5. 
The mother is still living, making her home with 
her daughter, .Mrs. Dr. l.akin, of liureka. 111. 
The household circle included eight children. Of 
these, Louisa died when twenty-one years of <ige; 
Sarah married liev. 11 15. Tyler, a minister of the 
Christian Church in New York City; Tighlman, 
deceased; Mellie. the wife of our subject, was the 
fourth child; Ellen, the wife of .S. A. Maruey, is a 
resident, uf .Miles City, M. T. ; Mr. M. is editor and 
proprietor of the " Stock-growers' .lournal." .Jo- 
seph H. is in Texas; Olive, Mrs. S. W. l^akin, re- 
sides at Eureka, 111., and .lames F. at Miles Citj", 
.M. T. 

.Mr. Coffeen has been connected with the Chris- 
tian Church for a |)eriod of twenty-five years, in 
which he was Elder for some time. Politicall}', he 
is independent, .aiming to cast his vote for the men 
whom he considers best qualified to hold otlice. 
He connected himself with the .Masonic fraternity 
in 1 8«G. and has taken the Chapter degrees. 

On the 17th of January, 1872, there was born to 
.Mr. and Mrs. Coft'een a son, whom they named 
Charles H., and on the 21st of .l.'iuuary, 187.5, a 
daughter, afterward christened Olive H. t)ne 
daughter died in infancy. The home of .Mr. Cof- 



fceii and his family is frequented by the best peo- 
ple of the coniuiuiiity. ()ur subject, as a citizen 
aixl business man, occupies an enviable position, 
and is esteemed no less for his personal qualities 
th.'in for his str.iighlforward business transactions 
and his worth as an im|)ortaut factor of the indus- 
trial element of this section. A. lithographic view 
of his mill .■ind elevator is shown on another page 
of this Work. 

^ ^^ ^ 




\\[^-^ ON. ABEL HAKWUOU, after the vicissi- 
tudes of a long and. busy life, in which he 
was more than ordinarily successful in .aceii- 
niulating a share of this world's goods, is 
now living in retirement at Champaign. He has 
been a prominent figure in the affairs of this county 
for the last thirl}' years, being a man of great force 
of char.acter, whose footprints upon the sands of 
time will be noted long after he has been gathered 
to his fathers. 

.Mr. Harwood was l)orn in North Brooktield, 
Mass., Nov. 23, 1814, and worked on his father's 
farm until a youth seventeen years old. He received 
a good education, graduating from Amherst Col- 
lege in 1841, and intended to follow the profession 
of a teacher. Soon after siraduatiiiii' he married 
Miss Mary 1).. daughter of Deacon Tyler Batclieller, 
al.so of North Brookfield. and expected to move at 
once to Edw.-irdsville, 111., to take charge of the 
academy' there. He started for the ^Vest with his 
bride, but changed his mind, and went into Shelby 
County, Ky., and with his wife engaged in teaching 
and was thus occupied until failing health compelled 
him to seek other employment. He afterward en- 
gaged in the shoe business succe.-isfully, and at about 
the time of the construction of the Illinois Central 
Railroad, caught the laud fever and purchased 
nearly 3,000 acres in .McLean. Champaign and I'i.att 
Counties, which he secured at about si per acre. 
He subsequently added to his landed interests by 
purchfuses of 2,000 acres from private parties. 

Mr. Harwood, in February, 18,53, established 
himself in Bloomiiigton and resumed his occupation 
as a shoe merchant. In IKot! his wife died, leaving 
him with six young children, and two years later he ' 'I 

■ ► m- 



^ 



t_ 



V 



4*. 



1 



964 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



married Miss Isabella D. Boyd. Mr. H. has been 
vory happy in his domestic relations and claims 
tiiat his success in life has been due in a large 
measure to the counsel of the two excellent women 
who shared his fortunes and rejoiced in his successes. 
Of his later inarriaue there were born five children. 
Mr. IlarwiMxl was a member of the Convention 
whicli framed the present constitution of this State 
and in which body he was one of the ablest and 
most influential men. 



-^'xA^ *^<jij2£r©^g^-| 



>>*'^NSi^2f2r^J^>*' -/A.~- 



jh^ RS. MARY H.^fSMITH, widow of William 
111 H- Smith, late of the city of Irbana. is the 
jl w daughter of Augustus and Eliza Herndon, 
^ natives of \irginia. Her father upon en- 

gaging in business for himself located at Lexing- 
ton, Ky.. and carried on the manufacture of rope 
and bagging, by which he accumulated a good 
property. The lattei' part of his life was spent in 
retirement, and his death took place in October, 
I.SUM. The mother had preceded her husband to 
the silent land more than twenty years, passing 
away in I«44, at their home at Lexington. Mary 
was their only child, and remained with them until 
her marriage. 

William IL Smith was born .March 1."), IHll), and 
was the son of John J. and Ksther Smith, of North- 
castle, Westchester Co., N. Y. He received a good 
education and in early life w.ns engaged in teach- 
ing, and as a railroad conductor. He was married 
to Miss Mar3' Ilannali Herndon, of Lexington, Jan. 
•22, 18o,5. and they became the parents of four 
children, namely, William II., Jr., Edward H., 
Mary Esther and Jay H. The place made vacant 
in the family by the decease of their infant daugh- 
ter was eventually occupied by their adopted 
daughter. Miss Kate Weaver. The eldest son is 
now engaged in the manufacture of lumber at 
Hazleton, I'a. Edward H. married the daughter 
of Prof. Moore, Principal of the West Side High 
School, iif Champaign. These two sons are gr.adu- 
ates of Yale College. 

William II. Suiilli for twenty-five years was 
prominently identified with the great railroad in- 
terests of the United States, and attained a national 



reputation. He was- tiie first conductor on the 
New York iV New Haven Railroad, both of which 
he had assisteil in building, and was also ehiefiy in- 
strumental in the construction of the R. R. I. & St. 
L., the Texas iV Pacific and the Buffalo & Wash- 
ington roads. He came to Urbana in IsG.s. and 
afterward built the I. H. A- W. R. R. from Danville 
to Pekin. Subsequently he was api)ointed re- 
ceiver of the I. B. cV: W. extension, now the 
Havana branch of the great Wabash system, and in 
Maj', 1 880, became President of the Western Car 
Company, with which lie was connected from the 
time of its organization. He was emphatically' a 
public-spirited man, and ills charity and generosity 
became proverbial. He ministered to the poor and 
needy iu their distress, was ardently devoted to his 
family, and was in all respects the model man and 
esteemed citizen. He rested from his earthly 
labors at the age of sixty-four years, on the .ith of 
April, l.H.sH, dying of Bright's Disease, at his home, 
Herndon Place, in I'rbaiia. 

Mrs. Smith, a lad}' held in high regard by a large 
circle of friends, possesses more than ordinary in- 
telligenco and has been finely- educated. She be- 
longs to the Art Club and Shakespeare Class, and 
is prominentl.v connected with the Presbyterian 
Church. 



■ir»,^-:J; 



:-t ->r^.ir^ 



'if^AVlD MOSER, a prominent and success- 
'I jY ful farmer of Philo Township, is pleasant- 
ifij^^ ly located on section S, where he is en- 
gaged iu the careful cultivation of eight}' 
acres of valuable and fertile laud. Of this he took 
possession in March, I8G!I, and has since effected 
great improvements, having now a fine set of farm 
buildings and a goodly assortment of live-stock. 
To the latter he has given especial attention, and 
exhiliits some of the best animals in this part of the 
county. His land has been thoroughly drained 
with tile, and is admirably a<lapted to the various 
products of the Prairie State. 

Mr. .Moser was born in .Muskingum Count}', 
Ohio, March 21, 1827. His father, a mechanic, 
was a native of Pennsylvania, and of German de- 
scent. He married 
lar ancestry, and they 



isylvania, and of German de- 
Miss Elizabeth Shick, of simi- I ' 
}' began life together in Mus- T 



i 



a 



<^ 



.t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



96.") 



t 



kinguiii Cimiity. Ohio, to wliieh l)oth liad removed 
in tlieir youth. Ilore the chlei- Mosit s|>i'iit llie 
"i-eniaiiirler of his days, his deatli talking' phice in 
ISO I. wiien sixty-six years of age. lie was a good 
man in the l)roadest sense of tiie term, ii[>right and 
iionorable in all his dealings, kind and indulgent 
in his family, and a memher of the I'nited IJreth- 
ren C'luneh. rpon the organization of theRe|)iil]- 
liean party he identified iiiniself with it, and ever 
afterward gave to it his warmest support. The 
mother, after becoming a widow, went in live with 
her children in Monroe County. Iowa, ami there 
died about 187.'), after reaching the advanced age 
of sevent3'-one years. 

Our subject was the fifth child of his parents, 
whose household included seven sons and two 
daughters. He was reared principally in Pike 
County, Ohio, and receiveil a fair education in the 
common .schools. He remained under the home 
roof until reaching his majority, then learned the 
trade of a car[)enter and joiner, and after serving 
his appreniiceship was united in marriage with 
Miss Rachel A. lirill, in A|)iil. l.S;i7. Mrs. Moser 
was born in (luernsey County, Ohio, in 182S, but 
like her husband, was reared principallj' in I'ike 
County, where her ()arents, Henry and Catherine 
Brill, lived ujjon a farm. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jloser became the [jarents of two 
children — Lettie, who remains at h(jme, and Jere- 
miah (i., a teacher in the schools •>{ Chainiiaign 
County, and who, in this calling, has been more 
than ordinarily successful. Our subject, politically, 
votes the straight l{ei)ul)lic!in ticket, and is .a 
member of the Christian Church. .Mrs. Moser be- 
longs to the United Presbyterian Church. 

=>V ATHAX PATTON. although of Southern 
parentage, is a native of \'erinilion County, 
£i this .State, whore his birth took place in 
Georgetown, .Ian. !l. 1830. His parents, Israel and 
Hannah (Mills) Patton, were natives of Tennessee, 
where his grandfather, Israel Patton, first opened 
his eyes to the light, his birth taking place in 180(1, 
in the e.astern part of the State. His family were 
mainly eng.aged in farming pursuits, and Israel 




Patton after his marriage sijent a short time in 

his native State, where his two eldest children were 
born, then, in 182.'), emigrated to A'ermilion County, 
111., of which he was among the earliest pioneers. 

The father of onr subject, however, had learned 
the hatter's tr.ade in liis native Stale, which he fol- 
lowed for a time in \'ermilion County, but later 
•ibandoned it and took up the pnrsnit of .agriculture. 
He I)uilt up a good home in Klwood Township, 
carefully trained his children and gave them the 
best advantages for education which the period 
and the place affordeil, and closed his eyes upon 
the scenes of earth in the month of March, 1864. 
The mother only survived until December, 1865. 
Their ten children all lii'cd to mature years and 
six still sntvive. 

Nathan Patton was tlu' fourth cliild of the pa- 
rental family, his birth taking place hve years after 
the removal of his father from East Tennessee. 
Ileremiiined under the home roi>f until reaching 
his majority and subseciuently served an apprentice- 
ship at the carjienter's trade, which he followed in 
his native county for a nnrnlier of years. His 
childhood and youth were comparatively unevent- 
ful, and the most important stei> which he took 
after lieconiing of age was his marri.agc, when 
twenty-four years old, to -Miss .Mary K. Heverlin, 
which took place in his native county. Sept. 2."), 
18.54. His bride, tlie daughter of William and 
Rebecca (Commons) Heverlin, was a native of 
Wayne County, Ind., born .lune 21, 18:i7. 

The young people after their marriage crossed 
the Mississippi into Iowa, locating in Hardin 
County. While in that State .Mr. Patton enjoyed 
an elk hunt. There came about 100 elk from 
Minnesota into Iowa, and the few people living 
there joined the sport and followed the herd until 
all were captured, our subject carrying off five elk 
as trophies of the chase. Returning to Illinois, 
our subject engaged iii farming in \'ermiliou 
County until after the outbreak of the late war. 
In the spring of 18t)2, feeling that he had a duty 
to perform in assisting to preserve tlie Inion he 
enlisted in Co. A. 7!>th 111. \ >>]. Int.. and for three 
years afterward followed the fortunes of a soldier. 
He met the enemy in manj' of the important bat- 
tles of the war, inclu<liiig the engagements at Per- 

— ■» 






9Gf. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 









ryville. Stone River, Spring: HiH. Franl?lin and 
Nashville, ;hk1 in .Tune, l.s(;.'). jiftiT tlif surrender 
of Lee's nrniy, received his hoiuMalile discharge 
and retnrned to his home and family, lie had 
been remarkably fortniinle in his army experience, 
receiving; no serions wound and never being cap- 
tured bj' tiie rebels. 

Mr. Patton continueil in \'ermilion County un- 
til 1870, and then removed to Stanton Township 
in this connty, where he located (jn a tract of land 
and commenced building u|) from the uncultivated 
prairie the homestead which he now owns. He 
labored incessantly for live years thereafter, 
breaking the sod, putting up fences and build- 
ings, and in due time had provided con)for- 
tably for himself and family. After twelve 
years, thinking that a change of scene would be 
beneficial both physically and mentally, he sold off 
his stock, rented his farm, and took a trip to Cali- 
fornia. He remained on the Pacific Slo|>e eight 
months, and returned greatly improved in health 
and spirits. He decided then to retire from active 
labor, and selecting a snug little home in St. .Joseph, 
took up his abode there, where he has since lived, 
surrounded by all the comforts of life. Mr. and 
Mrs. Patton have no family, l)ut have earetl for 
and su|)plied the place of p.arents to seven orphan 
children. 

Our subject since coming to this vicinity has 
closely identified himself with its local interests, 
being first chosen one of the Drain.age Commission- 
ers for Union District, whicii comprises an area of 
about six miles square. He has served as Commis- 
sioner of Highways, School Trustee, and in vari- 
ous other offices where his cool head and ripe 
judgmejit were of excellent service in adjusting 
township affairs and shaping them for the best 
good of the people, lie is an active member of 
the (i. A. 11., belonging to St Joseph Post No. 
220, and with his estimable wife has been in com- 
munion with the Methodist Episcopal Church for 
many years. They, in 1 870, visited the Centen- 
nial Kxposition at I'hil.idelphia and later took 
another trip to California, riding over a large por- 
tion of the State by private conveyance, which en- 
abled them to visit and view mapy interesting 
places not easily accessible In travelers depending 




upon a railroad train. In this respect Mr. Patton 
has wisely disbursed several hundred dollars, af- 
fording himself and wife a pleasuralile and profit- 
altle experience. 



AVID T. NICHOLS is familiarly known 
Vj throughout Neweoml) Township as one of 
its most thriving farmers, and has oper- 
ated in that section since the fall of 1875. 
His property includes 20(» acres of highly cul- 
tivated land, with good buildings and all the 
appliances required by tlic modern agriculturist. 
Our subject is the son of Obadiah and l^ovica 
(^Thomas) Nichols, natives respectively of Ncn- 
Jersey and Ohio. 

The parental household included three sons and 
four daughters, ai\d David T. was the second in 
order of birth. He was born in Licking County, 
Ohio, March 24, 1836, and remained under the 
home roof during his boyhood and youth, receiv- 
ing a fair education in the common schools. He 
began teaching when nineteen years old, and two 
years later left his native State to investigate a 
portion of the farther West. The spring of 1857 
found him across the Mississippi, and he afterward 
sijent six months engaged in brick-making in Iowa. 
He went to Kansas in the spring of I86(), and pre- 
pared to permanently settle ir. Greenwood Count}', 
but about this time came on the troubles which made 
a resi<ience in that State at least very unpleasant to 
those who were friendly to the Union, and our sub- 
ject, with others, after experiencing much annoyance 
and considerable danger from the hostile element, 
returned to the uiore peaceable boundaries of his 
native State. Lie purchased a farm in Licking 
County, where he remained two years, then sold 
out and migrated to Coles County, 111., where he 
engaged in merchandising two years, then disposed 
of his stock of g(jods, and finally invested his cap- 
ital in land in Newcomb Township, this eo;;nty. 
where he has since remained. 

Mr. Nichols while a resident of Xireenwood C'lun- 
ty, Kan., was united in marriage with Miss Hannah 
Smythe, on the 8th of .lanuary, 18(i2. Mrs. N. was 
born in Missouri, and by her marriage with our 



■•►■-^ 



I 



t 



M^ 



,t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



',)67 



subject bufaiiic tlie inotlier of one child, a daiiifhter, 
who (lied when four montiis old. Tlie inotlier dieil 
the t'olluwinji year, in Maicli. ISfio. After leturn- 
ing' to Ohio Mr. Nichol;* was again married, in 
Licking Comity, April 24, l.SdT, to Miss llattie W. 
Eager, .-i native of that .State. Of tiiis union there 
were liorn t\nir children, uainely, M;uide, Frank, 
Anna and Hertiia. Mrs. llattie ^^■. Nichols de- 
parted this life in Newconili Township, this county. 
July 25, l.S)S2. 

The present wife of our suliject. to whom lie was 
niariied in Coiidit Ti.iwnship, .Inly 2, l.SS.'), was 
foriiierl\' .Miss M;irtha .1. Leiiiiingtun, a native of 
Ohio. Both arc inenibers in good standing of the 
.M. K. Church, and our subject, politically, is a 
rrohiliitionist of the first water. He has been quite 
|)roiiiiiient in local ;iffairs. and represented New- 
conili Township on the lioard of Supervisors diii-iiig 
the year l.S.si;. Socially he is a member of the 
Improved Order i)f I{ed Men. While a resident 
of Kansas .Mr. Nichols joined the State .Militia, 
and was commissioned First Lieutenant by (^en. 
Lane. The unsettled state of the country, however, 
caused the regiment to be disbanded, but Ik^ afler- 
wiird served as scout, and was subsequently ap- 
pointed Sheriff of Greenwoo<l County, beingthe first 
ollicial to serve there in that capacitj'. He was 
afterward re-elected twice and also served as Coun- 
ty Clerk, which otlice he abandoned to return to 
the Buckeye State. 



-^ * ^ " q^ ' ^ • 

\Vi )»;1LL1AM C. CUSTEIl, proprietor of a good 
\W/ ''^'C'T stable in the town of Homer, is car- 
\y \y rying on business successfully, keeping 
about twelve head of good roadsteis, with a choice 
assortment of buggies and Ciin-iage.-. Ho is a native 
(jf the Buckeye State, and w;is Imrn in Fayette Coun- 
ty, Jau. .S, IfS-ll. His parents, .I.acob M. and Eliza- 
beth (Ocheltree; Custer, were natives of ^■il■gi^iM, 
whence they removed to Ohio early in life and 
thence, in the fall of isi.s. to \crmilion County, 
this Stale. They lived there until the spring of 
1 iS.'ii;, then came to Homer, this county, and the 
I father erected the liisl, liolrl liuildiiig in llic louii, 
which was known as the "Homer House." He 



•►■-4»- 



ofliciated as '•mine host" three years, and in 185'J 
purchased a farm near the town limits, to which he 
retired and >pcnl the remainder of his life. 

Our subject was the fouith child of hi.- parents, 
whose family circle included si.x sons and three 
daughters, named respectively, Margaret.l., Martha 
E., Mary E., William C, John SL, .lames F., 
( ieorge O., Jacob A. and Benjamin M. ( >ne daugh- 
ter and two sons aie now deceased, ^'oung Custer 
remained under the parental roof during his boy'- 
hood and youth, and at the outbreak of the Rebel- 
lion had not quite reached his majorily. On the 
10th of August. 1862. he enlisted in C4). F. 2i;th 
111. \'ol. Inf., and served as a private and non- 
commissioned oiKcer until .\pril. I Mil."), when he 
was ma,de Second Lieutenant. At the e.\piration 
of his first term of enlistment he re-entered the 
ranks as a veteran and served until the close of the 
war. His first introduction to the rebels was at 
the battle of New .Madrid, Mo., and he next en- 
gaged with them at Point Pleasant. From there 
the regiment iiroceeded by steamer to Pittsburg 
Landing, and .Mr. Custer was afterward present at 
the siege of Corintli. 

The wife of our suliject was formerly .Miss Maria 
L.Noble. They occupy a snug dwelling, .'ind en- 
joy the respect and confidence of many friends. 

■^•^^ -> 9 i-^ ->:—*■ 

cii IklLLIAM McClelland, who is a resi- 
\/iJ/' '''"'■ "^ Hensley Township, is |)leasantly lo- 
\y^ cated on section II, where he has a good 
farm of eighty acres, which he purch.tsed in 1876. 
I'pon this he has made great improvements since 
he took [lossession of it. having enlarged the dwell- 
ing and brought the land to .a line state of cultiva- 
tion, so that it now yields in abundance the jirodncts 
for which the Prairie StJite is universally known. 

Our subject was born in Erie County, Pa., Dec. 
10, 1H,52, of which county his grandfather, Robert 
.McClelland, was one of the earliest pioneers. The 
latter was born in Cumberland County. I'.i.. May 
17, 1774, and when a young man went into JMie 
County and pre-emptcil a tract of (Government 
l.-ind in I he wilderness, from «liicli he dcarcil a 
good farm, established a comfortable home, and 
.-= •►- 



4 



* 



I 



968 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



»» "■. <• 



there spent the last 3'ears of his life. He died 
June 9, 18:3H. He had married and reared a family, 
among whom was Thomas, the father of our subject, 
who was born three miles from the city of Krie, in 
1802. He was i-eared on the farm and inherited 
150 acres of laud from his father's estate. He pos- 
sessed in a large degree the energy and enterprise 
for which Robert McClelland was noted, and carried 
on farming operations snccessfnlly until about 
eighteen years ago, when he removed tu the citj' of 
Erie, where he and his wife are passing the declin- 
ing years of their lives in the enjoj'ment of a com- 
jietenc}'. The mother of our snliject l)efore her 
marriage was Miss Mary Fisk, a native of Oneida 
County, N. Y. She is a lady of great i>ersonal worth 
and well fitted to lie the companion of such a man 
as her husband. 

William McClelland spent his childhotKl and 
youth after the manner of most farmers' boj's. at- 
tending the district schools in winter and assisting 
his father on the farm in the summer, lie re- 
mained under the home roof until eighteen years 
of age, and then entered the employ, first of the 
Piiiladelphia & Erie Railroad Company, and later 
the Lake Shore. After three and one-half years 
occupied in railroading he came west to Illinois, 
and purchased the farm on which he now resides. 

Mr. McClelland was married first in ISTH, to 
.Miss Mary Brailey, who was liorn in Erie County 
Pa., and was the daughter of William and Louisa 
(Cogle) Brailey. This lady liccame the mother of 
three children — Bert, Louisa and Gardie — and de- 
parted this life Oct. 9, 1880. t)ur subject was 
the second time married, Feb. 22, 1882, to Miss 
Nettie, the daughter of William and .Mary (Barney) 
Hensley. Mr. McC. is Republican in politics. 



-€-^B- 




R. .JOHN i). .MANI)E\1I>LE was the fourtli 
Ij and youngest son of Elijah and Iluldah 
(Denton) Mandeville, there being ten chil- 
dren in the family, six girls and four boys. 
Seven are now living, one son having died in in- 
fancy, one, Clinton .1., in the War of the Rebellion, 
.•ind one daughter, Sarah, in middle life. 

{•Mljali Mandeville, the father of .lohn I)., was of 



f 



German descent, and was born in Seneca County, 
N. Y.. Dec. 9, 1.S02. In 182.i he was married to 
Huldah Denton, of the same county, and they re- 
sided there until 185S, when they removed to 
Champaign County, 111., where thej' lived the rest 
of their days. She died Oct. 15, ISGu, aged about 
sixty, and he died Oct. 10, 1885, having nearly 
completed his eighty-third year. Religiously', they 
were Congregationalists, and were active, consistent 
members of that church for nearly sixty years, 
being close Bible students and firm believers in ail 
the promises contained therein. 

Politically he was a Whig and later a Republican; 
He was know far and near for his strong anti- 
slavery views, and he lived to see the shaekels torn 
from 4,000,000 bondsmen, and his views endorsed 
by a large majority- of the American people. He 
gave two of his sons, Clinton .1. and John 1).. to 
the service of their countr}- in the late War of the 
Rebellion, the former dying at Carrolton, La. 

His son, .John D. Mandeville, the subject of this 
sketch, was born Dec. 18, 1S44, in the town of 
Romulus, near Ovid Village, .Seneca Co., N. Y. He 
resided there until he was fourteen years of age, 
when he removed with his parents to Champaign 
County, 111., where he has since resided, attending 
and teaching school, and pursuing the study of 
medicine under Dr. W . 11. Hess, of Homer. He 
entered Rush iNIedical College at Chicago, in the 
fall of 1867.jind graduated from there in the spring 
of 1 S75. In the spring of 1 882 he returned- to the 
same college, and took a post-graduate degree. In 
the spring of 1887 he took a post-graduate course 
in New York Cit^'. He began the practice of his 
profession in the village of Philo. 111., in March, 
18U8, and has continued it till the present time. 

Dr. Mandeville enlisted twice as a soldier in the 
service of his country during the War of the Re- 
bellion, and offered his services the third time but 
was rejected. He first served in the 67th Illinois 
lnf;mtry,and afterw.-ud in the i;i3d Illinois Infantry. 

I)]-. .Mandeville was married to Eli/.al)etlr W., 
daughter of Henry and Lydia Michener, of Homer, 
III., .May 7, 18G8. She was an excellent an<l amia- 
liie woman, and beloved l)y all who knew her. Two 
daughters, Myrtle O. .ind Libbie E., were born to 
them, the mother departing this life Dec. 31, 1S7(!. 



♦- 



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i 



t 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



»► "■ <• 

969 ^L 



On June 12, 1878, he was again married, this time 
to Martha A., daughter of Ames and Relief Burr, 
of Wdithinjiton. Mass. Two daiigiiters, Helen 
Riitii and Hazel Denton, were born to them, and 
they continue to reside in their pleasant lionie iji 
the village of Pliilo. 

Onr suliject's religious views are of the Presbyter- 
ian faith and order, and since his residence in Philo 
he has been connected with the Pre.sbyterian Ciinrcli 
there. 



\f'OHN PENFIELU, of Uantoul, is held in the 
highest rcs|)ect bj- his entire community as 
one of its most reliabfe citizens. His life 
and character have been such as to command 
the friendship and adnuration of all who know him, 
being a kindlj-, genial gentleman, faithful to his 
friends, of strict integrity as a business man, and of 
the highest value as a citizen. 

The earliest years of our subject were spent in 
Hntland Count}-, Vt., where he was born, Sept. 23, 
1824. His father, Horace Penfield, was a saddler 
by trade, and married Miss Caroline Chandler, a 
native of his own .State. Some years later they re- 
moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., established ,■( perniu- 
nent home, and there his death occurred in l.S(;4. 
The mother of onr subject is still living, being an 
intelligent old lady of eighty-three years. Of the 
ten children of the family, only ft)ur are now living. 
Our subject completed his education at St. Al- 
ban's Academy, and at an early age engaged in 
teaching. He afterward took up the trade of his 
father and worked as a harness-maker for about ten 
years, mostly in Kalamazoo, Mich. He became a 
resident of this county in ISoG. locating first upon 
land which was subse(iuently plalled and became a 
p.irt of tile towu of Rantoid. Upon coming here 
he purchased a considerable e,\tent of land and 
carried on farming and stock-raising for a number 
of 3'ears. He afterward became largely interested 
in the Xarrow-Cjaugc Railroad, which has proved 
a valualjlc investment. He was the lirsl peiinancnt 
settler of RmhIouI, mid seems to be indl>pi'MSMble to 
its liap|jinc*s and best interest?. 

.Mr. Peiitield was married first at Kalamazoo, 



Jlich., to Miss Lj'dia Haj's, who was a native of 
that city, and who became the mother of one child, 
a daughter, Annie C., now the wife of Charles 
Kstep, of Rosedale, Kan. Mrs. Pentield departed 
this life in .March, 18.57, and our subject, in the fall 
of I8')i), was married to .Miss Lucy E. Wigh. of 
\Vhiteliall, N. Y. The four children born of this 
marriage were Eugene W., John H., Lucy B. and 
Fred \\. 

The home of our subject in Rantoul is the re.sort 
of the cultivated people of the citj', and its hos- 
pitable doors open to a wide circle of friends and 
acquaintances. Mr. and Mrs. P. are members in 
good standing of the Episcopal Church, in which 
the former has held the otfice of Senior \V;irden for 
many years. 



•►-■-^•■ 



'UDGE .]. \\ . SI.M, of Irbaiia, was born in 
Knox County, Ohio, Nov. 1, 1831, and is 
the son of Joseph W. and Catura (Mercer) 
Sim, natives of Maryland. The father was 
a liarness-inaker by trade, and in Ma}-, 1831, re- 
moved from his native State to Ohio. Finding 
but little call there for the products of his trade, 
he engaged in farming, and rcmaineil for over 
twenty years. In the spring of 18,54 he sold out. 
and coming to this .State purchased a farm near Ur- 
l)ana, which he occupied until LSG.'i. then moving 
into the city remained there until his death, in 18(i4. 
The mother survived her husband live years, dying 
ill l.si;;). 

.b>sepli \V. Sim was originally a Henrv Clay 
Whig, but later a Repiililicaii. The |)arental fam- 
ily iiicliideil eleven cliildicii, of wiioiii only tive 
are now living, namely, .Mrs. Cassandra .Marriott, 
of Somer Township; .Mrs. .Mary A. Reed, of Cham- 
p;uL;ii I'owiiship; \Villi;im .S., n druggist at Urbana. 
Judge J W. of our sketch, and Mrs. Catura Heis- 
ler, of Blunt, Dak. 

Our subject remained on the farm with lii> par- 
ents until twenty-two years old, an<l supplemented 
his comnion-.-icliool studies by attendance at a fcni- 
inaiy. W'lieii nineteen ye.irs of age he coiiiuieiiced 
teaching, anil was thus employed two winters in 
Ohio. After coining to this State he had charge 
— = .^ 



4 



I 



970 



-L. 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 






of the public schools in IJrbana for six months, and 
the fuUowiiig- spring conirneuced reading law with 
Col. W. N. Coler. He was adaiitterl tu practice in 
the spring of IH.iOi, anrl furnicd a partnership with 
his |)receptor, whicli continued two }-ears. He re- 
mained alone for two years following, until 18G0, 
and then .associated himself with Judge Cunning- 
ham for a 3'ear, when he abandoned law and en- 
gaged in farming adjacent to the town limits until 
the fall of 1H()7. He was then elected Judge of 
the County Court fur a term of four years, after 
which he resumed his law practice, in which he has 
continued since that time. He was elected Ma3-or 
of Urbana in l!SG4, which ottice he held two terms, 
has been Alderman three terras, and is at present 
a member of the County Hoard of Supervisors. He 
has been pruspeied in his various uiidertakiugs, has 
a good farm in Urbana Township .iiid pruperty in 
the city. He afliliates with the Hepiiblicaii party, 
and socially belongs to the Masonic fraternity and 
the I. O. O. F. 

Judge .Sim was married, .lune 25, l!^o7, to Miss 
.Sarah A., daughter of Col. W. M. and Elizabeth 
(Bush) Busey, who were natives of Kentucky. Of 
this union there have been born four children, all 
living, namely, Cora A., Mrs. McClurg, of Urbana, 
Catura E., Mary 10. nml Annie M. The family 
residence is on (Jreen .street, where its hospitable 
doors are open to the best residents of the city. 

ENRY U. CORLnCS, late an extensive far- 
mer of Rantonl, is now retired from active 
labor, and occupies a comfortable residence 
'§)} in tlu' ti>wn, where he is enjoying the fruits 
of his early labors and the society of many friends. 
lliti earliest recollections .Mre of a modest home 
in Shrewsliury, .Monnioutli Co., >,'. .).. wIhtc he 
began life on the ir)th of June, 1811. His fathei', 
Henry D., Sr., was a native of New York City, and 
his grandfathei', Benjamin F. Corlies, was Ijorn in 
New Y'ork State and was of English ancestry. He 
carried on the business of a merchant many years 
in his native county, .-iinl lin.-ijly ienio\f<| to Shrews- 
bury, N. J., where he spent hi.-. Ia?t ye:irs in retii'e- 
niiMil, His ([(■afh took )ilace .at the )iome of his son 

-4« ■■ 




in Pouglikeepsie, N. Y. He was distinguished bj' 
hi.s kindly Christian character and his benevolence, 
which was illustrated in his assistance given to the 
poor and needy. He belonged to the Society of 
Friends, and possessed in a marked degree the 
peculiar characteristics of that sect. He was greatly 
prospered in his business affairs and retired upon a 
competency. Before his death he had distributed 
a large portion of his property among the poor. 

Henr^- 1). Corlies, Sr., the father of our subject, 
grew to manhood in his native city, and early in 
life evinced a love for the sea, which he followed in 
his earlier years as commander of a vessel. He 
died on shijjboard in the Gulf of Mexico in 1841. 
He had married, in early manhood, Miss Abigail 
Hall, who was born in New York State, and now 
I resides in the city of Auburn. The four children 
of the parental family were : Benjamin F., now a 
resident of New I'ork City; George, who lives in 
Oliio; Charles, a resident of Thackery,III., and our 
subject. The latter was but an infant ivhen his 
father died, and was nine years of age when his 
mother removed from his native city to Cuyuga 
County, N. Y. He there grew to manhood, in the 
meantime attending the district school and also the 
Friends' Academy at Long Island. 

Our subject remained a member of hi> mother's 
household until twenty years of age, then re|)aireil 
to Crawford County, Pa., where he engaged in 
fMrniing thiee years, lie then decided to seek 
his fortune in the farther West, and in 18(5.5 came 
to this county and secured possession of 1,1.'^6 
acres of land, located [lartly in Harwood Town- 
ship. It was wild, uncultivated [irairie. but he 
immediately commenced its improvement and 
erected a good set of buildings on section .'iii. In 
time he had lirought the entire tract to a goofl 
state of cuki\ation and planted eight miles of 
hedge. In aiblition to genejal farming he also en- 
gaged (juite extensively' in stock-raising. He lived 
upon this place, however, but eighteen months, 
then took up hi> residence in Rantoid, where he 
has sinee icsldecl and has turned ^)ver the cultiva- 
tion of his land to othei' parties. 

.Mr. Corlies was maiiieil, Oct. 8, 1,S()2. to Miss 
.Salina .Smith, who is a native of Middlelield. Wor- 
cester Co., Mass., and was liorn May 'J, IMl. Her 



i 



f 



■-^ 



•» I I ^« 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



971 



fatlier, Sylvester .Smitb, was .'i native of the same 
State and was a farmer by occupation, lie removed 
from Massai'inisetts to Pennsylvania in isi-iand 
located on a farm in Crawford County, where he 
still resides and which he has now ucen[)ied for 
forty -five years. His wife in her girlliooil was Miss 
.lulia Stevens, also a niilive of tlie Ba_v Stale. Their 
six children were named resi)ectively, Edson, Fi- 
delia, Julia, Amanda, Sylvester and George. Five 
of these died in infancy, Mrs. Corlies being the 
only one living. Our suliject and his wife arc 
members in good standing of tiie Episccipai ( luncli, 
and Mr. Corlies, politicall}', is a stanch adherent of 
the Republican party. 



10HN K. LITTLKU, one of tiie rising young 
I men of Urbana, was born Nov. ii, 1.h(;3. in 
I the countj' where he now resides. Horace 
'•^^ (ireelej' once said, that to be born in New 
York State and afterward become a pioneer of Illi- 
nois made a man great. Had he lived to the pres- 
ent time he miglit have realized that to be l)orn in 
Illinois conferred an equal honor. 

The subject of this sketch is the eldest son of 
.Samuel and Sarah M. Littler. His father was born 
Nov. 8, IMli, near Circleville, Highland Co., Ohio. 
In 18.52 he removed to Sacramento, Cal., but on 
his return eastward, in 18o;), hicated in Urbana .an<l 
engaged in llie cabinet and fiiniiture business. He 
was united in marriage with Miss Sarah M. IJuse}', 
Dec. 2, 1858. Of this union there were born six 
children, namely", Florence (;., Laura M., .loiui E., 
Frank H., Charles R. and Willis B. Of these, two 
are deceased: Florence G., who died of ty|>hoid 
fever, Sept. 1, ls(J7, at the age of eight years; and 
Uharles R., who was drowned while bathing in a 
creek near home, July 12, l.ss.5, aged tiftcen years 
and ten months. He had been !iecustonu'(l to the 
water, but the current at this time proved too 
strong and he was swept down the stream beyond 
the reach of helj). Ch.'irlie was a member of the 
Baptist Sunday-school, and a bright and promising 
boy who was held in high esteem by lioth old and 
young. 

The father of our subject, in I SliK, removed his 
family from Urbana to the farm situated one mile 






e,«ist of town, where he engaged in general agricult- 
ure and stock-raising- until resting from the labors 
of life. His death occurred Dec. 2.5, l.sHD. from 
diphtheria. Mr. Littler was vuv of the early settlers 
of Urbana Township, and a man whose straightfor- 
ward and upright life won for him the regard of the 
entire commuMily. He w.as a devoted husbaml, a 
kind father, au<l a consistent uu iiiliei- of the Ba|)tist 
Church. 

Mrs. Sarah M. Littler, the mother of our subject, 
was born .lune ID, 1 sru. and was the daughter of 
.Mathew Busey, who came to Illinois in 1h3(), from 
Shelby ville, Kj'. He located two miles east of the 
present site of Urbana. then known as the •• Big 
Grove," securing twenty-two eighty-acre lots. 
Mathew Busey was a native of North Carolina, but 
in early life removed to Kentucky, where he was 
married to Miss Sarah Fible, in I si 1. Mrs. B. was 
born in German^-, April 28, 17'.»l: her parents 
moved to Kentucky when she was two years of age. 
She died at the old home two miles east of Iriiana, 
May 13, 1887. iigeil ninety-six years. She w.as the 
mother of eleven children, all of whom were pres- 
ent at the funeral, the youngest child fifty-one years 
old. Her descendants now include 1 .'!7 gr.and anil 
great-gra ndch i Id re n . 

In contemplation of the mournfid fact that the 
old i)ioneers are fast passing .away, those who re- 
main to recall their lives and labors rcai) comfort 
in the belief that — 

There is no death ; what seems .so is trau>itioii ; 

This life of mortal breath 
Is but a suburb of the life elysian. 

Whose poit.al we call death. 

After the ile;ith of Samuel Littler, lii.- ,-ons, 
John E. of our sketch, and Frank II.. assumed the 
management of the farm, and althought but mere 
boys, kept up the homestead in an admirable nnui- 
ner and cvincrd r.iir judi;iueut in their operations. 



==^ 



<|B^ts»^ 




•^rsJlIOMAS .1. 1)A\ IS. riic progenitors of a 
l.'u-ge portion of the residents of Champaign 
County originated in the Keystone Stale. 
Among these w.i> Morris Davis, father of the >!ib- 
ject of this biogiaphy, who w.as born near ll.nris- 
burg, Dauphin Co., I'a., on the 7th of .September, 

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i 



t 



-4^ 



.t 

* 



972 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



181 1. His purents died while he was a small child, 
and thus left an orphan, he was reared by Mr. Mor- 
ris Howe of that same county, and passed his time 
until eitrhteen after the manner of most farmers' 
l)oys, attending school in the winter, and assisting 
in sowing and reaping the balance of tlie year. At 
the age mentioneil he conchiiled to change his oc- 
cupation and went tu llarrisbnrg to learn the trade 
of a hatter. 

From the latter place Mr. Davis was gone about 
a year through New Jersey and New York City, 
working journey work, and in the summer of 1830, 
left his native State and -'footed" it to West Lib- 
erty. (Jliio. lie followed Iiis trade there a few years 
with Mr. Aii<lrew Wood. wIki afterward liecame his 
brother-in-law, as lie was married to .Miss Racliel 
Wood a few years later. After this event he went 
into partnership with Mr. Wood, and tlicy operated 
a hat manufactory under the lirm name of Davis ife 
Wood, several j'ears, when our subject i)urchased 
tlie interest of his partner and uper.ated alone. 

After accumulating a little capital .Mr. Davis en- 
tered 1(30 acres of timbei' land in Stokes Township. 
Logan Co.. Ohio. In is.'jil he enib.-irked in the 
groeer3' business at lluntsville, Ohio, and had only 
l)eeu established a short time when his dwelling and 
contents and hatter's stock were destroyed by fire. 
He had no insurance. Afterward he joined his 
l)rother-in-law in .Miami County. In the meantime 
he had deeded eighty acres of his land to .John .M. 
Johnson, upon the condition that the Latter should 
clear three liclilsol ten acres each. Lpon this he built 
.•I log cabin I(;x22 feel, which lie occu|)ied and en- 
gaged in farminyi for a few years. After his death, 
the cabin w.as replaced by a handsome country resi- 
dence. His death occurred Oct. 2.'), l.s.5:!. and his 
remains were buried in the .Seceder's Cemetery, near 
lluntsville. 

The mother of our subject in her giilhood was 
Miss Uachel Wood, who was born Nov. I'J. l,s|."). 
She became the mother of si.\ children, and sur- 
viM'il her husljand aliout twt-lve years, remaining 
on the ol<l homestead until her death, which oc- 
curred April 2, 18i;.5. Her remains were laid by 
the side of hei' husband. The childien of the par- 
ental family .are recorded as follows: .lohn, the 
eldest, was killed at the battle of Chickaniauga, 
4» 



Sept. 20, 18(54; M. J., who also servecl three years 
in the arm}', has a fandly and is living in Harper 
Count}', Kan. ; Thomas J., of our sketch, was the 
third chilli; Minerva became the wife of Rev. M. 
L. Comer, of Bureau County. III., and Florence 
L., who married David Besore. in April, 1873, 
and departed this life on the 10th of July. 1884; 
Robert died when four 3-ears of age. 

The Davis family is of Welsh ancestry. The 
paternal grandparents of our subject, William and 
Margaret (Wood), were natives of Pennsylvania. 
The former removed to Ohio, and died there in 
February. 1840, when sixty-eight years of age. 
His wife died in October, 1H40, when seventy-one 
years old. 

Thomas .1. Davis was born .Inly 7, 184r, at West 
Liberty, Logan Co., Ohio. He was twelve 3'ears 
of age when his father died, and remained with his 
mother until hei' death, in 180.5. He had become 
accustomed to farm labor and received a common- 
school education. From the time he was eighteen 
years old until twenty-four he had suffered greatly 
from ill-health. an<l having nothing to keep him in 
Ohio, <leteriniued upon a change of climate. He 
accordingly set out on horseback to Illinois, but 
after riding a few days found himself unequal to 

' tlu' undertaking and abandoned his horse for the 
railroad. After reaching Ford County, in com- 
pan}' with his brother, M. .1., he rented a tract of 
laud near I'axtoii, which Ihcy operated for two 
years. In the fall of l.s(J7. our subject came to 
Urbana. and after working on the I., B. it W. R. R- 
a few months, purchased eighty acres of railroad 
land on section 8, in .Stanton Towushii), for which 
he paid ^1) per acre. T'he following spring he 

' began improving it. He ui>w has a quarter section 
and this well tiled an<l under a good state of culti- 
vation. He has arrived at the point where he 
is living comfortably and with sonictluMg laid up 
for a rainy day. He has enjoyed in a large measure 
the contidence and esteem of his fellow-townsmen, 
having served as School Direct(jr for twelve years; 
Tax Collector three years, besides being Road Com- 
missioner and .'supervisor the same length of time. 
Politically he is a fuU-lledged (;reeid)acker. 

Our subject married .Miss Susan J. Harper. Nov. 

I I'J, 1808. She has become the mother of live 

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973 



children, born as follows: Frances S., .Sept. .i, 
imO: Charlie .M., Nov. ;i. KS71 ; Nancy .1.. .May U. 
1S7'); Thomas 11.. , Ian. .?, l.s7iS, and one infant died 
unnamed. The remaininii four are at liome with 
tiieir pariMits. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of 
the United Hrelhren (hurcii. 

The parents of Mrs. Uavis, Francis and .hine 
(Keed) Harper, were natives of Ohio, the former 
born in Pickaway County, M.iy 2(), IfSOO. He was 
twenly-eiglit years of a^je at the time of his n)ar- 
riage and became an active and pros|ierous farmer 
in Fayette County. In l.S(it he came to llie 
Prairie State. In It^.'io his wife died, and lie was 
accompanied by liis five motlierless cliildren. He 
purchased 160 acres of improved lan<l in \'ermilion 
Count}', which he occupie<l until IKHS, when lie re- 
tired from active labor, spending the last 
years of his life among liis chililren. His de- 
cease occurred Oct. f, l.S7o, and his remains were 
laid to rest in the Blue (irass Chapel buryiug- 
ground in \'eruiilion Count}'. The death of the 
mother toolc place in Fayette County, Ohio, and 
she was buried in the old I'resbyteri.ui ciiurch- 
yard. Their ten children included four sons and 
six daughters, v)f whom four died in infancy. Those 
surviving are : Nancy, tlie wife of \V. F. Hop- 
kins; William, Mary Ann and Su.san .1. Alexander 
was married and died in Cissna Park, Iroquois Co., 
111., June lU, 1885. The paternal grandfather of 
Mrs. Davis, Alexander Harper, was a native of 
Pennsylvania, who removed first to Kentucky and 
thence to Ohio, becoming u resident of the latter 
State iu 1800. He married Miss Nancy Tate, of 
Kentucky. The following brief sketch was written 
by one who knew him well: 

"Alexander Harper dejiarted this life .-it his resi- 
dence in Ross County, Ohio, Feb. 18, 184;!, aged 
seventy-five year.s. He was born in Path \'alley. 
Pa., in 1767. When twelve years old lie removed 
with his widowed mother and family to Kentucky 
at a time when danger from the Indians was great. 
The family landed at Spring Garrison, near the 
Falls of the Ohio; after various moves through im- 
minent danger they reached .McConnella Station, 
where they remained tivii yeai's before they were 
safe in venturing to settle themselves. 
' "The subject of this narrative, though young, w:is 



frequently with scouting parties in defending the 
settlement, and passed through many conflicts with 
the Indians, a thought of which is enough to make 
one shudder. At the age of twenty-two he V(jl- 
iinteered in the militia of Kentucky, and was also 
witli <ien. I lamer In lii> campaign against the 
Indians :it what is now called Ft. Wayne, Ind.. and 
fought hard dyring the dreadful massacre that 
took place there and caliid llarner's defeat. His 
brother, Francis Harper, was killed by the Indians 
in the b:itlle of the Blue Licks. Alexander re- 
moved to Ohio in 1800, settled near Pickaway 
Plains, remained there two 3'ears, and from thence 
removed to Uoss County, Buckskin Township, 
where he residcil until his death. In \x\2. during 
the war with the British and Indians, he volun- 
teered and went against the Indians on the Wa- 
b.ash. under Maj. \V. M. Trimble. In .\pril. 1813, 
he went in the company commanded by Capt. Rob- 
ert Harper, his brother, and since .M;ij. Robert 
Harper, to the defense of Ft. Stephenson. A part 
of this tour of duty was performed after he had ar- 
rived at the age of forty-five. He could have se- 
cured his discharge, but so great a hero was he that 
he would not leave the field until his conqiany was 
regularly discharged. In battle he was never known 
to flinch from his post. 

"He was a consistent member of the Prcsliylerian 
Church for thirty-two years. He was looked upon 
as one of the |)atriarclis of his day, and w;is 
a devoted, pi;iying Christian. The writer of 
this narative knew him well, being a memlier of the 
same church, Pisgah, and can siiy he nevci- hciid 
Alexander Harper speak ill of anyone, nor anyone 
speak ill of him He was ever willing to engjige in 
every good work an<l always willing to relieve the 
distressed when in lii» ()ower. His seat in his 
church was never vacant when his health and the 
weather woidd suit fui- lil> venturing out. His rela- 
tions and neighbors can truly say that, though dcjid 
he yet speaketli to us. The great esteem in which 
he was held by his neighbors was manifested in 
their kindness during his late illness. All .>cemed 
to anticipate and feel the loss the cliurcli :ind so- 
ciety would sustain in his death. The writer asked 
him, the day before he died, respecting his hope> 
i hereafter; his answer was -All is well. Chri>l, my 






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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



i 



Savior, ilifl not endure all the agonies of the cross 
for notliing; n(j. He died for poor, lost sinners suoii 
as I, ami 1 know Me will keep securely for me that 
wliieli 1 have coinniitted to His care.' 

"."Ml-. Harper married when young, in Kentuiky: 
lie had eleven children born to him. nine of whom 
are now living', live sons and four daughters. He 
lived t(j see them all become res|)ected members 
of the Presliyterian Church. Ills own brothers 
and sisters, though several in number, are all gone 
to rest excepting two brothers and one sister: Maj. 
Robert Harper, of Ross City, Ohio; .lames Harper, 
iieai- Logans|)ort. Ind.. and Mrs. Clark, of Ross Coun- 
ty, Ohio. .\s a husband and father he was kind and 
affectionate. It is the lot of few fathers to have and 
to enjoy the affection of their children to the same 
extent that he did. As a neiglibin- he was kin<l 
and obliging, ever ready to assist in lime of need. 
He commanded their esteem to such an extent, 
that although the day of his burial was very in- 
elenieiit, yet tlie concourse that followed him to" 
his grave was very great." 



O.ASMIS PI-:TERS()N, ple.asaiitly located on 
section 30, in Kantoul Township, is a 
/£m native of Norw.'ty, and was born April '.), 
toQ' 1843. His childhood and youth were s[)cnt 
in .Scandinavia, where he atten<U'(l school and 
assisted in farm labor. When a youth of eighteen 
he set sail, in May, ISO I, for America, landing first 
at (Quebec, whence he came directly to this State, 
stopping first in (Srunily County. At the outbreak 
of the war he enlisted in Co. C. .J.Jil 111. \'o\. Inf., and 
afterward participated in many important battles, 
meeting the rebels :il I'ittsburg J^anding and Cor- 
inth, where was some of the hardest lighting of 
that campaign. Ih' only served. Iu)wever. until 
1S(;3, and was discharged on account of disability. 
Mr. Peterson, after retiring from the arijiy, 
resumed fanning in (irnn<ly County for a time, 
and came to Rautoul Township in l.S"!!. He had 
in the meantime, b^' the exercise of industry and 
eeoiiomy, saved a snug little sum of money, which 
he invested in a part of the land he now owns. 
He h.is ;i good set of farm buildings which are sur- 



rounded with choice fruit and shade trees aud a 
quarter section of laud under a good state of cul- 
tivation. 

Mr. Peterson was married in lS6t), to .Miss Rhoda 
.lohu.son, a native of Grundy County and of Nor- 
wegian purentagd. Of this union there were born 
seven children, namely, Peter, Delia. Lena, Ras- 
mus, Rosa, (iilbert and Bertha. Our subject and 
his estimable lad^' are members iu good standing 
of the Lutheran Church, and "Sir. P., since becom- 
ing a naturalized citizen, has uniformly voted with 
the Reijublican party. He is held iu high respect 
by his neighbors, and is one of the self-made men 
of this County who have built up for tliemselves a 
mo?t creditable record. 



--:>^^;^c:^t^?:><^^^^---- 



ISAAC LAY.M.\X, of Condit Township, is a na- 
tive of Union Connty, Ohio, and was born Aug. 
' 31. Iis4(). He is the son of Henry and Eliza- 
beth (Kretsinger) Layman, who are incntioueil in 
the sketch of Lewis Layman, elsewhere in this vol- 
ume, and was hut an infant when his parents re- 
moved from his native State to Indiana. A few 
years later they came overland to Illinois, iu which 
manner thej' had also traveled from Ohio to In- 
diana, and the father ijureliased forty acres of land 
in Logan County, in which he was one of the earliest 
.settlers. Our subject remained under the parental 
roof until 1!SC2, then enlisted as a Union soldier 
in Co. D, Xi}t\\ 111. Vol. Inf., aud served until the 
close of the war, participating in many of its impor- 
poi'tant battles, and receiving a wound iu the left 
arm and shoulder. Me remained with his com- 
rades, however, and with them was mustered out at 
the close of the struggle, and returning to Illinois 
resumed farming in Logan County. 

.Mr. Layman came to this county in 1 .sil'.i. ami 
purchase<l a quarter section of wild l:inil. which is 
included in his present farm. It is now all enclosed 
with fences .md other impiovi'niciits. including a 
convenient and substantial dwelling, ample sheds 
for the shelter of stock and all other necessary 
Iniildings. The soil, under his wise manipulation, 
has become exceedingly' fertile, and yield< in 
abumlance the line crops of the Prairie State. 



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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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;)75 



Our subject, in 1867, was imitefl in marriage witii 
Miss Bessie Fletciier. a n;itivo of Knuland. ;iiiil liie 
daughter of .loseph and Naomi Fletolier. Of this 
union there were l)arn three children, namely, 
.loseph, Charles ami AVilliani. Mrs. I^ayman de- 
])arted this life in 1873. Our suliject was married 
the second time, Mareh 27, 1878, to Jliss Martha 
.1. Penney, a native of Sangamon County, and the 
daughter of William C. Penney, who was horn in 
\'irginia, and came to this State in the pioneer days. 
During the late war he enlisted in the lOOth Regi- 
ment, and died in the servii'C at j'^ittle Rock, Ark., 
in May. 18li4. His wife, in her girlhood, was Miss 
Eleanor R. Duff, a native of Kentucky, and the 
(laughter of libenezer and .Sarah (McClure) Diiflf, 
natives respectively of \"irgiuia and Kentucky. 
Mrs. Duff' died in Logan County, this State, in 
1868. ,Mr. and Mrs. Layman have live children, 
namely, IJruec, Pearl. Chester. Carrie and a babe 
unnamed, liie}' are memlicrs in good standing of 
the Methodist Episcopal Cluirch. and Mr. Layman, 
politically, is a decided Republit'an. 

^f/AMES S. SHAFFER is the owner of 160 
.acres of excellent, highly im])roved land- 
located on section 2."). .Sidney Townshi)), 
where he carries on an extensive farming 
and stock-growing business. He was born in 
Frankfort, Ky., Sept. 15, 1840, and is the son of 
.Tf>seph and Mary (Roche) Shaffer. His parents 
were both born in France. At an early day, the date 
of 'vhich is unknown, they removed from Fiance 
seeking a new home in America. They first 
settled in Penn.sylvania where his father was a 
teacher in the public schools. From there they re- 
moved to LaF.ayette, Ind., wliere his father died 
in IS.')!!. 

His mother having previously ni.irried the .--econd 
time, to a man by the name of Alfonso Berlin- 
court, came to Illinois with her only child, .lames 
S. Shaffer. Her death occurred in 1882, at Burling- 
ton, Kiln. .lames was left at an early age to make 
his own way in the world. The truism "some 
are born to greatness, some achieve greatness, and 
some have greatness thrust upon thein," may also 

4» 



apply to prosperit}'. It was his destiny to achieve 

by lii> own intelligeMce, foresight and courage, and 
he li.as successfully contendeil against many dilli- 
culties and obstacles. 

In 1871, lie was united in marriage to Elizabeth 
.lones, the daughter of William and Mary .1. 
(Pirown) .lones. Her parents, who were natives of 
Kentncky, now reside in Danville. 111. Mr. .lames S. 
Shaffer and hiswife have reared a family of eleven 
children; llieir names and dates of birth are as fol- 
lows: Ida !'>., March 6. 1872; Louis, Sept. II, 
1S7.!: Ira, Sept. l.i, 1874; William. Dec. 19, 187.t; 
.Mary, May II, l.s77:.Iohn. April li>, 1878; Jo.seph, 
Nov. l.'i. issO; .lames. .May 'J. 1882 ; Oscar, Jan. 
28, 1SS4, Alice, .lune .il , 1885; Charles, March 17, 
1S.S7. He is a member of the Presbyterian 
Church. His wife is a Methodist. In politics he 
is a Republican. 



eOX. WILLIA.M 1!. WEBBER is well known 
) throughout this county as an attorney of 
more tli;in ordinary .ability, and prominent 
^ in the political affairs of the county and 
State. His acquaintiuico with legal matters began 
early in life, he having when a youth of seventeen, 
been appointed as Deputy Circuit Clerk of Cham- 
paign County under his father, who was the Clerk- 
in-Chief. Six years later he began the study of 
law under the instruction of Judge Soincrs and 
Capt. John C. Moses, and was admitted to practice 
in 18(1;!. For six years afterward he was a partner 
of .ludge Scmiers, practiced two years alone, and 
then became associated with .liidgc Cnnningliani, 
they continuing together live years. In l.s77 he 
was a candidate for County .ludge. and ran 'MM 
ahi'.'id of his ticket, being defeated only because 
the county was strongly Republican. His duties as 
a Legislator coniineiiced in 1 H84, when he repre- 
sented the counties of Champaign, Piatt and De 
Witt ill the State Legislature. During the term, 
which he served with acceptance to his constituents, 
he was at the head of various important committees 
and in all respects distinguished himself as .a man 
of more than ordinary ability. 

The subject of our sketch wjis boni in the city 
♦ 



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976 



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CHAMPA rON COUNTY. 






(if I'lliMiia. Oct. 31, 1837, and is the son of Thom- 
son K. !ind Martha (Thompson) Webber, a sketch 
of whom will be found elsewhere in this work. 
His parents eanie to Illinois in the pioneer days, 
and TiKjmas Webber, identifying himself with the 
Democratic party, became prominent in the politi- 
cal affairs of the .State. He served as Clerk of 
Chami)aigii County twenty years, and was Circuit 
Clerk twenty-seven years, and Master in Chancery 
forty years. In the meantime lie was also conserva- 
tor of other important interests. He was widely 
known as a kindly Christian gentleman, illustrating 
in both his public an<l private life the highest type 
of manhood. The son, William, has inherited in a 
marked degree the characteristics and talents of his 
honored father. He is recognized as an able attor- 
ney and safe counselor, and stands high among his 
professional brethren in this locality. He is Demo- 
cratic in politics, and socially belongs to the A. F. <fe 
A. .M. 

The marriage of William 15. Webber and Miss 
.Sarah Harnett, of Shelby County, Ky., took place 
.Sept. 1. 18(;4. .Mrs. W. is the daughter of Allen 
and Drusilla (Newton) Barnett, also natives of 
Kentucky. Our subject and his highly esteemed 
wife occupy an attractive home wjlliin the city 
limits and enjoy the fiiendship and association of 
the cultured people of Urbana. 



— >i-^S— 



'■-•5»;-<«ill>-f*:- 



JIJOIIN (iEHE, .Ii!., is believed to be the oldest 
I merchant doing business in Champaign 
I County, and one of the old landmarks of 
^^_^' Trbana. In personal appearance he is of 
large stature and sinewy frame, and tradition s-a^'s 
that in his younger days he was an athlete with 
whom no ordinary man would venture to compete. 
He possessed, both mentally and physically, the 
elements necessary to the settling of a new country, 
and he has grown with its growth, taking a per- 
sonal interest and pride in its development ;ind 
progress. 

Mr. (iere was born in .Seneca Conntv. N. V.. 
Feb. 11. IHlKand is the son of John and I'olly 
(Clark) Gere, natives of Vermont. His grand- 
father, Asa (lere, served in the Kcvohition.-uy Wuv 



•►Hh-4*- 



and yielded up his life while a prisoner on the old 
ship ".levsey,"' the name of which is never recalled 
wi';hout a shudder, in view of the atrocities prac- 
ticed upon it. Tiie family' was of Fnglish ancestry, 
and some of its members fled from their native 
countiy in 17.S,^, on account of religious persecu- 
tion. The father of our subject moved with his 
family', in 1.S3G, from the Kmpire .State to Indiana, 
and a year later to \'ermilion County, this State, 
later removing to Clark Count}-, where he ilied in 
1.S44. The mother afterward came with her son, 
our subject, to Trbana. where her death took place 
in l.scn. 

Our subject received a limited education and re- 
mained under the parental roof until twenty-two 
years old. I'pon starting out for himself he en- 
gaged in the brick business at Alexandria, N. Y., 
which pursuit he followed until the fall of l.s;36, 
when the family came West. Here he first en- 
gaged in farming near Darwin, but some 3'cars 
later came to Trbana and commenced dealing in 
horses, purchasing in this county and shipping to 
points Eiist and North. Afterward he and his 
brother, .lames S., estal)lished a dr^'-goods store, in 
which they continued together for several years. In 
the meantime they varied their occupation liy con- 
ti-actingto furnish li5,000 cords of wood, and a large 
quantity of ties for the Central Illinois Railroad. 
The brothers finally dissolved partnership, an<l .lohn 
purchased an interest in the Urbana Woolen Mills, 
with which he was connected three years. The 
brick store wliicli the Gere brothe:s built was 
destroyed by tire Oct. 9, 1.S71, involving a loss of 
from ?!2,i,0iH) to S;3(),000. Mr. Gere rebuilt that 
same year, and lias continued business nninter- 
ru|)tedly since that time. He gives employment 
to three clerks and h.as a generous patronage among 
his old friends, while new customers are never 
backward in ni.aking their purcha.ses at the old 
stand. 

Ml'. Gere has invested his surplus funds in real 
estate in the country. His present wife. Miss 
Harriett A. Cresscy, is a native of his own Stjite, 
ami their only child is a son, (ieorge W.. an at- 
torney at Champaign. The two sons of his second 
wife are Warren .\1., who is with his father in the 
store, and Frank .M.. in the post-ollice at Urbana. 



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i»77 ii\ 




KNRY TREVETT, of the firm uf Trevett A- resident of Uipy;iltoii, \'t. The five children born 

1^. Green, Ciianipjiign, is, witii his partner, car- of this nniun aru Katie, Harry JI., Mary S., Edith 

ryiug on a hicrative trade in liardware, agri- and Sarali. Mr. Trevett is Democratic in politics 

cultural implements and coal, and ishicated and a memlier in good standing of the Masonic fra- 



at the corner of Main and Walnut streets. He is 
numbered among the \vide-a»vake and enterprising 
men of the county, and lias aided materially in 
building up the business interests of the cit^-. 

Our subject was born in Cook County, this State, 
Feb. 3, 1844. and is the son of Oliver and .Sarah 
(Hay ward) Trevett. natives respectively of Albany, 
N. Y.. and Clare County. England. The maternal 
grandparents of our subject were Thomas and 
ICIizabeth (Rider) Ilayward, who came to Cook 
County in 1837. and farmed there until 18()0. The}' 
then retire<l to Chicago. M'here the death of the 
father occurred in l.s74. The paternal grandfather 
of our subject. Dr. Oliver Trevett, was a native 



lernity. lie is President of the Kaskaskia Club, 
and holds the same |)osition in the water-works and 
the manufacturing companies of Champaign. He 
w.as elected .Mayor of the city in 187.i, serving a 
term of four years and h.is also served as Alder- 
man. The family residence is pleasantly located 
at the corner of New and West Paik streets, and its 
inmates are surrounded by all the comforts of life. 



\i i/ D. SOAUiRS, a reliied attorney, and one of 
\/y/l '^'"' P^''^''^''^ of ''"' county, was born in 

' W4 North Carolina. .Ian. 21,1812. His par- 
of Maine and a practicing physician of note who ents were Waterman anil Winifred (Durham) Soin- 
spent his entire life in his native State. His son, , ers, who were residents of Rockford, Surry Co., N. 






Oliver, .Sr., learned the trade of a baker at Albany, 
N. Y., and subsequently engaged in farming near 
Leyden, Cook Country. He entered a tract of land 
from the (iovernment in about 1837. and remained 
in that section until 1 S.iO. He then went into the cit^' 
and set up in the bakery business, which he continued 
there until 18;")t). The following year he came to 
this county, of which he was a resident at the time 
of his death, in l.S(;4. The mother had died tweniy 
years before, in Cook County. There were but 
two children — Harriet E., and Henry, our subject. 

Young Trevett attended .school until fourteen 
years old, then engaged as clerk in a hardwai'e store 
ten years, after which he took up book-keeping and 
had charge of his employer's l)usiness. In \MH, 
in e(>n)|i.iny with .Mr. Ku|)ert, he set u]) in business 
for himself at the corner of Market and Walnut 
streets, where they were burned outsi.xty days later, 
and Mr. Trevett lost the savings of ten years. He 
went into business again and was again burnt out 
in IK71. 'Ihe structure was re-built and the lirni 
of Trevett <i; Green occujtied it until Ik77, then 
purchased ilie,J)rick building where the}' ai'e now 
doing business, and have become the largest mer- 
chants in. the hardw.are trade in the county. 

Mr. Trevett was mnrrieil iji 1 8(;y to AHss .Mary 
C, daughter of .lohn .Murcy. Circuit .ludgc. and a 



C. In 18/)0 they came to Illinois and settled near 
llrbana, in Somer Township, which afterward re- 
ceived its name in his honor. His father died in 
1855, and his mother in North Carolina in 1832. 

W. D. Somers was brought up on a farm, work- 
ing during the summer and attending school in the 
winter until he was fourteen. He was then em- 
ployed for four years as elei'k in the Count}' and 
Circuit Courts, after which he became Master in 
Chancery for one year. After this he began the 
study of medicine and eommeuced pr.actice in 
183(1. He came to Illinois in 1840 and settled in 
ITrbana, where he opened an ottice and continued 
pr.actice three years. While practicing as a physi- 
cian lie made tlic acquaintance of several distin- 
guished lawyers of the State, anu)ng whom were 
.ludge David Davis, Abraham Lincoln, .lohn 11. 
Mrow and Ashael (iridley. Owing to ill-health his 
friend, .lii'lge Davis, advised him to change his 
profession and read law. which he did, and in 1H4(; 
w.as .ailmittcd to Ihe bar. He was often afterward 
engaged with Lincoln in trying cases, someliines as 
assistant counsel, and at others on the opposite 
siilc. lie was local attorney for the Illinois Central 
I{adro.a<l for several years, and it was due to his 
intluence that the Industrial University was located 
at rrl)aii:i. lie was Supervisor of the townshipfor 






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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



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!i iiimilicr of years, aiul most of the tiii)(> C'liairnmii 
of the Count}- Board. On the occasion of Abra- 
ham Liiicohvs first political address in Champaign 
Connty Mr. Somers introduced him to the audi- 
ence, lie was then a Whisj:, but at ])resent is a 
■^nember of the Democratic party. 

In l^i-2 Mr. .Siimers was married to Miss Cather- 
ine P. Carson, a native of l^hila<lelphia. They 
had a family of five chililren, all of whom are now 
living. 

During his more active life Mr. Somers was the 
owner of 1,000 acres of land. He began his busi- 
ness career when a mere bo3% and after a long and 
useful life is now spending its evening in compara- 
tive retirement at Crliaua. 



OSEPH C. PICKARD, U. A., well known 
as a prominent educator, js Professor of En- 
, glish Literature in the University of Illinois. 
!^fJ Prof. Piekard is the son of Samuel and Sa- 
rah (Cottin) Piekard. and was born in 1)^26 in 
R<jwley, Mass., of which place his father was a na- 
tive. His mother was a native of Newburyport, 
of the same State. His father spent the early part 
of his life in mercantile pursuits, but later engaged 
in manufacturing. 

I'rof. Piekard received a careful education at 
home while a boy. and afterward attended Bow- 
doiu College in Maine, where lie graduated in 
1.S4I. After his graduation lie taught two years 
at tile academy of Fryeliurg, Me. From there 
he went to a theok>gical seminary in Bangor, where 
he was most of the time engaged in teaching. He 
remained there four years and then, in lfi.')2, en- 
tered the Illinois College at .lacksouville as tutor, 
which position he also occupied four years. He 
was then offered a professorship in the university 
at Madison, which position he retained four years, 
and afterward was engaged in teaching in the cities 
of Chicago an<l Milwaukee. In l«73 he accepted 
the professorshii) in the I'liiversitj' of Hlinois, 
which he has since continued to hold. 

In \X.i:i Prof. I'ickard was united in marriage 
with Miss Mary A. Storer, a native of London, 
England. They have a family of live children — 



Charles E., William S., Aiiiile A.. Edward NV. and 
Ethel M. Prof. Piekard has the respect and confi- 
dence of the county and State, both as an edu- 
cator of unquestioned talent .-ind ability, and as a 
man of broad culture ami high moral worth. Al- 
though not actively interested in (lolitics he always 
votes with the Republican part}'. 



^^^ 



^^^EORGE W. H 

if <^w? ^* '"'"'' ^ '^'''^f 
^^JJl honored pioiK 



lEORGE W. HART.SOCK. The following 
historj' of one of the most 
pioneers of Harwood Township, 
who was born in Greene County, Ohio, Nov. (>, 
1.S39. He was the son of David and Sarah Jane 
(Cornell) Hartsock. His pareutH removed from 
New Jersey to Ohio during the early settlement 
of the State, and remained there until their death. 
His father serve<l as a soldier in the War of 1812; 
was an active, energetic man, and keenly alive to 
what was going on around him. 

Our subject came West in August, 1869, and 
coming into this county purchased eighty acres of 
laud on section 20. Harwood Township. Becom- 
ing tired of keeping '"bachelor's hall," and having 
formed the acquaintance of Miss Imogene J. 
Soper, he, in the early part of ISTl, celebrated his 
marriage with her. 

Mr. Hartsock and his wife, soon after this event, 
took up their abode on their own farm, which they 
have occupied since that time. Here, where their 
united labors coinmeiiced, they have become al- 
most an indispensable portion of the community, 
and here the si.\ children who came into the house- 
hold were all born. Of these five are still living, 
and the record is as follows: Sylvaiius L. was Ijorn 
Dec. 2.'), 1S71; Olive May. April 30, 1873; Asa 
Newell, born Dec. G. I.s74.died Aug. 8,1870; David 
Orange, born Jan. 1, 188ti; Sarah Ann, A|)ril 12, 
1882: Caroline E.. July 25, 1884. 

The homestead of our subject embraces 160 acres 
of highly cultivated land, neatly fenced and pro- 
vided with a handsome set of frame buildings. 
The farm has been principally devoted to the rais- 
ing of grain and stock, the favorite cattle of Mr. 
Hartsock being the Galloways, and the horses, Nor- 
man. He raises Poland-China hogs in large iiiim- 



i 



J. 



"^ 



t 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



979 



i' 



hers, and his animals include some of the finest 
specimens of Central Illinois. Among his thor- 
oughbred swine are Lady Nash and Bravu, who 
have quite a reputation in this vicinity, and the 
head of his cattle herd is a magnificent thorough- 
bred named Rattler. As a farmer and member of 
the commuuit\', no man is held in greater esteem 
than Mr. Hartsock. 

..-^»t> --^<|^ '^^-^ ^""^ 

* jjfclLLIAM .M. FllENICIE, the descendant 
\jjJ// of an excellent Pennsylvania family, and 
VW born in the Keystone State, Feb. 20. 1836, 
took up his residence in Stanton Township in 1865. 
He purchased 1 20 acres of wild land with the deter- 
mination of making for himself a permanent home- 
stead, and he has not been disappointed. The 
ground is now enclosed with neat fences and graced 
with a fine residence, and the proprietor will be 
pardoned if he views the result of his labors with 
a feeling of pride and satisfaction. Of late j'ears 
he h.as given much attention to stock raising and 
feeding, making a specialty of Norman horse-* and 
Short-horn cattle. His stables and yards contain 
some of the finest animnls to be found in Ccnlral 
Illint)is. 

The parents of our sul)ject, .Joseph and Sustin 
(Conner) Phenicie, were nativesof Fr.anklin County, 
Pa., and are now deceased; the mother died in .Fuly, 
1880, and her companion in 1886. They were held 
in universal respect and for many years couneeted 
with the Lutheran Church. Tlie.V were the parents 
of seven childien, named respectively, Stephen L., 
Elizabeth, Henry C., William AL, Mar}- E., Susan, 
and one wlio died in infancy. 

Mr. P. spent his earlier years on the farm in 
Franklin County, Pn., and upon reaching manhood 
he was there married to Mi.ss Margaict liesore, the 
wedding taking place in December, 1«61. .Mrs. P. 
is the daughter of .lohn and Mary (.Mown) Hesore, 
who were also natives of Franklin County, where 
her birth look place. Of this marriage there liave 
been born si.\ children, viz., Stephen II., S. Delia, 
George B., Emma, Evra and William O. 

The grandparents of our subject had thirteen 

•^ 




children, seven sons and six daughters. The father 
of these, John Phenicie, was a native of Enghmd, 
and emigrated to the United States, locating in 
Franklin County, Pa., where he spent the remainder 
of his days. 

4 ^t?>.^^«Mtf5«<... *. 

THOMAS STEPHENS, deceased, entered upon 
the stage of life in Greene County, Pa., .lune 
11, 1807, and after having lived worthily 
and as became a man invested with grave responsi- 
bilities, passed from the scenes of earth at the age 
of nearly eighty years. March 6. 1887. He was the 
son of Edward and Hannah Stephens, natives of 
New Jersey, and spent his early years on his 
father's farm. His early education was quite lim- 
ited, but being a close observer became admirably 
fitted for the struggle of life in its various pliases. 
He remained a member of the parental household 
until 1832, wIkmi lie was luiited in marriage with 
Miss Elizabetii Cotton. After some years his wife 
died, leaving two children. 

Mr. Stephens for years was actively and e.xten- 
sively engaged in the stock business. The lady who 
became his second wife was formerly Miss Cathei- 
iue Parcels, to whom lie was married Aug. II, 
1.H4I. She was the third child of Peter and Han- 
nah (Kerus) Parcels, natives of Pennsylvania, but 
the mother descended from Irisii ancestors, who left I 
an estate of many millions in their native country, 
which now lies to their credit, and forms an estate 
upon wliicii settlement has never been made. Peter 
Parcels was tiie first publishei- and editor of a paper 
in Chillicothe, Ohio. 

After iiis marriage Mr. Stephens located on a 
farm in Fairfield County, near Lancaster, and 
whicii comprised nearly a ludf section of land. Here 
he followed fruiuing aud sti>ck-raising extensively', 
and one season conlnicted to furnish !i Baltimore 
firm with o,()0(l liead of hogs, wiiicii, through the 
negligence of the railroad company, caused iiim a 
loss of *1 8,0(10. After this calamity Mr. Stephens 
scarcely knew which way to turn. He carefully 
canvassed the situation, when he received unex- 
pected relief in the form of a proffered loan of 
^.'j,()00 from a banker jit Lancaster. He could not 
give .security, and declined tiie generous proiMtsi-' ' 



■*► 



i 



t. 



t 



•►-■-^^ 



980 



-•►-■-4« 



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. 



tion, but twelve or fifteen of the most responsible 
men of the county came to his aid and became iiis 
security for the nioni'V. Then. tai<ing witii him his 
new capital, and in conipanj- with two nephews, 
Lindsey and Kdward Coibly, ho set out for Mis- 
souri. 

In the hittei' Stale Mr. Stephens purchased 400 
head of cattle, and leaving the young men in 
charge of them, returned to Oiiio on horseback to 
settle u|) some business matters. Thence he came 
to Illinois, and it being in the fall of the year he 
purchased a large quantity of corn near Sadorus 
Grove, where he made ready to winter his stock. 
Writing to the young men to start the drove he 
pushed forward to the Mississippi River, and found 
his deputies swimming the animals across. The 
passage was made in safety and all returned ti) Sa- 
dorus Grove, where they remained with the stock 
until early in tlie winter, and then drove them 
through to l*hiladcli)hia, whore tliey were sold. 
Our subject then began to liu\ land warrants, and 
eventually secured 1,.500 acres in Saline^County, 
Mo., and 5,000 in Illinois, at the head of the Sanga- 
mon Kiver in Champaign and Ford Counties. His 
intention at first was to settle in .Missouri, purchase 
shives and go into heni])-raising. This Stale, how- 
ever, presented greater attractions, and he aban- 
doned his original i)lan to settle here. The out- 
break of the war [)roved the wisdom of his choice 
in abandoning the idea of slave labor. 

During this lime the family of Mr. Stephens had 
been living in Ohio. After determining upon a 
settlement in this State he put up a hewed-log house 
and sent for his family, establishing them in their 
new homo as comfortably as possible. Some years 
later, lie having .acciiniulated sutticiont means, 
erected a splendid residence at a cost of !S;1I,000, 
whicli was the admiration of all the country .around. 

In the spring of IsdT Mr. Stephens had on hand 



800 head of cattle, but being engrossed in home 
affairs, left the man.agenient of his stock i)rincip!illy 
to his son, who had been his partner. The latter 
entered into a eontrael with a commission merchant 
of Chicago for 1,000 head of .Southern cattle, which 
proved to be an unsuccessful venture, owing to 
their falling below the stipulated aver.age. Another 
speculation proved a failure on account of Texas 
fever breaking out in his herd; however, he was 
not the man to be discouraged under difficulties, 
and consequently .soon rallied and all went on well 
as before. 

The children of Mr. Stephens were at this time 
still at home, l)ut soon afterward married and set- 
tled down in life. He then divided his property 
among them, stipulating that his son Thom.as .1. 
should take care of his parents during the remain- 
der of their lives. The children afterward, how- 
ever, purchased a snug piece of property inCiibson 
Cit}-. where they fitted up a neat and comfortable 
dwelling in which they placed their parents and 
looked after their welfare from that time on. Here 
occurred the death of our subject. His widow 
still resides there with her daughter Julia, the wife 
of Thomas Ross, a grain dealer of Gibson. The 
five children of Mr. and Mrs. Stephens, all living, 
are Benjamin F., Peter, Thomas J., Hannah C, 
and ,Iulia A. The family has alw.ays been remark- 
able for its mental vigor and physical strength, and 
until the decease of the father, no death had oc- 
curred among them for :\ period of forty-five 
years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephens became connected with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church early in life, and 
ever afterward continued worthy and consistent 
members. After the organization of the Repub- 
lican party Mr. S. became one of its warmest sup- 
porters, but later identified himself with the Green- 
backers. 




i' 



-4— >W 



••^mM* 



i 



•>^0-M^ 



,t 




B10GFJpBF?I(gpLi. 



Abbott, Stcplicii (.■ .362 

Abrams, Isaac H 547 

Adams, John 23 

Adams, John Q 39 

Ainsworth,J. T 775 

Alexander, W. J. & J 500 

Allen, Joseph 323 

Allison, R. M 460 

Allison, W. H 439 

Anderson, C. N 613 

Anderson, John 383 

Arnold, Cyrii* 938 

Arthur, Chester A 99 

Axtcll, J. N 



B 



;; 

I 



Babb, Charles 621 

I5abb, Thomas 373 

Bailey, A. H 789 

P.aklwin, A. H 334 

Bardwell, J. K S30 

Barnes, T. P 688 

Barrett. Kli 587 

Bartholow, K. C 434 

liartholow, l>r. J. M 3SI 

Hartley, James 683 

Battles. F. B 778 

Beach, B. C 665 

Bear, H. C ...694 

lieardslcy, Ticorge K 820 

Bcatty, Calvin 489 

Bcccher, Henry 931 

Bcier, J. T 4^3 

Keisser. V. A 915 

Bell, T. H 790 

BelliriKer, J. A 831 

Hengtson, Charles A 741 

Bctiiamin. C. C 641 

l:<:>t.rc. Joscpli M 6»9 

I'ever, James 43' 

4 » 



Heveridge, Johnjl 171 

Beverlin, T. I 620 

Birdzell. D. E 714 

Birdzell, K. A 724 

Bissell. Wm. H 151 

Rois, J. J 693 

Bond, Shadrach 1 ti 

Bongard. J 336 

Bourne, Amos 350 

Bowers, A.J 697 

Braden, Win. 1 604 

Breincr, Wm 796 

Brodrick, W'm- B 592 

Brown, A. C 37< 

Brown, Courtland 847 

Brown, U. F 354 

Brown, Isaac 3I3 

Brown, W.T.. 83a 

Brown, Wm 628 

4<» ,/^Jrownfield, Martin 691 

Brownlee, Prof. James H 960 

Buchanan, James 75 

Buddemeier, August S. .. . 937 

Burlingame, Christopher 410 ; 

Burnett, Christopher 664 

Burns, Byron -. 603 

Burr, L. C 633 

BurriU, Prof. T.J 651 ' 

Biisey, J. S 3M 

Busey, Hon- S. H 813 

Busey, Col. S. T 826 

Bush, J. D 446 i 



Laldwell, Wm 957 ' 

Campbell, James M 392 

Campbell, J. <; 284 

Carley,Mark i8q 

Cartin, Thomas 135 

Carper, Philip ..546 

Carson, W. C 390 ' 

Cash, John. .93a | 

Cash, W. M 938 , 

Chamberlin, T. W 196 | 



Chambers, Jacob S 445 

Champ. J.- W 58? 

Chapin, K. B 599 

Cherry, William 762 

Clark. John 736 

Clark. John li 

Clark, J. H 24* 

Clark, John I 960 

ClarC, W. I) 505 

Clark, Wm. G 667 

Clark, Wm. R 352 

Clennon.W. F 408 

Cleveland, S. Urovcr 103 

Clevenger, H.I 596 

Cobnrn, Joseph 945 

Cockayne, N W 488 

Coddin^^ton, Benjamin.. -. 774 

Coddington, Joseph 806 

Coffeen, B. E....". 855 

Coffecn, M. D .962 

Coggshall, A. B 661 

Cole, L. B ...». 815 

Coler, P. S 451 

Coles, Edward... 115 

CoUey, W 627 

Collins, C. L 809 

Co!Iison,J. M 74Q 

Colwcll, J. H 

Comer. John 614 

Conant, S. W. M 641 

Concannon, D 3(;3 

Condit, George 743 

Condon, T. K 389 

Congleton, C. W 403 

Conkey. W. A 913 

Conkling, K. (i 567 

Connor, Charles H 701 

Connor, John 683 

Cook, Kzekiel 504 

Cook, John 644 

Coon«, J. S 75* 

Cooler, David 53» 

Core, l»r James.... 709 

Corlics. H. I) .* 970 

Corlis.W. S 87« 

Cornelius, H. P 9S4 

Corray, K ... 584 

Cosbey, Thomas R 787 

Cotton, A. W 645 

Covert, Trnman 558 

Covington, Joseph -433 



Coudcn, (leorgc W 730 

Coylc, Anthony 913 

Coyncr, N- M 365 

Craig. C. M 474 

Craig, J. M 93a 

Crane, Theodore F 751 

Cranston, J 300 

Craw,C. W 3i6 

Craw, Samuel 310 

Crawford, Rev. iJavid 355 

Crawford, John 802 

Crawford, John 398 

Crawford, Lemuel 333 

Cresap, Capt. B. F 710 

Crist, Abram 334 

Cross, A. I> 75a 

Crouch, John, J r 400 

Culbert5on. Otho K 695 

Cullom, Shelby M 175 

Cunningham, A. P 666 

Cunningham, J. C) 731 

Cushman, iJanicI . . ... 837 

Custer, W. C... 967 



D 



Uailcy, Wm 6ai 

Darmer, John O 4»8 

TJarrah, T. O 219 

' Davidson, Cnpt. Joseph 225 

Davis, Edward 391 

Davis, James 894 

Davis, J. K 303 

Davis, Jehu 260 

Davis, Kobcrc 817 

Davis, T. J 971 

Davis, \V 435 

I Davis, Wm 799 

Dawley, Wnl J26 

Dawlcy, Wm. I 650 

Day, John W .273 

Deck, Oliver 399 

I Decker, loscpl. sfi 

I Dcmlo, Fredcn-l. ,111. 

I Devore, A J 

— yf «► 



* 



f- 

n^ 



•235 
.838 

•95= 
.S19 

• 432 



Dick, Jesse N 

Dickerson. E 

Dill, Sebastian 

Dodge, I. XV 

Doty, Stephen 

Uresbach, Ephraim 76" 

Duncan, Joseph i:ii 

Diinlap, Albert 757 

Dnnlap, K. I, 236 

Dnnlap, H. J 777 

Dunlap, Henry M 2S2 

Dnnlap, James H 739 

Dunlap, M 437 

Dunn, i- M 731 

Durfey, H. J- 378 

Dyer, C 42' 



E 



Earl, Wni. D 705 

Edwards, George 544 

Edwards, Ninian J>9 

Ellars, M 355 

Ellars, Wm 286 

Elliott, Wni 523 

Ellrod,H. I. 7°4 

Ells, Charles 4°4 

English, Stephen 40-! 

Ennis, Thomas 240 

Estep, Isaiah 680 

Evans, E. W 381 

Ewing, Wm. I,. U H7 

Exton, James 509 



F 



Kancher, W. P 706 

Kitulkncr, John 617 

Keemrtti, H. B 346 

Kerris. Mrs. A. 1 412 

Fielding, Isaac 600 

Fillmore, Millard 67 

Fisher, Daniel A 245 

Fisher, L)avid G 407 

Fisher, E. I 526 

Fisher, Kdward S 733 

Fislier, (leorgc A --342 

Fisher, Henry 272 

Fisher, W. C 221 

Flatt, James H 305 

Fleming, Jesse 545 

Fletcher, Wm qi8 

Flyiiii, Patrick 341 

Fo bes, S. A 623 

Ford, Capt- l>. J 515 

l''ord. 'rhomas 139 

Koiiike, Kvcrard 703 

Fowler. J , 684 

Fox. S 682 

Frame, M . J 283 

Francis, Isaac 811 

Krazicr, A 438 

I' r<?c*man, F.dmund 587 

I- reeinaii. Kleazer 530 



INDEX. 



Freeman, J ■ S • 7H 

Freeman, J. T 852 

Freeman, Thomas ■ ...702 

French, Augustus C 143 

Frey, Cieorge 954 

Fry, David 3^6 

Fry, F.dward 554 

Fry, Theodore 29s 

Fugate, Dr. J. T 787 

Full. N 742 

Funkhouser, Samuel ■ ■ 496 

Funkliouser, Wm 800 

Funston. J . H 440 

Furnish, Samuel 429 

Furst, Levi 424 



G 



(labriel, Elizabeth 812 

GalHon, V. J 800 

Garfield, James A ■■■95 

Gates. F- J 397 

Gehrig, F. Charles 537 

Geiser, G. F ^344 

Gcnung, F,. N 942 

George, L) . B 207 

Gere, John 976 

Ciibson, Charles W 951 

(iiddings, J . W.. ,477 

liiddings, T . W 769 

Gilmore, George W 614 

Glascock, Mahlon 693 

Glover, C 8?2 

Goings, A. A 798 

Gordon, Bernard 506 

Gordon, Joseph -. 864 

Gordy, Thomas 467 

Gorham, Henry 489 

Gorman, J ^-176 

Gorman, Joseph L...., 493 

Gondie, James 299 

(Irabby, John C 961 

Grant, Ulysses S .77 

ti ray. Nelson A . 726 

(Jrcen, Patrick 681 

(-irimes, J. 1' 293 

Griswold, George W 814 

Grove, Samuel 377 

(Jrovcs, C. M 430 

Clulick, J. K 279 

tiundcr, J- N 532 



l-'recnian, I !■ 



.508 



H 



Haddcu. J. M ....793 

Halbcrstadi, F.li 499 

Halberstadt, John 264 

Haley, H. A 606 

Hamilton, C. K 866 

llainilion, J 487 

Hamiltoi', John M 179 

Handy, W. K 590 

Haiinal), J. .S 319 



Harless, E. L 457 

Harmeson, Thomas 548 

Harmison, James 669 

Harnit, J . M 292 

Harrison, W. H 239 

Harrison, Wm. Henry 51 

Hartsock, G. W 978 

Harvey, W'illiam 713 

Harwood. Hon- Abel 963 

Harwood. George W 686 

Havard, W. R 568 

Hawbaker, Henry 647 

Hawker, Wm 573 

Haworth, W 203P 

Hays, John C 479 

Hayes, Rutherford B gi 

Hazen, K. B .302 

Hazen, Horace 283 

Head rick. J. H 217 

Henderson, J. W 596 

Henderson, W'm 204 

Henness,Z... 556 

Hensley, Salem 418 

Herriott, James W 330 

Hewerdine, Robert ■ .867 

Hewerdine, Wm 864 

Hicks. L. I .674 

Hllderbrani, John W 939 

Hill, E. J 697 

Hinton, D. V. \> 541 

Hixenhautih, 1 740 

Hodam. J. H 86g 

Holaday, Mrs. N 591 

Hoss, Francis M 859 

Hossack, James A 3[>3 

Howard, H. C 639 

Howard, James 423 

Howard, W. F 753 

Howser, C. L 785 

Howser, J. N 853 

Howser, Leonidas H 214 

Hubbard, I.. G 664 

Hitdsni,, J. H 785 

Hudson, Joseph R 782 

Huffman, J. F 242 

Hummel, Philip 289 

Humrichouscr, Isaiah 944 

Humrichhouse, J. W 858 

Hnnsley, H. W' 610 

Hunt, Charles S..." 704 

Hunt, J H 574 

Hyde, A. W ^55 

Hyde, S. .X 220 

1 

Ice, James K 817 

J 

Jackson, Andrew 43 

James, Enos 60S 

Jaqucs. John H 483 

Jaques, W. H 648 

Jeakins, Mark 624 

Jeffcrsnn, H 714 

Jeft'erson, Iliomas 27 



Jefferson, Thomas K 401 

Jervis, Joseph 333 

Jessee, J. 1" 311 

Johnson, Andrew 83 

Johnson, W. H 231 

Johnston, George W, ....... .300 

Johnston, Robert 572 

Jones, Morris 607 

Jones, Samuel D .716 

Jones, W. M 810 

Jordan, 'T. F 430 

Judy, Jacob H . . , 343 



K 



Kainp, Joseph 375 

Karcher, George 375 

Karr, James, Jr 553 

Keller, John 1 562 

Kelley, Joseph '1" 844 

Ketch um, Sidney 418 

Kilbury, J. S 657 

Kilbury, Mortimer 673 

King, L>. .-V 791 

Kirkpatrick, Dr. C 764 

Kirkpatrick, J. C... 647 

Kirkpatrick, S. A 782 

Koch, M 557 

Koogler, Samuel 667 

Kratz, Dr. Edwin .\ 816 

Kuder, .\ . 1. 473 

Kuder, C. L 571 

Kuder, Lewis 208 

Kurtz, H 594 



LaKolIett, J . H 940 

Lamb, L. K 867 

Langc. F. H 335 

L.Triicnt', G. K qi6 

Lateer, W. J 525 

Laverick, Thomas 933 

Lawrence, J W .562 

Layman, Isaac 974 

Layman, Lewis. ... 363 

Leas, .A. F 854 

Leas, Isaac 'T 197 

Ledderboge, F. G 487 

Lee, .Squire 941 

Lehman, Wm 742 

Leidendcker, M. J 676 

Leii;h, F. M 884 

Leneve, Wm 879 

Leney, John W 958 

Lenox, Hiram..... 959 

Leonard, John 605 

Leslie, Robert 632 

Lester, ('apt. J . B ... .795 

Lester, John I 808 

Letterman, Joseph 477 

Lewis, J . M 483 

Lilly, C. H 495 

Lilly. Mrs. V 663 



f 



*► m^ <\ 



■«» ■- 



t 



•►-B-^*- 



INDEX. 



Lincoln, Abraham 79 

I.indsey, Thomas 265 

l.iiicltarger, J . H 466 

l.itllcr, John K . . . 971 

Lloyde, U. H 675 

l.ockc, John 387 

l.och, A 537 

Logan, J. H S;? 

Lorenz, Lrnst 468 

Lorenz, L- H 447 

Lou, J- H 346 

Lo^■cless, A. N 260 

Lovingfoss, John H .725 

Lowman, Allison 190 

Luedecker, Rev. F. A 951 

Lumley, James 354 

Lyons, S. ii 236 

Lyons, Thomas 420 



M 



Madison, James 

Mallory, John 'I' 

^Vandeville, John I).. . 
Mandeville, Samuel 1-) . 

Manley, Ira A 

Mapes, D 

Marriott. Casandra 

Marshall, Edward . 

Matheny, T. J 

M athews, M . W 

Matteson, Joel A 

Matthews, John M 

Mathewson, Rrown 

Maxwell, David 

Maxwell, Joseph 

McBride, Henry 

McCabe, John 

McClelland, J. R 

McClelland, Wm 

McClintock, 'I'homas... 

McCloskey, Jacob 

Mc(-racken, Thomas F. 
McCullough, A. W.... 
McK.lwee, J. S... .... 

McKlwce, I 

Mcintosh, I> 

McKce, K. M 

McKee. Samuel 

McKee, Samuel 

McKinney, I). K 

McLean, Lewis A 

McLennan, Phillip ■ 

McMillen, Wm 

McMillian, C 

McMulkn, John 

Mead, D 

Meharry, A. 1' 

Mcharry, Jesse.... 

Meharry, VVm 

Meikle, John W 

Merry, Benjamin K 

Micliener, 1 > 

Miller, Dr. J. L 

Miller, J. (i 

^ IMiller. J. T 



.658 
.968 
.810 
• 195 
.215 
•574 
. .262 
•447 
..571 

■■•47 
..411 
..788 
■377 

• 334 
. 629 
■ .816 
..600 
..967 
. -270 
..611 
..392 

• 679 
..847 
. 198 
. ■ 196 



• 526 
.469 

860 
.264 
.276 

285 

.921 

.63> 
•576 
.274 

•359 
.201 
•S»3 
320 
585 
.66a 
.646 
.590 



Miller. W. T 6/9 

Miner, Mrs- Eunice 250 

Minturn, John M 791 

Mitchell, J. P 280 

Monroe, James 35 

Moore. I). S 948 

Moore, James M to2 

Moore, J. R 361 

Moore, John T 370 

Moore, M 823 

.Moore, S. W ■ 369 

More, J. R 806 

Morgan, W. H 525 

Morris, H. M 908 

Morris, J . H .484 

Morris, R. H 705 

Morrow, G. K 891 

Morse, RolHn H qo6 

Morton, Wm ... 924 

Moser, Uavid 964 

Mosier, Dr. P. C 533 

Miimm, John J 890 

Myers, Daniel 828 

Myers, Mrs- K. 595 

Myers, JW 503 

Myers. Putcr 9'7 



N 



Nash. H. J 244 

Nay lor, David 462 

Naylor, Edmund 935 

Neal, John B 387 

Nelson, Lucy M 275 

Nelson, Henry...., 408 

Neu, Wm 556 

Nichols, David T 966 

Nichols, Frederick 944 

Nicewandcr, Mary J 659 

Nisewander, D 589 

Nofftz, Albert 441 

Norton, J. N .. 373 

Norton. Stephen 263 

Nox, Solomon 201 



O 



Oakes, George 892 

Obcnchain, E. S 821 

O'Brien , James 441 

Obryant, Johnson 593 

Obryant, Wm. W 837 

Ocheltrec, J. M 848 

Ochellrcc, J. R ai6 

O'Connor, Thomas M 474 

Offenstein. Frank 349 

Oglcsby, Richard J 163 

Oldham, James G 781 

OrdeU A 3«w 

< >sborne, J A 745 

Owens. W. H 583 



Palmer, .Aquilla 900 

Palmer, John M 167 

Park, John W 211 

Park, Wm 862 

Parker, Charles 419 

Parker, Dr. C. E... 438 

Parker. E. W 923 

Parker. Prof. Geo. W. M... 601 

Parr. W. G 194 

Parreti, J. W. & R. A 582 

Parry, J. C 243 

Parsley, James 631 

Patterson, Catherine 899 

Paiton, Nathan .965 

Payton, Rev. J. H 471 

Peabody, David 911 

Pcabody, S. H 735 

Pearman, Dr. J. 'I" 773 

Peck, Charles W 577 

Pell, Frederick 44Q 

Pcnfield, John 969 

Penman, Robert 339 

Percival, C. E 316 

Percival, S. P 413 

Perring, J. A 940 

Peters, I. S 650 

Peters, R •••93.'; 

Peters, W. J 916 

Peterson, John L 510 

Peterson, Rasmus 974 

Pcttii, Silas 561 

Phenicie, Wm. M 979 

Phillippe, John F 249 

Phillippc, M . A 312 

Pickard. J. C 978 

Pierce. Franklin 71 

Pierce, Joseph 722 

Pinkerton, F. E 834 

Piper, Henry 670 

Place, J. R 866 

Plaut, S 520 

Polk, James K 59 

Pollock. J. H 312 

Porter, L. H 547 

Portcrfield, A. G 844 

Porterfield, L. C 480 

Porterfield, R. M. 202 

Portcrfield, S. .A, 948 

Powers, E. V 478 

Pratt, .Mbert R 555 

Price, Arthur 536 

Pricket, A. J 833 

Putnam. Edgar W 843 

Putnam, George W ..7b6 

Putnam, Henry 322 

Putnam, Wm. P 851 

Q 

(Juinhui, Wni 323 

R 

Kadebauuh, t 45* 

Kadekaugh, S l< ««6 



I 



-4^ 



Rassler, Michael 656 

Rawlinson, W. M 893 

Rayburn. R. G 330 

Raymond, Isaac S 306 

Read. Marvin 37a 

Reagan , C . 529 

Ream. S . J 927 

Reed, A. J 427 

Reed, Ijcorge H .... 914 

Keed, J. C 388 

Reese, Henry 846 

Reese. Walter 343 

Reid, Nancy 882 

Reinliart, Anthony 436 

Reinhart, Louis. 309 

Rrinhart. Wcndcl 624 

Renner, H. W 564 

Reynolds, Han ford 856 

Reynolds, Jeremiah N 824 

Reynolds, John 1:13 

Rice, Artiiur 3^9 

Rice, David 360 

Richmond, H 382 

Richmond, J. W J^^ 

Ricker, N. C 65a 

Ricketts, .\ . D ,269 

Roach, John 374 

Roberts, Wm. H... 384 

Robinson, H. J 364 

Robinson,? 475 

Rock, A. J 538 

Rock, Wm 759 

Roc, Matthew... 351 

Roos, Prof. Peter .772 

Roughton, John 955 

Ruckman, Thomas 261 

Ruhl. A. G 655 

Rusk, P. A. 677 

Russell, K 842 



Sadorus, Allen M 857 

Sadorns, Henry aa6 

Sadorus, H. T 3^0 

Sadorns. Wm 291 

Sale, E. C 563 

Samson, W. L 505 

Saxon. Mrs. .Anna 470 

Schocnberger, F .871 

Scott, Abel S 582 

Scott, Hon. F. L 390 

Scott. I". J 436 

Seltzer, J . D 459 

Sewcll.J. T 304 

Seymour, A. R -835 

Seymour, F. G 834 

Shaffer, James S 975 

Shaffer, Phillip ,.282 

Sharpe, E. H 304 

Shattuck, Prof. S. W 734 

Shaver, E. A 873 

Shawhan, G. R 191 

Shreve, O 193 

Shuck. J. W 895 

Silver, David 618 

Silver, Wallace • 113 

Si mpkon , J ohn A 356 



i 



r 



,t 



INDEX. 



i. 



Sim, J. W 969 

Sims, Dr. S. N 944 

Sims.Dr. W. B 823 

Skinner, George & Henry .517 

Skinner, Wm 584 

Smith, A. B 546 

Smith, George A 730 

Smith, George W 478 

Smith, J. B 841 

.Smith, Jonathan 843 

Smith, J. N 678 

Smith, .M 95« 

Smith, Mrs. M. H 964 

Smith, '1 homas \V 494 

Smith, VV. 1, .. 610 

Smithson, J. M 46' 

Snider, John 685 

Snyder, Prof, Edward 215 

Somers, John W 833 

Soraers,W. D 977 

Soper, M. H 878 

Spencer, John M 397 

Sperling, A 45^ 

Sperling, Frederick 47" 

Stafford, S. V 768 

Stamey, J ■ W 629 

Stamey, M- E 55' 

Stayton, D B„ Sr 7*3 

Stayton, D. B., Jr 193 

Stayton, Joseph H S32 

Stein. Frank 33= 

Stephens. Thomas 979 

Stephenson, H. W 282 

Stephenson, L 448 

Steven, James 379 

Stevenson, Lew E 770 

Stewart, G. C 33' 

Stewart, H. C 934 

Stockard, Wm. C 484 

Stone, T. M 326 

Stone, Willis 567 

Stonestreet. J . W 2itl 

Strong, A. W 894 

Stuart, George 281 

Siumpf, G 7^3 

Styan, Edward 3*0 

Summit, C. F 2>9 

Sunderland, Miles 553 

Swaim, G. H 825 



- 



Swayie, W. H 294 

Swearingen, J. A 486 

Swearingen, Mrs. Elizabeth. .861 
Swisher, G. M 515 



'Fabler, B. 1 ^75 

'Faulman, H 883 

Taylor, Capt. Caleb 333 

Taylor, Gilbert L 56* 

Taylor, John 528 

Taylor, Zachary 63 

Telling, Edward T 902 

Tennant, J H 75<> 

Terry, G. W 780 

Thayer, Edward F 8g6 

Thayer, Milo 630 

Thomas, B F 3*4 

Thomas, M. C 503 

Thompson, '.Abraham 901 

Thompson, Jesse B 761 

Thompson, J. G 513 

Thompson, J. K 746 

Thompson, Peter 4^5 

Thrash, John 43= 

Tindall, Jacob 213 

Titus, A. B 518 

Todd. S. A 442 

Tompkins, S. L 868 

'Towner, Richard 7;'o 

Townsend, W. H 660 

Trees, G. W 776 

Trick, John 94* 

'T re vet t, Henry 977 

Trisler, Dr. J. W .775 

'Trotter, Hiram 259 

Trotter, Jefferson 256 

lyler. H. M 6o3 

'Tyler. John 5^ 



u 



Umbenhower. James 545 



Vaden. Wm. A 712 

Vail, R. B 315 

N'allandingham, A. II . . . ... 772 

Vaiiaslen, W. 1 1 758 

\'an Brunt. Saimtel 637 

Van Bureii, Martin 47 

Vance, Wm. S 586 

Van Fleet, Charlotte 80a 

Vansctioyck, J ■ W 732 

Van Vleck. C H 324 

Van \leck, F. I 339 

\'an Wegen, Lee 414 

\'arney. Mrs. Lucy J 767 

V aiitrin. Louis 699 

Vennum, F. B 381 

Voss, John A 394 

w 



Wagner, A. J 8oi 

Walker, George A 622 

Walker, J. R 5=4 

Wallace, Isaac M 710 

Warters, Wm 542 

Washington, George 19 

Waters, Wm. S 874 

Watsou, James 655 

Watts, F, M 345 

Waugh, Richard 422 

Way, W. M .<!52 

Webber, G. G 603 

Webber,Hon. Wm.B 975 

Webber, T. R 946 

Webster, George 779 

Weeks, J. H 706 

Welles, j. H 4>7 

VVest, H. C 251 

West, W. M 755 

Whallon,J C 490 

White, H. C 9»6 

White, John T 498 

White, Wm • >93 

I Whitraore. A. P 230 




-t^ 



Wiggins, H. J 534 

Wilcox, Frank 754 

Williams, S. G 640 

Williams, Wm. H 936 

Williams, Z. B 535 

Wills, Samuel 272 

Wilson, D. R 905 

Wilson, George W 476 

Wilson, George W 643 

Wilson, H. F 771 

Wilson, Henry 475 

Wilson, James 712 

Wilson, James A 757 

Wilson, 'Thomas... - 934 

Wilson, Thomas W. A 700 

Wilson, Wm 462 

Witt, C. J 9=!" 

Wolf, David 7'9 

Wolfe, J. S 750 

Wood, John 155 

Wood, Wm * 578 

Wood, W. W 325 

Woodard, H 543 

Woodin, Thomas J 873 

Wright, C E 745 

Wright, Francis M 609 

Wright, Hon. J. S 880 

Wright, R.C 612 

Wright, 'J'homas 643 

Wyraann, C. R 3»4 

Wyninger, George N -725 

Wyne, J H 687 

Y 

Yancey. D. L 460 

Vates, B. F s'6 

Y.Ttes. Richard iS9 

Yeazel, .\nn Margaret 455 

Yeazel, James ....889 

Yexley, A 229 

Young, Caleb B 507 

Young, F. M 573 

Young, 'Thomas ,.485 

Young, Wm 760 

Younguian, B 634 

z 



Zerl>e. lohn I - 



-^ * ■» 



t. 



-4^ 



INDEX. 



t 



1 




Adams, John 32 

Adams, John Q 38 

Arihiir, Chester A 98 

Babb. M... 886 

IVecher, Henry 930 

Bellinger, J. A 830 

Bcveridge. John 1 170 

Bissell. VVm. H 150 

Bond, Shadrach iio 

Buchanan, James 74 

Carley, Mark iSg 

Carlin, 'I'homas 134 

Cleveland. S. Grover 102 

Coles, Edward ...114 

Colley, Wm 626 

Ciillom, Shelby M 174 

1 'iincan, Joseph 130 

Uunlap. J. H .. 738 

Kdwards, Ninian 118 



Ewing, Win L. 1' ia6 

Fillmore. Millard 66 

Ford, Thomas 138 

French, Augustus C 142 

Garfield, James A 94 

Gates, Perry J 396 

Gorman, Joseph L 492 

Goudic. James. . 298 

Grant. I'. S 86 

Gulick, J. R 278 

Hiimilton, John M 170 

Hannah. J . S ...3»3 

Harrison, Elizabeth. . 238 

Harrison. W. H 238 

Harrison. Wm. H 50 

Hayes, R . li yo 

Jackson, Andrew 42 

Jefferson, Thomas -^6 

Johnson, .Andrew. .. . 82 



Lester. J. B 794 

Lincoln, Abraham 78 

Madiaon. James 30 

Mathews, M. W 570 

Matteson. Joel A 146 

Meharry, Jesse 358 

Meharry, Wm soo 

Meikic, J. W 512 

Monroe, James 34 

Oslcsby, Richard J 162 

Pal iner, John M 16^ 

Patterson, J. K 898 

Peahody, 1> 910 

Penman. Robert 338 

Penman, Mrs. Robert ....338 

Ptcrcc. Franklin 70 

Polk. James K 58 

Putnam. VVm 850 

Rein liar I, Wendel 626 



Reynolds, John 123 

Smith, T. W 492 

Spencer, J - M ... 396 

Stamey, M. E 550 

Taylor, Zachary 62 

Thayer, Edward F 898 

Thompson, J • C ..-sia 

Towner, Richard ,... 718 

Trotter, Hiram .258 

Tyler, John 45 

Van Buren. Martin 46 

Washington, George 18 

Way. W. M .■ 550 

Welles, Joseph H 416 

Wolf, David 7>8 

\\'ood. John 154 

Vates Richard 158 

Vcazel, Abraham 454 

Yeazel, Ann M 454 

Yeazel. Elizabeth 887 

Veazel, James- 830 




iqWs, 



- 



Arnold, Cyrus 681 

Barrett. Kli 747 

Battles, F. B 287 

liongard. Joseph 327 

Bourne, Amos .348 

Brown, Isaac 481 

Champ, J. W 721 

Clark, John 721 

C levenger, H. I 51,7 

Coffccn. M . n 481 

Comer, John 615 

Conkcy, W. A 385 

Cooter, David 501 

Corlis, W. S 287 

Covert, Truman 559 

Craig, J M 707 

Craw, Samuel 308 

Davis, Robert 783 

Dawley, Wm 425 

I >ecker, Joseph 247 

l>ickerson, Ezra 839 

Doty, Stephen 367 

D un n , Z . M 803 

Edwards, George 747 

Fisher, E. S 553 

4* 



Fletcher, Wm 919 

George, D. B 443 

Giddings, Thomas W 521 

Gil mo re, G. W 615 

Gray. N. A 797 

Griswold, G . W 227 

Grove, Samuel 367 

Gulick, J. R 765 

Hawbaker, Henry 689 

Head rick, J. H 707 

Henderson, J. W 597 

Hewerdine, Robert,.... 765 

Hinton, D. F. ll 539 

Htxenbaugh, Isaac 803 

Howard, Wm. F 783 

Bowser, L. H — 227 

Humrichhouse, J. W 531 

Jones, Morris E 247 

Kamp, Joseph 405 

Kudcr, Lewis 209 

Kurtz, Henry 765 

Laicer, W. J 747 

Lavcrick, Thomas 803 

Leonard, John 689 

Locke, John 501 



Logan, J. H 875 

Lyons, Thomas 367 

McClelland, J. R 689 

McCloskcy, Jacob 247 

McKee. E. M .-.579 

McKee, Samuel 663 

.McMillian, Clement - -919 

Moore, James M 663 

Moore, S. W... 435 

Morris, R l! 783 

Mumm, J. J ....553 

Naylor, David 463 

Naylor, Edmund 463 

Ncal, John B 405 

Nisewandcr, Daniel 731 

Norton, J. N 405 

Offenuein, Frank 348 

Osborne, John .A 367 

Palmer, A(iuilla ' -57' 

Parker. K. W 425 

PcU, Fred 501 

Pettit, Sil.as 559 

Pierce, Joseph 385 

Porlcrfield, A. G 571 

Pratt, Albert R 663 



Putnam, Minerva 287 

Reed, A. J 68t 

R«d. J.C 443 

Reinhart, Louis 308 

Rock. A. J 539 

Seltzer, John D 443 

Smith, (.ieorge .-\ 737 

Stone, 'J' . M 327 

Strong, A. W 553 

Stumpf, Gustave 227 

Swayzc, Wm .707 

Telling, E. T 904 

Thompson, J. K . . 385 

VanBrunt, Samuel 635 

Vance, Wm. S 68t 

Vanschoyck, James W 367 

Waters, Wm. S 875 

White, Wm 571 

Williams. Wm. H 521 

Wilson. D R 904 

Wilson, Thomas 481 

Wood, Wm 579 

Wright, C. E 367 

Young man, Bernard 635 

-•►- 






